Story Time Monsoon Camp Emerges Emerges As A Blockbuster Event

Story Time Club tasted success with its very first kids' event in Kolkata - Monsoon Camp 2014. The attendance figures, from students of leading city schools, were extremely impressive on all the three days of the camp.

Kids from all across the City of Joy finally had something to cheer about during the Independence Day weekend. Story Time Club organized a 3-day Monsoon Camp in Kolkata - and the response among children was overwhelming indeed!

Story Time Club had conducted several such children’s camps in Australia and the United States, but this was the first time Kolkata was witnessing an exclusively kids’ event. Understandably, the representatives of Teknowledge Software were initially unsure about the event’s success. Their dedication, planning and sheer hard work paid off though - with the Monsoon Camp winning kudos from parents, teachers (from Tender Care Montessori & Day Care - the venue), and of course, the little ones.

For further details about the Monsoon Camp as well as the printed storybooks that Story Time Club publishes, visit www.storytimeforkids.info. For clarification of all queries, send emails to support@storytimeforkids.info or call (033)40649087. Story Time already has a mobile storytelling app for kids that enjoys worldwide popularity, and it is all set to become a successful children's event organizer as well.

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In an exclusive interview, Mr. Hussain Fakhruddin - the CEO of Teknowledge - mentioned that it was a conscious decision to start the camp on Independence Day. The event kicked off on a patriotic note, with flag-hoisting and a round of cultural programs. The first day was mostly about registrations, subsequent discussions and parent-counselling sessions. Things really got moving from August 16.

Gauging by the volume of registration requests coming in via telephone and the official event website (www.storytimeforkids.info) - the volunteers of Story Time Club adopted a smart approach. Participants were divided into two different time slots (the morning or the afternoon slot), according to the parents’ convenience. Interestingly, the original registration fee for the Monsoon Camp was Rs. 300 - and the Club members made it a free event only days before it started. The tremendous enthusiasm and buzz about the Monsoon Camp was the sole cause for this.

Day 2 of Story Time Monsoon Camp witnessed fantastic participation from the toddlers from Tender Care Montessori School. Over 250 kids were present in all - with the youngest camper being all of one year old! Mr. Fakhruddin had a chuckle in his voice as he recalled how the birthday festivities of the little boy were blended in the program itinerary for the day. Babies from the all-day creche section thronged to the camp as well.

The biggest surprise for the organizers was, however, waiting on the final day of the camp (August 17, Sunday). Phone calls and emails for last-minute registrations kept pouring in - till the time the event was ‘houseful’. The agents from Story Time Club revealed that they tried to accommodate as many kids as possible on the last day, and even then, some parents had to go away disappointed. In fairness, the organizers had been advising people to get their registrations done earlier, to avoid the rush.

The afternoon slot of Story Time Monsoon Camp (2pm to 4pm) was comparatively more popular, as a reliable source from the Club highlighted. The list of events were identical for both slots though - right from the drawing/painting sessions, origami, and freestyle dance session (that was indeed a very active session!), to digital storytelling, tattoo-making and free dental check-ups. In the afternoon slot on August 17, special singing and dancing (solo) were arranged for as well. In-house judges ranked the performances of the children in the various disciplines, and the top-3 from each walked away with book prizes, chocolates and a Certificate of Merit from Story Time.

Buoyed by the grand response to the Monsoon Camp, Mr. Fakhruddin and his team are already planning for a series of similar such seasonal events, on a grander scale. The feedback from parents (which the volunteers duly collected) also indicated that they were eager to make their children a part of camps of this type. The next kids’ event by Story Time Club is expected to be announced soon.