THE IMPORTANCE OF ART...

Pablo Picasso once said “The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off your souls”. In the present world this statement holds true to every word. As we grow up different types of tensions engross us and we end up in states of frustrations and depressions. A state of peace and an outlet to let off emotions is then required. I feel that art is the savior that can not only help in unleashing those emotions but also spend time in an effective and fruitful manner.

Art is now considered as the first language after the evolution of human beings on earth. It is now proven that pictorial representations were the only modes of communication in the beginning. The discovery of several caves paintings around the world is a proof for the same. In a time when language creates so many problems isn’t art still a better way to communicate? For young students and even for adults art can work as that medium that can help them in making this world a better place for themselves as well as others. Diving deep into the world of crayons, paints and also shaping up new dreams through mundane things like paper and clay art gives you that outlet through which you can reach ultimate destinations of peace and solitude. It is probably for this reason that even psychologists suggest this way to utilize time and make the mind free of worries. Schools and colleges have seriously introduced this part as a vital part of the curriculum and career opportunities in this field are galore. It can therefore be easily surmised that art is that passion that can create wonders for life from all perspectives.Art nourishes the soul and nurtures the mind…   

About the Author:

The Author is Palash Mondal, Fine Arts Educator, Meenakshi World School

www.meenakshiworldschool.com

EARTH DAY...

Celebrating Earth Day 2015, Meenakshi Public School hosted a daylong event featuring skit, fun and drama for the kids and also gave a message to the community that we love nature and we here to save our MOTHER EARTH. Many people think climate change is a remote problem, but the fact is that it’s already impacting real people, animals, and beloved places all over the world, and these Faces of Climate Change are multiplying every day.

Earth day is an annual event celebrated on April 22, on which day events worldwide are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection. Primary wing of Meenakshi Public school, Sector -10 A Gurgaon also celebrated the day. It was the day where we wall participated and made efforts to create awareness about the importance of Earth day and how it can impact the environment and create a healthy living.

I was very impressed with both the level of interest in this event and the creativity of the skit and enthusiasm that was visible on every little Meenakshians of class V C. They expressed the joy and happiness which they experience in the school while learning and growing in the conducive environment. All of the students who took initiative in the program should be applauded. “These youth are the future leaders of our communities. Their engagement and interest in our environment helps to teach their peers hot to save environment and encourage adults to do the same”.

Students learn traditional subjects including Maths, Science, English and Computers, but classroom academics at Meenakshi Public School come with an added value to the students that now they have strong sense of connection and responsibility for the natural world. They can put their hands together in ensuing we save the Earth by doing small things will impact in a big manner.

A Healthy Food Foundation For Kids...

“Good nutrition plays an important role in helping children achieve good health”.

Balanced nutrition is just as important for kids as it is for adults. Eating healthy food improves learning and increases energy levels, while poor diet intake leads to sleepy days in school and also weight loss.

         5 Healthy Eating Habits Which Kids Can Easily Adopt

It’s never too early for kids to learn and adopt these easy and healthy eating habits which will be beneficial for them for their whole life.

1.     Off to a good start: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, especially at a young age as the kids need to concentrate at school. Every parent should check that their kids get used to having a balanced breakfast every morning which includes fruits, protein and cereal.

2.     Regular rules: Every family should practice of having dinner at a set time instead of quick dinners in front of TV at irregular time. Parents should also try to have food together as it not only strengthens the family bonding but also the way to keep an eye on how the kids eat.

3.     No rush: Kids should be taught to eat slowly and chew each bite well. The brain also registers hunger and fullness after several minutes, so the faster they eat, the more they need to eat.

4.     Snack savvy: We should encourage our kids to eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables instead of cookies and other sweet and fattening foods because fruits and vegetables will help them to stay fit.

5.     Rethink the basics: Whole grain bread and cereals to be served, intake of red meat to be avoided, quantity of canned food intake to be reduced.

By being careful with the kids eating habits, we can always reap their healthy life.

EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY...

In the global world of 21^st century e books have replaced text books and notepads have replaced notebooks. E learning has changed the entire education system. When I was a student my teachers asked me to write notes on whatever was taught and at the same time I had to concentrate on what the teacher was speaking. However, the scene is entirely different now. With the help of technology we are connected to classrooms worldwide and thereby connect to what the other side of the world is doing. Not only that but it has become a common norm these days to exchange thoughts thereby making the world smaller and smaller with each passing day.

A very important benefit of technology in education is the use of audio-visual aids. Through the use of these students can come out of the mundane world of the books and enter into the digitized world where nothing is incomprehensible or unreachable. The student can learn according to his/her own pace and if he/she gets stuck anywhere the option of replaying is always there.

However, every coin has two sides. Technology has its set of disadvantages too if abused or put into use for unfair means. It can make a person lazy and inactive. The students are the ones who can fall prey to these adverse affects. It is therefore very essential to monitor and keep a check. Even though e books and notepads and think pads have made the work easier there still cannot be any competition with the tradition ways of studying that are reading and writing. In my opinion technology should be used for making the work easier. We should never become too dependent on it as that would be harmful.  

