A PEEP INTO THE NATURAL WONDERS OF THE WORLD

The ecosystem of the world is full of natural wonders ranging from glaciers, mountains, and rivers to rainforests and steep gorges. Some of the most popular locations include the following.

The Sahara Desert
The Nile river
The rainbow bridge
Mount Fuji
Mount Everest
Dead sea
Machu pichu
Great wall of China
Victoria waterfalls.
Paricutin Volcano.
Grand Canyon
Great Barrier Reef.

Sahara is an Arabic word that means the greatest desert.
It is the world’s largest hot desert.
It covers most of Northern Africa.
Most of the Sahara consists of rocks, less of sand dunes.
Safsaf Oasis lies on the surface of Sahara.
The southern part has a savannah called Sahel.
Desert was formed by wind erosion and occasional rains, since 3000BC.

Nile River:
This is the longest river (6650km) in the world.
It flows through 10 countries in Africa- Egypt, Sudan, Tanzania, etc
Ultimate source comes from forests of Rwanda.
There are 3 common tributaries- White, Yellow and Blue Nile.
Water in White Nile contains suspended white clay particles, used for farming.
It was the lifeline of ancient Egyptian civilization.

Machu Pichu:
It is an important archaeological site in Peru, South America.
It is located in a saddle between huge mountains of 8000ft high.
It was an estate settlement of the Inca empire and used for defense.
Terraced fields, stone masonry walls without mortar are specific features.
There are 140 structures including temples, houses, sanctuaries, parks etc.
There are more than one hundred flights of stone steps–often completely carved from a single block of granite.
There are a great number of water fountains that are interconnected by channels and water-drains perforated in the rock.
The temple of the Sun and the room of three windows are the most famous structures on Machu Pichu mountains.

Rainbow Bridge:
This is a suspension bridge, 570m in length and crosses the Tokyo Bay, in Japan.
It carries car, trains and pedestrians.
Built in 1993, the pillars are white in color with lighting done with red, white and green every night using solar energy.

In US, there is an arch bridge, naturally carved by erosion. Its also called as the rainbow bridge.

Dead Sea:
It is a world famous salt lake between Israel and Jordan.
It has 9 times more salt than in sea water.
It is 400m below mean sea level.
More salt, so animals cannot live and hence the name.
It is 18km wide and 67m long at the Jordan Valley.
Salt from Dead Sea is used to make cosmetics and fertilizers.

Mount Fuji:
This is the highest mountain in Japan.
It has a symmetrical shape and is attractive.
It is one of Japan’s three Holy Mountains.
A strato-volcano which is part of a National Park, it is surrounded by five lakes.
The climate is very cold due to the altitude and the cone is covered by snow for several months of the year. The lowest recorded temperature is −38.0 °C
Though one lakh years old, it is currently classified as active with a low risk of eruption.
Today this is a common destination for mountain climbing.

Mount Everest:
This is also called Sagarmatha, meaning head of the sky.
It is part of the Himalayas and is situated in Nepal.
Height is about 9000m above MSL.
There are many climbing routes for mountaineers.
Edmund Hillary (New Zealand) and Tensing Norway (Nepal) were the first to climb in 1953.

Victoria Waterfalls:
This is the largest waterfalls in the world.
It is situated on Zambezi River in South Africa.
It is 1.7km wide and 108m height.
Created by flat plateaus.
It lies between two countries- Zambia and Zimbabwe.
It’s a tourist centre for adventure sports.
Waterfalls cut back at major gorges, at Devils Cataract or Leaping waters.
There is a naturally formed safe swimming pool called Devil’s Pool.

Great Wall of China:
It is along wall built and rebuilt in 5th and 16th century BC.
Length is 6400km.


Paricutin Volcano:
This is a volcano that began as a fissure in a farmer’s field in 1943.
The lava covered two villages and eruption ended in 1952.
Youngest volcano became unique because all stages seen from conception.
It has a height of up to 420m.

Great Barrier Reef:
Largest coral reef system in the world.
It is located in Coral Sea, Queensland, Australia.
It is made of tiny living organism called polyps.
Supports lot of endangered species.
It is a group of 3000 individual reefs and 300 islands.
It was formed 20000 years ago.
Tourists who love scuba diving can visit the reefs.

