An educational rather infotainment blog that caters to the needs of elementary or primary level education of children...a comprehensive coverage on academics, assignments and information for projects, confidence building mechanisms, kids personality,hobbies, extra curricular activities,talent shows,nature and the world around us...
Every teacher has one's own way to facilitate their wards.
With experience, one gains awareness on the nature of every student, their attributes,
abilities and behaviour patterns.
Teachers have an equal role in identifying in-borne
and latent talent which helps parents to nurture the same and develop it into
rewarding professional skills.
At times, situations
also assume the role of eminent teachers. So does some books or even
biographies and legends.
Certain teachers empathize with their students and handle
situations in a motherly fashion, with utmost care and concern. Some others are
great mentors and guide their wards easily to success. It's those handful whom
a student approaches openly, at times of need, who leave a lasting impact on
their students.
Whatever be the nature of these teachers who stand out, all
of them- teachers, trainers, mentors and facilitators- impart education to
their kids not only on academic brilliance for
a living but equip them simultaneously with the education for life as well.
Generally, such a teacher takes the specific subject thoroughly
in less than half the time allotted to them. They use the remaining time for
personal development aspects. Time is never a constraint for them. For them, handling
students during leisure and extra hours are enjoyable engagements too.
Teaching, we realise is not a job, but true passion for them.
The modus operandi varies depending on
personal interest and abilities of the teacher. Here are some of the approaches
and attitudes of such positive light houses. They easily lit the lamp within
their wards...
·Displays movies for children in Smart Class
Virtual Boards.
·Narrates stories from epics and provide scripts
for theatre arts.
·Provides platform to hone and perform individual
talent.(light music, recitation, dance, instrumental music, speech, etc) The
periodic opportunity extended is a natural facilitator for the kids to learn
new items and perform with confidence.
·Entrusts wards with responsibilities to conduct/
organize events like GK quiz, anchoring assembly, drafting and presenting daily
news, etc.
·Enable students to help their weak peers in
taking food, in studies, in doing projects and even in ECA as a personal or
group responsibility. We have had teachers who even clean hair off
lice and cut nails for our mates. They also help them to wear socks and even
their tie properly.
·Some teachers conduct literary contests in class
like essay, features, collages, quotations, newsletters, etc.
·Some others conduct monthly celebrations in the
class which includes birthdays of students , appreciation of winners in
external programs, etc.
·Organizing picnics and frequent educational
tours are other remarkable qualities.
·Some teachers facilitate charity to orphans,
aged and downtrodden. There were occassions when we donated our old toys, dress
and bought sweets for these children and played with them. The resources that
was pooled from our class on a single announcement was amazing. Another teacher
taught us to share food with less privileged, by bringing a pack of home-made
food, whenever we could. It made us conscious of the value of food and
inculcated the habit of not wasting food at all. Some students gradually
dropped expensive celebrations to cater to more precious basic needs of fellow
beings.
·Organizing celebrations like grandparents day,
sibling day, friends day, etc
·Festive occasions of togetherness ( Xmas cakes,
floral carpets for onam, lighting crackers during diwali, etc) has put into us
the spirit of cooperation and many more.
·Empower students through projects and group
activities.
·Share stories of legends, inspiring occassions,
suspense thrillers, adventures, life experiences, jokes, puzzles and what not?
·Organise activity days like colour day, hat day,
hairdo day, umbrella day, cookery day, fruit day, flower day, dress day, tuck
shop and so on.
·Mostly they are part of expert teams that equip
kids for sports meet, literary competitions, youth festivals and annual days.
Teachers accompany us for all external events and remain with us, cheering on
our success and consoling us when we lose, inspiring to participate again and
again. Is this the greatest Confidence
Building Mechanism?
·They facilitate students to attempt daily
homework and promotes self study and independant work culture through myriad
ways.
Most of the eminent teachers uphold human values, love their
wards and remain in their hearts for a life time... Young ones, as they grow,
realise that they truly adore them...
(This
is a personal observation on some of our dear teachers who have created a lasting
impression on us. Our gratitude to those who succeeded in making us better, one
way or other.)
This post title refers to the message of the malayalam movie, Philips and the Monkey pen. It inspires in us the very words of Swami Vivekananda: "Awake, arise and stop not, till your goal is reached..."
A movie that thrusts on righteous living from children's perspective, its a must watch for parents, teachers and kids. it not only throws light on various issues of children in present society but also enlists numerous feasible suggestions on how best to solve them...
1.Wake up
with a smile : Thank God for this
beautiful human life. Count on all your blessings and start the day with a
smile. Be conscious of your 'self',
that is be aware of your strength, talent, abilities, opportunities and
resources.
