Sheela Ramakrishnan and Rajika Dhiren ’ s journey started in 1994 in a garage where they first started making quality teaching materials for the differently abled kids under the name of Edcraft , with a mission to provide enjoyable experience with learning and stimulation embedded into the toys for both children and adults ( http :// www . edcraftindia . com ). One must say it was not easy for them . The challenges were humungous , the first and foremost challenge was to get the focus of the family , government and other institutions and sensitizing them towards the need of differently abled children . The fight against stigma both from the family and society was not an easy one .
Their belief that learning begins early and their passion to create meaningful and research based multi-sensory materials for children has led to their success . Developed by educationalist with 25 years of experience , their products are colourful , unique and therapeutic , proven to aid in early cognitive development .
Proudly handcrafted in India , their product is multisensorial , designed to engage the child meaningfully to develop language , numeracy , communication , and social skills , like Arithmasticks , the mathematics kit designed to stimulate the learner ’ s imagination and gently build their confidence .
Arithmasticks was devised by a young mother to help her children develop an understanding of numbers and how simple sums are calculated . The aim is to make math ’ s fun in a way that children can understand . Children will gain confidence in exploring a range of math ’ s problems - number position , number recognition , addition , subtraction , division and missing numbers .
A very good way for children with intellectual disabilities to visually see the numbers and therefore understand and retain basic mathematic functions and concepts .
They also cover number discovery , learning to count , addition , subtraction , multiplication , division , and missing numbers . It helps to scaffold the learning process , allowing children / students to manipulate numbers with ease , whilst exploring a range of calculation strategies .
Another most sought-after product is Road Construction Puzzle , which strengthens cognitive skills and memory , helps problem solving , builds fine motor skills and improves hand eye coordination .
A great opportunity to work on puzzling skills , while learning about Road Construction . The multilayers of Road Construction Puzzle make for an exciting game as the tiers unveil . Construction play is a proven method in making a difference in the way children think and learn .
This series help the child understand the pros and cons of construction work and will allow them to think of how their surroundings are created and what impact it has on nature .
Over the years Rajika has worked with the Indian Government and National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped under the Ministry of Social Justice for several years . She has , co-developed and manufactured high-quality materials that have proved extremely useful to children and adults all over the country . The range covers pre-primary to vocational needs .
The highlight of their unique effort was the dedication of their material to the nation by the Hon . President , Shri A P J Abdul Kalam in December 2005 . It was a historic moment when assistive devices for differently abled people were officially recognised for the first time in India .
They have been supplying their toys to National Institutes , Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan under the children with special needs ( CWSN program ) to various states , DRCs , special schools run by NGOs as well as a vast number of private schools in India .
Their age-wise kits under the Assistive Device Implementation Program is widely used by many institutes . Their learning materials are suitable for Resource Rooms
Page 16 | Kids India E-Magazine - June 2022