About Boredom, by Aiza Saad, club member

What is boredom?

Boredom means being uninterested in doing something or when you have nothing to do. It can also be feeling annoyed about something that is continued for too long. It makes you impatient and dissatisfied. 

To avoid boredom I usually start to put away messy things from my room .Sometimes I play with play dough as I love to make small dolls with it using different colors.


There are also other things that we can do to avoid boredom such as:

• Make a new card game
• Jump rope
• Write story about animals
• Learn magic tricks
• Play with hula hoop
• Explore small areas of nature with a magnifying glass
• Wash clothes
• Take swings
• Take ride on the bicycle
• Plant seeds and water them

About Boredom, by Kenza (online member)

What is boredom?

Boredom is a common sensation that most kids have some of the time. You’re usually bored when you have nothing to do, you’re doing something that you don’t particularly like, or you’re waiting for something that’s taking a long time.

I think it’s normal to be bored. In fact, it can be a good thing. It allows you to think while you’re not doing anything, and it’s good for the creative part of your brain.

What do you usually do to avoid boredom?

When I’m bored, I usually do things that I don’t have time for when I’m really busy, like drawing random doodles, writing my story, reading (this is a really good thing to avoid boredom) and going outdoors. Other times, I check things out that I haven’t looked at in a long time. Otherwise, it’s always a good excuse for me to tidy my bedroom!

What other things can we do to avoid boredom?

When you’re bored, it’s a good idea to use that time for something creative, like writing, drawing, and creating something. Reading is also a great idea too – it’s educational and relaxing. Other things include playing board games (like chess or Monopoly), going out for a walk (it’s good for exercise and fresh air) or talking/contacting family/friends (either in real, online, or by phone calling). There are countless things! :D

By the way, did you know, several experts say that boredom in children can be a good thing? It has been said that “it develops children’s innate ability to be creative”. Some doctors fear that children’s creativity is being stunted through increased reliance on screen technology. When bored, children immediately go to the TV or iPad instead of allowing their minds wander down the roads that lead to creativity. (This was in a BBC news report, March 2013.)

Presentations on Boredom

This is a presentation about boredom made by Fatima Salman.

This is a presentation about boredom made by Zainab Salman

Session Cancelled

Dear Readers

The session that was to be held on 24th February, 2015 was cancelled.

The topic of 'Boredom' will be continued in the next session. Members who have not sent their presentations or articles can still send them on this email address thinkersclub.erdc@gmail.com so it can be presented in the coming session. I am sharing the articles and presentations we have received till now.

Thank you

Report: Thinkers' Club Session 26

Date: 15th February, 2015
Session # 27
Attended by: 10 participants
Report written by: Fatima Salman

In this session, we were joined by some new little kids. We could not present the presentations and articles of last week's home task because most of the people who were present in the last session did not come this time, so we'll do it in the coming session. 

We played a few games this time. In one game we were given a long rope and we had to make a given shape out of it. Then we played the Obstacle game that we've played a few times before. The new kids enjoyed, I think.

Report: Thinkers' Club Session 26

Date: 8^th February, 2015

Session # 26

Attended by: 11 participants

Report written by: Zainab Salman

This session was interesting. We started thinking of unanswered questions that had entered our mind and wondering about their answers.

Then we talked about boredom and what it really is. We were asked about how often we felt boredom and what we do when we feel bored. Everyone noted down the following questions:

• What is boredom?
• What do you usually do to avoid boredom?
• What other things can we do to avoid boredom?

We noted the main points and discussed whether boredom is good or bad for us. We have got a home task regarding this topic; we have to reflect upon the questions and answer them according to our opinion, and make either a PowerPoint presentation or write an article containing our answers. Everyone has to email their answers, or if they prefer, to bring them in the next session.

Next we did an activity. We all made lists of our ‘Top Ten Wishes’ and ‘Top Ten Worries’. It took a long time recognizing which wishes were in the ‘Top Ten’, while hardly anyone had much worries. We were not supposed to see anyone else’s wishes or worries, if they didn’t want us to, although some people shared a few of their wishes and worries.