2.Dream
well : Dreams, dreams, dreams. Dreams transform into thoughts. Thoughts
result into actions. ( Courtesy Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam)
3.Maintain
a visual notice board: List out all your difficulties, weakness and
problems on the left. Seek guidance to resolve them. Remember to tackle one at
a time.
4.Greet
your parents and teachers early in the morning with a sweet smile: Fold
your hands together, close your eyes and bow to them or wish them from the
depths of your heart.
5.Share
your food: At home share food with siblings and mates. At school be sure to
share with your classmates. During play and at camps share with your play
mates...
6.Keep your
surroundings clean: Cleanliness is next only to godliness. Always be
organized. At home or at school use things carefully and replace them in proper
places. Let it be your books, clothes, slippers, bags, umbrella or even
utensils. (time is quite precious; this saves for ample quality time together)
7. Wash your lunch box: Always wash your
vessels, before and after food. Take enough drinking water. Try to set the
table if you can. Even at school or at work, make it a habit to wash your
vessels.
8.Talk to
your mother: To err is human. We have a crisis when we realize something
has gone wrong. It puts us into confusion, it spoils our mood and diminishes
our enthusiasm. These are situations that one has to seek support for
confession, healing and relief. Mamma's lap is the best refuge.
9.Surprise
elders: Show your respect and remembrance by spontaneous obedience and good
conduct. Celebrate their achievements. Profusely thank them for their care and
guidance.
10.Prepare a
balance sheet every day: Before you go to sleep recollect all you
experiences and interactions every day. Is there anything to be done or said in
a different manner? If so make sure to correct it the next morning itself. Live
as if you are going to die just now and make sure you reserve a seat in
paradise.(courtesy: Sr.Shivani)
11.Volunteer: Always find time to do
something good for others. Recycle and donate. Be generous in appreciating others.
It enhances your self esteem.
12.Discipline
pays: Follow rules and laws. At times, it would create some difficulty,
still stick to them. Short cuts cause havoc. (courtesy: Malayalam Movie: Philips and the Monkeypen)
Team work always pays.
Smart work is better than hard work.
GOD is nothing but LOVE... Its taste is sweet...
Children are God's gift, love them to tap their creativity and intelligence...to mould them successfully...
Various organizations in Kozhikode city is all set to welcome hot summer with diverse mix of activities built into a multitude of camps to engage children during the months of April, May;2012.
Does summer and water go hand in hand?
It seems so; by the way all swimming pools in Calicut city prepare in advance to handle an anticipated rush during the vacation. Old students who have learnt to swim previously refresh themselves during this period.
Freshers also join every year; says Mr.Ratnakaran of Cherooty Nagar Rotarian Pool. “Children need a minimum of 36inches height to join such classes. It’s better if they are 8years or more. He adds. There is a lady coach for girls and separate timings also for the lady members. However, they can opt for mixed timings;” he concludes.
"How Ambili teacher follows each student amidst the rush during peak hours is a surprise for most Mammas"; admits Mrs.Rema Balagopal,one of the grandmothers who accompany their ward for daily lessons. She gets help from girls who are already aquatic champions, at times of extreme necessity. Her own daughter Ammu, a short kid to join Class I, is an amazing swimming wizard. Her demos are truly an inspiration for the new students.
"This is a lady swimming coach for ladies and children and we presume the only one in Calicut city, " said Dr. Gayathri of Beach Hospital. Her son is an enthusiastic beginner during this vacation.
Children learn fast, says coach Satyan of Chakkorathkulam swimming pool. Kids take less then 10days to pick the basics, he continued. Swimming gives all round coordination and is a wholesome exercise.
Cosmopolitan Club, near beach and Exclusive club near Civil Station also offer coaching camps in swimming for children as and when they join during this vacation.
Timing is an hour a day either in the morning from 6am to 9am or in the evening from 3pm to 6pm. Sunday is mostly a holiday for beginners. Monday is a general holiday for almost all pools in the city.
Fees for a 30day coaching vary from 1000 to 2000 INR depending on the pool.
Sports shops also join the spree with adequate swim suits, caps, ear plugs and goggles.
Concentrating on Music during the vacation…
Ragadeepam, children’s music club of Kozhikode has announced daily classes in instrumental music and choir singing during this vacation. This is in addition to their regular classes during weekends. The classes are offered for about 2 hours at IYA Hall and Chavara Cultural Centre.