About the Author:

The Author is Mr. Rajesh Sahni, PGT Physics, Meenakshi World School

www.meenakshiworldschool.com

THE ART OF CONCENTRATION...

Concentration is defined as your ability to direct your thinking. The art or practice of concentration, no matter if studying biology or playing pool, is to focus on the task at hand and eliminate distraction. We all have the ability to concentrate but there are times when concentration leaves us. Think of times when you were “lost” in something you enjoy: a sport, music, a good game or your favorite movie- that can be defined precisely as concentration as these were the times you were totally into the activity. But there are times when your mind wanders from one thing to another. These are the times when:

- Your worries distract you

- Outside distractions take you away even before you know it

- The material is boring, difficult and/or not interesting

In all the above mentioned moments the mind is disturbed and the guilt of not doing the right work at the right time torments you. While the problem of distraction is harmful for everyone, the worst sufferers are the students for whom it is of utmost importance to concentrate and study diligently. These tips might help in dealing with this problem:

Before engaging in your studies try to center yourself with silence; clearing your mind of distractions that may disrupt your productivity.

- Make a dedicated place only for studying. Eg. Chair, table etc.

- Stick to routine and make an efficient study schedule

- Focus

- Incentives as food treat, walk, calling your friends etc. help to de-stress and thereby increases concentration in the later works that you might do

- Change topics

- Take regular, scheduled breaks that fit you

- Give yourself rewards after fulfilling stipulated tasks

By all these practices you can be assured to notice changes. These practices will benefit not only students but also all those who want to do a work sincerely and effectively. Whenever your thoughts start wandering scold yourself and say strictly “Be here now”. As a popular saying goes: “Success is like a camera. Only focus on what is most important. Ignore trivial details. Concentrate on your main goal image for success. Develop your pictures. If they don't turn out, don't give up. Take more shots at it. Always be persistent. Focus on making success clearly happen.”

About the Author:

The Author is Mr. Pankaj Sharma, P.G.T. Chemistry, Meenakshi World School

www.meenakshiworldschool.com

Be Resilient...

Being Resilient means being blessed in disappointment because when you will be resilient you will see your life’s problem in different way and can overcome the troubling situation easily and soon. Resilient means to be capable of tackling your problem, sorrow, mistakes and failure by thinking yourself to be a part of it and not responsible for all wrong happenings and take your failure as a step towards improvement and growth.

A resilient person or child can cope up easily with their bad situations. We all feel bad, helpless, disappointed or go through stressful time but the problems and situations are different depending upon the age, environment, boundaries, pressure, target time limits, family and friends support and upbringing.

Sometimes we think that the other person is having less problem and most of the time for children we think that they don’t have any tension or problem but we don’t see the things from their point of view which a parent must do. They should talk to their children about their problems, atmosphere outside and how do they feel when they are with them or with their friends.

Parents should guide them and keep telling them about handling the worst situation whether it is their performance in cultural programme or their position in class. Parents should share their experience also with their children how they handled that time whether that experience was good or bad. By doing these things parents can help their children to be resilient and children will also feel good by sharing their feeling about a particular thing how do they feel and what should they do.

Sometimes parents feel ashamed or pressurized when their children can’t score well in exams and teachers complain or if any other parents tell them about the best performance of their children. You feel sad and take tension, sometimes you pressurize your child also and it affects the mind and health of your child. If you are resilient you will not see the things in negative way. You would try to improve your child’s performance rather than comparing and pressurizing the child to do the same as others are doing. If your child scores 20 out of 50 you will try him to score 30 not 49.

No one is perfect by birth so you should try to be resilient to overcome your drawbacks to develop resiliency. You talk about your problems with others who make you feel good and show you the right way to come out from that situation, give time to yourself .You should not feel that I can’t do this is not my cup of tea. The people who did this they were very superior or have much better qualities than me. Don’t think I shouldn’t do this, I can’t do it and I should quit.

A spider tries several times to make his web but fails most of the times but doesn’t quit and tries again and gets success. We must also try to be resilient.

I would like to share my own experience for the same thing, once I was told to write something on a topic for that I did my work but It was not appropriate and I was called by my seniors and they made me understand and the way they talked to me was very supportive and I did not feel that I have committed a blunder I thought that I have made mistake like others and I thought that I will do my work again with more hard work and I did the same. The support from family and peers or seniors help you a lot to be resilient. You should keep a positive view, confidence in your strengths and abilities, try to find out the solution of that difficulty rather that regretting and cursing your self. By being resilient you will find a different and good way to live your life in stead of feeling ashamed and failure. If you will be resilient you will never quit you will always try again.

About the Author:
The Author is Ms. Neetu Arora, PRT, Meenakshi Public School
www.meenakshipublicschool.com