VCPS public school is located at Gudavalli of Cherukupalli Mandal Guntur District, under the aegis of Nayudamma foundation. Our task was to give training to some twenty teachers of the school to help them sharpen their skills in academic and extra-curricular activities.

During the time when our team embarked on the project, it came glaringly to our notice that pre-primary children have no place to play nor provided with playing facilities that invite them to indulge themselves in playing activities. Most of the time they were confined to their classrooms. For education to be holistic physical training should be as much a part as the training of the mind for the overall growth of children.

The big and open ground available in the school was used for the primary and secondary grade children. Our suggestion that a part of this ground might be meant exclusively for the pre-primary children, was readily excepted by the chairman of the foundation Dr Mohan. He gave us complete freedom to mould the ground into an attractive playing area.

The place allotted was sun-drenched all the day and we planted all around the ground, saplings that when full grown, would give thick shade. They had, in course of time, grown into big trees casting cool shade all over the ground.

After the groundwork, the real task was to be attended to. Keeping in mind the average age of the children, the ground had to be planned with play friendly infrastructure. The concern for their age was because of the children’s penchant for free play and uninhibited enjoyment with no interfering warnings from the elders.

And for such abundant freedom to pervade, play things and infrastructure should be designed in such a manner that no instruction or tips were needed to use them. With the help of a local welder, such playing facilities were made. The raw material for them was scrap iron, wood, rope, discarded tires, etc. As they try and use them the children would go through sixteen different exercises like climbing, jumping, sliding, balancing, swinging, crawling etc. There was nothing to worry even if the children fell down as they fall on the cushion of fine sand and the play things were without any sharp edges.

As the preschool children were large in number, a timetable was drawn. Following it the children could be seen in the ground, class-wise, playing right from the first session to the last one. It was a joyful treat to eyes and heart to see the children play amidst lush greenery soaking themselves in life's invigorating cool breeze.

After the initial success with the students, we undertook our teacher training program with fresh impetus.