DPS Vegetable & Millets Market by Grade 1 | DPS Modern Indian School

In the quest to make learning more fruitful, Grade I organized a “Vegetable & Millets Market” on 10th January 2023 with the hustle and bustle where children brought different vegetables to set up a market yard. The whole market was vibrant with music and children dressed in colourful vegetable cut-outs. United Nations have declared the year 2023 as the International Year of Millets. To commemorate this, a millets stall was set up. Various types of millets were displayed with their regional names along with their health benefits and their place of origin. Qatar is home to many beautiful farms. Children were encouraged to visit a farm in Qatar during the holidays to observe the different types of vegetables grown in Qatar. A display of the pictures shows the enthusiasm of the students to visit the farms and clicked pictures of the various vegetables they saw there. Children were taken around the market. This helped them learn the different names of vegetables, their colours, shapes and sizes. They gathered a lot of information like how the vegetables grow, which part of the plant they belong to, which season it grows, how it reaches the market etc. Children eagerly discussed their views as they moved around exploring the market. Children enjoyed weighing the vegetables on their own on a weighing scale to learn about the measurement of mass. They also learned about the representation of data from the collection of vegetables. The concept of the ban on plastic and the use of paper bags while purchasing vegetables was emphasized. Technology plays a vital role in the learning process. A computer corner was set up where children displayed their ICT skills by drawing their favourite vegetables in MS Paint. To visualize the English chapter” Who will be the king” children were trained to dramatize the story, dressed in costumes, each vegetable speaking about themselves, and the qualities of becoming a king. This made the lesson more interesting, and it also helped to increase their vocabulary. Apart from the market setup, there were different activities conducted where children had lots of fun while learning the concepts. The Mystery bag activity was the icing on the cake. Children were made to touch, feel and identify the vegetables kept in a mystery bag. They enjoyed guessing the vegetables without seeing them. This helped in enhancing their sensory skills. There’s something magical about seeds sprouting into plants. Children were given the task of growing their own plants from seeds and observing the process. A display of the plants grown by the students made the stall fresh and green. The excitement in learning about the “Germination of a seed” was visibly seen in children when they spoke about it. As a part of Art inclusion in our curriculum, an art corner was set up. Children drew their favourite vegetables. The artwork of the students decorated the entire market area. A live counter to “Make your own salad” was kept where they were allowed to choose which vegetable they like in their salad. Following holistic development and to reinforce the value of community service in children the market yard activity concluded by distributing the vegetables in charity to our support staff. This made our efforts fruitful. We were successful in inculcating good values in children. Children learn better when they are involved in activities. This Market Day Activity helped in developing interdisciplinary skills in children wherein Concepts of Math, English, EVS, Language, ICT, Art, Music, GK and Moral Values were instilled. After taking a walk around the market, the children were eager to speak about their wonderful experiences of what they have seen and learned during the activity. This exciting activity helped children to improve their visual and creative skills.