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Learning is Fun!

Summertime for Kids - Then and Now

7/2/2017

“Bicycle” by AOMSIN is licensed under CC by 2.0

It’s summertime. The time of the year that we as kids looked forward to, and now our little ones await these months eagerly too. And yet, there is a world of a difference between our summers and our kids’ summers. Like chalk and cheese.

We’d mount our bicycles on sunny afternoons and pant up a hill; cycling for all that we were worth. And then, ecstatically, race ourselves down to the bottom. The best holidays would be the ones when we visited the beach, building sandcastles with small buckets and shovels, playing with the turtles and collecting sea shells. Evenings would be about building forts and castles out of pillows and old, ragged bed sheets, snuggling within them with a rug and a good book, all the while sipping on hot chocolate.

Nowadays, it’s a different story altogether. I literally have to push my kids out of the house to go and play outdoors on most days. Some overprotective parents I know are of the view that their kids might hurt themselves, scrape their knees or have a fall, if let out of sight. Creating too safe an environment for our kids does them more harm than good. At times, it is okay to allow your child to trip over something, get back up again on their own and learn from their mistakes. Playing catch with their friends outdoors is so much better than becoming couch potatoes as a result of the internet, too much television or video games.
Like they say, cheers to unkempt beach hair and tanned skin, flip flops and sandy toes, bruised knees and scraped hands. It’s those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer after all!

3 Fun Fourth of July Activities for Kids

6/29/2017

My kids associate the Fourth of July with fireworks and barbecue, more than anything else. They know it is their country’s birthday, yes, and of course that it needs to be celebrated. Why not mark the occasion with some fun Fourth of July activities, crafts and merry-making, along with letting the children know what exactly Fourth of July is all about?

Dodge the Balloon

“Colorful” by Pexels is licensed under CC by 2.0

This game is fun if there is a large group of kids (at least 5-8). Divide the kids into two equal groups. Each child should be handed a towel, to be used as a slingshot to throw water-filled balloons at the opposing team members. Make sure the balloons are in the colors of the American flag – red, white or blue. The goal of the game is to dodge being hit by the balloons. Every time a child is hit by a balloon, he or she is eliminated from the game. This way the number of players will keep reducing. By chance, if members of an entire team are eliminated, the opposing team is declared to be the winner. If not, then the last person to remain untouched by a balloon will be declared as the champion of this Fourth of July dodge ball contest.

Hand Print Card

“American Flag” by AmericanBenchCraft is licensed under CC by 2.0

Ideal for younger kids who love getting their hands and everything around them messy, this craft activity doubles up as a patriotic greeting card that can be sent to family and friends on the occasion of Fourth of July. Using acrylic paints and a flat paint brush, you need to paint out the American flag on your child’s palm. Ask him to sit still while you fill in dark blue on the lowermost outer corner of the palm, followed by alternating red and white stripes on the remaining hand and fingers. Now take a plain white craft paper and ask your child to press his palm onto it (make sure he doesn’t rub it in and spoil the print altogether; just a hand impression will do). Cut this square out using a pair of scissors and allow your kid to paste it onto a thicker folded cardboard (that opens like a greeting card). Write in your message within and you’re ready with a hand print Fourth of July card to be sent to your folks. Once the paint is relatively dry, don’t forget to draw stars in white on the dark blue corner though!

Songs and Rhymes

“Choir” by Clker-Free-Vector-Images is licensed under CC by 2.0

In order to let the relatively younger children know and realize the significance of the day, it is a good idea to sing aloud and along with them simple Fourth of July songs and rhymes in the tunes of the nursery rhymes they are already familiar with. For instance, it could be: ‘It’s our country’s birthday, birthday, birthday. It’s our country’s birthday, on the Fourth of July!’ sung to London Bridge is Falling Down, or ‘Fireworks go snap, snap, snap! Crack, crack, crack; zap, zap, zap! Fireworks make me clap, clap, clap; on Independence Day!’ sung to Mary Had A Little Lamb, and likewise.

