tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64806702206220168362024-03-13T20:36:26.672+05:30Bringing Up Our ChildrenI'm a teacher, I'm a mother, and I'm a constructivist. I work with children at school and at home. I want to share my thoughts and experiences with parents and teachers all over. Hope you find my posts useful, and do share your thoughts and experiences with me. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13711770514200370974noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6480670220622016836.post-21237547774153600472016-02-09T20:30:00.000+05:302016-02-09T20:30:00.341+05:30Inspiring Creativity in our Children
Don’t we all enjoy looking at interesting things? Have you
ever wondered that a little ‘thinking out of the box’ can be ever so effective?
Take for example, Post-it notes. There was a time when there was only one
shape and colour of Post-it notes (we all remember using the yellow squares). And then slowly, they started being seen in different shapes, colours and sizes.
Didn’t we all enjoy usingAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13711770514200370974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6480670220622016836.post-50789367402212157522015-10-27T20:00:00.000+05:302015-10-27T20:00:01.773+05:30Thinking Out of the Box Contd...
Another simple
strategy to spark your little one’s creativity and the ability to think out of
the box is to encourage her to give different endings to stories. It can be
done as soon as children begin to understand the stories and the sequence of
events in them. Fairy tales like Snow White, The Little Mermaid, Jack and the
Beanstalk and Little Red Riding Hood are the best to start with as the Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13711770514200370974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6480670220622016836.post-56577339745002827402015-10-20T20:00:00.000+05:302015-10-20T20:00:00.752+05:30Thinking Out of the Box
We all want our children to be creative, don’t we? It’s also
to say that it’s the need of the hour. We don’t want children to follow the
crowd anymore, we want them to lead and come up with novel ideas. Unfortunately,
many schools don’t leave scope for children’s creativity and the ability to
think differently for several reasons - be it a faulty and outdated curriculum
or the sheer ignorance Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6480670220622016836.post-62728157599206168382015-10-13T20:00:00.000+05:302015-10-13T20:00:00.702+05:30Other Considerations while Selecting an International School Program
In my previous post on International Boards offered by some popular schools in Mumbai, I had mentioned that I would share a link to a Google Sheet on the programs offered by International Schools in Mumbai. Please follow this link to the data, and this link to a map of International Schools in Mumbai, and another map of ICSE CBSE schools in Mumbai.
What are some of the similarities Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6480670220622016836.post-66305863497076225752015-10-06T20:00:00.000+05:302015-10-06T20:00:00.926+05:30Evaluating the Readiness of International Schools in India
When we talk about our schools, most of us love to recall incidents with our teachers. They have played a huge role in our development at school, and so it only becomes obvious that today's teachers need to be prepared to teach by the Cambridge and/or IB philosophy. But are they?
It’s important for parents to ask and understand what investment the school is making every year to Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6480670220622016836.post-58457056294414020002015-09-29T20:00:00.000+05:302015-10-06T21:11:52.915+05:30International Boards offered by some popular Schools in Mumbai
Hi all, this is Jaideep again. In my previous post, I presented a very basic definition and key differentiating point between IB and Cambridge programs being offered by schools. Now let’s see how this is actually being applied at some of the popular schools in Mumbai. Based on my research from the schools’ websites, the table below outlines the programs offered by the schools (as Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6480670220622016836.post-79476063639629997192015-09-22T20:00:00.000+05:302015-09-30T10:05:16.059+05:30Understanding International Boards at your Children’s Schools
This blog post has been written by my husband Jaideep. Having spent 2+ years in an initiative to set up an international school in Mumbai, he spent a lot of time studying this space in detail, and wanted to share his views on queries we repeatedly hear from friends and colleagues who are grappling with understanding the new boards being offered by schools in India.
