Tips/ Suggestions for parks - Navratri Golu

To a normal golu, some creativity, add-ons makes it interesting and an unique one. Park near golu padi attracts everyone's attention. Children crowd around it, like a bee attracted to honey. I am sharing the tips which i saw my mother doing for our golu park during my school days. As we didn't have camera that time and the family i am married into don't have the golu tradition, i am unable to post any pictures to show you the sample.

Basic Things you need for a miniature Park,

1. Sand
2. A bogini / cylinderical vessel
3. Small miniature dolls according to the theme
4. Ragi sprouts and mustard seeds
5. Mustard Sprouts
6. Ice cream / popsicle sticks
7. Small Rectangular chip tiles - to use as step on hills
8. Burnt paddy skins / உமிக் கரி - or you can get the rice skin from shop and burn it & coarsely powder it for making roads. or use used coffee and tea powder after drying them.

Mark a corner near the golu padi which will be safe and undisturbed. Clean the area, Spread the sand evenly. Select your theme. We did mixed theme hence there is a hill with temple on top, below one part is forest area with wild animals, one is a residential area, one side restaurant, one side Pond with aquatic animals.

1. Mountain/Hill : Take a vessel fill it with sand, place it in the part wherever you want the hill to be, completely cover it with sand till the sand heaps on top of the vessel looks like a peak of a mountain. Keep it on a corner of the park. pour sand over it till the vessel is completely buried under sand. Sprinkle some water to keep the sand intact.
2. Decide which theme occupy which place 
3. For temple on top of mountain : place miniature temple creating a base. Place the small rectangular chip tiles as steps leading to the temple at top. small miniature dolls can be placed on the steps here and there to show people climbing up or down. Cars or bullock carts can be placed at the foothill from where you can mark the roads using burnt paddy crop skins.
4. Lake : In the marked place,slightly remove sand, place a blue plastic sheet over which keep a flat bottomed wide mouthed small glass tray  (like a circular fruit tray) and level the sand around it. carefully fill water inside it. Float the miniature aquatic animals, boats etc. in it. Amphibians can be also placed near the bank to give it a real life habitat look. 
5. Green effect : Make this arrangement two or three days prior to kolu if you want it to look green right from first day, or just make it a day before so that each day with the growth of ragi plants, the park will have different effect. soak ragi two days prior to kolu, drain and and let it sprout. these sprouts can be sprinkled evenly on the land and  on the mountain/hill. Where you want forest, sprinkle some ragi as well as mustard seeds. Don't forget to sprinkle water over the sprouts every day. just sprinkle little water every morning and evening.
6. For Flower bed look, colour the ear buds and plant them in bunch properly on a area where no need for sprinkling much of water.
7. Plant the dolls, houses, & other items as per your theme in their place. 
8. Make fence at the end using ice cream sticks / popsicle stick.
9. For a change even chettiar set can be placed near the mountains and with few hut like dolls, can create a village effect.
10. Urili or good plastic tubs / glass bowls filled with water and floating floral arrangements can be made. 
11. For Roads in parks, you can collect and dry the used tea / coffee residues or umi kari (burnt paddy skins). and keep some vehicle toys.
12. small pebbles and stones can be partially burried amidst the grass. (ragi sprouts)

We can explain to children about the importance of man in living in harmony with nature and their fellow living beings viz., (animals, plants, birds, etc), going green, importance of wildlife, etc.

Let us try to be close to nature as nearly as possible by bringing out a natural greenery inside our kolus, our homes, this year and every year with some creative changes!

You may also like to check out the following posts :

Navaratri Chundal Varieties (Sundal)

Navratri / Golu

Navratri Golu Ideas

Navratri / Golu GIFT ideas

Navratri Preparation

Happy Navratri.