STEAM is a popular abbreviation for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics. STEAM in education emphasises on inquiry-based practical learning across these various disciplines. It builds a strong foundation for learning through practical application of learning concepts & principles.

As a population we all aspire to outperform in the field of academics. In this quest, several hours of time & efforts is spent in teaching & learning. But it still leaves the majority of us with a loss on the purpose of such learning.

- What if, such learning can go beyond memorisation of facts?

- What if such learning can make students visualize & empower them to think , to apply & to create from what they have learnt?

- What if, there is a power approach to learning by which we can reduce our time & effort and still maximise learning?

The inner urge to find an answer to these questions coupled with her innate passion for education, fuelled Mrs. Naga Vijaykumar to step out of her corporate shoes and take the plunge as an Edupreneur to start CurioKidz. Her 13 years of experience serving leading corporates in FMCG, Investment Banking & Management Consulting sector in senior roles, laid a strong foundation in helping her build the team, products & services suite at CurioKidz. CurioKidz, today offers products & services across the STEAM Experiential Learning Spectrumboth in Curriculum Linked Sciences & Emerging Technologies.

CurioKidz works with schools on setting up Experiential STEAM Labs ( Mini & Full-fledged) , setting up ATL Labs, providing Curriculum Linked Science Lab Program , providing Robotics & Emerging Technologies Programs ( Coding, AI/ML, IoT, 3D Printing). Besides these their Curriculum Linked Experiential Science Bundle for Class 6-10, is quite popular among schools.

CurioKidzrecently launched a firstof its kind “Phygital Online Experiential Learning Platform for school students” called “D-Learn”. Built based on deep research of various frameworks for maximising learning, the “D-Learn” platform has over 200+ hands-on learning activities in Curriculum linked Sciences & Emerging Technologies (including Robotics) for students. Currently over 30 schools with over 10,000+ students are benefiting from this platform.

In keeping with the Founder Ms Naga Vijaykumar’s vision that “Quality Education is not a Privilege of a Few, but the Right of Every child”, CurioKidz has also been extensively working with NGO’s, govt agencies , urban local bodies , universities &village / govt schools on STEAM projects and educational initiatives.

Here are choice excerpts from a conversation between the Edupreneur and the Women Entrepreneur India team.

Introduce us to CurioKidz.

CurioKidz is an EdTech Product & Service company thatbuilds & provides “Experiential & Hands-on S.T.E.A. M Learning Tools & Curricula” to maximise learning for students.

From starting as an after school activity centre, today CurioKidzclosely works with schools on setting up Experiential STEAM Labs ( Mini & Full-fledged) , ATL Labs, providing Curriculum Linked Science Lab Program & DIY Bundles , providing Robotics & Emerging Technologies Programs. Their Curriculum Linked Experiential Science Bundle for Class 6-10 comprising of 40 different reusable practical experiments, provides a cost-effective solution to strengthen middle & high school lab exposures and is hence is quite popular among schools.

CurioKidzrecently launched a first of its kind “Phygital Online Experiential Learning Platform for school students”- “D-Learn”. Built based on deep research of various frameworks for maximising learning, the “D-Learn” platform has over 200+ hands-on learning activities in Curriculum linked Sciences & Emerging Technologies (Coding, AI/ML, IoT, 3D Printing including Robotics) for students. Currently over 30 schools with over 10,000+ students are benefiting from this platform.

Today CurioKidz’s suit of Science &emerging Technologies covers DIY Projects and learning resources in Curriculum Sciences, Circuit Engineering, Sensor Technology, Programmable Tech , IoT , 3D Printing , AI /ML , App Development , with more being added to the suit. Plans are underway to expand the suit of learning resources. CurioKidz also provides a grade-wise curricula in these multi-disciplinary thematic areas. The curriculum resources are now powered by their Online Learning Platform “D-Learn”. All learning resources in D-Learn are based on deep research frameworks for maximising learning.

Education is vested with a key responsibility of equipping students with Life Skills. The practical multi-disciplinary exposures in the CurioKidz Experiential framework helps children develop life skills, complementing & augmenting the energies already present in the educational system, to make learning more relevant, skill based and future-ready.

What motivated you to shift from a fledging career in management consulting to foraying into the field of children’s education?

As a population we all aspire to outperform in the field of academics. In this quest several hours of time & efforts is spent in teaching & learning. But it still leaves the majority of us with a loss on the purpose of such learning. .