Grand Canyon
This refers to a rift formed by Colorado River in the state of Arizona, in Southwest USA.
It is more than 6 – 40million years old.
It is a colorful landscape formed by erosion through rain and snow.
This has exposed ancient rocks and complete rock profiles/columns that are more than 6000ft deep.
There are many caves in which people lived long ago.
Tourists can see the area from Lipan Point, Eagle Point, and Moran Point etc.
Camps, trains, helicopters, skywalks are all available…

CBM (Confidence Building Mechanisms) and KIDS

There are seven simple sayings that can have a profound impact on your child's life.

- Everything is possible.
- If you want to get something, give something.
- When you make a choice, you change the future.
- Don't say no--go with the flow.
- Every time you wish or want, you plant a seed.
- Enjoy the journey.
- You are here for a reason.

Raised with these insights, every child can obtain the success that comes from having the most valuable skills anyone can possess: the ability to love and have compassion, and the capacity to feel joy and spread it to others…

[Courtesy: Deepak Chopra,
Author of worldwide bestseller- Ageless Body, Timeless Mind and described as the Poet-prophet of alternative medicine by Time]

ALL ABOUT INDIA

This is a compilation of basic information for primary school children on our country, pinpointing the notable aspects only..

1. India is an Asian country.
2. India is a sub continent.

3. Earlier India was called “Bharat” after an ancient King Bharat in the epic Mahabharata. Later it was also known as Hindustan.

4. Neighbouring countries are Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, Myanmar (Burma), Bangladesh and SriLanka.

5. India is a peninsula.
6. Natural boundaries are Himalayas on the North, Indian Ocean on the South, Arabian Sea on the West and Bay of Bengal on the East.

7. Popularly known as the Golden Bird, our Motherland is a nation with “Unity in Diversity”.
8. India is a vast country. Extent of land area is 33 lakh square kilometers.
9. Among 194 countries in the world, India is 7th in land area and 2nd in population.
10. India has 28 states and 7 Union Territories.
11. India’s population is more than 1 million.

12. Indian capital is New Delhi.
13. Indian currency is Rupee.

14. India got her Independence on 15th August, 1947 from England. This day is celebrated as the Independence Day.

15. India is a secular socialist country, with Hindus accounting for more than 80% of the population and Muslims for 14%. Other sects are Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists and Parsees.


16. Natural regions of India can be divided into four:

(i) Himalayas from Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, through Sikkim, North Bengal and parts of UP, with forests and tourism. The natural hilly regions of Kashmir, Nainital, Mussorie, Simla, Kulu, Manali, Darjeeling are all attractive tourist centres.

(ii) Indo Gangetic Plains extends from West Bengal to Punjab, through UP and Bihar. These are flat to rolling plains, with agriculture and minerals. The main rivers are Ganga, Brahmaputra and Indus. Forest, coral reefs; mangroves all make this area one of the fertile regions of the country.

(iii) Deccan Plateau between Eastern and Western Ghats and Vindhya and Satpura Mountain ranges. These are irregular mountains, uneven and rocky lands with hotter forest climate. There are many rivers like Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Narmada, and Tapti. This covers about 43% of our land area.

(iv) Coastal plains with fertile soil and predominant agriculture. The West is Malabar Coast and on the East is Coromandel Coast.

17. Based on rainfall, also India can be divided into four regions. They are:
(1) wet zone covering Meghalaya, Assam, West Bengal and Malabar ;
(2) Intermediate
(3) Dry zone covering Tamil Nadu and parts of Andhra Pradesh
(4) Deserts in Rajasthan and parts of Haryana.
Thar Desert in Rajasthan is the most dry land and Chirapunji in Orissa is the area with maximum rainfall.

18. Indian climate varies from Tropical Monsoon in the south to temperate in the North. Monsoon are of two types-the Northeast and South west.

19. Elevation ranges from zero at the Indian Ocean to 8598metres at Kanchenjunga, the highest point in India.


20. Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world; Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World and Nilgiri reserves, one of the World Biodiversity Hotspots are in India.

21. These land areas were divided on the language spoken by majority people in each part of the land.


22. National language is Hindi. English is the common associate language or link language. There are 18 other official languages. More than 800 languages are being used all over India.

