Fort Kochi
ഐക്യം സ്പേസ്
- ഇവിടെ 251 പ്രവർത്തനങ്ങൾ
- 5 കമ്മ്യൂണിറ്റി ക്ലബ്ബുകൾ
- ഇവിടെ 3,880 പങ്കാളിത്തങ്ങൾ
Fort Kochi
ഐക്യത്തിന്റെ സ്വന്തം മുറി — എല്ലാ ഉച്ചകഴിഞ്ഞും തുറന്നിരിക്കും, കമ്മ്യൂണിറ്റി ക്ലബ്ബുകൾ ഇവിടെയാണ് നടക്കുന്നത്.
ഇവിടെ നടന്നത്
Solving Material Resistance: Navigating Layer Thickness in Kantha Craft
Achieving precise 4 cm × 4 cm base squares was successfully managed by ironing fabric onto stiff paper with adhesive backing, providing structural consistency for assembly. However, combining handloom fabric with canvas and paper layers created dense material resistance, making needle penetration difficult with standard hand tools. To maintain precision without straining the assembly, future iterations will explore finer needles and lightweight primary fabrics, reserving heavy handloom textiles exclusively for the final outer layers.
Precision Through Practice: Refining Fabric Cutting and Kantha Assembly
To achieve exact square dimensions, the team ironed fabric directly onto stiff paper, establishing a stable foundation for precise cutting. Further experiments in joining individual Kantha pieces revealed that working without pre-stitching required intense focus, as minor movements risked disturbing the entire alignment. Despite these balance challenges, completing 70% of the work demonstrated that continuous technique refinement is essential for mastering high-precision craft assembly
This Saturday, 21 children took on a new creative challenge: learning to crochet. The session was led by a facilitator from aikyam’s stitching unit, bringing a skill already present within the community into the Curiosity Club. It was a lovely example of how knowledge can be shared across different groups within the space. We organised the children into three groups of approximately seven and gave everyone a crochet hook and colourful yarn. There was some hesitation at the beginning, particularly from a few of the boys who initially said they did not want to try crochet. Once the materials were in their hands and they began experimenting for themselves, their interest quickly grew. Before long, most of the children were concentrating closely and trying to understand the movements. With one crochet facilitator supporting the whole group, providing individual guidance to everyone was challenging. She began by explaining the technique to one table at a time, but this meant that some children had to wait before receiving support. Several children already knew how to crochet, so we encouraged them to help someone else. They began demonstrating the movements, offering encouragement and patiently supporting their friends. What began as a practical challenge became a lovely example of peer learning, cooperation and children sharing the skills they already had. Our main learning was that an activity like crochet needs a clear whole-group demonstration at the beginning. Next time, we would first show the basic movement where everyone can see it before moving into smaller-group and individual support. We would also identify children with previous experience earlier and pair them with those needing additional help. Initial hesitation soon turned into concentration, conversation and shared learning. The session reminded us of the value of drawing on skills from within the community and giving children the opportunity to learn from both adults and one another.
Books, buddies and growing confidence
This Saturday, 21 children joined us for our first structured, level-based reading session. Before the session, we reviewed the available reading assessments, completed using the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach developed by Pratham. We selected three storybooks from Pratham Books that were broadly suited to the children’s different reading needs, printed several copies and arranged the room into three small reading areas, with a facilitator supporting each group. We deliberately removed the visible level labels from the books before giving them to the children. The levels remained useful for facilitators in planning the right support, but they were not presented as fixed identities for the children. For around 15–20 minutes, the children read together. Some needed more assistance to work through the text, while others read with a buddy. The buddy-reading approach worked particularly well. When one child struggled with a word, another would often step in to help. It was also encouraging to see how comfortable the children were asking for support. Several raised their hands when they could not read or understand a word rather than remaining silent or disengaging. One unexpected challenge was discovering that a handful of children attending that day had not completed the earlier reading assessment. We placed them provisionally using our previous interactions and observations. At the end of the activity, the children completed a short reflection to tell us how manageable they found their book. Our main learning was that assessment records need to be checked against the children who actually attend each session. Next time, we will confirm everyone’s assessment status, assess anyone who was missed and adjust the groups where necessary. A positive first session, with books and buddies helping children participate at their own pace, support one another and grow more confident about asking for help.
Improving Cutting Accuracy Through Fabric Stabilization
To prevent fabric distortion and maintain accurate square dimensions during assembly, the team stabilized the material by ironing it onto stiff paper prior to cutting. This stabilization step eliminated fabric movement, enabling precise geometric cuts and consistent measurements across all pieces. Subsequent testing of direct overlapping versus full pre-joining assembly methods further highlighted how proper preparation directly impacts structural alignment in final stitching.
