Our preschooler has just walked in to the homework stage of his life. He enjoys doing all the worksheets that are sent home and I suppose this lack of aversion has to do with the fact that the school work is similar to activities in workbooks that he loves and is familiar with. His latest favourite (mine too) is the School Zone’s Grade K Sumer Scholar. Read the rest of this entry »
From about the time our son was three years old until recently he believed that HSBC bank is where we get ‘sweets’ from. It was known as the ‘sweet bank’. Read the rest of this entry »
In a recent post I was lamenting the lack of good books for tweens. I have a 12 year old niece who has not taken a shine to the magical, fantasy style nor does her mother want to encourage her reading the High School Musical variety and so besides Enid Blyton’s mystery series and the classics there’s not much to choose from. I hoped to get her some Indian authors who write for this age group as I personally enjoy Indian fiction. I find these books rich with imagery, emotions and good quality language. Read the rest of this entry »
by
guest mummy writer Swetha Ramakrishnan
Let’s face it, finding the right present for a child is never easy. Especially if you want to go beyond recycling things your child has received but already has/ doesn’t want! So here’s some inspiration based on personal experience. These are all things my now 5 year old son has received over the years and both of us have enjoyed.
0-3 years: Yes there are literally a million toys available for babies/ toddlers, each one proclaiming their unique qualities in aiding a child’s development. Here are my favourite ones: Read the rest of this entry »
hello mummies!
happy new year to all of you! here’s to a year filled with joy and evolution for you and your kids!
To start off the New year on a literary note, here are some lists of the best in children’s books from all over the world. There are groupings for kids of different ages, and many of the books are award-winning, evocatively written, beautifully illustrated, extremely thought (and question!) provoking, and just plain fun. Some of them are so irresistible that we’d buy them even if our kids are too old or too young for them! You might not get a lot of these at Indian book stores, but then there’s always Flipkart. Still scouting around for a list of the best Indian kiddie books of the year. That’s in another post coming up!!
in the meantime, check out these
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/books/review/notable-childrens-books-of-2012.html?_r=0
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/9754024/Top-childrens-books-of-2012.html
http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/notalists/ncb
http://www.parenting.com/blogs/mom-congress/melissa-taylor/best-childrens-books-2012-give-gifts
and my personal favourite,
http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/12/07/best-childrens-books-2012/
happy reading!
The lovely weather of pre-winter Delhi is perfect to ferry the kids to Bookaroo, the International Children’s Literature Festival. Kids can listen to authors read out bits from stories and poems, make puppets, create their own fantasy characters or graphic novel, all in the wonderful AnandGram venue, full of courtyards and trees and terracotta figures as tall as a man.
I managed to see Anushka Ravishankar read from her super book Moin and the Monster. Read the rest of this entry »
I sat on Thulasi Rao’s porch, in the village of Nimmalekunte (2 hours from Bangalore on the Hyderbad highway) one Sunday afternoon, surrounded by Hanuman, Rama, Sita and Ravana. Thulasi Rao was giving me a mini performance of a scene from the ‘Ramayana’, while reciting his own lament of how puppeteers and their craft are slowly dying out and have no place in our fast-paced city lives. The Charamkari (leather puppet) crafstmen in Nimmalkunte and other small villages like this who have been plying their art for generations have had to resort to making lamps and other products from leather to earn a living. While the lamps are gorgeous in themselves, I could see that Thulasi Rao and his colleagues’ heart lay in the puppets. These are true artists who live for the thrill of the performance. The stage, with their puppets dancing out their stories accompanied by music and songs, is their true calling.
In an effort to revive this dying artform, MummyKnowsBest in association with Craft Canvas brings you the Puppet Making Workshop in Bangalore on Nov 10th at Tharangini in Sadashivnagar and Nov 11 at Purva Fountainsquare in Marathahalli. Join us for a demonstration from the artists on puppet making, participate by making a small lamp that you can take home for Diwali, and engage all your senses in a puppet show afterwards. Children above 6 and adults welcome. Click here for details, or call +91 99807 29102, +91 8306 066600.
the book covers
Review by Nisha Abraham
“If there was one place I could be
I think it would have to be under the sea
If you think there’s nothing there
You’re in for a surprise, to be quite fair!”
If, like me, you love beautifully illustrated, easy to read, wonderfully imaginative books for children, you will adore this set of three magical books that children will love, and learn from. They are also the perfect gift to give. I was the lucky mum who got to buy the first copy for my kids!
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Its been a while that I’ve been to a store where I enter, and I just want to buy everything there. That was just the case with Yellow Button. You climb up a flight of stairs, walk down a small corridor and enter a veritable Aladdin’s cave of gorgeousness!
Read the rest of this entry »
Montu Karelia owner of L’Amour the bookshop and library at Hiranandani, Powai, really loves his books. His shop is tiny but packed with all types of books from floor to ceiling and they even spill out onto tables outside the shop. He has organised his collections author-wise and has separate sections for kids, young adults and adults. Although there are no labelled demarkations, it’s easy to navigate to the area you are looking for.
Read the rest of this entry »
