We, the children of Rani Meyyammai Towers, MRC Nagar have been conducting summer camps for the last four years, for all the kids in our gated community. I didn’t expect the camp to be any different this year until COVID-19 dropped on us like a bombshell. All of a sudden, the camp had to be cancelled because social distancing and lockdown had become the norm.

So, I decided to move the summer camp to a virtual platform. But organising an activity online that involves face-to-face interaction is tough, especially when you have to make the whole experience fun and educative for a young audience. My old friends who have been helping me organise activities were not available this year, so I roped in my 11-year-old sister, Akshara Ganesh.

I spent a few weeks brainstorming for ideas, shortlisting topics that are fun and at the same time informative. Camp Connect was ready to go live. Like the previous years, this time too we conducted it over a period of two weeks but on Zoom. In fact, the time table was set in such a way that every day we had a new topic. We did a virtual tour of various countries, dived underwater to understand ocean and marine animals, travelled to space, learnt how movies are made, played brain games, learnt a lot about fossils and dinosaurs, and got to know how shoes and cars are made. Every session involved virtual tours to experience games, craft, which were followed by interactions. Overall, it was a memorable lockdown summer camp that has enriched me.

(Ananya V. Ganesh is 14 years old and a resident of Rani Meyaammai Towers, MRC Nagar)