LifSkool: Coping with Emotions
Tuesday was about self-awareness; by Thursday, we were ready to explore coping with emotions. Meeting the boys twice a week during this 5-week programme helps us build naturally on the previous session. We started by looking at their completed “This Is Me” folders and asking a few students to recap what self-awareness meant. To get everyone moving, we played “Do the Opposite.” “Stand up” meant stay seated, “hands up” meant hands down, and “happy” meant showing a sad face. We gradually added emotions into the game, which gave us a fun bridge into the topic. There were plenty of giggles and confused faces, and it was lovely to see the boys come alive. From there, we explored what emotions are, why we have them and how they can show up in the body. We also talked about the difference between reacting immediately and taking a moment to respond. This time, we came prepared with whiteboard markers after missing them on Tuesday. Being able to write and draw ideas as we spoke made the discussion much easier to follow. We then introduced STAR as a simple coping process: Stop and notice → Take a breath → Acknowledge what you’re feeling → Respond As part of this, we practised STAR breathing by tracing around one hand with the index finger of the other — breathing in as we moved up a finger, pausing at the top, and breathing out as we moved down. To close, we read Emily Coxhead’s Find Your Happy together — a gentle book about feelings and simple ways children can notice and respond to them. One of our main reflections was that we spoke more than we wanted to. When time is tight, explaining feels quicker, but it leaves students less space to connect the skill to their own lives, share ideas and practise for themselves. Next time, we want to ask more, use simple role-play, and give the boys more space to share their own examples. We are also still finding the best classroom rhythm. Getting everyone together and settled can easily take five or ten minutes, so clearer routines and shorter activity blocks should help us protect more time for participation. A lively second session, plenty of laughs, and a useful reminder to keep the learning active and student-led. Group: Local Government School | Std 5–7 | 19 boys Materials: LifSkills workbooks, completed “This Is Me” folders, whiteboard & markers, Find Your Happy by Emily Coxhead Space: Regular classroom with tables and benches Timing: 45 minutes available
Learning from Mistakes: Fabric Measurement and Cutting Challenges
During the stitching process, a critical discrepancy occurred when 4.5 cm paper templates were mistakenly converted to 4.5 inches during fabric cutting due to standard industry habits. This dimensional error was discovered when the cut pieces failed to fit the target design model, prompting a collaborative review of the templates and layout metrics. The team resolved the issue by creating precise new templates, recutting the fabric to 4.5 cm, and completing the assembly. Always cross-check the unit before cutting. The templates were 4.5 cm; read as 4.5 inches, a whole batch of fabric was cut to the wrong size and had to be recut.
LifSkool is Olimalar Foundation’s school-based life skills programme, helping young people build practical skills for everyday life. This week, we began a 5-week programme with our Std 5–7 boys from a local government school. We chose to return because this is one of the schools we already have an established partnership with, and continuing here allows us to build on the trust and relationships formed last year. It was lovely to walk back into the classroom and see a few familiar faces — boys we had met in Std 5 last year, now in Std 6, a little taller but still remembering us. For our first session, our goal was simple: break the ice, reconnect, and begin exploring our first life skill — self-awareness. We started with “This or That.” As the classroom benches left little room to move, we took the boys into the corridor, stood them in a line, and called out two choices at a time. They moved left or right depending on their preference. It was a simple way to share something about themselves and notice where they were similar to or different from others. Back inside, we introduced the LifSkills workbooks and the LifSkool Promise. We read the promise together, each student signed it, and a member of the LifSkool team signed alongside them. Co-signing helped make the expectations feel shared rather than simply a list of rules. Each student also received their own folder and materials. Their first activity, “This Is Me,” was to begin decorating the folder with drawings, words and symbols showing what they like, what they are good at and what matters to them. A late start meant the boys only had around 15 minutes to sketch their ideas, so they took the folders home to complete. Day 1 also handed us a very practical field lesson: the classroom had a whiteboard, but no markers. We had planned to map out the activity visually on the board, so “bring whiteboard markers” went straight to the top of our prep list for Thursday. Our biggest takeaway was simple: creative, low-pressure activities made it easier to start conversations and begin getting to know the boys without putting anyone on the spot. It was a simple first session, but a lovely way to begin — and a grounding reminder to always work with the actual time, space, and resources we have on the ground. Group: Local Government School | Std 5–7 | 13 boys Materials: Kraft envelope folders, LifSkills workbooks, crayons, sketch pens, stationery kits Space: Regular classroom with students seated on benches; movement activity moved to the corridor Timing: 45 minutes available (60 minutes planned)
Exploring Kantha Embroidery: Paper Prototyping and Fabric Preparation Workshop
During the Kantha workshop, the team faced challenges in aligning puzzle pieces, which led to experimenting with black and white contrasts as well as dark and light shades to achieve proper layout balance. Once the layout was finalized, participants developed technical precision by systematically ironing, cutting fabrics into 4.5 cm pieces, and sorting them by color palette. Lay the pieces out on paper before cutting fabric. Small differences in shade change how the whole layout reads, and paper is the cheap place to find that out.