Category: School Days

1. Benefits of Homeschooling- How it could make kids smarter?

   Posted on 12:00pm Thursday 16th Jul 2020

   It is funny how quickly times change. It seems like not that long ago, homeschooling was a less-explored concept. Now, in the wake of the COVID -19 virus, a large proportion of children and parents have had no other options than homeschooling.

   

    

   Parents are taking full responsibility for their child’s homeschooling. It requires a lot of upskilling for parents to homeschool their children. Moreover, parents have to develop patience to bring up their children in a formal manner in a home environment. Previously homeschooling was prevalent in rural areas only however, many parents are switching over to homeschooling, due to rising discontentment over the school curriculum.

   Benefits Of Homeschooling

   Homeschooling has a number of benefits. Let us find out more about this facet of education.

   • The parents have complete control over the child’s learning mechanism. No one teaches the child the wrong thing, as intermingling is less rampant. It also helps the parents to constantly monitor the child’s progress unhindered. It may not be possible to do that in school.

   • The teaching timings are also flexible. A parent can choose the teaching timings based on the child’s interests and comfort level. The child may also be interested in extra-curricular activities. So, he or she can concentrate the efforts on both sectors. This way, the interest levels of the child also remain up to date.

   • It is also a great way to pass on the ideas and beliefs directly to the children. You, as a parent, can instill a lot of confidence in the child, sitting at home. That may not be possible, when the child is spending 4-5 hours in school and then coming home. He will not be in a mood to listen to the parent’s theories and beliefs at the end of a tiring day.

   • Homeschooling can also protect the child from a lot of negativity. In school, children learn lots of things that they are not supposed to learn. It can come from peers, other parents and seniors. However, as a parent you can protect your child from this kind of nuisance if you practice homeschooling.

   • At home, education can be a fun and learning environment. However, in school things are much more formalized. So, the child grows up in a formal environment and it may hamper the development of a certain category of children. Every child’s learning skills are not the same, so the education mode has to be fun-filled and exciting.

   • Parents can also identify the hidden talents of the child, through homeschooling. A teacher at school may be loving and mother-like. However, after paying attention to 20 odd children at school, it is not possible for the teacher to identify the talent of each and every child, individually. So, at certain times the talents remain unexplored. However, if you are homeschooling, things can get better. Parents can easily identify the talents of their children and nurture them, then and there.

   • If both parents are working, whether from home or from office, one can pay attention to the child’s well-being. They can take turns in nurturing the child from all angles.

   Today, more and more parents are switching to homeschooling. It can actually make kids a lot smarter. It is possible that parents do homeschooling for a few years and then send their wards to school. It can be an extremely nourishing experience. So, by the time board examinations knock on the door, children are ready to take on the world.

   

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2. Simple ways to find and develop your child’s leadership voice

   Posted on 12:00pm Monday 6th Jul 2020

   The UK lockdown has made many of us unlikely teacher figures and it has been interesting to see the children develop and work through these times. This is both from an education and emotional perspective and its important to consider the development of any child and building qualities like leadership and analytical skills. It is very crucial to identify the voice of a leader that all children possess and develop them. 

   

   1. Encourage in extra-curricular activities 

   It is very important to engage a child in various extra-curricular activities. This will give him or her the much-needed edge to go with life. They will be able to shirk off the shakiness related to public speaking and expression of opinions. This will broaden their horizon and help them in thinking clearly. Extra-curricular activities play a pivotal role in the development of a  child’s mental set up. They are able to explore their passion and calling. They are exposed to a host of activities to try their hands on and finally decide upon the skill they want to enhance in the future.

   2. Make reading a regular habit 

   No matter how much technology upgrades to provide customized and well-curated education, reading is an indispensable tool for the growth and development of the psyche of a child. Reading is a habit that largely builds the thinking patterns in children and helps them in building a good knowledge base. Needless to say reading also helps in developing an amazing vocabulary which is crucial to develop leadership skills. This is because leadership demands a clear expression of opinions. So reading must be an integral part of growing up for any child. This is because it is an important building block for a better future.

   3. Develop listening skills

   In order to prosper in any field, it is quintessential to develop good listening skills. This is an integral part of development, particularly of children. They must be taught from a tender age to listen when they are taught something or are in a class or in any situation where they are being mentored. This is a soft skill that must be cultivated from a tender age so as to reap its benefits later on in the future. This is a crucial step towards being a good leader. This is because while managing a team one must focus on listening then analyzing the opinions and grievances of the fellow mates.

   4. Having a good mentor

   Mentorship is one of the most underrated and least discussed aspects that is crucial towards the building of leadership skills. This is basically an important aspect of the practice of learning by doing. One must make an effort to learn from an individual with whom he or she shares a match of mental wavelengths. As for a child, proper mentorship should ideally start with the parents and the teachers. This is a very crucial part of developing good leadership skills. The child must be in touch with the mentor who can rightly guide the kid towards a path of success with contentment. This doesn't always have to be a professional but more often than not a family friend or someone they admire.