After making the lists, we all played a guessing game in which we were divided into two groups, and each group had to plan and prepare three acts and then perform the acts. The members of the other group had to guess what we were acting. Also, we were not allowed to say anything, we could only make sounds. Turn by turn, both groups did their acts. The acts were interesting, some acting as a minibus while others yelling like Opera Singers! The acts were really good, some funny, some serious. Overall, it was an interesting session, both fun and meaningful.

Report: Thinkers' Club Session 25

Date: 1st February, 2015

Session # 25

Attended by: 10 participants

Report Written by: Fatima Salman

This session started with a round of introduction. Everyone had to introduce themselves and tell three of their interests. 

Then we played two rounds of a guessing game.  We were divided into two teams of five people in each team. First, one team had to think of a person or place and the other team had to guess it by asking fifteen questions, and each question had to be answered in a yes or no. We played it for a while, thinking of different people and places and trying to guess each one quickly. 

After the game, we were told a story by Rumi. Rumi was a Persian poet and he had written many poems and short stories in Persian. His stories have been translated into many languages, and are called ‘Hikayat-e-Rumi. The story was a Hikayat. It was about animals. Below is the story, quoted in my words:

In the story, there is a jungle in which many animals lived peacefully.Then a lion came and attacked many animals and ate them. The animals got worried and decided to do a deal with the lion. They went to him and said; “You are our king, we will serve you. You should stay in your home and each morning, we will send you an animal for your meal. But you must not come and attack us suddenly”. The lion agreed, and said; “You must stay true to your word, and if you break the deal, I’ll eat every animal in this jungle”.

The animals had done this to avoid a sudden death, and so, each morning all the animals would gather in one place and draw lots and the animal whose name came in the draw, would say goodbye forever to everyone and go to the lion to be eaten.

This happened for some time until one day, a rabbit’s name came out in the draw. The animals teased him, saying; “You’ll be just one bite for the lion! What will he say when he sees you?” But the rabbit said bravely; “I may be small, but I will do something that none of you have ever done and will do. By the will of God, I will come alive from the lion, and save you all from him”. But the animals didn’t believe him and still made fun of him because of his size. And in all of this, the rabbit got pretty late in turning up for the lion.

The lion was very angry and roared; “Why are so late?” The rabbit pretended to be frightened and said; “I’m so sorry, your majesty, but I was coming with another rabbit as well, you see, I’m so small that two of us were coming for you, when we met another lion. He took away the other rabbit to eat it, but I somehow saved myself and came straight here”.  The lion got madder and said; “There’s another lion in the jungle, and he has my dinner? Take me to him at once!” The rabbit agreed to take him and came to a nearby well. He and the lion looked inside the well and saw their own reflection. The rabbit said; “Look there is the other lion and the rabbit inside”. At once, the lion jumped inside the well and drowned. And the rabbit returned home with pride.

After the story, we discussed the messages given in the story.  This story is a bit like the way things are in real life. The lion can depict a cruel leader and the rabbit was a change agent. There are many messages in this story and we discussed them all. These are the things we discussed:

• Never to lose control of our emotions, like the lion did and jumped in a well.
• Size does not matter. The rabbit was very small, yet he did something that even the larger animals did not do.
• Do no become dependent on others, like the lion did. He became so dependent on the animals to come to him, that when the rabbit became late in coming, he didn’t go to hunt by himself.
• Do not give up and submit yourself towards the evil, like all the animals did when the lion came. Instead of making a plan to make him go away, they sacrificed themselves for him.

These are some of the messages in the story. If we think harder, maybe we can find deeper meanings in it. Some stories really have deep meanings. Overall, this session was great.

