July 2011 teaser

Relationships I Health I Nature I Culture I Learning I ActivitiesParent Circle

Parent Circle

Sports Special

Volume 1 Issue 3 July 2011 Price ` 40

THE BROADER SCOPE OF EDUCATIONThe C’s Beyond the R’s

Mindset

PRACTISE AND PERSPIRE TO INSPIRE!

Teen Circle

TEEN LINGO

RECIPES, TRAVEL, LEISURE & MORE...

Ready, Steady, Go...

R.Dis.No.197/11

The house of your dreams. It takes shape. Brick by brick, layered with cement - in between.

To create a bond, as strong as the bonds of love, That strengthen with time. Love binds families and strengthens hearts.

Ramco. A strength for your home. A dream that'll last - forever!

Madras Cements Ltd. Corporate Office: 'Auras Corporate Centre', V Floor, 98 - A, Dr. Radhakrishnan Road, Mylapore, Chennai - 600 004. India. Tel: 91 - 44 - 2847 8666 Fax: 91 - 44 - 2847 8676

Like relationships,it strengthens with time!

www.parentcircle.in 1

Parent Circle is published by Nalina Ramalakshmi, Shri Harini Media Pvt. Ltd. All editorial material including editorial comments, opinions and statement of facts appearing in this publication, represent the views of its respective authors and does not necessarily carry the endorsement of the publishers. Information carried in Parent Circle is gathered from sources considered to be reliable, but the accuracy of all information cannot be guaranteed. The publication of any advertisements or listings is not to be construed as an endorsement of the product or service offered.

PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Nalina Ramalakshmi

MANAGING EDITORNitya Varadarajan ASSOCIATE EDITORGemmarie Venkataramani

ASSISTANT EDITORS Sudha

To advertise in this magazine call 044 24461066/67/68 oremail [email protected]

PUBLISHED BYNalina RamalakshmiDirector, Shri Harini Media Pvt. Ltd. (A Ramco Group Associate)8/14, First Cross Street, Karpagam Gardens, Adyar, Chennai 600020

PRINTED BY R Dhayalan, Sun Graphics, 51, Gangai Amman Koil Street, Vadapalani, Chennai 600026

For the Parent in youTo know, to understand, to connect

Today, in this education world of exams and high stress, it is time that we pause, question and rethink the true meaning of ‘Learning’ and ‘Education’.

As I was researching and investigating this topic, I came across this quote from our very own No-bel Laureate, Rabindranath Tagore, “The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence. We rob the child of his earth to teach him geography, of language to teach him grammar. His hunger is for the Epic, but he is supplied with chronicles of facts and dates…”

I humbly realised that our country has been blessed with such great seers and thinkers, who years ago understood what true education meant. We only need to listen to our forefathers on what they have to tell us about children and learning.

In our Cover Story ‘The broader scope of education’, we urge you to explore this idea further – to look beyond the three R’s – Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic. We invite you to look at ‘The C’s of Education’, that we have introduced, as a vital part of the holistic development of the child.

No education is complete without the physical fitness of the child – a sound body helps build a sound mind and a sound intellect. Our special story on sports and fitness provides a lot of insights on how you can encourage your child to participate in some physical activity. Successful athletes and their parents share their experiences with you.

What does it take to transition from being good to becoming great? Focus, dedication and prac-tice, practice, practice. Writer Aruna Raghavan gives you tips on how practice makes perfect.

This magazine is a platform to bring together parents, child experts and educators to share their ideas and suggestions in support of each other. Please write in with your comments.

Our children are back in school immersed in learning, but remember:

“Whatever they grow up to be, they are still our children. The most important thing we can give them is unconditional love – a love that depends on nothing at all except that they are our chil-dren.” Rosaleen Dickson

Love your children!