   5. Encourage in thought-provoking activities 

   A very useful and less discussed way to develop good leadership skills is exposure to thought-provoking activities. A child must be encouraged towards activities like puzzle solving, sudoku, quizzing, and such similar playful ways. This will continuously help in the expansion of their minds and thinking range. This is a requisite for leadership skills because every leader needs to draw up new ideas to perform better and enhance team performance.

   Nothing can be better than these playful ways to develop this skill from a young age in every child. So given the fast-paced and changing world, it is very important to develop these skills in a child from a young age. 

    

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3. How to camp at home

   Posted on 12:00pm Thursday 25th Jun 2020

   If you are an avid camper, the restrictions of movement because of the pandemic must be a real pain. You miss the sun, the wild abandon of fellow campers, the fresh breeze in the forests, the excitement of taking a road trip, and the anticipation of the beautiful sceneries that await you.

   

   That does not mean you cannot have some fun in your home. With just a little imagination, you can camp at home, in your living room or your backyard, and re-live some of your camping experiences.

   Gather your gear

   What kind of gear would you normally have with you if you went camping in the wild?

   Prepare cooking gear, entertainment kits, and other survival kits. The best way to integrate some important parts of the house (such as toilet) into the camping adventure would be to ward off areas that you do not need. You can use strings or ropes to create some sort of a perimeter around your camping 'site'.

   No tent? No problem!

   You would need a tent when you go camping in the wild but you can improvise if you are camping at home. Your bed sheets or blankets can work just fine here. You do not even need poles or pegs to prop them up. Just tie the ends to bits of furniture for support and create your fort within minutes. Then start decorating to give it a personal touch.

   Go electronic free

   To make it seem more realistic, you will need to switch off your devices. The idea here is to mimic normal camping in the wild. For entertainment, focus on creative stuff such as board games or card games. This would also be a great time to bond with your kids over good stories.

   Encourage them to be creative and innovative in their entertainment options. A good book would also come in handy depending on how long you want to spend camping. Bring a lantern with you and switch off electric power inside the room.

   Pack on the snacks

   A camping escapade would not be complete without good food and snacks, especially if you are doing it with your kids. Use a gas stove to roast marshmallows outside your 'tent'. Download good camping recipes and try them out.

   An excuse to try out new gear

   If you are a beginner camper, it's advisable to try out your new gear at home first. This could save you a lot of time and stress at the actual camping ground. If you have a large backyard, this would be the best place to set up camp.

   No campfire? No problem!

   Due to safety reasons, you might not be able to make a campfire in your living room. You can improvise though. There are many ways to do it, depending on what is available to you. If you have a chimney, you can run a fire directly on the wood stove using dry wood. Coal, charcoal, and briquette can also work great. And you can roast some marshmallows right on top of them!

   

    

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4. How to balance your work and personal life when you have children

   Posted on 12:00pm Friday 5th Jun 2020

   Have you had to juggle work and home schooling this year? Have you been able to seperate the two? Maintaining harmony between work and personal life is essential for the development of every human being. The truth is that finding the right balance between your work life and your family life is not always an easy task. But the benefits for your well-being as a person make it worth the effort. Just practicing some good habits and being consistent with them, you will have the key to achieve the desired balance between family and work.

   Don't feel guilty

   If you feel guilty that you are giving time to your child, it will slow you down. Guilt only serves to keep you immobilized in the present because you are living in the past. Guilt can be very debilitating; by introducing logic you can counteract it. And you can avoid sabotaging your efforts towards work and family balance, so you can stay in better emotional condition.

   

   Set limits

   Boundaries are an imaginary line of protection that you must draw around yourself. These limits have to do with protecting the actions of other people. You must determine for yourself what is acceptable or unacceptable behavior from other people on your value scale. Setting limits can help you define control of your time and space, something that will certainly help you get in touch with your feelings. And it also helps you to give proper time to your kids.

   It is a way of expressing the scope of your responsibilities and what you are willing to do or accept from others. Your limit is learning to say 'no'. Remember that limits are necessary to establish lines in people and thus balance your work and your family.

   Determine your rules

   To strike a balance between your family life and your work life, you must have clear rules in your life. The rules in your life refer to you, your behavior and the actions that you will be willing to maintain with yourself.

   For example, a rule may be to have quality time for your children and also to get time for yourself. Being a good parent, partner and person means having time for you first. Find ways to maintain your hobbies and find ways to relax, ease tension, and minimize stress. If you do, you will be doing yourself a great favor, but you will also be doing it to your boss / business and your family.

   Be flexible

   Another aspect that you should take into account to organize and balance your work life with your family life, will be flexibility. You need to understand that children are unpredictable and that everything can change in a single moment. You must be willing to take responsibility for any of the tasks that must be done at any time.

   Accept that things won't always be this way, because just when you think you have things under control ... everything will change.

   Also, you will realise that to achieve greater success both at home and at work, you will have to give up the initial objectives and replace them with new and different ones because you will have to cover new challenges as time goes by. 

   

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