MAY-JUNE 2012 • vol 1 - Issue 6 • `100/- Why Children Must Read!p06 Back to School Checklist p22 Ellen Winner On Gifted Children p75 Say Yes To Yoga p96 IN THIS ISSUE CAREER IN EVENT MANAGEMENT P26 | SOCIAL NETWORKS- DO THEY TEACH YOU SOCIAL SKILLS? P34 CHOOSING THE RIGHT COLLEGE P62 | Children’S LIBRARIES P82 | MANGO MANIA P85 | CHILDREN AND MUSIC P86 Say It Like It Is Write to us at [email protected] “ s usual, Parent Edge continues to have me Ahooked. I loved the summer edition as it has covered a wide range of topics. From examination stress management to ideas on how to plan a vacation, from choosing the right school to information on important websites for children, from food for the brain to yummy recipes for summer.......... Congrats, Parent Edge and team.... you are getting close to all parents who are reading this magazine. Waiting for your next edition with the article on Social Networks.... Deepa Holla, Bangalore find ParentEdge very comprehensive and well “I addressed. Kudos to your efforts. Jaishri Ramakrishnan, Consultant Psychologist & Specialist in children with special needs, Chennai “ went through this issue of ParentEdge. It is really I good and covers a lot of information which I was “ After reading any “Parent Edge” issue.. really looking for. It is very relevant for the present A the wait for the next one seems endless! day to day life. And this time, as a mother of a 16 yr old who’s Archana K. V, Bangalore pursuing Psychology, my happiness was multiplied by a million to see “Cross Roads” which gave crisp information on the subject beautifully. I also loved “Different Strokes”, as one of my art students is autistic. Her mother always reads Parent Edge “ found ParentEdge very informative and relevant. at my place and says “ it’s the best parenting I The articles and expert opinion are really apt magazine she’s come across”. Way to go, Parent for present generation parents. There are several Edge...wish you all the luck and success! sections of the magazine which offer practical Mukta Ajaykumar, Noida guidance. However, “Building Blocks” section has been personally very useful and I have implemented certain tips provided by the experts at my pre school. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the magazine “ found ParentEdge very informative - I have and recommend it to all parents and teachers to I been looking for such information for a long read ParentEdge. time. Thanks again and wish you the very best! Mrs. Rukmini Vijaykumar, Co-Founder Toby Jose, Mangalore Daffodils Pre-School, Mumbai Editorial Panel Of Experts Thomas Bunchman is the founder of “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. JumpBunch, Inc., a leading sports If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” and fitness programme for children. - Albert Einstein. He has over 14 years of experience in creating a curriculum focused on the development of body balance, motor Yes dear Readers, skills, and eye/hand coordination skills for children in the age group 15 months to 12 years. Even in a world dominated by technology, reading has its place - the benefits of reading to children Thomas strongly believes that physical activity can boost have been reiterated through numerous research studies. And so, at ParentEdge, we decided to focus academic performance, and promote healthier lifestyles. upon this topic “Why Children Must Read” in our Cover Story. You could use an idea or two from the feature and encourage your child to spend this summer in the company of books. Sridhar Ramanathan is the Founder of IDEAS-RS where he is also a Strategic In case you are wondering where you to find the right books, check out Infocache where we have Innovation Coach. Sridhar’s mission in carefully compiled a list of good children’s libraries in your city. Also go over our recommended list of life is “To help those who want to do books to read, age-wise, in Bookworm. things better and differently”. His work involves conducting creative problem Again, if you are wondering how to keep your young ones engaged this summer, check out Building solving workshops for clients, and Blocks where we talk about Learning through Playing — or try out some mango recipes from our buidling competencies in creativity and innovation. Scrumptious feature. Nirmala Sankaran is the co-founder We also realize that, while you and your kids make the most of the break, it is also time to start of Heymath!, a curriculum based thinking about going back to school. And so we have put together a helpful back to school checklist online programme that builds a solid in Tips, Tricks and To-Do Lists. foundation in Mathematics through world class teaching methodologies Our newly introduced feature Pursuits and Passions focuses on Music this time - do browse through and rigorous assessments. HeyMath! this feature to get useful suggestions on how to get your child started on her musical journey. has successfully