Children can choose to learn keyboard or electric organ, guitar or violin; either eastern or western music. They can also join the children’s choir and practice singing in group. The fast and medium pace learners, including beginners get a chance to display their talent on stage on 19th MAY 2012 at Town hall, Calicut; says L.Sasikant, Director, Ragadeepam. For more details contact 9387480029 or watch the video uploads of their former programmes at the You Tube ID : Ragadeepam100.
A TASTE OF FULL DAY CAMPS FOR CHILDREN…
SK Pottekad cultural centre at Puthiyara is offering a short term 3 day camp for children on April 2nd ,3rd and 4th of 2012. As always this is the first camp of the season in the city with specialty of maximum participants numbering to hundreds. Snacks, lime juice, tea and lunch for all participants at reasonable rates are an added attraction. Generally the programme begins at 9am and goes up to 4 or 5pm. Drawing, colouring, arts, drama, movie show, music, origami, are all clubbed into the 3day show. Please contact 0495-2741252 for registration.
Vacation classes are also proposed during two months on various activities like Chess, Instrumental music, Drawing and colouring, etc.
Chavara Cultural Centre, Amalapuri.
Kaliveedu, is a half day camp for kids of class I to IX at Amalapuri. Beginning from April 9th it has a timing of 9am to 1 noon for a fee of Rs. 1200 per head. The camp ends on 4th May. From Monday to Friday, children are engaged in various activities from theatre arts, anchoring, magic, ventriloquism, games, aerobics, soft toys, etc. To register call 0495-2769021
Those who wish to spend the afternoon also at the centre can opt for additional coaching on any of the following items of their choice, for an extra fee of Rs.500 per head per month. The available choice is quite a beautiful range from skating, bolly wood dance, instrumental music, classical dance or music, drawing and colouring, voice dubbing etc.
Radcliffe School near IQRAA hospital is planning for their annual camp from 21st to 31st May, 2012; says Mrs. Susheela, their Principal. From 9am to 4pm daily with pick up and drop facility (transport) for all participants with a mix of diverse activities and outdoor trips, it is a camp that kids look forward to eagerly. For details call on 0495 – 2536139.
Miscellaneous Programmes
Apart from the activities listed above, coaching on various sports items like table tennis, badminton, chess etc are offered at various centers in the city.
Anand Chess Academy at Kuthiravattom offers daily classes in chess, says Mr. Venugopal.
Indoor Stadium is also set to cater to aspirants in sports and games.
Drawing and Colouring classes are also offered by innumerable centers for 2 hours a day during this vacation. Universal Arts near Gandhi Park conducts classes in two batches from Monday to Friday from 10am to 12 noon and 2pm to 4pm, says Sebastian of the Academy.
Abacus and Mental Arithmetic training centres are also prepared to lure interested candidates into heir regular and crash courses during the vacation.
UCMASis inaugurating their fresh batch for level I on 1st April 2012, Says Mrs. Malini Varma.
The category Read by yourself is an elaborated version of many of the earlier fairy tales; classics etc which kids enjoy reading by themselves. Because children are familiar with most of the initial crisp summarized versions, they enjoy reading this type in simple lucid style and it automatically enhances their language ability.
Books are indeed a fascination that draws us like junkies…
Once into a bookstall, we seldom feel like coming out…
That’s the basic nature of book lovers.
Anybody who is interesting in reading would naturally have their own personal taste and my experience shows it’s the same with kids as well. I personally feel that the best way to kindle reading habit in children is to facilitate them to select books of their choice and help them understand the meanings or explain only when they seek help from us.
Simply let them enter the ocean of books and see them getting equipped all by themselves.
Harithavidyalayam is an education reality show being telecast on Doordarshan (Malayalam) daily at 8.30p.m.
Inaugurated on 19th November2010, by Education Minister, M.A.Baby; its an initiative to identify the best school in Gods own country. The programme aims to pool best practices in education at primary and higher levels onto a common platform, so as to explore pilot and model projects for replication and duplication, where possible. Learning through our mother tongue enhances the process of education. So, Malayalam should be seen as a medium for learning at school levels; he suggested. There is a popular belief that private schools are better than public schools. This is not true. So, this programme indirectly facilitates to shift focus from this pseudo belief to the developments in the mainstream education sector.
VIDEO LINK ON CEREMONIAL OPENING OF HARITHA VIDYALAYAM PROGRAMME
The programme was conceived by Anvar Sadath, Executive Director, IT@school and is jointly coordinated by SSA (Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan); SIET (State Institution of Educational Technology); C-DIT (Centre for Development of Imaging Technology); etc.The concept, coordination and execution are simply superb.