When many of us wentUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6480670220622016836.post-81130282131457219512015-06-09T20:00:00.000+05:302015-06-09T20:00:01.338+05:30The Peace Corner
Right from the beginning, children need to be guided into
reflecting on their behaviour with their siblings, peers, parents and
caregivers. The process of identifying the cause that triggered a negative
behaviour, her/his reaction to it, the effects it has on the others, the
choices that are available and the changes that s/he is willing to make when a
similar situation arises in future Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13711770514200370974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6480670220622016836.post-87478924794283287812015-05-19T20:00:00.000+05:302015-05-19T20:00:01.664+05:30Securing our home wired/wifi network for our children
Hi all, this is Jaideep. While my wife is busy putting together her next set of posts, I thought I would make one myself. As a parent in this connected world, we are all concerned about the websites our child may come across while browsing the web. While we can't control what happens outside the house, we should be able to control what they can access at home through parental Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6480670220622016836.post-72924683720234630212015-02-13T16:49:00.000+05:302015-02-13T16:51:12.143+05:30Reading with Comprehension- Easy to use comprehension skills
Reading comprehension sounds like a big term, you may have
heard it from the teachers all the time. Yes, it is a big deal! All academics
boil down to your comprehending/understanding capabilities, which is why it is
stressed upon so much right from the early years of schooling.
When you begin reading stories to your child, do you ask her
questions like ‘what is the story about’, ‘who was Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13711770514200370974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6480670220622016836.post-79864892268128656602015-01-06T21:47:00.000+05:302015-01-17T14:41:23.105+05:30A Predictable Routine
Children need to know how we have planned the time for them. It’s
important for them as it allows them to mentally prepare themselves, which in
turn makes the environment more predictable for them, which further helps them
to cooperate better with us.
There are many simple ways to do so. One of them being, before
starting the session or class, list down the plan in front of them and discussAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13711770514200370974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6480670220622016836.post-87693565427444053962014-12-30T21:30:00.000+05:302015-01-17T14:44:42.173+05:30Can we influence children's eating habits by what we say to them?
As parents and caregivers, we want our children to eat healthful foods and be in the habit of doing so all the time. We try our best to motivate them to eat. We give them rewards when they finish their food, we talk to them about the health benefits of good food, we set up a good example by eating the right foods ourselves, etc., but do these sincere efforts really work? If not, then what reallyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13711770514200370974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6480670220622016836.post-64744312431055023572014-11-01T18:54:00.002+05:302014-11-02T21:54:40.095+05:30External rewards cripple your child! Shy away from stickers and stars...
Giving rewards to children for getting them to do good work
has a very short- term effect on their performance. When you attach a reward to
a task, the ‘feel good’ factor of the completion of the task per se gets lost. Also,
the children don’t get ‘intrinsically motivated’ to do the task, which in turn
goes against their inclination to be independent and lifelong learners.
The novelty of Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13711770514200370974noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6480670220622016836.post-59872390533620476492014-10-11T15:18:00.005+05:302014-10-14T15:33:31.834+05:30The Calendar
Just like the world map and the number grid, which you could display in your child’s room or the classroom for meaningful and contextual
learning, you could put up a small calendar somewhere too. There are many
printable templates available online or better yet you could take a blank sheet
of A4 or A3 sized paper (depending on your child’s age) and make a grid on it.
In fact it’s Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13711770514200370974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6480670220622016836.post-10260891471779239142014-09-01T23:17:00.000+05:302014-09-02T15:55:38.666+05:30 A kick-start to Vocabulary Development
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13711770514200370974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6480670220622016836.post-33752658622413345562014-07-30T18:27:00.001+05:302014-07-30T18:27:50.593+05:30Reflection from the Classroom: A simple strategy for motivating students to write
Today when I was working with 8 to 9 years olds, I realized
that a simple variation of your lesson plan could go a long way in keeping the
interest and motivation high of your children/students.
