Blog Archives

Thanksgiving = Pumpkin cheesecake, Penguins & Football!

11/27/2014

It’s that time of the year again – and festivities are in the air. Over the years, I’ve discovered that Thanksgiving holds different meanings for different people. For my husband, it means sinking into his favorite bean bag in front of the television and watching football on a more-than-full stomach. For my kids, it’s about a holiday from studies, lots of good food (especially pumpkin cheesecake) and this year it also means the Penguins of Madagascar movie, which they’ve been so crazy about since ages that my husband had to give in and promise to take them over to the theaters this weekend.

As a kid, I remember playing the A to Z family gratitude game on Thanksgiving Day at home. Everyone in the family (ours was a pretty large one) used to sit together in the living room. Then, each person took a turn to say out loud what he was grateful for, depending on whichever letter of the alphabet the player was up to.

This Thanksgiving, I’ve made a resolution for myself. I’m going to make myself a gratitude journal which I’ll keep with me till next Thanksgiving, noting down the loads of things and people I am thankful for and who mean a lot to me. As they say, “Be grateful for small things, big things and everything in between. Count your blessings, name them one by one…”

Happy Thanksgiving! :)

0 Comments

4 After-School Game Ideas for Kids

11/18/2014

0 Comments

My tots are forever eager to try their hands in ‘anything but studies’ after school (read: their homeschooling lessons)! I involve them in educational kids’ games and activities that will not only engage them but teach them a few skills too.

Playing with rainbow foam
Involve kids in this fun sensory activity and have a blast with rainbow foam! Mix 2 tablespoons dish soap and 1/4 cup of water in a mixer tub. Add food coloring to the mix. Run the mixer on the highest possible setting for 1-2 minutes and you will have firm foam that will form stiff conical shapes! Scoop it out and rerun the mixer for another measure of the rainbow foam, this time with another color. The foam game for kids will be such a fun activity that they will wait eagerly to be back home from school!

Jewel crayons

Pick up couple of boxes of 24-crayons during the back-to-school discount season and put them good use! We can never speak enough of the uses of crayons in a child’s life. They go a long way in developing hand-eye coordination and other fine motor skills in their lives. Here’s a way you can involve the children in this after-school activity and avoid spending unnecessarily on fancy shaped crayons. Remove the papers from the crayons and sort the colors so kids can help with this process. Put the oven on to 160C and put similar crayons in a paper cup each. Put my paper cups on a baking sheet and put the baking sheet in. Turn on the oven and melt the crayons. In the meantime, line a candy baking tray that has crystallized molds and spray a non-stick spray. As soon as the crayons melt, pour them into the candy molds and let them cool. Once they’ve cooled, set them harder in a refrigerator. Take them out after 4 hours and your jewel crayons shall be ready!

Magic dough

This is called magic dough for a new reason! When the kids are back from school, hand them over a tub of the magic dough and have them in splits when they find out how the dough changes texture with usage! Mix corn starch and tempera paint in a bowl. Mix well with a fork and gradually start using your hands. Slowly mix in more paint until you reach the desired consistency. After a point, the dough and the color will start sticking on to your palms. Wash your hands when the dough starts sticking and start kneading afresh. Knead till you have the right consistency. Use play-cookie-cutters with the kids and embark on a great round of after school game!

Vegetable printed wrappers

Making vegetable printed wrappers may not be as messy as the ‘rainbow foam’ activity, but it is definitely a power packed game for kids that they’ll love to indulge in after school! Besides getting them to develop their aesthetic and creative skills with this activity, use this fun kids’ game to teach them a few lessons on recycling and reusing. Get old newspapers, okras, and poster colors. Spread the newspaper on a flat surface and pin it down on all the four corners with heavy weights. Cut a piece of okra into 4 parts and press one part against a water color and print it on the newspaper. Use the other side to print another color. In a similar way, use the several cut okras to print colorful impressions on the old newspaper. Let the paper dry and your eco-friendly wrapping paper is ready for the next birthday party in town!

Hope these games for kids are useful enough to engage the bundles of energy in the most fruitful way after school hours!

0 Comments

Patience... Phew!

11/7/2014

0 Comments

This one is dedicated to all the parents out there, who have at some point in their lives, been transfixed (at least initially, before they learn to ignore) by the tantrums thrown by their kids. And because I am one of them and lived through it to tell the tale, here goes.

If your kid is an infant or a toddler, then you know that he’s probably emitting those unceasingly loud ear-shattering screams because he’s tired, hungry or uncomfortable with something. But if he’s passed this age group and is still fond of throwing tantrums, here’s how you can try to cope with it:

· Is your child getting enough attention? At times, when a new baby comes into the family, the older one might feel ignored and hence the outburst. Try taking some extra interest into small everyday activities of your kid, a bit more than usual and pass a cheerful comment or two as you go about your work.

· Does your child wish to have a sense of independence? Sometimes kids want to get in-charge of something to feel more important and grown-up. Even a simple question such as: ‘Do you want to have chocolate milk or strawberry milk for dinner?’ may work (it does for me). This way they feel they have some authority and some say in matters, howsoever small it may be.

· Most importantly, you as a parent need to keep your cool. It won’t help in any way at all if you start venting your own frustration and add to the din – this would amount to a temper tantrum on your part as well. Take a deep breath; make a strong cup of coffee (this always helps, trust me!) and then sit down to set matters straight.

P.S. This post found its way here thanks to Sarah, who just got through a bout of bellowing over a new pink fairy gown she wanted me to buy for her to wear at her best friend’s birthday party next week. The request was politely (but firmly) put down and placated with some chocolate chip cookies (for the time being). Phew!

0 Comments