‘Roshna and Kutties’ to the rescue

KOCHI: Asit-at-home summer vacation must be every school-going child’s worst nightmare. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened this time when the whole nation came to a standstill due to the unprecedented lockdown. It wasn’t easy for parents either. With many working from home and some even unemployed, it was a tedious task for parents to manage kids with little to no income. That is when Roshna V Gopal, a faculty with Rose Dale Institute of Teacher Education, Kallambalam, launched a YouTube channel called ‘Roshna and Kutties’ to help bored children use their time productively.

Through the channel, Roshna introduces various ways to engage children in creative activities. “Lockdown restrictions forced kids to turn to mobile phones and television and there was nothing much parents could do to divert their attention. With most parents under pressure, certain behaviour of kids may frustrate them and often end up with parents venting their anger on the child, which may affect the latter negatively. Hence, I launched the channel to help both parents and kids use their time effectively,” says Roshna. 

Roshna, who has a PhD in Mathematics, is the mother of a 10-year-old and eight-year-old. Her experience doing research with primary school students and years of teaching helped her identify issues of children. “The first video was about coronavirus. The following videos were on craft making, cooking, gardening, reading, farming, physical activities and social responsibility,” says Roshna. 

She also uploads compiled videos of children who take up these activities. “Many parents called me and said they found the videos useful. Parents need to see these videos and even take part in these activities with them,” she adds.With online classes having begun in the state, she urges parents to provide special attention to children.

“Classes for primary school children are 30-60 minutes long. Since they are used to classrooms, it will take time to adapt. Parents should create an atmosphere that will acclimatise them with the new settings at the earliest. Once classes are over, children should be engaged in productive activities, or else they will go back to watching TV or playing games in the phone. If parents are working, other family members should ensure this,” she says. Roshna is planning to give her channel a more professional tone once children get back to school.