23. India is also the largest democracy in the world. Indian Government is a Federal Democratic Republic. Head of the State is our Hon’ President, Smt. Prathiba Patil and Head of the Government is our Hon’ Prime Minister, Dr.Manmohan Singh.


24. Indian Legislature is called Parliament. It has an upper house called Rajya Sabha and a lower house called Lok Sabha.

25. Indian Judiciary has three main levels. The Supreme Court in the centre, High Courts in states and District courts. Chief Justice of India is…..

26. The Indian Executive system is also federal with a Central Government and Cabinet of Ministers and separate State Chief Ministers and Cabinet for every state. This is supported by qualified Civil Services.

27. Indian people have different complexions based on their habitations. Their culture and dress also vary from place to place.

28. Indian costume is very colorful. Each state has its own special costumes, but there are several styles common throughout the country. Women traditionally wear the sari with a stitched blouse, a long skirt called a ghaghra, or loose pants and a tunic known as a salwar khameez. But women today, especially in cities, may also wear western styles such as skirts or dresses, blouses, and pants. Men have their traditional costumes as well, generally called dhotis or pajamas, but most now wear a light shirt and pants just as in western countries.

29. Classical dance in India is thousands of years old. There are many kinds of dance, each with some form of religious background. Though different, they all convey meaning using every part of the body. Eyes, hands, legs, feet, and face come together in the dance and music to set a mood and tell a story.


30. Indian music can be divided into two main types: North Indian and South Indian (or Carnatic).
Both systems use voice and instruments. Indian music is based on combinations of melody and rhythm within musical structures called "ragas". Some of the most common Indian musical instruments are the Sarangi, Harmonium, Tabla, Flute, Veena, etc.

31. Modern face of India is changing everyday. Our major exports are textiles, spices, gems, jewelry, engineering goods, chemicals, leather goods, etc. We import crude oil, petroleum, machinery, fertilizers etc.
32. Natural resources of India are coal, iron, mica, titanium, diamonds, limestone, natural gas etc.

33. The major Hindu festivals in India are Diwali, Ganesh Chaturti, Navaratri, Onam, Vishu, Pongal, Janmastami, Guru Poornima, Karwa Chauk, etc apart from harvest festivals and New Year openings.


34. The most common Christian festivals are Christmas, Good Friday, Easter and New Year.
35. Muslim festivals celebrated are Ramzan and Bakrid.

36. The major environmental concerns are deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; desertification; air pollution from industrial effluents and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage and runoff of agricultural pesticides; tap water is not potable throughout the country; huge and rapidly growing population is overstraining natural resources.

CHILDREN'S DAY CELEBRATIONS- A CAPTURE OF MY EXPERIENCE

Today we had a wonderful celebration... Our day at school started as usual with the morning assembly.

On special days and festivals, we have some one as Chief Guest...This time; we were introduced to a big black bear, with his trainer. The bear on stage was reasonably well behaved, but whenever the trainer beat him, he used to come near kids and we were slightly frightened...Even our BOLD Principal seemed to be afraid of the Bear...Trainer had a hard time making the animal follow instructions; maybe because the colour and gay at our assembly made him so happy!!! Finally as the trainer made the bear sit on a chair, our Principal somehow gathered enough courage to touch the Bear...and Lo......!!!It was only our beloved Miss...Thank you so much Madam Balu for such a spectacular show...

The animated action cum adventure children's movie "Kung fu Panda" was also projected. Though an English movie, it kept us pinned down for 90full minutes...

Dancing by our beloved teachers (Oh! how well they danced?!!!!Amazing...) and the tuck shop...stuffed with pastries, cakes, ice creams, ice candies, cheetos, choclates ...different varieties of snacks, all added glitter to the day.

All teachers prepared beautiful small cards for each one of us....The utmost care and affection bestowed on us is acknowledged with immense pleasure.

Our Dear Princiapl, she came wearing our uniform when we were all in colour dress!!!!!!!!!!

During tuck shop also, the keepers( of course our teachers) were also in uniform...

Do any of you have such adorable and sportive team of teachers????????????If so, do share with us....

The literary activities was focused on preparation of articles. The topic given to me was: "What if you met Nehru NOW?" Please read what I wrote and give me your valuable suggestions to help me improve...