Report: Thinkers' Club Session # 24

Date: 25th January, 2015
Session # 24
Attended by: 11 participants
Report written by: Fatima Salman

In this session, we discussed poetry. Everyone had brought some poetry to share with the others. First, everyone shared the verses or couplets of poetry they had brought. They were mostly of Iqbal. Then, we were asked if we knew who is our parents' favourite poet. This question was asked in the previous session to ask our parents. Most people's parents' favourite poets were Iqbal, Ghalib, or Faiz. Some parents of the members didn't have any favourite poets!

Then we talked about what should every poem have. The answers were syllable pattern, rhythmic pattern, a topic, etc.
There are two things that every poem should have. They are:

1. Rhythm\Pattern of sounds
2. Meaningfulness

Then we talked about poets. We were asked if anyone can become a poet if they want to. Some people said yes, anyone can become a poet if they want to, while others thought the opposite. Some kids said that a poet should have a great imagination and should think very deeply about something to write about it. But these things do not always happen to the people who write or compose songs, that are sung instead of recited seriously.

After this discussion, we did an activity. It was a bit like the one we did in Session 22. Everyone had to open a page in his\her notebook. Then we had to draw a line measuring one inch from our estimation. Next we had to draw a rectangle measuring one inch by three inches vertically across the page. Then we had to divide the rectangle into three squares of one inch each. Then we had to write in a small handwriting 1, 2 and 3 on each square respectively, and draw in square 1; a small circle, in square 2; a small triangle, and in square 3; our favourite fruit. Then we had to get our ruler and check how close our estimation was when drawing and dividing the rectangle.

This was an interesting activity, and a fun session too. There was no home task given in this session.

Thank you.

Report: Thinkers' Club Session 23

Date: 18^th January, 2015
Session # 23
Attended by: 14 participants
Report Written by: Fatima Salman

In this session, we discussed many things. First we talked about Emotions. We were asked to name some emotions. The responses were love, hate, anger, excitement, etc. We were told that there are four basic emotions which are; Hope, Pleasure, Grief and Fear. Other emotions include Love and Anger.

Then we talked about Poverty. There are several ‘Forms of Poverty’. We discussed the ones below:

1. Intellectual Poverty
  (Having no ideas and opinions)

2. Linguistic Poverty
   (Having ideas but no words to express)

3. Social Poverty
  (No friends and people to express themselves)

4. Ethical Poverty
  (no manners, etiquettes, ethics)

5. Financial Poverty
  (Shortage of money)

When we hear the word poverty, only ‘Financial Poverty’ comes to our mind. There are actually five main types of poverty. This list shows financial poverty at the very bottom, which shows us that money is the least important. The more important things are our knowledge, language, social circle and manners.

Like Intellectual Poverty, Linguistic Poverty, etc. There is also something called being Intellectually Rich, Linguistically Rich, Socially Rich, Ethically Rich, and lastly, Financially Rich. These things are the opposite of intellectual, linguistic, social, ethical and financial
poverty.  

A person may be financially rich but intellectually poor, or financially poor but socially rich.

After this detailed discussion, we were asked to think about what is the most valuable and precious thing each person has. The responses were:

• Talents
• Emotions\Feelings
• Thoughts\Opinion
• Heart
• Mind

Then we played a guessing game called kasoti (in Urdu) and Twenty Questions in English (we did it with ten questions). We were divided into two teams of seven children in each team. First, one team had to think of a person and the other team had to guess it by asking ten questions which can be answered in a yes or no only. (Questions were like Is it a male? Is he alive?)

After playing the game a couple of times, we discussed some poetry. Some people recited some verses of poetry from their memories. We talked about which poet has written the verses that were shared. We were told to bring three verses of poetry to share in the next session.


Overall, it was an interesting session, with many things discussed and talked about.

