Puppet classes make learning science fun

What do puppets have to do with rain harvesting, fissures in the earth’ surface and environmental issues?

A lot, if you ask the participants at the just concluded workshop organised by the Indian Science Communication Society at the Regional Science City in Lucknow.

The 35-odd students from various schools mastered the art of ‘Joyful Science through Puppetry’. They made puppets, then wrote scripts on issues related to science and then did a bit of acting to convey the message to the audience.

“The workshop was designed to familiarise children to issues that concern their lives. We brought in puppetry because it made the whole experience of learning science rather joy ful. It was a unique marriage of science and arts and the children enjoyed it thoroughly,” says Mr P. K. Jain, education officer at the Regional Science City.

The participants, all of them from class 7 and above, took up the issue of rain harvesting and water conservation and enacted it through a puppet skit titled Pakdo, Pani Bhaga. The issue of the earth surface developing fissures due to excessive ground water exploitation was also addressed by the children.

Pahada Pa Ka highlighted the relationship between tree and water while Kahan Se Kahan Tak underlined the pollution due to increasing vehicular traffic. It also urged people to understand the need for a clean environment. Niyati Das, a class 9 student who participated in the workshop, found the experience ‘unique and interesting’.

“We got to learn how to make puppets, how to write scripts for plays and how to act.

Somewhere in between, we also learnt about science and its impact on our lives. With my friends, I now plan to star a similar workshop in my colony,” she says.

Mr Jain says that the idea of the workshop was top spread the message through children.