Telecast on Doordarshan from November22, 2010 and running to about 100 episodes; it starts with a title song with lyrics by O.N.V.Kurup that aptly strikes the theme. Music by Isaac and sung by popular playback singers Vijay Yesudas and Shweta Mohan it draws one to their seats as the show begins. Visuals of the song have been shot superbly creating nostalgia in the minds of every Keralites. With a magical trance it is an apt curtain raiser that covers our backwaters, rowboats, rural and natural scenic beauty, folk arts and all probable activities in our schools; each merging into the other in a cogent manner.
Initial applications were invited from recognized schools willing to participate in the programme during September-October, 2010. 3 schools were shortlisted from each educational district. Academic brilliance, creativity and innovativeness were analyzed and 127 schools participated in the first round. Evaluations during this stage were in accordance with the popular Green Kerala Express, the social reality show projecting our Panchayats.
Each school was given ten aspects and permitted to choose any 3 areas of strength, which was also evaluated. The major criteria encompassed Academics, Infrastructure, IT based education, Social indulgence, Environment, General health & Sanitation, Resource pooling and Utilization, Physical fitness, Innovations etc.
In the first round 26 LP, 36UP and 65 HS participated.
Each episode that was telecast covered 2 schools a day in a span of 40 minutes. Anchored by Premita Prem, with a striking introduction in the script daily; each episode had 3 major segments. The first part covered a part of the school profile followed by a short video recorded at school and the last part was an active, spontaneous interaction of school team (about 10-20 members); comprising Principal, teachers, Manager and selected student representatives with the jury.
The jury chaired by Dr.R.V.G.Menon; had Dr.Piyush Antony (Social Protection Officer, UNICEF, Hyderabad); Dr.Achuth Sankar; Smt.K.R.Meera (Freelance Journalist and Writer), Akbar Kakkattil (former teacher and popular writer); as permanent members and two invited guests as expert members.The manner in which each of them dealt with kids to make them comfortable during the interactive session, the way the questions were framed to adapt to the level of school kids, the modes, the approach and attitude exhibited during each evaluation process are all highly commendable. Experts in their own niches, their simple, straight forward and child-friendly nature took the show a mile further.
The guest experts kept on changing and the range was quite wide. It brought in famous personnel’s like Prof.M.K.Prasad, Smt.Parvathy Devi, D.Vinayachandran, Dr.Seema Bhaskar, E.Kunjikannan, A.Shajahan.I.A.S and so on…
The studio set up, floor arrangements, colour combinations, lighting all exhibit the talent of the team involved. The site on Haritha vidyalayam with all necessary details updated regularly needs special mention. This reality show in itself is an exemplary example of how a government project, jointly coordinated by different agencies and covering hundreds of participants from all over Kerala can be effectively organised and executed in so smooth a manner, for benefit of the society at large; especially the student community.
SAMPLE EPISODES
Lot of specialties from different schools got showcased during these simple interactions. This ranged from display of infrastructure facilities like efficient libraries, smart classrooms, digital or audiovisual rooms, separate labs for computer, science, languages, etc; participation and contribution to literary, arts, sports and science fairs; playgrounds, proper toilets, cultivation of ornamentals, vegetables, fruits, medicinal plants etc in the school premises and planting of trees (Ente Maram) at home; preparation of biodiversity register; watching birds and butterflies; animal welfare club, newspapers, short films and what not. Unique occasions where mothers took turns to join in the food preparation for kids; teleconferencing by students from certain schools; the attitude for upliftment of underprivileged children were noteworthy. While most schools had effective PTA, endowments by alumni, cooperation from expert and famous former students as motivators, even the intervention of social clubs in upholding the standards of some schools for value based education were also seen. Newsletters, poster exhibitions and campaigns were also part of the process along with multifaceted project works.
Kozhikode district had 16 educational districts. Balussery, Chombala, Chevayur, Feroke, Koyilandy, Kozhikode city and rural, Kunnamangalam, Kunnumel, Melady, Mukkom, Nadapuram, Perambra, Thamarassery, Thodanur and Vatakara. Altogether 13 schools participated in the first round. There were only two schools from Calicut Corporation. They were B.E.M.Girls L.P.School and St.Joseph’s Boys HSS. Other schools that participated in the programme were: GLPS THONDUMMAL, KOODALIL AND PONMERI; GMUPS ELETHIL, KODIYATHUR, MANASSERY, CHERUVADY AND THRIKUTTISSERY; GHSS, PERAMBRA; SACRED HEART HSS THIRUVAMBADY AND KPES HS KAYAKODI Etc. None qualified for the second round.
From the more than 100 schools in first lap, 10 schools were short listed for the second round which is in progress now. It is also telecast on the same time and same duration, each school a day. The jury members are directly visiting all these schools and appraising the real atmosphere, talents, exposure and facilities. After the same, winners would be declared.
