Summer holidays are almost here, and we've lined up the best workshops, activities, festivals and camps to keep the little ones engaged. Take your pick
Act, react
There is a new addition to the bouquet of children’s festivals Mumbai has to offer during summer. And OverAct: The Alternative Theatre Space’s first edition of Ho Gayi Chhutti promises a week full of stimulating experiences for kids. From storytelling workshops by Anita Salim to Gillo Repertory’s theatrical workshops and performances, plays by Rupesh Tillu, a cook-out story, where Birbal’s khichdi will be served in the end, and a speech and drama session using the basics of thumri, there is something for all age groups, including toddlers. For older kids, a radio play that encourages them to make use of the sounds around them to narrate a story and record a play is also part of the line-up.
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From April 27 to May 6
AT OverAct, 190 Aram Nagar Part 2, Versova, Andheri West.
Call 9820468797
Register overactspace@gmail.com
Cost Rs.250 onwards (plays);
Rs.1,500 (workshops; art material, if required, is additional)
Take the stage
Entering its eighth edition this year, the NCPA’s Summer Fiesta has an array of workshops for the creatively inclined. Acting, public speaking, dancing and creative writing sessions will be conducted by professionals in the field, and have been designed for different age groups. Sujay Saple’s theatre and movement workshops will end in parents having an experimental session on the floor with kids, where they will play some of the workshop games that the kids have done over the week. A script to performance workshop with Silly Point Productions will be a three-week intensive affair, which will culminate in a performance.
From May 1 to June 10
AT NCPA, Nariman Point.
Call 66223822
Register summerfiestancpa@gmail.com
Cost: Rs2,000 onwards (plus GST)
Celebrate a special bond
What’s a summer vacation without visiting one’s grandparents? Grand Utsav, a festival celebrating this special bond, has a host of activities lined up, where kids can play games, create art, listen to puppet stories, strum a guitar, plant saplings and make clay toys with their grandparents. There is even a picture corner, where the grandparent and grandchild can exchange roles and dress like each other. The idea behind the festival is for both generations to learn something from each other’s world.
At Multiple venues in the city in May.
Call 9819060920
register facebook.com/GroomingBabies
Act like no one’s watching
Summertime@Prithvi, with 27 years of workshops and 14 years of plays, is perhaps the longest-running festival for kids in the city. With some of the best minds in theatre coming up with plays for young minds, and 24 creative workshops for four- to 16-year-olds, the months of April, May and June promise to be truly engaging for those who love the stage.
At Prithvi Theatre, Juhu.
Call 26149546
Register Application forms for the workshops available
At Prithvi Theatre Box Office from April 1, 10am to 7pm.
Submission starts from April 8, 10 am to 4 pm
Learn science with a dash of fun
If the world of dinosaurs fascinates your child, this is their chance to dig in, literally! With fossil-making and paleontology-themed activities, Dinosaur Science Day promises to be a memorable one.
On March 24, 5 pm (for kids from junior KGâÂÂÂu00c2u0080ÂÂÂu00c2u0088to second standard)
At Fun Science Club, Ghamat lodge, Dadar TT.
Call 9819580259
Play like Vishy Anand
Prodigies need to be pushed in the right direction at the right time. If your kid is beating you at chess, sign up for a five-day summer chess camp, where they will be taught by qualified trainers.
From March 27 to 31 (for kids between seven and 14 years)
At Russian Centre for Science & Culture, Peddar Road.
Call 23510793
Cost Rs1,800
Put your thinking cap on
OctoSmart is a workshop for two and a half to five-year-olds based on Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. The five-day module has themes that will teach children the concept of time and seasons, and the science behind the ability to fly, among other themes.
From April 16 to 20 and April 23 to 26, 11 am
At Kids Club, Madhu Park, Khar West.
Call 65700499
Cost Rs.2,500
Meet tigers in the wild
Get introduced to wildlife in its natural habitat at this four-day camp in Pench National Park. Open to kids and adults, the camp, which will be conducted by naturalist Imran Khan, features a camera trap study for children, which will show them the latest wildlife pictures caught on the camera trap.
On April 23 and May 15 (tentative dates)
Log on to trip360.com
Cost Rs.12,000
Explore the green side of Mumbai
The founders of DCPâÂÂÂu00c2u0080ÂÂÂu00c2u0088Expeditions feel it’s important for kids to know that Mumbai is not just a concrete jungle. They will conduct birding workshops for kids where they also show how to take memorable pictures.
On April 22, 7 am
At Hanging Gardens. on June 2, 7 am
At Maharashtra Nature Park, Sion.
Log on to dcpexpeditions.com
Make trees your pals
Bonds formed in childhood often last a lifetime. And this workshop aims to inculcate love for nature among kids by teaching them about biodiversity. Conducted by noted children’s author Katie Bagli, it will also take participants on a trail to explore the flora of Rani Baug, following which they will view artist Reena Kallat’s work, Earth Citizens, on display at BDL museum. The session will end in a hands-on activity like short story writing.
On March 25, 10 am
At Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Byculla.
Cost Museum entry charges only
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