Creative mela has been going on in our school for many years. Every year, new activities are to be seen. This event is unique because it focuses on extra curriculars and it also provides a platform to explore new things. It is an event where students could take part in many activities such as stone painting and quilling. These activities were taken by teachers and students. I volunteered to teach marble painting and golf ball painting with a friend of mine. I conducted activities for grades 3-6.

LO1: Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth

• I was of the opinion that the workshop would be quite interesting and managing the kids would be quite easy. However, it turned out to be rather difficult to create an environment where everybody is engaged and enjoying themselves. With the help of their teacher, me and my teammate, could manage the kids and successfully conduct the activity. It was crucial to plan before the event in terms of what supplies I needed, the quantity, and I had to try it out before I taught the children. Although, at the end of all the activities, due to lack of proper estimates from our side, the resources got over and there was a batch yet to come. Me and my partner improvised, came up with a couple of different ideas and finally made a completely different activity that was equally engaging and everybody enjoyed doing that activity to the fullest. Moreover, me and my partner had to be on our toes to cater to everybody’s needs in a short period of time. All in all, I learnt that planning and implementing are the most crucial stages of conducting an activity. 

LO2: Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken developing new skills

• It was a big task to ensure that no resources were being wasted. There were two batches, where 20 students each came by to do certain activities. While some students were interested in what was being taught, others were busy playing around. It was difficult to engage each and every one. Also, we did not have a lot of time. So for the next batch, me and my friend divided responsibilities and number of students which turned out to be an effective idea.

LO3: Initiate and plan a CAS experience

• Due to the less time provided for every batch to complete the activities and making sure that every one of the 20 students were occupied and looked after. Also, pre-planning everything in advance and conducting both the activities beforehand to see if it works well helped me improve my time management and planning skills.

LO4: Commitment to and perseverance

• Handling the students without any help and not giving up after a certain point required commitment and determination to conduct the activities. The students were not very supportive and it seemed that they were asked to do this against their will. That was quite discouraging but I still kept up and ensured that everybody is enjoying the activities.

Overall, it was an amazing event. I was open- minded (heard and discussed ideas with my friend) and a communicator as I engaged with all the students in the activities that I conducted. My hard work paid off as a lot of students gave good feedback and they were satisfied with the workshop.