School trips are an occasion to cherish in a student’s life. It is also an opportunity with the tremendous potential to inspire the students, to help them learn from the natural surroundings as well as from one another. With this objective in mind, a group of 12 students from The Newtown School of standard 4, 5 and 6 embarked on a winter excursion to Kambre in Maharashtra which unlocks a wide range of engaging and enriching experiences to ensure that the potential for learning is optimised for the students. I strongly believe that human beings learn best through interactions. The nature of interaction determines the nature of learning. For the pre-teen mind, interaction with each other, with a learned and engaging supervisor, with natural surroundings and a mix of adventure has the potential to have a lifelong positive impact on their personality. In that sense, the Kambre excursion was packed with vital outdoor experiences in a controlled and safe environment which introduced the students to a new experience and taught them to survive in conditions different from our everyday experience. Through elements of action, reflection and transference, the various activity modules introduced unfamiliar and challenging environments where the young minds learnt to make decisions, develop resilience and enhance problem-solving and creative skills along with the ability to establish trust and collaborate with one another. The peaceful environs of the campsite was a perfect location to explore the beauty of nature as well as appreciate the challenges that it may throw at humankind. The terrain was perfect to introduce the students to the outdoors and interact with nature. The students took part in a series of structured outdoor adventure sessions each day. While the outdoor sessions like rock climbing, rappelling, zip lining, trekking, hiking and river raft sailing helped the students to lose the fear and inhibitions; the social sessions like games, bonfire night and constellation programme provided an opportunity for camaraderie. I strongly feel that this immersive experience will help them value their own existence in the universe and feel empowered. They will lose inhibitions and would take back willingness to participate in developmental and collaborative activities within their curricular and social domains. More tangibly, they will have a unique understanding of various forms of expression. Besides, the friendships formed and the bonds created during this excursion will forever be etched in the impressionable minds of our young adventurers.

Thank you Team Ed Terra, especially Vibhav and Ankita for this wonderful experience.