Wish to add any more ideas to this list? Happy Fourth of July to you all!

Good News for Homeschooled Kids

5/29/2017

“Watercolour” by Prawny is licensed under CC by 2.0

I have the following lines framed and put up in our study room at home:

Childhood is not a race to see how quickly a child can read, write and count. Childhood is a small window of time to learn and develop at the pace which is right for each individual child.

Being a mom who has been homeschooling her kids for the last couple of years, I truly believe the above words. Agreed, there are times when doubts creep in even today; am I doing the right thing? Are my kids turning out to be less social than their friends in the neighborhood who go to school daily? What if I miss out on tapping their potential to the maximum?

And then, on the other side, there are also days (more so) when I am pretty sure I have taken the right decision for my little ones, as I sit back and see them learning at their own pace, enjoying themselves all the way. A recent report here states that ‘Home educated kids are outperforming their mainstream counterparts in just about every area’. Are/will my kids doing/do the same? That only time will tell. But what I can say with the utmost conviction as of now is that they are no less than their peers who go to school, perhaps even brighter, if I may say (and it is not the biased mother in me speaking right now).

Given another chance, I would still choose to homeschool. I would still choose to let them have fun while learning. After all, when one chooses to homeschool, the entire world becomes your classroom. Is it not?

3 Things Moms Actually Want on Mother's Day

5/11/2017

I recently came across an article that talked about how Mother’s Day came into being. Since D-day is almost upon us, everyone everywhere is talking about what moms would like on the occasion. Some pampering perhaps? A day off from her monotonous daily chores? An expensive watch or a shopping spree or brunch at a fancy eatery (sponsored by their better halves of course)? Well, while I’m sure all these would be more than welcome and wouldn’t give any of us mums a chance to complain, I thought I should pen down what moms would actually want on Mother’s Day, if given a choice.

“Mother” by ngocdai86 is licensed under CC by 2.0

Forty, Fifty, Sixty Winks
Forty winks are what I can manage on any typical, relatively non-busy day at home, which is if I am lucky. Come Mother’s Day, pure, unadulterated bliss would be catching fifty, sixty or even hundred winks for a change (read: a leisurely nap with no interruptions in the middle of the day). ‘Sleeping in’ for me as a mum translates to an hour of absolutely no disturbances. Now that I come to think of it, I don’t even remember the last time I ‘slept in’ during the day. So yes, sleeping in peacefully would be right on top of my list of wants on Mother’s Day.

A Freshly Cleaned House - That Lasts
Like they say: ‘The only thing better than a clean home is a clean home that mama didn’t have to clean herself.’ A freshly cleaned house that lasts is a dream. In our case, the longest it lasts is barely half an hour or so, before you have the little tykes stomping their way in through the main door in their muddy boots or turning over the cookie bin upside down on the kitchen counter. Hence, it would be a luxury to have a sparkling clean house for once and not having to be the one behind cleaning it and ending up exhausted in the process. We don’t mind if hubby dearest brings in the local home cleaning business guys for once and gives the home a makeover of sorts. Spotless carpets, crisp linen and a pristine kitchen counter is one of the most feel-good feelings ever for a mum.

Alone Time

“Book” by congerdesign is licensed under CC by 2.0

We’re not asking for (or expecting either) a glass of champagne while we luxuriously indulge ourselves in a relaxing pedicure or spa session. All we’re asking for is some alone time to disconnect from the daily occurrences in order to enjoy our own company. It would work as the perfect way to get our batteries recharged. We would like to spend it as we wished – drinking a cup of coffee, curling up quietly with a book, watching a rom-com, taking an extended long shower, playing childish pet games on the computer, doing window shopping in the nearby flea market – the list can go on and on.

Too much to ask for? If yes, dads, please choose from the following list – a luxurious fragrance, an year-long membership of a wine-tasting place or a glittering tiara, that is, if you’re that generous. If not, any of the three options mentioned above would work out wonderfully. After all, sometimes the small pleasures in life are the sweetest.