The schools participating in this second round are listed below.
Sl.no
Name of school
Location
Score
1
GUPS, Nemom
Neyyattinkara, Thiruvananthapuram
98.00
2
GUPS, Koottakani
Kanjangad, Kasargod
97.40
3
GGHSS, Cotton Hills
Thiruvananthapuram
96.00
4
GRHSS, Kottakkal
Malappuram
95.30
5
NAMHSS, Peringathur
Thalassery, Kannur
95.20
6
PPMHSS, Kottukara
Malappuram
95.00
7
SDVGUPS, Neerkunnam
Aalapuzha
94.80
8
ALPS, Peringode
Ottapalam, Palakkad
95.00
9
SBHSS, Changanassery
Kottayam
94.20
10
GHS, Avanavandhery
Attingal, Thiruvananthapuram
94.10
11
GHSS, Karuvarakundu
Wandoor, Malappuram
94.10
12
GUPS, Keechery
Ernakulam
94.10
Viewers are eagerly awaiting declaration of results. The final ceremony is proposed to be conducted at Thunjan Paramba soon…
The programme was already by local media and others during inauguration, with adequate followup in between and at completion of 50 episodes and so on. A glimpse on theON CNN-IBN NEWS coverage goes below.
The best school selected would receive a cash prize worth 15 lakhs INR. The first and second runner ups would get 10lakhs and 5 lakhs INR respectively. For those schools who are enlisted as 4th to 10th positions, the prize is Rs.2lakhs each. All schools that participated would be given cash worth Rs. 10000.00 as well.
Parents, rather layman, who have been tracing the changes in curriculum and mode of teaching along with the changes in mode of study through participatory and activity based learning methods, since implementation of DPEP in 1996, through SSA were keen to watch this programme telecast in about 100 episodes both on Doordarshan and Victers Channel. From this, we have realized that activity based participatory and interactive learning is actually taking place in our Government and aided schools in an appreciable way and we can soon be proud of the transformation in the education scenario.
Efforts to equip and refresh our teachers, helping the majority to adapt and adopt the new methods in teaching, rekindling the commitment to their profession wherever lacking, stream lining of staff recruitment in aided schools also under PSC, timely inspection and proper monitoring of administration, providing better infrastructure and so on...With an attitude to achieve and succeed, the quality of general education sector in Kerala can definitely be revamped through a participatory revolutionary style!
In an era where private schools are mushrooming like STD booths in every nook and corner of the state and the significance of education merely getting reduced to a profitable business, executive machinery has to intervene and the initiative by our state Government in this regard is most welcome.
With the backdrop of latest Supreme Court ruling that 25% of seats are for the poor sections and that managements are not eligible to question national policies, the impact of this programme becomes far fetched. Lets hope that harithavidyalayam lays foundation to formulate adequate reforms towards sustainable education in future.
Seeds of confidence has been sown in the minds of innumerable students in our mainstream schools, let them sprout and grow into full-fledged personalities.Let teachers draw inspiration and transform themselves into burning lamps to uphold values of this noble profession...
This reality show, the first of its kind, has been a real success in being an eye opener to this vision and let us hope the flame remain ablaze.
Universe is the outer space. All things around the earth are called Space. There are billions and billions of stars in the universe. Sun is also a star.
GALAXY
The sun, moon, earth, planets, stars, asteroids, comets all together forms the galaxy.
Galaxies are the largest structures in the Universe.
There are 30 galaxies in outer space, where earth belongs.
Our galaxy is called the Milky Way. It is a spiral galaxy with more than 500 billion stars.
(Andromeda Galaxy is another galaxy near to our Milky Way Galaxy. There are 30other galaxies in our Cluster.)
GRAVITY
Earth also has a pull on us. This force is called gravity.
Gravity is the force of attraction between any two objects.
It is a universal force that keeps everything together.
Gravity holds gases within a star.
It helps Sun to hold all components of the solar system together.
It holds stars in the Milky Way galaxy.
It helps things and Man to remain on the surface of earth.
The force of gravity is strong when the mass is high and distance is low.
Earth pulls all things to it by gravity. Let it be a flying kite or bird. So all things thrown up, comes down. It also helps us to walk on earth.
Gravity in earth is stronger than gravity in moon. So people float. We say, in outer space there is no or little gravity.
Tides in the oceans are caused by gravity force of the moon.
ASTRONAUTS & LIFE IN SPACE
People who go to explore outer space are called astronauts or cosmonauts.