MY MEETING WITH CHACHA NEHRU

Myself: "Chachaji, I am Ms.XYZ. I am studying in ABC school. I welcome you to my school."
Chacha : "Thank you, my child."
Myself: "A very very happy birthday to you, Chachaji."

Ms.GHI walked up on stage and handed over a beautiful red rose to Chachaji, which he pinned on his dress. Now, Ms. KLM came on stage and declared loudly: "We love you so much" and hugged Him.

Chachaji: "Thank you so much, children..."
Myself: "Chachaji, can I ask you some questions???
Chachaji: "Yes, Of course, my child."

Qs1. Where were you born?
You know my birthday, isn't it? I was born on this day at Allahabad. I am 119 years old now...

Qs2.Can you tell us something about your family?
My father was a healthy- wealthy lawyer and a leader of the Congress party. His name was Motilal Nehru. My mother was Swaroopa Rani. They were Saraswat Brahmins, who came down from Kashmir. My house was named Ananda Bhavan. I had two small sisters and many cousins.One of my sisters was Vijayalakshmi Pandit, who was ten years younger to me and the other was Krishna Pandit, who was eighteen years younger to me. So, naturally my childhood was a little lonely.

When I was sixteen years old, I was married to Kamala. We had a daughter Indira Priyadarsini. She married a Muslim, Firoz Gandhi and had two sons- Rajiv Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi. My grandson, Rajiv Gandhi married an Italian, Sonia and had two kids- Rahul and Priyanka. My other grandson, Sanjay married Menaka Gandhi and they had a kid- Arun Gandhi.

This is my family tree ...

Qs3. You are very very famous. We are all so proud of you. Can you tell us something about your education?
I was mostly taught at home by Governess on English, Hindi and Urdu. Then I was enrolled in a nearby Convent School. After I was 16years, I was sent to England. I took my M.A. from Harrow, Cambridge to become a lawyer.

Children, you know me as the first Prime Minister of India. But, did you know that I was a very shy boy? Inspite of being intelligent, I had to pay fine even in College, for not speaking properly!!! Even our Beloved Mahatma Gandhi was a shy and sensitive student...

Qs4."Chachaji, What were your hobbies as a kid?"
Children, I loved nature, birds and animals. I had pets like pandas, peacock, parrot, doves and even tiger cubs. I loved skiing, swimming, climbing mountains, tennis and horse riding. I had magnificient gardens, riding stables, tennis courts and swimming pool at Ananda Bhavan. I used to read lot of books and poems. I practiced Hatha Yoga, which includes standing on your head, daily!!!I had a good sense of rhythm too.

Qs5. "Chacahji, our Mamma told that you were in jail for more than 13years. How did you spent time during these freedom struggles?"
"Children, I wrote books when ever I was in jail. Please read them...Some of the titles are:
1. Discovery of India.
2. Glimpses of World History
3. Towards Freedom (my autobiography)
I am sure you would like them."

I have also wriiten innumerable letters to my daughter, Priyadarsini, from jail. This collection is also very famous. Each letter was intended to teach her something. This way, I tried to keep contact with my young daughter and nurture her growth.

My father was also very caring...

Chachaji wandered lonely into the clouds and stared blank at us....

Qs6. "You are a great poet, writer, leader, orator and our Hon' Prime Minister. You were an apostle of world peace and child welfare. You were a diplomat who is revered as the Builder of Modern India...I am so happy that I could spent so much time with you...Please come to our school on all birthdays. We can celebrate together...."
" Thankyou so much, dear Children.I pray that every child in this world gets the best of all available opportunities...health, love, safety, peace, education...Let all buds bloom into good responsible citizens and human beings.

Bharat Mata Ki Jai."

All of us stood up and in a line. Some came forward and hugged His Hon'self. Some shaked hands. Some kissed. Some gave more flowers. Our Princy came and gave Chachaji the birthday gift- A CD on Kungfu Panda!!! She said, she admired Him so much and was an ardent follower, because Chachaji has merged East to West and was technology loving- A true Man with a Vision for INDIA towards sustainable development...

Jana Gana Mana Adhi Nayaka Jayahe....