Happy Mother’s Day!

May Day Baskets

5/2/2017

“Spring” by ekolo58 is licensed under CC by 2.0

Back in our childhood, May Day was something we looked forward to as much as Christmas, since both the occasions involved gifts. It was a tradition in our neighborhood back then to make fancy May Day baskets with goodies inside, leave it on the doorstep of your friends, ring the bell and run off! We kids though wanted one another to know who is the person giving the basket, hence there were small stick-it notes attached at the bottom. The ringing-the-bell-and-running-off was just for the thrill of it!

Unfortunately, it seems the tradition of gifting each other May Day baskets is slowly getting lost over time. Not many people can be seen taking the trouble of getting baskets ready for D-day. Hence, I decided to bring the said tradition alive this year with the kids’ help.

Nothing too elaborate though – just a colorful paper cone rolled out of scrapbook paper that doesn’t tear easily, filled with candies, a bunch of fresh flowers and a little note that says:
‘May your day be as bright as the flowers of May… Happy May Day!’

The Easter Story Decoded for Kids

4/16/2017

We’ve always celebrated Easter, from as far back as I can remember. Perhaps not with great pomp and show each time, but it has always come to signify enjoyable times for get-togethers of close family members and friends, along with small traditions that were so much fun to follow. For instance, waking up on Easter morning to find bunny footprints leading up to my room when I was a kid (it took me several years to realize the fact that it was basically a mixture of talcum powder and flour, carefully carved out by mum); scavenging for brightly colored Easter eggs in every nook and cranny around the house, followed by squeals of delight on finding one before the others; and to top it all, tucking into a scrumptious Easter dinner with the entire family, replete with my grandma’s to-die-for lamb with cranberries!

“Floral” by stux is licensed under CC by 2.0

With my kids looking forward to the festival every year, I feel I have been successful to a certain extent as a parent, by carrying forward the fun-filled rituals and traditions. However, last year my curious daughter asked me a couple of questions related to the occasion (which cropped up in her mind when she came across certain terms related to Easter in the pet games she plays). That made me realize it would be a good idea for our kids to know the basic, underlying facts associated with Easter. In that regard, here are some basic questions and answers which I feel could help parents like me introducing their kids to Easter for the first time.

Why is Easter celebrated?
It is the day on which Jesus Christ rose from the dead (‘resurrection’).

What is Good Friday?
The Friday before Easter Sunday is called Good Friday.

Why do we celebrate the festival with Easter eggs?
Eggs are thought to celebrate new life. Hence, similar to how our Christ rose to life from the dead, Easter eggs are believed to be special since they too have life within them.

What about the Easter bunny?
I simply tell my kids that a bunny is the most cheerful animal that hops, skips and jumps, and hence it comes to be associated with the happy Easter festival (my dad used to tell me this tale and so it needs to be passed on from generation to generation!).

While it may not be possible to let your kid in into the exact story behind Easter, a basic, true version of the series of events should be enough for them initially. To do this, it is important to adopt a child-friendly manner of narration, since stories of crucifixion and resurrection may be too complex for them to comprehend for the time being. If the kids are very young, perhaps you could introduce them to some enticing picture books – Where are Baby’s Easter eggs (by Karen Katz), Peter Rabbit’s Happy Easter (by Grace Maccarone) or The Night Before Easter (by Natasha Wing) are good options to begin with.

“Girl” by kaboompics is licensed under CC by 2.0

Indulging in some hands-on Easter craft activities is also a good idea. Have a look at this video tutorial for some simple DIY ideas. Or else, ask your little one to pen down a letter to the Easter bunny. My kids write to Santa Claus every year and always get back written replies (*wink*). It could be similar with the Easter bunny. The idea is to get your children happily involved in the festivities and explain little by little what each ritual and tradition signifies.

May your Easter basket be full of joy, happiness and peace today and always!

