What you see – Strategically placed signboards help us to easily trace Up Kidz in Chamarajapuram, coming from Double Road in Mysore. Situated in a residential area and in the heart of the city, Up Kidz has been recently renovated and looks clean. We step into a classroom filled with children using beads to do calculations. We also notice exhibits of several prizes and trophies won by the students at various Abacus competitions.
What you get – Up Kidz is an extracurricular center in Mysore, and is one among the 15 units run by Sri AVM Academy in the city. It conducts Abacus and Vedic mathematics classes for schoolchildren from classes one to ten – with an age limit of 13 years and above for Vedic mathematics. The Sri AVM Academy was set up in 2006 in memory of the late Sri Annadoor Vardhacharya Swamiji (a great teacher and scholar, who won the National Award and the President’s Award for his service in the teaching field). From a humble beginning with two centers, today the academy functions with 15 branches in Mysore, and one each in Bangalore and Tumkur. EV Murlidhar and Vijayalakshmi (also the chairperson of the academy and an expert in Abacus and Vedic mathematics) run the academy with an aim to achieve “total quality in education and to get rid of the fear of mathematics from children’s minds”.
Up Kidz admits 15 to 20 students in a batch and conducts basic as well as advanced Abacus and Vedic mathematics classes. The basic course includes six levels and the advanced course has four levels. Up Kidz charges a monthly of fee of Rs. 300 per month, with Rs. 750 as admission fee. The classes are conducted on Saturdays and Sundays for two hours each. Some of the Abacus and Vedic mathematics aspects taught here include place values, face values, predecessors, successors, expansion of numbers, ascending and descending order, properties of additions, introduction to multiplication, etc. The center uses modern teaching aids and follows a planned study schedule. Vijayalakshmi tells us that the center blends Abacus and Vedic mathematics together with school mathematics to help students to use these special skills in their academics as well. Up Kidz provides study materials. It also encourages students to participate in district-level, state-level and national-level Abacus competitions.
Our verdict – MetroMela recommends Up Kidz for its innovative teaching setup. It can be an ideal ‘brain gym’ for kids. The center has an experienced teaching staff, which has been trained by the academy itself. There is ample parking space outside the center.
Anytime between – 11 AM – 3 PM
By Sachin Somanna