Life in space is different from life on earth. In space there is no air, water or gravity.
Water is taken from earth and once in space all forms of water including sweat and urine is recycled and used. they resort to scrub bathing using soapy towels. All used clothes, crushed food packets and utensils of the disposable type reduce usage of water for cleaning.
Clothes are changed only once in few days. They have printed mission logos on their dress.
Astronauts also carry oxygen to breathe.They have special dress called space suit. It takes 45minutes to put on a 280 pound spacesuit, including the bulky back pack.They are always tied to the space craft to avoid floating. However, weightlessness helps scientists to easily lift heavy objects in space.
Food is precooked as per predetermined and tested menu and are used in powder form form packets directly.
Astronauts work on prefixed timetable controlled from earth!They are provided with morning alarm which is mostly a tune or song selected by their family members ...
In space, Sun rises once in every 90minutes. So they use masks and are tied to their sleeping bags and to each other while sleeping. They are always hooked to their vehicle as they can’t walk steadily.
Water doesn’t flow in weightlessness in space. So they can’t drink water!
Air is used to suck wastes from their body and for flushing. The waste is expelled out to earth.
In space, sound is not heard. So astronauts knock on their helmets to speak, as sound also doesn’t travel in empty space! They use radio waves and wireless phones also. They call home using soft phones.
All astronauts grow tall when they are in space and regain normal height once they are back on earth. However, they have to exercise more than two hours a day to keep themselves fit.(due to lack of gravity, blood flows to head and so bones and muscles become weak...)
In brief, life in space is hard but interesting and needs lot of training. View of earth from space, spirit for adventurous travel in rockets, fame associated with this hard work all attract brillinat students into space....
First Man in space is Yuri Gagarin. (1961, Russia).
First person to walk in space is Aleksei Leonov.(1965, Russia)
First woman in space is Valentina.V.Tereshkova.(1963) She is also the youngest.
Woman who flew more space missions is Shannon Lucid. (more than 5 times).
First paid space tourist is Dennis Tito from US, in 2001.he paid 20 million US dollars.
12 men visited moon. The first was Neil Armstrong. (1961).
STARS
A star is a spinning ball of hot shining gases.
Stars are formed from clouds and dust, which is called a clump. It swirls and condenses. When the heat inside the clump reaches 10 million degree Celsius, protostar is formed. Hydrogen is formed in the core and it burns to form Helium. This emits light that we see. When the Hydrogen gas is finished, core becomes more hot and small. This is called red giant. Helium starts burning in the core. Outer layers are cool. As Helium also gets finished, it bursts. The outer shell is called nebula. The glowing inner core forms a white dwarf, which weakens and diminishes as a black dwarf.
Lifecycle of a star takes billions of years.
Massive big stars form red super giant and on bursting as a supernova, forms neutron stars and black holes.
Star patterns that we see in the sky are called constellations. There are 88 different constellations.
Groups of stars living together are called a cluster.
Hipparchus, an ancient Greek (17-127BC) classified 850 stars according to their brightness.
Star patterns that we see in the sky are called constellations.There are 88 star constellations.
SUN
1. I am round in shape; yellow in colour. I give you light. I am the cause for day and night. Who am I? I am the Sun.
2. Sun gives us light. Plants, animals, human beings- all living things need sunlight for life.
3. Sun gives us lot of energy in the form of light and heat.
4. Sun means “yellow dwarf”. It is a star, smaller than many other stars.
5. Sun looks bigger to us, because Sun is closer to earth than most other stars.
6. Though it looks close to earth, it is 150 million kilometers away from the earth.
7. Sun is enormous. It can hold one million earths inside it. It is 3.3lakh times bigger than earth. There are stars bigger than this!!!
8. Sun being the heaviest star, its gravity is also high. So it can keep 9 planets, their more than 60 moons, and millions of comets and asteroids around it.
9. Sun is a ball of hot gases. The gases are Hydrogen (70%), Helium (28%) and heavy elements.
10. Core of the sun is 15million o C. It’s the innermost part of the sun. The surface of the sun is called Photosphere. It is 6000 o Celsius hot. The surface of the Sun is wavy. Sometimes we can see small black holes on the Sun. These are called Sun spots.
11. The inner atmosphere is called Chromosphere. It is 50000 oC. Corona is the outer atmosphere. It is I million km around the core. We can feel the heat so far down here.
12. Sun is 5 billion years of age. It will live another 5 billion years before it starts to die.
13. Sun spins on its axis. It takes 25days to complete a spin for the centre of the sun, while its ends take up to 36days. This along with the rotation of earth makes us feel that sun rises and sets.