The 'Pi Day' Story

3/19/2017

What does the word ‘pie’ bring to your mind? A melt-in-the-mouth crust on the outside with a sweet filling in the middle? Well, there’s another ‘pi’ too which is pronounced more or less the same but spelt differently.

“Pie” by aitoff is licensed under CC by 2.0

3.1415926535897932384626433832795…

And it goes on and on. Looks familiar? Well, we’ve all encountered it at some point or the other in our lives, the ubiquitous 22/7 which had a bad habit of cropping up in math problems. Well, this number that basically never ends has a whole day dedicated to it every year – March 14.

The circumference of a circle divided by its diameter is equal to pi.
‘Pi Day’ was first celebrated on March 14, 1988 by physicist Larry Shaw.
How is March 14 (Pi Day) written as a date in the US? 3-14.
Co-incidentally (or otherwise), Albert Einstein’s birthday also falls on this great day (or vice versa).
Beyond the decimal point, the value of pi has been calculated to over one trillion digits.

Fascinating, eh? To me, yes. As for my kids, they haven’t encountered the ‘pi’ in their math world yet, but soon will.

3 'Parent Things' Kids Should Be Kept Out Of

3/12/2017

My young son loves to ask about 500 questions in a single day, on an average, give or take a few (for the ‘Why’ of it, read more here). While I do my best to give him reasonable answers as much as I can, there are times when impatience takes over and I shush him up. Also, there are other times when he asks about things which I feel he doesn’t need to know too much about. Here are three of those ‘parent things’ which are best left to parents alone without their kids being in the know.

Quarrels, Squabbles, Arguments

“Argument” by OpenClipart-Vectors is licensed under CC by 2.0

My husband and I had decided on this back when I got pregnant for the first time with my daughter. Misunderstandings – minor and major, do tend to crop up every now and then between us (like they do in any healthy relationship); sometimes we get over them in a couple of minutes and at other times it may take hours. What we decided back then holds true till date – our arguments are ours alone and our kid(s) will never be a part of it, come what may. However, the kids obviously do realize at such times that all is not well between their mommy and daddy but that’s about it. We never bicker about anything in front of them; after all, relationship battles are not supposed to be about kids taking their mommy or daddy’s sides.

Big Expenses, Little Expenses

“Piggy Bank” by Brett Hondow is licensed under CC by 2.0

Parents always want the best for their kids, be it material goods, moral values or anything and everything else under the sun. It is okay once in a while to cater to your kids’ fancies and get her, say, the story book she wants even though it may be a tad too expensive (I did that last week). But it is definitely not acceptable to buy them a tablet merely because they insist on playing their favorite virtual games on their own device instead of borrowing their father’s laptop or smartphone for a short while. Making kids feel loved and cared for has hardly anything to do with too much or too less money. Children should know that money is something to be valued and what it means to live within one’s means but apart from that, it is best if they are kept out of the financial highs and lows you may encounter every now and then.

Fears, Tears, Regrets

“Fear” by ElisaRiva is licensed under CC by 2.0

Each one of us has days on which everything seems to go wrong or exactly opposite to how we would like things to be. Everything is in a mess, you’re in a bad mood and you just can’t seem to think of or find a way out of the entire jumble. But we need to remember that as parents, our kids always look up to us. They consider their parents to be beings who are always with them to set things right, to get them out of a bad situation, to make sure nothing in their lives goes wrong. Personally speaking, I had exactly the same feeling when I was a kid and looked up to mom and dad who, I thought back then, had superpowers and nothing could go wrong as long as they were with me. It is a very comforting feeling and thus kids need to not hear you voicing your fears or your regrets very often, or you crying over spilt milk. This does not mean you turn them into unfeeling beings, but there’s a very thin line between making them emotionally stable human beings and going overboard at the drop of a hat.

Can you think up of any other things to be added to this list?

