Bengaluru: Freedom Park looked less like a conventional festival venue and more like a living classroom over the weekend, as Makkala Hubba, the children’s segment of Bengaluru Hubba, drew families into a series of immersive, hands-on experiences designed to spark curiosity among the young lot.One of the most striking installations was Phytoplankton World, a glow-in-the-dark immersive space designed by the Museum of Goa that transported children and adults into an imagined underwater world. Using UV lights, neon paints and tactile elements, the installation introduced visitors to phytoplankton. Enlarged visual forms inspired by microscope imagery surrounded visitors, while facilitators explained how these tiny organisms influence marine life, coral health and even fossil fuels. For many children and adults who said they never saw the ocean up close, the experience offered a rare sensory glimpse into an underwater ecosystem.Just as compelling was a suspended forest canopy installation that recreated a natural play space rarely accessible to city children. Dried foliage, grasses and shrubs hung overhead, while a soft bed of red earth below invited children to sit, sift and play freely. Children rolled, crawled and played in mud without hesitation. Several parents described it as a rare opportunity for their children to engage with nature without rules or screens.Elsewhere, the festival quietly revived forgotten practices. In a blue-themed room, children were encouraged to write postcards, stamp them and drop them into a postbox with help from their parents, introducing them to tactile forms of communication. Nearby, a giant floor puzzle of Bengaluru challenged children to piece together neighbourhoods using clue-based prompts. “I loved the puzzle as I managed to find Indiranagar and Koramangala and place them in their shapes. The mud floor is very cold and nice to play,” said Maya (name changed), a nine-year-old visitor, as she gleefully dug her feet into the soil, enjoying the barefoot experience.Board games like snakes and ladders were also reimagined with a Bengaluru twist, featuring the city’s iconic foods, landmarks and cultural references. A parent watched their five-year-old explore a food-themed ladder game showcasing dishes from across Karnataka. “She’s having absolute fun learning about Bengaluru and discovering the variety of foods,” the parent said.Children were also seen sketching memories at a ‘lake party’ drawing space, browsing comics and books at a pop-up library. Makkala Hubba offered a compelling reminder that learning can emerge from wonder, play and shared discovery, especially when a city pauses to see itself through a child’s eyes.