14. The imaginary path of the Sun through the sky is called an ecliptic.
15. Sun rises in the East and we have morning. Sun sets in the West and we have night. So Sun is called the Morning Star.
16. Brightness of the Sun is 380 X 10 24 watts. When a part of Sun taken, the light is equal to 2 lakh 30 thousand candles lighted.
17. Whenever you want to know your direction, stand facing the Sun. Then, side of your right hand is the North.
COMETS
1. Comets are a ball of snow and dust found in the outer space.
2. They are far away from the Sun, beyond the nine planets.
3. These are seen in the outermost part of solar system, called the Oort cloud.
4. There are 10 trillion comets in this Oort cloud.
5. We can’t see them usually. Only when it comes near the sun is it visible.
6. Comet has a head with nucleus and ice called coma. It also has a tail.
7. When a comet comes near the sun, the light rays of the sun fall on it and the nucleus mixes up with the atmosphere. Snow melts. Gas and dust are released. This forms one or two tails which reaches from 150 to 280kilometres.
8. We have studied only 700 comets.
9. Of these, more than 20comets come to earth more often than Hailey’s comet. They are Encke, Hale-Bopp, Temple, etc.
10. Hailey’s Comet is visible once in 76years. This was last seen in 1986.
BIG BANG THEORY
All energy, matter and space were first a small dot. Huge explosion occurred. Universe was formed. It was only a hot, dense mass, without light. About 3 lakh years later, this cooled. Atoms formed. Hydrogen, Helium and other elements were created. Gravity brought these together. It developed into millions of galaxies. In between the galaxies there are lots of empty spaces. Thus, Universe was formed 15 billion years ago.
Scientists who studied about various aspects of the universe are mentioned below.
1 Ptolemy
2 Coppernicus
3 Edwin Hubble
4 Galileo Galilei
5 Aristotle
6 Albert Einstein
7 Issac Newton
8 Arthur Eddington
9 Johannes Kepler
10 Edmund Halley
SOLAR SYSTEM
Sun is the centre of our Solar System. There were formerly 9 planets including Pluto, which has been discarded. It was an ice planet. So now, there are only 8 planets. Of these, 4 planets are terrestrial planets, 3 are Gas Giants and one is a Windy planet.
The terrestrial planets are:
1.Mercury, which is the smallest planet;
2. Venus which is also called the Morning or Evening Star;
3.Mars or the red planet and
4. Earth which takes 365 days, 6hours to go round the sun once. Earth has only one satellite and it is Moon. Earth rotates around its own axis in a day, 23hours and 56minutes.
The Gas Giants are:
1.Jupiter, the largest planet;
2.Saturn or the ringed planet and
3.Uranus or the Father sky.
Neptune is the windy planet. Sun pulls everything to it by gravitation.
Planets and asteroids go round the sun in same direction at different speed.These paths are oval or elliptical in shape and are called orbits.
Aristotle and Ptolemy were the pioneers who studied about our universe. However, it was Nicolaus Copernicus, who suggested that Sun is the centre of our solar system, in 1543. Later in 1610, Galileo Galilei studied about the surface of Moon. This branch of science later came to be known as Space Science.
Light Year:
In space, light travels at a speed of 3 lakh km per second. The distance covered by light in a year is called a light year. Light from moon reaches earth in 1.26 seconds. Light from sun reaches us in 8 minutes 17 seconds. Light from a star reaches earth in 4.22 years….
The Olympic flame for 2008 has already reached Beijing, China. This flame was lit from Olympia and transferred by famous Olympians to the venue as during past years.
We covered a capsular over view on the topic last fortnight at school...Here goes the summary....
Olympics is a global sports festival.its held once every four years. This four year period is called an Olympiad.
Ancient olympics was held at Olympia in Greece in honour of their God Zues, from 776BC to 392AD.Only greeks participated in these games for thousand of years. During the 293rd Olympics, King Theodosius had banned the games...
Pierre de Fredi, Baron de Coubertin, a French educator, studied about the history of these games and pioneered the International Olympics Committee. He is considered the Father of Modern Olympics.
The first Modern Olympics was initiated in 1896 at Athens, Greece. 14 nations participated. There were 245 players in 43 events.
From then it progressed into 202 nations, 301 events and 11099 participants in the last Olympics of 2004 also at Athens...
The Olympic Motto is coined from three Latin words- Citius, Altius and Fortius-meaning swift, higher and stronger...
The Olympic Creed as per Bishop Ethelbert Talbot can be read as follows:
" The most important thing is not to WIN but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph,but the struggle.The essential thing is not to have conquered, but to have fought well."