impacted over half a million students in over 50 countries since 2000. For the highschoolers and their parents, Cross Roads spotlights careers in Event Management. For Sulata Shenoy is a child and those amongst you with aspirations to send your children abroad, Education Across the Seas gives you adolescent psychologist. A Ph.D in the low-down on Choosing the Right College. Psychology, she has worked as a psychologist at a number of hospitals When we talk about teens, can a discussion on social networking be far behind? In Xchange, teens and in Bangalore. She is the Director of their parents debate on the pros and cons of social networking. Check it out for some very interesting Turning Point Centre for Guidance, perspectives! which specialises in psychological assessments and therapies for Eminent psychologists Howard Gardner and his wife Ellen Winner toured India recently. ParentEdge is children and adults. She also conducts workshops for proud to carry an exclusive feature on our interactions with Prof Winner, a specialist in Gifted Children, parents, children and teachers. in Different Strokes. Prab Singh heads CollegeSource, The more we progress, the more we feel the urge to go back to our roots. And so we bring you the an organisation that provides life Benefits of Yoga inApple a Day. coaching to adolescents and support to their family through the process So, go ahead, and turn the pages right now and enjoy the pleasures of reading! of deciding their higher education and career goals. ParentEdge Editorial Team Meena Sivaraman is an early childhood development specialist. With rich This issue’s Student Editor - Aanandita Vaghani experience in holistic enrichment Aanandita is a Grade XI student pursuing the IB programme in Mum- of children’s intellect during their bai. Writing has been Aanandita’s passion for as long as she can re- formative years, Meena is a firm believer member- a dog eared journal that she has maintained from primary in involved, hands-on parenting. She school stands testimony to this! And when she cannot put her emo- is very well read on topics related to tions into words, she sings her heart out. Travelling and experienc- parenting and child development. ing new cultures is of great interest to Aanandita- her dream is to Jyoti Swaroop is an educational travel the world and write a book about it someday. A budding psy- consultant who works with Ratna Sagar chologist, Aanandita aspires to understand the way people’s minds Publishing. Jyoti interacts extensively work in the near future. with schools across India on many topics including the interpretation of the recently introduced Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation. She is also associated with a career guidance organisation for school students. Jyoti has authored several English Intent of the magazine Language text books for many leading publishers. Learning is a continuous process, and needs to happen both in and outside of Dr Jaishri Ramakrishnan is a school; thus parents have an important role to play in shaping their children’s consultant psychologist associated with Billroth Hospitals and two future. ParentEdge aims to expose parents to global trends in learning and leading schools in Bangalore and partner with them in the intellectual enrichment of their children. Chennai. She has over three decades of experience in handling children with special needs. Jaishri has conducted several seminars, workshops and training programmes on Parenting, Handling children with special Please e-mail your feedback on this issue and suggestions for upcoming issues to needs and Stress management. She writes regularly for ‘The Hindu’ and ‘Times Of India’. In addition, Jaishree is [email protected] associated with multiple NGOs in Chennai. contents cover story Why children Must Read! 06 The Expert’s Take 18 Xchange 34 Interviews with Vimala R Malhotra, Co-founder, Social Networks and Social Skills Hippocampus Children’s Experience Centre and Sapana Rawat, Editor-in-Chief of literary magazine ‘Books & More,’ Book Worm 44 Books for Children A Little Princess Treasury The Wishing Chair Series Tips, Tricks & To-Do Lists 22 Totto Chan, The Little Girl at the Window Prince of Ayodhya (The Ramayana) Back to School Checklist Horrible Histories Series Books for Parents Show Me You Love Me Life Lessons Cross Roads 26 Building Blocks 48 Learning through Play A Career in Event Management What’ s Happening ? 54 Hobby Horse 32 Things to do, Places to see Coin Collecting Education Across the Seas 62 Choosing the Right College Globe Track 33 Time Pass... 74 Innovative learning experiences Searching for all things summer! The Team Editor Ramya G Editorial Team Gayatri Kulkarni Kritika Srinivasan Aanandita Vaghani (Student Editor) Art Desk Different Strokes 75 Manjunath C Jinin Mukundhan Gifted Children - an interview with Yeshwanth C E Prof Ellen Winner Publisher Prayag Consulting Info Cache Prayag Consulting Pvt.