Session 22: Activity

This is about the activity we did in Session 22. Everyone was given a piece of paper. In this activity, we were given instructions about what we had to do on the paper. 
First we had to put the paper in a landscape position and then we had to draw a line vertically across the page to divide it in half. Next, we had to draw a square in each part of the paper. Then, we had to draw a triangle above one of the triangles. 
Everyone did the work. Then, we had to draw three circles in the square on which we hadn't drawn a triangle.
Then we had to make the square with a triangle look like a house, and the square with the circles to look like a happy person.
These are the complete works of the kids.

Report: Thinkers' Club Session 22

Date: 11th January, 2015

Session # 22

Attended by: 7 particpants

Report written by: Fatima Salman

In this session, we played many different games. First we played the obstacle game, the same one that we played in the previous session.  Then we discussed what we had learnt from this game. After that we were given a long piece of rope. Everyone had to hold the rope. There was a triangle drawn on the board, and we had to form the triangle with each person holding the rope. The challenge was that we weren’t allowed to speak to each other. We had to communicate using sign language, or actions. It wasn’t that hard though. Then we had to make another shape. The purpose of this game was to see how people communicate without speaking.

Then, we all were given a piece of paper. We were given instructions about what to do on that paper. Here are the instructions the way they were given:

   1.       Put the paper in a landscape position.

   2.       Draw a line on the center of the page from the top to bottom.

   3.       (There were now two parts of the paper.) Draw a square in both parts.

   4.       Draw a triangle on top of one of the squares.

Now came the interesting part. We all were following the instructions very carefully until now. When we had drawn the triangle, we were asked: On which square did you draw the triangle? The one on the left, or the one on the right? It wasn’t mentioned that on which square we had to draw a triangle.

This was just a game, but it showed us that whenever we are given instructions, we have to make sure that we know exactly what is wanted from us.  Then the instructions continued.

   5.       Give the square on which you have drawn a triangle, the look of a house.

   6.       In the other square, draw three circles.

   7.       Give the three circles the look of a happy face.

The completed work was really interesting. Each person’s work was unique and showed that everyone perceived instructions in different ways. I will post the work on the blog soon.

Report: Thinkers' Club Session 21

Date: 28th December, 2014
Session # 21
Attended by: 8 participants
Report written by: Zainab Salman

Today was the 21^st session of Thinkers’ Club. This session was about a game that we were going to play. First, we used building blocks to build lots of small things, which were obstacles that we would use for the game. We arranged them on the carpet. Then, we were divided into four groups, 2 children in each group. The game was explained. A group of boys went first. One of them was blindfolded and had to make his way through the obstacles without touching the He was called the ‘follower’. His partner, the ‘leader’ or ‘guide’, was to direct him and tell him, which way to go. Every child was blindfolded once, and every child was made a leader once, too. Although just one boy managed to make his way through the obstacles without hitting them, trying and being careful was fun. The game was enjoyable, but challenging too.  Some children were worried while others were enthusiastic. But all were enjoying. After we were finished with the game, we settled down on the mat. We discussed how we felt when we were blindfolded, what the challenges were, and what we learnt. We learnt to explain, specifically and precisely, what we wanted to say. The challenges were to remember clearly the right and left, how to explain the way to your blindfolded partner, and to go exactly where your partner wants you to go without touching the blocks.

This game is actually like your life. You have lots of obstacles in your life. When you can’t see where you are going, you have guides to lead you to your destination.

We also noted down what a guide and follower should take care of:

A guide should…

• Keep calm
• Think before giving instructions
• Make sure that his/her partner is clear about right and left.

A follower should…

• Follow and trust his partner
• Be clear about right and left
• Not give up
• Be confident
• Listen attentively to his guide

From this activity we learnt about leadership, teamwork, guiding clearly, having confidence in yourself, cooperation, coordination, and understanding what it feels like to be blind. The home task was to check the dictionary, read the meanings of the words ‘specific’ and ‘precise’, write them down, along with any examples. Although this session was supposed to be about the questions asked in the last session, but as many kids were not present, the questions will be discussed and answered next time. However, the questions will be posted on the blog soon, so kids can ponder upon them. This session was fun and interactive.