Nalina Ramalakshmi

Find us on

CREATIVE HEADRangashree Srinivas

VISUALISERG Swarupa

GRAPHIC DESIGNER M Ravisankar

HEAD - OPERATIONSNeeta Kamath

AD SALES TEAM R Balakrishnan S Visalam V Rajesh Babu

CIRCULATIONC GaneshS Thirumalai

ADMINISTRATION Sheeja Sasindran

editorial

Parent Circle / July 20112

IN FOCUS

LEARNING Write Away Math in Everyday Life

HEALTH CIRCLE Choose to be Healthy Mindful Eating for Active Kids

TEEN CIRCLE Teen Lingo

CENTRESPREAD Lunch Menus

ROOTS Rediscovering Puppetry

CIRCLE OF LIFE The Tao of Vegetable Gardening

DESTINATIONS A reporter’s blog on Palakkad

REGULARS RESOURCES

FORUM

HANDS ON Flower Pens

PARENT CHEF Sports Nutrition

CHECK IT OUT Board Games

EVENTS Chennai this Month

CLASSIFIEDS

PARENT EXPRESS One of Each Kind

VIEWPOINT Children & Chores

DISCUSSION POINT Household Chores

LIGHTER VEIN Arith-mom-tic

6

10

14

18

28

38

40

42

44

46

50

54

55

7

48

49

56On the cover: Aarathy Kasturi Raj, International Roller Skating and Ice Skating champion

COVER STORY 20

The Broader Scope of Education The C’s beyond the R’s

SPECIAL 30

Ready, Steady, Go…

MINDSET 8Practise and Perspire to Inspire!


I read the June edition of Parent Circle. I was amazed by the variety and quality of the articles. I am benefited by the magazine both as the mother of a school-going son and as the head of an after school activity centre. I should thank and congratulate Mrs. Y G Parthasarathy for packing information worth a whole book in her half-a-page article. Understanding Anxiety, Peering through Peer Pressure and Organise School Work-Avoid Stress made for excellent reading. On the whole, the magazine brings in a breath of fresh air to the parent community! Keep up the good work!

Nirupa M. Prasad, T Nagar

A must-read for today’s parents! The magazine will surely go a long way in making parenting less chal-lenging and less daunting in this modern world!

Binitha Rajeev, Thiruvanmiyur

The magazine is very informative and carries informa-tion on children and their behaviour at different stages of life. In today’s hectic life, both working parents and home makers can have a balanced approach towards the child and bring about better bonding.

AK Raghunath Rao, Besant Nagar

It gives me much pleasure to read Parent Circle. I was struggling to sort out a particular problem with my child. The magazine has given me a clear understand-ing and viewpoint. I dealt with the situation appropri-ately. I am grateful to Parent Circle.

V Lakshmi, Sivasami Salai, Mylapore

I am pleased to read the magazine as it deals with situations that are very familiar to us as parents. It intelligently handles and comes up with solutions for every dilemma that parents of today face. I am looking forward to reading the forthcoming issues.

Soma Mehdi, Valmiki Nagar

The magazine is highly informative for parents, especially on child-related issues. Growing up in today’s scenario is different from the way we grew up. It requires a lot of effort from mothers to keep children on track because of technological developments.

Lakshmi Nayaranan, Kasturba Nagar

Parent Circle is a must read for every parent as it offers valuable guidelines to strengthen their relation-ship with their wards.

VP Girinarain, Besant Nagar

Your magazine Parent Circle has been launched at the right time when parenting is a very difficult job. The issue is a treasure trove of information. The way you have edited it, the presentation of articles, the photos and the page layout are all awesome.

Jaya Shankar, Rajapalayam

My mother is a Parent Circle subscriber. Browsing through the June issue, I came across the article, ‘Or-ganise School Work, Avoid Stress.’ I found the tips on studying, note taking and mind mapping very useful and I am going to use them.

Kavya Venkatraman, Class IX student, Omega International School, Manapakkam

Letters to the Editor

Please send in your letter with the subject line “Letters to the Editor”, before July 15, 2011, to [email protected] or send them to PARENT CIRCLE, 3rd Floor Shri Renga Vihar, 8/14 First Cross St, Karpagam Gardens, Adyar, Chennai 600020, India.

