Month of May brings long hot days, And now we have our summer holidays. Little home work, easy to be done, Lots of activities full of fun. Dear Parents, “It’s summer time again! Time to relax, unwind and indulge in fun filled activities.” Children are reservoirs of potential which needs to be tapped and channelized in diverse ways. We at MJKPS feel that it is very important to fire their imagination and foster an outlook that helps them explore and discover. Summer vacation is the best and fruitful time for learning and for nurturing creativity. It is the time when you can connect with your child in many ways. The Holidays Homework designed would not only enhance achievements of your child but also help to enhance family relationships. Let’s stress on building healthy relationships with kids, inculcating good habits, reviving old childhood games. It’s a small effort from our end to facilitate as well as fulfill these objectives together: Building Social Skills 1. Educate your child to avoid wasting food. Teach them to take smaller portions instead of over loading their plates with food. 2. Foster gratitude in your child by educating them about the dignity of labour. Provide them with the opportunities to do their chores on their own. 3. Get involved with your child in non-fire cooking at home under your supervision. 4. Encourage them to interview their grandparents/neighbours to develop their social/emotional skills. Spending More Time Together 5. Practice your origami skills and make objects to hang from the ceiling. 6. Set up a lemonade stand. 7. Make a bird house using your creativity and waste material. 8. Stage your own Summer Olympics with races, hurdles and relays. Establishing a ‘Connect’ With Nature 9. Go for a walk and then make a collage from nature objects you find along the way. 10. Learn about stargazing and identify as many constellations as possible -- see if there are any local astronomy groups for kids 11. Arrange water bowls for thirsty birds in your verandah. 12. Practice your skills at gardening. 13. Create things out of waste like newspapers, straws, ice cream sticks. 14. Take a boring brown paper bag and brainstorm creative things to do with it -- you'll be surprised 15. at how many things you can come up with. Dear Parents, Kindly do not take out the print out of the following pages. They are purely for reading purpose and is a solemn effort from our end to inculcate values among the kids. We also intend to resurrect the old traditional games that are diminishing with time, through the given article. The Hare and the Tortoise In a forest, there once lived Harry, a hare and Toto, a tortoise. Harry was very proud of its speed and often made fun of the tortoise for his slow speed. One day, Harry challenged Toto to race with him. Harry: "Toto, let's race till the banyan tree at the end of the field." Toto knew that he could not run faster than Harry and would definitely lose the race. But he was very wise. He knew that Harry was careless by nature and was very fond of carrots. So much so that if he saw carrots anywhere, he could not stop from stuffing himself with them. Toto : “Let us race by the river side as it would be cool there." Actually there was a big carrot field on the way. Harry : “Ok Toto, I am ready for the race. Let us begin" Harry ran very fast and Toto was left behind. Harry was almost halfway through the racing track and lo! He spotted the carrot field. He stopped and looked greedily at the carrots. He said to himself, “Wow, what juicy red carrots. I wish I could eat some. But I can't because I have to reach the finishing line.” He then thought, “Toto is so slow. He would take a long time to reach. I think I can take a short break and have a couple of juicy carrots.” And he went into the carrot field. He ate one, and two, and three and four carrots and there was no stopping. He could not stop himself as Toto had expected. He stuffed himself with so many carrots that he could not move any further. He thought again, “Toto is too slow, maybe I can take a short nap and then resume the race. I am sure I will still win the race." And off he went into deep sleep under a shady tree. Toto came at his pace and went past him. He chuckled to himself, “Stupid Harry, when you have taken up a task, you must not lose the focus." He went past and reached the finishing line under the banyan tree and sleeped for a short nap. Harry woke up with a start. The sun had started going down. He worried, “I hope Toto has not gone past? No, no, he is so slow. Let me run fast and beat him. I'm sure I will catch him on the way.” But he did not meet Toto on the way as Toto had already reached the finishing line and was sleeping blissfully having won the race. Dear Parent Help your child understand the values learnt from the story. 1. Slow but steady wins the race. 2. Do not be greedy 3. Do not overeat/stuff yourself with food. 4. Do not underestimate anybody's wisdom. 5. Do not be proud. 6. God has given different qualities to different people. Everyone is unique. Reviving traditional games of India KREEDA Once upon a time, way before the impressionable minds were corrupted by video games and play stations, kids made games out of all that was available to them: wooden sticks for dice, shells and stones for making their next strategic move and floors for gaming boards. It was a tradition tirelessly passed down from one generation to another. Today, video games and games on mobile phone do not involve peer group participation and contribute little to a child's development. But then came a day when wood and shell were replaced by plastic. Traditional games took a modern avataar and were called by chic English names. Paramapadha Sopana Padam became Snakes and Ladders, Chaupad became Ludo. Intervention of television and computer further pronounced the doom and all that was good and fun about the past was lost. “In those days, games were played not just for passing time but also formed an essential part of the learning process. Marbles, which were mostly played by children, helped in improving the hand-eye coordination and increased concentration. Chaupad enhanced the Mathematical skills. Pitthu is a strategy game which helped improve concentration. Tipi Tipi Tap, which is a colour identification game, was ideal for helping children recognize colours. Above all, these games taught children to accept loss and victory with equanimity,” Let’s revive those golden days of our childhood by encouraging our children to play these games during the summer vacation. Lattu (Spinning Top) Spinning top or Lattu was once the most popular street game of India. It is still played in some of the inner colonies of old city area of Udaipur, lattu is a part of life for children in Indian villages. The game involves spinning a lattu (top) – a solid ‘turnip shaped’ wooden toy with a grooved lower half with two nails dug at the top and the bottom. A cotton string is wrapped around the lower half of the ‘lattu’ to make it spin. The traditional ‘lattu’ is easily available at the ‘Dilli Haat’. Frisbee The goal of the Ultimate Frisbee is to work your way down the field by passing a frisbee disc back and forth to teammates—while avoiding opposing players—until you score into the other team’s end zone. With no referees, the best part of this sport is its spirit: sportsmanship and the expectation of fair play. Teams usually consist of 7 players, but can be played with less or more people. Here are some more ways that Ultimate Frisbee can keep you in shape: Interval Training burns calories and increases resting metabolic rate. Increased Agility from the quick turns, pivots, throws and jumps. Full Body Workout whether you’re squatting or jumping to catch a disc. You work your legs and hips, when throwing a disc. Lots of leg work, but your arms can feel it too, especially if you play a handler role in offense. Boosts Mood! Healthy injection of endorphins and other happy hormones- any form of exercise can promote this, however the best scenarios is when you exercise for longer then 30 minutes, at a moderate to intense pace. Social Interaction. Ultimate Frisbee makes you part of a community and teach you to work as a team. Hopscotch / Stapoo 1. Hopping on one foot is one of the most complex movements the human body can perform. In this, one side of the body moving while the other side of the body is still. For children, hopping signals sophisticated advances in both physical coordination, balance, AND cognitive development. You see, as your child refines her physical coordination. He/she is also building essential neural pathways in the brain. It's those exact same pathways which will one day become the channel for left/right brain thinking tasks such as creativity, reasoning, and self-regulation. 2. DON'T STEP ON THE LINE = BODY CONTROL Rules provide the challenge that make games like Hopscotch so much fun! As such, Hopscotch is a master at helping children master self control.