Tricolor Indian Flag – Activity

Aim of the activity:

To make the Group I children understand that we are all dependent on each other and that we can progress only if we work as a group and look after the needs of each other.

Materials required:

Chart papers, scissors, colour pencils / crayons, pencil, eraser, a stick and glue.

Procedure:

1. Divide the children into two groups.
2. Distribute the materials mentioned above to the two groups at random. If there are more children in Class, Gurus could form them into number of groups. Care should be taken to ensure that no one team gets all the materials. For example, Group boys could be given orange colour pencil, chart, scissors, pencil and group girls could be given green colour pencil, pencil, chart, glue.
3. Explain to the children that each of the two groups should draw the Indian Flag on the chart paper, colour and finally attach it to the stick.
4. Initially the children from the groups may complain that they do not have the required material. Example – Group boys may say that they do not have green colour pencil, glue etc and group girls may say that they do not have orange colour pencil, scissors etc. Children are allowed to share materials with other groups. However, gurus should not explicitly mention that they are allowed to share but observe how both the groups are behaving. Gurus should also see if all the children are getting involved in the activity.
5. Ask the children to submit the completed Tricolour Indian flag and sing the National Anthem as a group.

Suggested questions for Discussion

1. Ask the children if they felt happy sharing things with others?
2. Ask the children if they could have completed the activity without borrowing the things from other groups?
3. Ask them how they felt working as a team. Did they wait patiently for the other groups to finish with whatever they were doing before they could give the materials to them?
4. Did they make the other groups to wait till they fully completed their flag?
5. Did they ask politely or demanded from the groups?

Inference

Gurus should explain the importance of working together and helping each other to succeed in life.
A slight variation of this activity can be as follows –
The Guru can keep one of the essential components with herself/himself, example in this case could be the glue stick. Once the groups are almost through with the activity, the Guru can help the groups with the final touch of sticking the flag to the stick. This can be followed up with questions like

1. Was the glue important to finish the activity?
2. Could it have been possible for the Guru to make the flag using only the glue?

As Swami rightly says – The Training of the senses and emotions is a process in which the teacher and the taught cooperate.
Gurus should explain with the above activity that for right kind of learning. Both the Gurus and the children have to work together.