TO KINDLE THE HABIT OF READING IN CHILDREN

Parents who enjoy reading are often overanxious on how to get their kids on track or how to create the reading habit in children. When I thought on the same, an article striked me, the URL for the guiding piece is pasted below.

http://www.papertigers.org/wordpress/tag/childrens-book-awards/

Continue reading, remain the role model for your kids, they will soon follow suit...
Simply be prepared to get them the best books...Of course suitable to their nature and taste...

KIDS AND MALAYALA MANORAMA

The children's division of Malayala Manorama is playing a commendable role to facilitate over all development of kids, under the eminent guidance of Professor Yaspal, Scientist and former Chairman, University grants Commission (UGC);Shri.G.Madhavan Nair, Chairman, ISRO and Sri.Sashi Tharoor, author and former Under Secretary General, United Nations.


A Balarama Digest Talent Search is being organised...With more than 3000 schools participating in the talent hunt, its definitely a major event for school goers of our state. More then 4lakh participants have already registered!!!The subject matter for the same is distributed weekly in the form of Balarama Digest- a highly informative module for kids and Balarama Children's magazine.The digest introduces kids to various aspects of science,biographies of world leaders,history,arts,literature, sports,etc.Preliminary rounds are conducted at school level and the final round proposed to be conducted on 7th January,2009 is also anticipated to be telecast, according to their advertisement.


Balarama Digest - a capsule for quizzers
weekly booklet, published in Malayalam;priced at Rs.7 per copy.


The modules published so far covered topics like Story of the telephone,the motor bike;chemicals and pollution,Our Legislature, Magics of the internet, Skyscrapers, Large Hadron Collision, Kings of Kochi Dynasty, National parks of India, wolf,crocodile,trees, biographical sketches of Jhansi Rani, Mao Tse tung,Abraham Lincoln, Visweshwarayya, Vikram Sarabhai, Winston Churchill, Ho Chi Min, Mao Tse tung and so on...



TELL ME WHY???

a knowledge magazine with fascinating facts on a selected topic;published in English and priced at Rs.15 per copy.



To quote their own words: "More than a hundred questions, authentic and informative, yet highly readable, written in a lucid style suitable for children.Profusely illustrated with photographs, drawings, cartoons etc..."



The topics covered so far include the following: BIRDS, INVENTIONS, OCEANS, WEATHER, ANCIENT WORLD, CRICKET,ANIMALS, PLANTS, TRANSPORTATION, gREAT EVENTS THAT SHAPED WORLD HISTORY, EARTH,COMMUNICATION, INDIAN HISTORY, FESTIVALS, WONDERS OF THE WORLD, GREAT EXPLORERS, 100 GREAT LIVES, INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS, DESERTS, WEAPONS, OLYMPICS, COMPUTER, EGYPTIAN CIVILISATION, 100 GREAT SCIENTISTS, CONTINENTS AND REVOLUTIONS...



KALIKUDUKKA

A popular children's weekly published in malayalam, it includes rhymes, stories-pictorial and otherwise, easily comprehensible and other activities like colouring, drawing, join the dots, show the path and so on...Priced at Rs.9 per copy, children cherish spending time with their parents on this at pre school and kintergarten level. They eagerly wait for the next issue every time...Try out for yourself...The first page on tips to parents lucidly draws out the experiences and doubts of parenting...Many a times it makes us feel, Wah do did Manorama come to know about our domestic affairs!!!!!!!

MAGIC POT

A popular children's fortnightly in English, its similar to Kalikudukka. It can be used as a motivation to facilitate reading by self and improving comprehensive ability of beginners of the English language. It also has the same contents as Kalikudukka.The age of readers is borne in mind in carving out every page of this publication as well. Single copy is priced at Rs.12/-

BALARAMA AMAR CHITRA KATHA

simple stories described wonderfully and published fortnightly, priced at Rs.5 per copy...The name explains it all...

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

It falls on MAY 11^th every year…

Our mom is our first love…?

The Baby Bonding Book: 50 Ways to Connect with Your Infant, authored by Victoria Loveland-Coen, mother of two eight –year olds, is filled with activities that are fun, simple and easy to learn and promote this critical relationship. It is a good read for parents struggling to take care of their kids...

This book has been published by Love & Blessings, an online company committed to enhancing the well-being and joy in parenting of mothers everywhere. Cheers to Victoria, her kids and the publishers...