Museum organises various activities/workshops for childrens which are mainly of following three types :-
- Museum based Activities/Workshops
- Theme based Activities/Workshops
- Curriculum based Activities/Workshops
Under the first category mentioned above programmes like Surya Week, Museum Week and Heritage Week are organized.
Under the second category theme based activities/workshops, such as Workshop on Miniature Painting, Conservation & Preservation,
‘Moulding & Casting’ etc. are conducted.
Under the Curriculum based activities, programmes like ‘Let’s Know our Civilization’, ‘Let’s Travel through past etc. are conducted’.
Surya Week
“Surya Week” is a programme based on one of the permanent exhibition of this museum. This programme is organized by the Museum regularly. Main objectives of this week long programme are :-
- To provide children an extensive information about the ultimate source of Heat & Energy i.e. Sun and all aspects related to it.
- To provide participants an opportunity to understand various phenomena related to the Sun through activities/practical experiences etc.
- To not only make children aware of various non-conventional resources of energy but also to provide them an opportunity to make use of the same themselves.
This week long programme starts with a Pre-Test followed by an orientation and a visit to the exhibition “Surya”. During this programme children
are exposed to various aspects related to the Sun in detail through various activities including informal interactions with the experts of
astronomy, visits to the places related to the subject such as planetarium & ancient observatories like Jantar Mantar and the Non Conventional
Energy Resources Centre etc. besides, children also get an opportunity to use solar energy themselves for cooking their own food. The programme
ends with the Post-Test. The results of these Pre-Test and Post-Tests help in improving the programme and activities of museum further.
Museum Week
The National Children’s Museum every year in the months of May/June observes Museum Week in commemoration of “World Museum Day” in order to
create awareness among children regarding importance of museums in their lives, types of Museums & their uses. This organizing programmes like
“Let’s Explore the Uses of Museums”. The National Children’s Museum believes that any “Museum” remains a store house until it is used to dispense
information to its visitors through its collection. During this week long programme children are exposed to different types of Museums through
slide shows and an opportunity to interact with provided experts when they visit various museums. Children also explore themselves that through
these different kinds of Museums they can learn various aspects related to our cultural heritage and glorious past alongwith traditional art &
crafts etc. They also learn how these museums can supplement or complement their school curriculum and help them in understanding various topics
related to their day today life.
Theme based Workshops
Following types of theme based workshops are conducted by National Children Museum :-
- Miniature Paintings
- Traditional Paintings like Varli, Madhubani etc.
- Conservation & Preservation of Monuments
- Moulding & Casting Workshops’ (making replicas)
Main objectives of such theme based workshops are :-
- To acquaint the children with their rich cultural heritage,
- To create awareness among them regarding various traditional arts & crafts and
- To motivate them to preserve and conserve their heritage and join hands in continuing some of the dying arts & crafts of the country.
Heritage Week
In commemoration of “World Heritage Day” National Children’s Museum organizes ‘Heritage Week’ every year in the month of April with an
objective to make the children realize that the cultural heritage belongs to them and it is their prime duty to preserve and conserve these
monuments which are the symbol of the glorious past of our country.
During this week long programme through interaction, slide shows, quiz programmes, guided visit to some important monuments enrolled in the list of World Cultural Heritage. Besides, painting and clay modeling activities are also organized wherein children either draw the monuments or make its model in clay/white clay etc. While doing this they efforts are made to meet with the above objectives observe, learn as well as understand unknowingly the salient features of the art & architecture of a particular period.
Curriculam based programmes organized by National Children’s Museum are as follows :-
- “Let’s known our Civilization”
- “Let’s Travel Through Pa“Let’s Travel Through Past” (Under this programme every time children travel through a different various period of their history)
Objectives:-
- To provide joy of learning to children by making the contents of their interesting.the vision of children
- To relate day-to-day life experience with various concepts they study in their books.
The Museum also undertakes various excursion programmes where prominent historical places excavation sites and other materials related to our past and present are shown to children so that they get practical knowledge of subjects related to their curriculum.
During Summer Session in the months of May/June when, Master Craftsmen are invited to the National Bal Bhavan to display their products and impart training to the children in their specilized arts and crafts, the Museum gallery hums with activity, becoming the most vibrant of all-a places where the children’s creative endeavours are at their best. National Bal Bhavan is also concerned about those arts which are on the verge of extinction. Therefore, conscious efforts are made to transfer these art and crafts to the next generation.
Some of the workshops organized by Bal Bhavan have been on :-
- Sanjhi Painting
- Varlie Painting
- Tribal Art
- Glass Painting
- Kalamkari
- Leather paintings and Puppets
- Patta Chitra
- Art work related to Shola Peeth
- Terracotta
- Bamboo Craft
- Kite making
- Kantha
- Phulkari Embroidery
- Crafts Works of Gujrat
- Cane Work
- Special programmes visually impaired children
Non-Formal Education Workshop for children belonging to the lower most strata of society is also conducted to motivate them to ‘Learn and Earn’.