Written by Prathibha Nair
Covid-19 and Its Impact on Kids
Among the many affected by the outbreak of Covid-19, the worst hit were children. Internationally, many knew last year as one confined within the four walls of their home, one without friends or social gatherings – poorly replaced instead by their screens. Parents were at their wits end to find ways to keep their kids engaged in a positive way. This set the stage for the formation of Early Birds Club – Kids.
EBC Kids is a global online club for kids aged 5 to 12yrs, founded by humanitarian and philanthropist Mohanji, aiming to foster a new generation of leaders into a more positive future. Or – as we know it through our motto – Empowerment through Entertainment.
Started in May 2020, at the peak of Covid-19 around the world, the club has since become a safe haven for many kids and their parents around the world. Through Telegram, children from more than twenty countries have formed a community where the values of early-rising, ethical responsibility, leadership and sensitivity to global affairs are emphasised.
Through various daily, weekly and monthly programs, these values present themselves to the children through effortless, fun activities – centredaround a transformative morning routine including Morning Hygiene, Positive Affirmations and Yoga.
Activities
Each day comes with a new Daily Activity, carefully curated by volunteers and children-leaders focused on the core values of the club, particularly a changing Monthly Theme.
Activities range from arts and craft, engaging research, collaborating with family members, community service, sports, hobbies, or just about anything that may interest the kids. Children are free to complete their activities on their own time throughout the day, and share with their peers what they’ve accomplished. We take pride in the positivity of our community, one which remains without judgement or grading, in which kids are truly free to express themselves.
For many in our club, Daily Activities have been transformative. Those who were shy are now more open and participatory, those who were quick to anger are now more patient and focused; children have grown more responsible, are performing at higher academic levels and much more. Parent testimonials testify to the transformative power of the club and programs.
Since Jan 2021, Monthly Themes have been modelled after the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG), better equipping children to contribute to the modern world.
A careful blend of fun, values and education form the backbone of the Daily Activities at EBC Kids.
Monthly Theme for June 2021 – Inventions and Innovations
This theme is based on UN SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.
The topics for the month were broadly on inventors of the past and their life stories, inventions of the past, advancements in technology in the last 20 years, Eco-friendly inventions of the past as well as future innovation.
Kids researched the 10 inventions that changed the world in one day, and were invited to explore what they would like to invent as well. SreeGanesh wants to invent a machine to reduce the greenhouse effect: a machine that will suck greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Spandan wants to invent a medicine that will end cancer. Seven-year-old Bheeshma wants to invent submarines that will clean the ocean. Khyati wants to invent drones that would save birds from dangerous weather conditions.
Kids also actively celebrated World Environment Day on the 5th of June 2021: trees were planted and posters were made to raise awareness.
World Ocean Day on the 8th of June saw great participation from many kids as well in the form of drawings, paintings and posters.
Taking the kids’ own inventions further, they were encouraged to create corresponding business plans. SreeGanesh, Bheeshma, Spandan and Bani attempted this challenging activity.
11-year-old SreeGanesh from Kerala, India plans to invent an eco-friendly global cooler, and anticipates 1 acre of land and 10 crores INR for every installation in each city of the world. He has added his contact number and email into the plan too, as well as a personally designed company name and logo.
7-year-old Bheeshma from Florida, US plans to invent a MagnoCleaner, a special car that can turn into a plane, underwater motorcycle or rocket, that will clean pollution from the entire universe in five years. This came with a design of the product, as well as an estimated the car to cost 72,700 USD to manufacture.
7-year-old Spandan from Calcutta, India plans to start a company that will manufacture lifesaving medical products such as vaccines. He would like to invent a polyvalent vaccine that can target several microorganisms together. He estimates that it will take 4 years to manufacture, and aims to sell it free of cost to the poor. He has shared contact details and website info too, naming his company after his own name – SB Biologicals.
8-year-old Bani from Germany plans to invent a robot named Lily, functioning as a walking, talking mechanical encyclopaedia. Bani promises that the robot will be free for every child.
Some other activities of the month were Father’s day and Yoga Day celebrations. Kids did research and introspected on anger as an emotion, explored what life would be like without television, and looked into dangerous inventions to get a fuller perspective of the monthly theme. Fun activities included writing in 3D and creating a DYI physics toy called the ‘Ramp Walker’. Two kids conducted their own online event to share their knowledge among their peers. Nihar conducted a seminar called ‘Money Matters’ for kids and Hasnika taught her friends the basics of coding.
Read The Awakening Times EBC special edition here: http://awakeningtimes.com/the-july-issue-of-the-awakening-times/FW
EBC Website: http://www.earlybirdsclub.org
EBC Kids Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/earlybirdskids/photos/?tab=album&ref=
Email : kids@earlybirdsclub.org