Games are usually held in stadiums. This comes from the word "Stade" which is a unit equivalent to about 182metres.
In Ancient Olympics, the prize were leaves of plants; whereas in Modern Olympics it varies from Gold(first),Silver(second) and Bronze (third) medals with a Diploma.The national anthem of the respective country of the winner is also played in their honour.
The opening and closing ceremonies are the greatest mega events in world history. The release of doves symbolise peace; parade with national flag; flame and torch relay; many arts forms and so on make the evenings colourful and memorable.
Olympics flag was designed in 1920. It is a set of intertwined five rings with colours of blue, yellow, black, red and green on a white background. This represents the five populated landmasses in the world and theres atleast one color from the flag of any country as well...
The Olympic events are generally Summer Olympics, Winter Olympics and Paralympics for the disabled.Most common events are athletics, swimming, gymnastics, soccer and hockey.Softball is the only sport exclusively for women.
The first winner in Ancient Olympics is koroibos whereas the player who won maximum gold medals is Ray Ewry. He had been debilitated by polio as a child but rectified by Physiotherapy exercises and made up the way all along to Olympics medal many times.
The Olympic oath according to Victor Boin : " We swear that we will take part in the Olympic Games in a spirit of Chivalry, for the honour of our country and for the glory of sport."
The most attractive events of our choice are synchronised swimming and rhythmic gymnastics....We are waiting for the show...eagerly...
He was the most brilliant physicist in the world.
He was born near Ulm, Germany on 14th March, 1879.
His parents were Mr. Hermann, who ran a shop of electrical appliances and Mrs. Pauline, who was a housewife.
He had a younger sister named Maja.
Even as a young boy, he was attracted to music and followed his mother in playing violin. He also composed “Songs of Solomon” in the Bible.
He was also attracted to the Universe, Space and its functions.
He was very fond of Nature. He used to observe closely and think beyond his age.
His most cherished gifts as a child were a magnetic compass, books on science and geometry.
His primary education was in Munich. It was a hard time for him as a Jew in Nazi Germany.
So, later he went to study at the Milan Polytechnic in Italy and Zurich University, Switzerland.
He joined as a Clerk in a Patent Office.
He married a Serbian, Mileva Maric on 6th January, 1903. They had two sons- Hans and Edward.
In 1905, he published the theory of relativity and became famous.
(Time is related to person and place. Matter can be changed to energy, by E=mc2. He also studied nature of stars.)
He took Swiss citizenship and became Professor of Physics at Zurich.
Studies on Photoelectric effect bought him the Nobel Prize in 1921.
Later he proved the quantum theory of Max Planck.
He also came to be called Father of Atom Bomb, which pained him. So he became a strong advocate of world peace and love.
His later works were very complex and was not touched by scientists for years.
His second wife was Elsa.
At an old age, he migrated to USA.
At the end, he was taken care of by his sister, Maja.
He died on 18th April, 1955.
The Quest for knowledge cards is a set of 100 double sided Q cards, teaching an aspect. Each set focusses on different aspect. Capital letters of the English alphabet, small letters, numbers 1-100, animals and so on...This design enables children to read the content and then to trace it and write on top of it, with a Q-pen or white board marker and erased using a cloth piece!!!Erase and rewrite over and over again.These cards are of good quality and are tear resistant and long lasting material.It helps pre school kids to initially recognize, read and write the content and gradually to improve their handwriting...Produced by KB Park, Kochi, now its priced at Rs.150 per set.
As we all know, basic education is highly significant in the moulding of every child; especially because kids learn best and fast during their early growing years and are truly flexible. This is not restricted to formal learning environments alone.
The canvas for a kid starts from their own home and expands to the immediate nature around them and continues into the cosmos as such as they grow...
Its our responsibility to facilitate and guide proper evolution of our kids...
Enrolling them in good nearby schools that suits their calibre is our primary responsibility, which majority achieve successfully...
In current scenario of globalisation, educational opportunities are also expanding at a rapid pace.
Identifying talents in our kids, being a companion to help them tap their resources, sustaining an inquisitive and everlasting curious mind are all vital requisites.
So, I personally feel that extending a helping hand, all along, to let them bloom out beautifully into independent personalities is our secondary responsibility.
However, employed parents, especially from nuclear families, who are highly aware of this and aspire for the same, truly struggle to meet these demands of their young ones satisfactorily.
This blog is dedicated to those of you ...to help you release your stress and help you use time more effectively...
While the comments herein are purely random thoughts, not reviews, on the CD's we see, movies that we watch, books we catch hold of, and so on...Its purely personal...
I hope it forms a stepping stone in positive direction...