I was planning on giving a topic for an essay to ESOL
(English for Speakers of Other Languages) students. These students have not
mastered English as a language and often struggle and shut themselves Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13711770514200370974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6480670220622016836.post-36155871164041398212014-07-25T17:45:00.003+05:302014-07-25T17:52:48.278+05:30S/he Doesn't Pay Attention!
You may have heard from your child’s teachers- ‘she doesn’t
pay attention’, ‘she can’t finish her work’ or you may have heard your child
say- ‘I am bored in class’. Attention is something that should naturally come
about as the child grows older. However, many a time due to various reasons a
child develops ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) or ADHD (Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder). ThisAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13711770514200370974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6480670220622016836.post-48036483134250386122014-07-16T17:34:00.000+05:302014-07-20T00:41:19.887+05:30Poor Handwriting?
If you see your child struggling with handwriting- her handwriting is sloppy, illegible and the letter formation is not up to the
mark, please don’t give her handwriting books to practice writing. Instead
give her activities to enhance her fine motor skills. If you see no
improvement in handwriting in a month or so, you could go to an occupational
therapist to get her evaluated and started on Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13711770514200370974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6480670220622016836.post-59070011252768147002014-06-27T19:21:00.000+05:302014-06-30T12:20:28.314+05:30I Wonder...
When you make conversations with your child, you can ask her
several wonder questions, for example, when you see the sunset, ask her ‘I
wonder where the sun goes’, or when you are walking up a slope, ask her ‘I
wonder why it is harder to go up the slope and easier to go down’, or when it
rains, ask her ‘I wonder where the rain comes from’. Ask her these questions
when you see it in the Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13711770514200370974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6480670220622016836.post-41370766731874460812014-06-19T13:43:00.002+05:302014-06-19T13:43:59.716+05:30The Number Grid
A very important tool to develop number sense is the Number
Grid (1 to 100). You can either make it yourself or print it out from the
Internet and ideally laminate it. All you have to do is put it up in your
child’s room. Even if you think your 2 year old won’t make sense of the higher
numbers, believe in this idea! Remember not to underestimate the capability
of your child.
How to use it?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13711770514200370974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6480670220622016836.post-74555049774959969512014-05-31T08:59:00.000+05:302014-05-31T09:07:38.770+05:30Piece by Piece
Building puzzles require several skills like concentration,
fine motor, part-whole relationship and spatial orientation. It is an important
skill to master because it has academic implications.
When a child starts
building puzzles she not only needs support and encouragement from you
but also freedom to try out her own strategies. She herself is not
aware of her own capabilities at Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13711770514200370974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6480670220622016836.post-7394705433723771542014-05-18T22:52:00.003+05:302014-06-03T00:32:58.598+05:30World Map- From abstract to real
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13711770514200370974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6480670220622016836.post-59007010914573701172014-05-10T12:26:00.001+05:302014-05-11T21:57:05.659+05:30How and why to bring up an imaginative child
Here is an article that I found very useful and relevant. It's very important to support and develop your child's imaginative ideas as these would serve as foundation for divergent and analytical thinking in her/his adult life.
Article
from babycenter.com
What
to expect at this age (3 to 6yrs)
It's no surprise if by now you find yourself living with a princess, a
unicorn, Batman, or Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13711770514200370974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6480670220622016836.post-17867132071435577552014-05-01T23:43:00.000+05:302014-05-02T10:41:19.639+05:30I agree with NPR - Put down that smartphone!!!
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR produces and distributes news and cultural programming, and often publishes some great articles from all walks of life.
I Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13711770514200370974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6480670220622016836.post-85383703456285222092014-04-26T15:16:00.002+05:302014-05-31T09:08:01.397+05:30Cooperative Board Games
I
ordered these board games online recently. They are cooperative games by
Peaceable Kingdom. The good thing about these games is that all the players
work as one team to achieve a goal which I think is a very unique concept. Games
like these build team spirit and cooperation among children.
You can find these games on Amazon or Hopscotch.com
Are there any board games Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13711770514200370974noreply@blogger.com0