The first 3 letters

will win

Exciting Prizes!

Send in your feedback soon!

your word


C’sof

Education

Y ou want the best education and the best school for your child. But have you ever paused and pondered the ques-tions, “What is the purpose of school”, “Why do I want to

send my child to school?”,“What is education?”

In general when we think ‘Education’ we are thinking the three ‘R’s: Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic. We are happy if our children learn to read, write, do math and score good marks in all the subjects. We think that the school has done a great job. Now they can go study in a good college, earn a degree, get a good job and earn good money – Life is made.

However, are they prepared for life’s challenges? Are they emotionally strong? Are they ready to make their own deci-

sions? Are they confident citizens and responsible members of their families, capable of positive social interactions and relationships?

In the race for marks we forget what true education is about.

The real purpose of education should be about preparing the child for adulthood, getting her ready to take on the challenges awaiting her in this turbulent world with confidence, courage and responsibility.

“An educational system isn't worth a great deal if it teaches

young people how to make a living but doesn't teach them how

to make a life.” ~ Author Unknown

The B r o a d e r Scope of Education

The C’s Beyond the R’s (Read ing , wR i t i ng , and aR i thmet ic )

Nalina Ramalakshmi

coverstory


A 17-year-old Noida boy, Arjun Vajpai, who had climbed Mt.Everest last year, has become the youngest person ever to reach the summit of Mt.Lhotse, which at 8,516

metres is the fourth highest peak in the world.

This would have been impossible for Arjun if he did not have his parent’s backing and encouragement. They in turn, would not have supported their son, if they were solely interested in his academic achievements.

In fact, Arjun got the support of his parents at critical times, when he was in his tenth standard and again in his twelfth – not just for his studies, but also for his mountaineering initiative. They stuck to their belief in him despite some apprehensions.

Most parents would have balked at the thought of having him miss school fifty per cent of the time. Many would not have agreed to a ‘mountaineering’ training for their child, because of the perceived risks – physically and career-wise.

Not that father Captain Sanjiv Vajpai or mother Priya dismissed studies altogether. Arjun managed to get through school with some prodding from his father and great help from school and friends. Even now, his parents insist that he get his basic grad-uation degree in a subject that would add value to his innate trekking interest, while keeping up with his adventure pursuits.

Encouraging the potential“Learning happens when the potential in every child is encour-aged. Often, real education goes beyond the classroom,’’ Priya says.

scaling the Himalayas

The Vajpais blend the C'’s and the R’'s

Today, the Vajpais are seeing their beliefs paying dividends. Arjun who was an introvert earlier, has become a confident per-son motivating other students in their tremulous steps forward.

“He has become very strong internally. He has also learnt through experience what he would never have learnt otherwise. Often, screaming out well-intentioned advice does not work. Children need to imbibe their world-lessons in a manner best suited to them,’’ Priya says.


Saritha Rao Rayachoti

C hildren being children, their primary interest is to have fun,” says Saumil Majumdar, CEO

of Edusports, a sports consultancy company. When apartment spaces are too constricting for physical games, children turn to virtual sports for their entertainment. Virtual play has a lot of the attributes of an actual playing experience, like winning and losing, but without the benefits. “Unlike real sports, virtual sports do not develop any worth-while quality that could assist in real life. Indulging in them could actually create a false sense of accomplishment,” says Dr. Kannan Pugazhendi, sports physi-cian and consultant.

If we want to ensure health, fitness and socialising benefits, we need to help children enjoy the playing experience on the ground.

Although the emphasis on sports varies from school to school, children ARE being provided some physical exercise during the Physical Education (PE) class at minimal or no additional cost.

While some schools have PE time every day for some classes, others have it twice a week with specialised coaching for specific sports after school hours. The PE class itself may either be a

The Role of the School

specialP

HO

TO

GR

AP

H B

Y A

RJU

N D

OG

RA

To read more SUBSCRIBE to

Parent CircleFor the Parent in You!

July 2011 teaser

Documents

Transcript of July 2011 teaser