What if, such learning can go beyond memorisation of facts? What if such learning can make students visualise, empower them to think , to apply & to create from what they have learnt? What if, there is a power approach to learning by which we can reduce our time & effort and still maximise learning?

The inner urge to find an answer to these questions brought me to the crossroad where I had makeone of the most important decisions of my life. Choosing between a well-paying corporate career and one where I would face my monsters & struggles all over again as a start-up trying to give form to my dreams. Propelled by the compelling motive that my efforts would benefit the learning community at large, I took the decision to devote myself to the cause of serving education & thus started the long arduous journey of Naga as an Edupreneur. The labour of passion & effort paved way to the birth of CurioKidz 7+ years back.

Tell us about the foundational idea upon which CurioKidz was founded? How does the platform facilitate inquiry based practical S.T.E.M learning in children?

What if, there is a power formula by which we can reduce our time & effort in studying and still maximise learning? The quest to seek solutions to this question, drew me to research on learning methods, cognitive theories and experiential frameworks to come with the concept of “Lean Learning”.

“Lean Learning” is built on the principles of “Experiential Learning”, and it is proven to maximise learning for a student with minimal time & effort investment by teacher and learner.

The compelling desire to reach Lean Learning techniques to students at large, fuelled her to launch CurioKidz - a company focused on building & delivering “Experiential & Hands-on S.T.E.A.M Learning Tools & Curriculum Resources” that help to maximise learning with minimal effort. In this journey the launch of D-Learn, its online experiential STEAM Learning Platform has been a key milestone for CurioKidz..

“Build a solid network. Have a mentor to guide you in your entrepreneurial journey. Be strong & determined. Be an optimistic, it fills you with immense positivity & good energy. See an opportunity in every challenge. Never give up”

Physical exploration, touch & feel are very important in the learning process of a student. The biggest challenge in practical, hands-on learning experiences is to co-ordinate & steer the student exploration / learning across the different working groups.CurioKidz’s “ D-Learn’ - a first of its kind “Phygital Online Experiential Learning Platform for school students”- seeks to empower self-pacedpractical &experiential learning in schools.

Built based on deep research of various frameworks for maximising learning, the ““D-Learn” platform has over 200+ hands-on learning activities in Curriculum linked Sciences & Emerging Technologies (Coding, AI/ ML, IoT, 3D Printing including Robotics) for students. D-Learn supports practical hands-on activities with concept visualisations,DIY exploration videos & real life applications of concepts.

Currently over 30+ schools with over 10,000+ students are benefiting from this platform.

If you want D-Learn for your school or your ATL you can reach out to CurioKidz at 94442 55542 or curiokidz. in@gmail.com . For more details refer www.curiokidz. com.

What have been the most significant milestones that you have achieved so far in your professional journey?

As a testimony to the effectiveness of CurioKidzExperiential Learning framework & approach, CurioKidz has over the last 4 years through their deep mentoring program produced 65 students champions who have won at district, state, national, and international competitions. About 15 of these students come from Government schools.

CurioKidz believes the success of its larger mission towards serving education lies in serving and reaching its best practices to students from underserved backgrounds as well. To this effect CurioKidz besides working with private schools has equally endeavoured to work with Govt , village schools & other Govt bodies. To this day CurioKidz has worked with more than 75+ institutions including NGO’s, Govt bodies, corporate houses & urban local bodies.

Another significant milestone is the launch of our digital platform, D Learn that currently has more than 200+ hands-on learning activities in Curriculum linked Sciences & Emerging Technologies (Coding, AI/ML, IoT, 3D Printing including Robotics) .From its launch in 2021 over 30 schools with over 10,000+ students are benefiting from this platform.

With “D-Learn” - India's first Phygital online STEAM learning platform for students, CurioKidz Founder CA Nagalakshmi N Vijaykumar is well in her way to fulfilling her vision of helping students maximise their learning potential through their Experiential Learning framework.

Ca Nagalakshmi N Vijaykumar, Founder & CEO, Curio Kidz

Nagalakshmi is a Chartered Accountant with over 13 years of experience working in large corporates. Her profound love for education, drew her to research on learning methods, cognitive theories and experiential frameworks to come with the concept of “Lean Learning”. “Lean Learning” is built on the principles of “Experiential Learning”, and it is proven to maximise learning for a student with minimal time & effort investment by teacher and learner.

The desire to empower students & teachers to unlock the power of experiential learning starting from their schooling years fuelled her to launch CurioKidz: a company focused on building & delivering “Experiential & Hands-on S.T.E.A. M Learning Tools & Curricula” to maximise learning.