To offer children a taste of village life during the summer vacation, Giggles Summer Camp is being organised from May 14 to 17 near the foothills of Alagar Kovil.

A group of children, who have forgotten about their city life and screen time, have been actively engaged in various activities at this summer camp held with the support of Selva Kumari Ramasubramanian, trustee of M.S. Chellamuthu Trust and Research Foundation.

Highlighting the objective of the camp, Ms. Selva Kumari said the children were encouraged to explore life beyond textbooks. “The idea is to give them meaningful outdoor experiences during the holidays. From milking cows to learning organic farming and trekking near the hills, the children are exposed to activities that are both educational and enjoyable,” she said.

She said 15 children, not only from Madurai but also from Chennai and Bengaluru, were participating in the summer camp. One of the unique aspects of the camp was that the children themselves planned certain activities and assigned responsibilities to one another, which helped them learn teamwork, leadership and coordination, she added.

She said children at the camp were divided into two teams — ‘Gigglers’ and ‘Explorers’. Members of the ‘Gigglers’ team, including Vishra Vikhram, Thea Selwyn, Rana Nagarajan, Avisha Palaniraj and Rhea Selwyn, were involved in organising and planning various activities at the camp.

Children, who were enthusiastically harvesting green chillies at the camp, said the experience had taught them patience, kindness and teamwork.

Uvanshika, a participant from ‘Explorers’ team, said the camp offered several enjoyable activities for them. “Among all the activities, I found milking a cow the most interesting. We also made paneer from the milk, and the bullock cart ride with my friends was a memorable experience,” she added.

Another participant, Shahaan, said, “Had we stayed at home, we would have spent time doing nothing, but here we have made many friends and learnt several new things.”

The summer camp with a difference was attracting the children in the age group of 5 to 18 years, the organisers said.