Saavi 14 – Chennai – 5th July 2025

The main idea of Saavi 14 was to give an introduction to carpentry and creating everyday product. This month we had 2 groups of participants – Teens and 8 to 10 years.

Group pic

Introduction

We began our day with introduction followed by movement for an English song – We are leaves of one tree and a Tamil poem by Bharathiar. We enjoyed moving around as a group with simple and joyful movements.

Morning session - 8-to-10-year group

               The first session was to go for a walk in the ground and collect leaves and flowers. Once they collected the flowers and leaves, they arranged it in the frame (made of chart and cello tape) as they wish.

               The second session was to create a wooden frame for the nature art they made in session 1. We explored cutting the wood using a small saw and sticking it together as a frame. The challenge was to make it stand independently.

Morning session - Teens

Choice 

               Every time in Saavi, we give participants 2 topics to choose from. This simple choice gives the participants a feeling of creation of their day. This time the choices were – Light and Mirror. Participants chose Light.

design

Mind map

 Participants explored the possibilities of topics, interest with light as the main idea. Every time we take up a central idea, we come to know how everything around us is so interconnected and integral part of a whole picture. This time was also we could see the vastness of the different topic that filled the floor.

Making a Lamp Shade

Participants explored the different designs possible using the pieces of wood and came up with 3 designs. Finally, they chose a hexagonal pattern for the lamp shade. We explored cutting the wood using simple hand tools. There was so much discussion on wood cutting and people who cut trees using hand tools and also appreciation for their hard work. It took 2 hours to finish the lamp shade.

Afternoon session – 8- to 10-year-old

We made a rocking doll using paper. It was an enriching to see how each one made different characters once they are familiar with the base idea. One child made a snail and another made a girl.

Afternoon session – Teens

Socratic Seminar

Info graphic on Light

               The first session after lunch was a seminar on “Light Pollution”. We read an article about light pollution as a group and came up with factual questions. It was amazing to see how each one of them had different experiences they can connect to and their own perceptions.

               This time we want to bring in a connected activity for the seminar. So, we asked the participants to design an info graph on Light pollution based on the article. Both the teams made a beautiful info graph using the facts available in the article.

Presentation

Presentation

  All participants presented their work during this session. Each one chose their own style and added their own way of presentation. Teens presented their info graph as teams. The younger ones presented their work.

Reflection

               Each one of us shared our ups and downs of the day during reflection.   

Review

               Every month I meet new challenges and possibilities with the participants. The participants are the designers of the Saavi workshop. This time the biggest takeaway was the group dynamics between the teens and the younger children. I learned where to bring them together and where to give them separate spaces.