4 Manners Every Child Should Know

2/23/2017

Image courtesy: ChildFun

Kids usually aren’t intentionally rude. This is something I’ve realized after all these years of being a mum to a son and a daughter. Most of the times when they come across as being rude, they are simply unaware of the fact that they’re doing something which is not acceptable, and need to be talked to about it. While the three magic words – ‘please’, ‘sorry’ and ‘thank you’ – are a must, here are four other manners which my kids have learnt to follow, come what may.

Do not interrupt. No unnecessary interruptions (or whining or arguing) is allowed when grown-ups are having a conversation. If it is urgent, then ‘excuse me please’ should do the trick.

Minding others’ space. Both at home and outside. For instance, knocking on someone’s door and waiting for a response before entering is a must.

No making fun of others. I always teach my kids that making fun of others or calling them mean names is wrong. When you point one finger at someone, there are three fingers pointing back at you.

Covering their mouths while coughing or sneezing. This is something both the kids have gotten used to by now, since they’ve seen their parents doing it forever.

Hope these manners stand them in good stead all through their lives!

Fun, Last-Minute DIY Valentine Ideas for Kids

2/13/2017

I always tend to leave things till the last minute. Procrastination, they call it, in mild terms. Only, mine is the height of procrastination. Right up to the very moment when I can see the dreaded deadline looming up at my back door (not horizon, backdoor it is), I don’t get up and do things. Resolutions happened, several times at that. All to no avail. Period.

We always do something crafty together as a family for the occasion of Valentine’s Day. This year, I had especially elaborate plans, but, as you must have guessed from the way I started this post, the plans could not bear fruit and the kids spent most of their time on their virtual games as usual, me with my writing work and husband in office meetings (phew!). However, we couldn’t really not do anything for the occasion and hence I set to work looking out for easy, DIY fun stuff for the kids. Here are the two last-minute ideas I picked out for this Valentine.

Flower Necklace

“Scissors” by Monikapp is licensed under CC by 2.0

What you need:

Stiff cardboard paper (in 3 different colors)
Straws (in 3 different colors)
A pair of scissors
A pencil
Thick thread/string/wool

What to do:
Valentine’s Day and flowers go hand in hand; one can’t imagine the festival of love without the bright hues and fragrances of tulips and orchids, lilies and roses. Well, why not create a festive-looking flower necklace for the occasion? It’s very simple: Ask your kids to draw out a flower with six petals on a sheet of cardboard (minus the stalk). Now help them to cut out the flower using the pair of scissors carefully. Using the cut out flower, trace out at least 8-10 more shapes on the cardboard (of different colors). Cut them out like you did initially. Use the tip of the pencil to make a small hole in the center of each cut-out cardboard flower. Now cut each straw into 4 almost equal sized pieces. Insert the thread into a hole of a flower, followed by inserting the same thread into one of the cut straw pieces. Continue doing the same process, alternating between a flower and a straw (stalk) each. Once you’re done, make a knot so that the pieces on the string don’t come apart. Voila! Your flower necklace is ready to be worn. Here is a simple tutorial that shows how it is done.

Red Popcorn

“Popcorn” by PDPics is licensed under CC by 2.0

What you need:

Softened cream cheese
Sugar (preferably powdered)
Corn syrup
Popped popcorn (number of bags depending on number of people)

6 red velvet cupcakes (crumbled)

What to do:
My daughter loves red velvet cupcakes (reminds one of Valentine somehow, doesn’t it?). So when I chanced upon the recipe of red velvet popcorn online, I could not give it a miss (especially because it looked oh-so simple!). Just mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl – everything except the popped popcorn. Once thoroughly mixed into a creamy texture, fold the bag of popcorn into it. Now comes the best part for kids – ask them to use their (clean) hands to crumble the red cupcakes in another large bowl and then add them to the above ready mixture. Bake as you would normal popcorn for around ten minutes and your popcorn tub is ready to occupy pride of place on your lap, in front of the television. A perfect excuse to make Valentine’s Day a fun movie night for the entire family!

Have a great Valentine’s Day!