Some institutions have come up with programmes for schoolchildren whereinthey can spend their vacation constructively in learning and that toowithout losing the fun of a creative experience. The programmes are unlikethose taught in schools, claim both the institutions.

Boston Education and Software Technologies Pvt. Ltd (BEST) is introducingits one-year Cyberkids programme as well as a shorter version of it, calledSummer Camp, in the Capital on April 23, next Sunday. Though the primaryfocus of the programme is to make children compu-smart, it envisages alsothe all-round development of the child's personality, creativity andpresentation skills. The programme also takes the child through virtualgeographical explorations, historical excavations, space travel and similaradventures, in order to make the learning experience come alive for them.

"Here, we teach kids how to use computer technology as a tool to serve theirends, bring out the creativity in them and develop their presentationskills", says Ashok Bhagnari, director (marketing), BEST.

The New Delhi-based Advanced Educational Technologies Pvt. Ltd (AET) hasalso come up to offer a computer education programme for children. MightyMouse, as their programme is called, is similar to Boston's Cyberkids, andwas launched on April 15. Both programmes aim at providing computereducation to children in the age group of 4-14 years.

``It is commonly held that the most part (80 per cent) of a child's mentaldevelopment takes place during the period of 4-14 years of age; during thisperiod, a child is at his most imaginative and creative. In an age wheninformation technology is changing so fast, it is high time parents took alook at what their children are actually learning at school,'' says DineshNambiar, director at AET.

Both programmes, whether Boston Cyberkids or AET Mighty Mouse, are basicallycomputer learning programmes supplemented with basic ideas on the latesttechnology areas like robotics, aviation, video-conferencing, digitalimaging, space studies, architecture, telecom and sound synchronisation, toname a few. ``The course structure of Mighty Mouse is developed incollaboration with Infosoft International Pty, Australia, which is ouradvisory company,'' says Nambiar. He explains, ``In school, a nursery kidlearns rhymes like Jack and Jill. When the child reads this rhyme, heimagines a picture. When the child is taught the tricks of drawing andanimating pictures on a computer, he gets an outlet for creating what he hasimagined. The child then draws Jack and Jill and makes them climb up anddown a hill. The whole rhyme thus becomes full of fun and life to the child.

In this process, the creativity in him is also brought to the fore.''While Boston has proposed a course fee of Rs 10,000 for the entire 12-monthCyberkids course, AET has pegged the fee of its 10-month Mighty Mouseprogramme at Rs 7,000. However, in both cases, the fees can be paid ininstallments. At Boston, the course fee amount varies according to thecourse chosen. For a three-month course, the fee is Rs 3,000, and for asix-month course, it is Rs 5,500. The shorter, Summer Camp courses aredivided in two categories according to age. Here, AET has fixed the fee atRs 3,000, while it ranges from Rs 800 to Rs 1,400 at Boston depending againon the duration of the course chosen. At Boston, the summer course has amaximum tenure of 10 days; at AET, it is 36 hours.

So, this summer, let Monty the Monkey at Boston or Mighty Mouse at AET takeyour child on a ride to Cyberworld and let him discover the joys of creativelearning. School will never be the same for him again.