The British Council’s ISA activity ‘Health and Healing with Herbs’ was taken up with students of classes 3, 4 and 5 of Delhi Public School, Chandigarh.
The purpose of this drive/exercise was to make the children aware of the nutritive value and health benefits of these super foods i.e herbs and how they can be incorporated in our daily lives. The activities included making scrap files, quiz, grandma’s recipe session, sowing seeds and herbal hunt.
The project kicked off with a power point presentation showcasing the culinary and medicinal uses of the greens found commonly in the surroundings. Students, with the help of their teachers, dug deeper and deeper into books and other resources as they amassed the world of herbs into their scrap files. This was just the beginning as they moved forward in their journey to gain knowledge about various herbs found in India, UK, USA and Bangladesh and then test what they had grasped through an Intersection Quiz.
Grandma’s recipe session was a big hit with students wherein they brought herbal home remedies whether taken as food or medicine and shared their recipe with their peers and teachers. A guided tour of the school garden ensured that the students got knowledge about different plants and conditions required for their growth. Another activity that was well received by the students was the hands-on experience of sowing seeds and nurturing the plants grown by them.
Mrs Reema Dewan, the Principal, Delhi Public School, Chandigarh said that ‘Health and Healing with Herbs’ had truly proved to be an enlightening experience for her staff and students alike and was a great way to connect to our roots. The project not only helped the students to appreciate the use of herbs against synthetic products but also, served the purpose of bringing the children closer to nature and this will go a long way in ensuring healthy citizens for the times to come.
