KFRI Began A New Helpline Which Encourages Kids To Ask A Million Questions

Kids keep asking their parents about various things including why are water and sky blue in color? Many kids ask such questions and parents try to answer accurately by doing research on Google. But multiple numbers of websites make it difficult and confusing to provide an exact and accurate answer.

To answer and more importantly encourage the curiosity of kids, the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) has initiated a helpline aptly called ‘First Question.’ It was launched on 28th February which is celebrated as National Science Day. This telephone helpline is active from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm from Monday to Friday.

 

Kids are encouraged to ask Nature and Science based questions from this helpline. Dr. T V Sajeev, Principal Scientist at KFRI was asked about how this helpline works and how it came into being.

 

He said that kids are innately curious beings and tend to ask many questions. However, he noticed that as the children got to higher classes, the number of questions they asked kept lowering. He further added that he noticed that the older children asked lesser questions, perhaps because their questions remained unanswered when they were younger. Not answering their questions do more harm than good, as it will stunt their inherent need to ask and learn. He also said that do as much as you can to keep fuelling their curiosity and the desire to learn.

 

Dr. Sajeev added that by the time kids reach grades 10 and above, their many questions seem to dry up completely. We must refrain from telling our kids that they are too young to understand a certain concept or theory, it must be the endeavor of parents and teachers for explaining it in an age-appropriate manner to the children.

 

Dr. Sajeev shared some of the interesting questions that kids ask. He said that they had a young girl who had planted a sapling which had grown to a certain level, and there were a few caterpillars which were feeding on the leaves. The girl had called for checking if she should be on the plants’ side or the caterpillars’. The answer which the helpline gave her was to monitor the caterpillar population, and if it was getting too much, then they asked her to rehabilitate a few to another plant. This young girl was a class three resident of Bihar.

 

There was another child who called with four different questions. He said he was a student of 5th standard. When he had his questions answered, he revealed that he was a student of class 10th, but since the questions were rather basic, he felt embarrassed telling them about it.

 

Dr. Sajeev said that they must make sure that all questions, however basic or difficult they may be, are answered. Only then will the kids be confident enough to ask without having to think about it.

 

By: Preeti Narula

Content: https://www.thebetterindia.com/174714/kerala-helpline-students-questions-forest-research-institute/