Chapter 14 — The Surajkund Fair

Chapter 14, The Surajkund Fair, is about symmetry, mirror images, tiling patterns, and map reading. It tells the story of Soni and Avi visiting the Surajkund fair in Faridabad, Haryana, and uses the fair's sights and activities to teach these ideas.

According to the chapter, the Surajkund fair is held in Faridabad district, Haryana. Soni and Avi visit the fair with their grandparents.

The chapter explains that an object is symmetrical when a line can divide it into two halves that are exactly the same. Children check symmetry using bead malas, rangolis, and masks by folding or placing a mirror along the dividing line.

Children are asked to make malas using 8 beads with 4 beads of one colour and 4 of another. They then check which malas are symmetrical and try making symmetrical malas using 6 beads of one colour and 2 of another.

The chapter mentions kolam from Tamil Nadu, Pookalam from Kerala, and Aipan from Uttarakhand. Children observe whether these rangolis are symmetrical and draw lines to divide them into two identical halves.

Children fold a paper along the middle, draw half a cat face on one side, and cut it out. When unfolded, the mask is symmetrical. Soni's mask turned out symmetrical while Avi's did not, helping children understand the difference.

Soni and Avi play a game where one child places four counters on their side and the other child has to place counters on their own side so it looks like a mirror image. Children can check the result by placing a real mirror on the dividing line.

The painter charges Soni 200 rupees to draw her picture but gives her only half the picture, saying the other half is exactly the same and she can see it by placing a mirror. Soni then pays only half the money using the same argument.

Children learn to fill shapes and paths using rangometry shapes with no gaps and no overlaps. Soni and Avi make their own tiles by joining shapes and then trace those tiles to create different paths.

When Soni and Avi's grandparents go missing at the fair, the children use a fairground map to find the chaupal where the grandparents are waiting. The map has picture symbols for places like the giant wheel, pond, play area, and exit gates.

Children follow a set of step-by-step instructions using coloured lanes on the map to trace the path from the fair entrance to the chaupal. They also describe how to get from the chaupal to the ATM.

Yes, at the end of the chapter Soni and Avi need to exit the fair and there are two routes, one of which is a maze. Children follow the maze to find the exit and then write about what they saw along the way.