Chuttie’s @ Harini’s Harvest – A Day for the Curious Little Minds
- Jay Ilam
- Dec 31, 2025
- 3 min read
On a bright Saturday morning, forty-two children stepped onto Harini’s farm, a functional farm nestled amidst the western ghats, in the Karamadai Panchayat. The innocence and the laughter blended perfect with the sounds of nature. They came from nearby villages: Tholampalayam, Neelampathy, Ukkayanur and Ookkapatty, carrying with them curiosity, energy, and stories of their own. Many belonged to farming families, yet this day promised something different. It was Chuttie’s @ Harini’s Harvest, a space designed not to teach children, but to learn with them.
Behind the gentle flow of the day stood a quiet, assertive presence - a guide shaped by two decades of teaching, research, hosting and community leadership, someone who understood that the deepest learning doesn’t always announce itself. With the insight of a passionate educator and the warmth of a seasoned facilitator, the experience unfolded not as a lesson plan, but as a living conversation between children, nature, and community.
Arriving Together: Waking Up the Body and Mind
The morning began with simple stretches, feet touching the earth, arms reaching the sky. The children mirrored one another, giggling and settling into the space. It was learning through movement, experiential and sensory, yet also deeply social-emotional, helping the children feel grounded, safe, and connected before the day truly began.
Kolam Stories: Drawing, Remembering, and Imagining
Soon, the ground became a canvas for kolam. Tiny fingers traced patterns from memory, while others experimented with new designs. Here, play-based learning met inquiry: What happens if I add another dot? Why does this pattern feel balanced? The kolams weren’t corrected or judged; they were celebrated. Learning flowed quietly, guided by curiosity rather than instruction.
Think & Play: Learning Through Games and Teamwork
The farm then echoed with laughter during think-and-play games. Children huddled, negotiated, and solved challenges together. These moments carried the heart of collaborative learning, where ideas were shared freely and differences became strengths. Beneath the fun lay lessons in communication, empathy, and trust: the kind that research often names, but experience alone truly teaches.
Leaf Craft: Creating With What Nature Gives
Next came leaf craft, using fresh banana leaves gathered from the farm. Folding, shaping, and testing their creations, the children learned through hands-on exploration. This was experiential and nature-based learning at its purest: no worksheets, only trial, error, and discovery. The leaves became containers, but also stories of sustainability, innovation, and respect for resources.
Food Wisdom: Talking, Listening, and Connecting
As midday approached, the group settled into a quiet circle for Food Wisdom. Conversations flowed easily about meals at home, tastes remembered, and where food truly comes from. There were no lectures, only listening. This moment nurtured inquiry-based and social-emotional learning, inviting children to reflect, speak, and be heard. The farm became a classroom of shared experiences.
Seed Journey: Watching Life Grow
The day’s journey gently concluded with seeds : small, unassuming, and full of promise. The children held them carefully, asking questions, imagining growth. This was learning at a deeper pace, experiential, nature-based, and reflective. Seeds became metaphors: for patience, for growth, for the quiet power of care and time.
Energy, Curiosity, and Shared Joy
By evening, the farm felt transformed, not by decorations or structures, but by connection. What unfolded was more than a children’s program; it was a community learning space, shaped by research-rooted wisdom and lived experience. The kind of space a seasoned educator and community leader knows how to hold: where structure exists, but freedom leads.
Why Chutties’ Matters?!
As the children left, tired yet glowing, it was clear they carried more than memories. They carried confidence, curiosity, and the knowledge that learning doesn’t belong only to classrooms.
And the day left behind a gentle invitation for collaboration and commitment.
Call for Partnership
For educators, parents, researchers, institutions, and communities who believe in learning that is human, grounded, and alive: Chuttie’s opens its doors to explore and expand. Together, we can curate more such days, many such spaces: wisdom creates connects, exemplifies reality and eventually- children, like seeds are given the care they deserve to grow better.
Lets Connect at
Career Codes- Decode: Discover: Decide
Dr Jayanthi Ilamurugu
Comments