Bringing out the creativity: Clover School introduces extracurricular course for children

The Clover Creative Activity Club is scheduled to take place over the next four weekends.

KARACHI: A little train set sat next to a play area with colourful balls scattered across the floor, while a small library stood to the side, drawing curious young children close.

The Clover School introduced the Clover Creative Activity Club (CCAC) at their campus on Saturday. The brainchild of programme coordinator Zara Mumtaz, the school welcomed the kindergarteners and their parents to a new extra-curricular activity. Mumtaz is leading a team of eight teachers in developing the motor skills of children between the age of four and 10.

The children were divided in three groups according to their age — Flowers, Stars and Sunshine, each with identity cards in a different colour. The CCAC offers activities that will help their cognitive development and creative skills, through what Mumtaz says is a 'holistic and multidimensional approach'.

A four-day course, the CCAC is scheduled to take place every Saturday for the next four weeks. Each Saturday, there will be four sessions, which will start with a storytelling activity, in which the teachers introduce the stories to the children with the help of props.

In the second activity, a retelling of the earlier story, the students become the teachers, explaining the tales to their course-mates in their own words. Then they move on to handiwork, where they draw, cut and paste, using cartons, plastic cups and other waste material to illustrate the story. Finally, in the last activity of the day, the children express themselves through music, dance and games.

When the course is over, the projects and craftwork of the children will be on display at an open house arranged by the school.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 25^th, 2015.