MUSEUM STORY WALK
As per the latest statistics of UNESCO there are approximately 104,000 museums in the world. India comprises around 1000 museums including micromuseums (specific subject related), historical museums, science museums etc. But the history of museums goes back to the Greek era as a display of muses for scholars, priests and academicians. Starting from the curiosity cabinets to opening the doors to the general public, now in the 21st century it portrays the same role as a muse but to everyone and anyone who is curious. Yet, museums remain out of reach for the financially underprivileged, and also for those who are never truly guided into their rich and powerful stories.
Pune has been India’s cultural capital for decades and contains more than 30 museums related to culture, prominent personalities, communities and varied areas of people’s interest. But many of them are not being explored completely by its visitors, especially children. One of the key challenges in museum engagement is the absence of guided, interactive, and child-friendly learning pathways. Without structured storytelling and curated activity materials, visitors, particularly children, often find themselves lost among numerous objects, unable to grasp the stories and significance behind them. This limits the ability of museums to serve as effective spaces for learning, reflection, and cultural connection, especially for first-time or underprivileged children who already have much limited exposure to the advanced and expensive teaching learning tools. In the age when they grow curious about everything around them, asking questions, generating ideas, and shaping their own opinions, it becomes essential to nurture their curiosity through tangible and sensory-rich spaces like museums.
Recognising the knowledge and access gap between museums and students Sambhasha Foundation has curated a guided activity based museum story walk for the children from age group of 8 to 12 and 12 to15. This walk focuses on sharing the stories of the artifacts in the museums with the stories of the ones visiting the museums. Museums are often the places of wonders also known as Ajayabghar at the same time they also serve as a the cultural centre representing communities from diverse cultures through the objects they made, used and perhaps outused. Hence, these culture centers also become the space of belongingness.
ACTIVITY BASED SOCIAL SCIENCE LEARNING
This project centers on an activity-based learning program for Grade VI Social Science, aligned with the NCERT syllabus, and is focused on History: Our Past I and Geography: Earth and Our Habitat. Designed to establish a robust foundation in Ancient Indian history and Earth sciences, the program integrates interactive activities that promote independent thinking and active participation, enhancing students’ engagement and understanding as they progress through the curriculum.
This project offers an in-depth exploration of teaching and learning methodologies in social science, particularly for early learners. By examining these approaches, the research aims to equip future educators with strategies to make social science studies more engaging and interactive.
SAMBHASHA KIDS CULTURE CLUB
The more children have an understanding about who they are and where they came from, the more they learn to move with confidence among communities different from their own, and the closer we get to building a world of respect, curiosity, sharing, and humanity.
