At seven in the morning on October 29, 2018, Class 9 from the Satsang Vidyalaya set out for the Regional Science Centre at Tirupati. The shared anticipation was evident in the three-hour drive -filled with chatter and joyous singing. For several children, it was their first trip to Tirupati, and for everyone, a first to the Science Centre.
At the Centre, the children started with an exploration of the outdoor exhibits on light, sound, and physics. From kaleidoscopes to prisms, the group moved on to engage with the interactive mechanical gears and life-size cantilevers. Learning about loads and positions of support in cantilevers comes alive when you are actively trying to push down loads!
The planetarium was next. Students watched agog at the spectacle playing overhead. A journey through stars and planets was an astonishing experience for all. The ensuing film about the Google Lunar X Prize and the efforts of the participating teams across the planet, and a simulation of the colonization of Mars piqued the curiosity of the children and made for animated conversations through the day.The museum exhibits elicited the same excitement and curiosity-from Foucault’s pendulum to optical illusions to new-age technologies, the group had to be cajoled out of the halls when it was time to leave.
A scrumptious thali lunch later, the group headed to India’s largest zoo at Tirupati. Starting with baboons, and ending with the white tiger, the group saw elephants, sambar, pelicans, crocodiles, lions, leopards, and cheetahs over a 7-8 km walk in the woods.
It was a fulfilling day!
–The Teachers of Satsang Vidyalaya
