Parentune.com: Speech and Drama Classes

SPEECH AND DRAMA CLASSES Age Group: 3 to 12 Event Date: 20-Jun-2014 Timings: 05:15 PM - 06:15 PM Address: G-1 Paradise Park, Anil Mehta Marg, Santacruz west, Off Tagore Road, Behind Sarla Nursing Home, Mumbai About the event: KidsVita is happy to invite all for an orientation of the Helen O Grady International speech and drama class at Fastrackids International Early childhood enrichment centre. Let the child explore the world of imagination, learn collaborative skills, get creative, develop language skills and most important gain confidence in the classes.

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Parentune.com: Where Fathers need to pitch in

We all know that fathers love their children enormously but some do so from a safe distance. It is seen that on an average the mother does more work than the father, when it come to bringing up the child (cooking food, feeding the baby, washing his clothes, etc). Is there a line between how much a mother should look after her baby and how much the father should? How does a parent know when to expect help from the spouse? Here are a few suggestions and tips which may help parents in nurturing their child, together, without one person feeling stressed or overwhelmed.

1. Feeding: This is a task which most mothers would like fathers to be in charge of. Fathers can take the responsibility of feeding dinner (once they are back from work), and on holidays. This also helps toddlers and fussy eaters enjoy their meal as fathers may have a different approach (storytelling, playing games etc) to feeding them than mothers do. When it comes to bottle feeding at night, moms and dads can take turns to wake up and feed the baby. Parents can decide between themselves as to how many times a week will mom wake up and how many times it would be dad’s turn.

2. Keeping the child engaged: Let your child spend as much time with their father when he is around. But do not stress father’s about it—nagging them as soon as they are in from work, will not help. Instead, let them tell the child the bedtime story. Or let the father relax with his tea in the nursery or the playroom with the child in vicinity. Put on rhymes or music cds that both can enjoy together.

3. Bathing, dressing, changing diapers: Dads can help with bathing, dressing up the child for bedtime or when stepping out. Changing diapers for babies and toilet training in toddlers are also responsibilities many moms want shared. Caring for little children regularly helps make the father and child bond stronger. One great way is to hand over, naptime to fathers. Bathing, changing clothes, taking the child to the washroom, and even helping the child go off to sleep can be taken care of by the fathers.

4. Help out with household chores: Some fathers may help out in cooking, cleaning, or even help out with buying the groceries. This way mom has one less chore to worry about.

5. Taking your child for his/her routine check up: Fathers may take their child to the paediatricians for their routine checkups. This helps father understand his child’s health issues, can learn about the dietary needs if any, know what to expect in terms of the child’s physical and mental growth (each child grows at his/her own pace) and will be aware of any other concerns specific to his child.

6. Meeting with the teachers at school: Having fathers present during a meeting at school with the teachers will help him understand the level your child is at school and will help both parents have a realistic expectation from the child in terms of his/her performance at school. This way both parents can equally guide and provide moral support to a child when necessary.

A few handy tips for the hands-on mom.

1. Communicate to your husband on what you expect from him in terms of caring and nurturing for your child. Most full time moms feel stressed and overwhelmed by having to manage her child without much support from her better half. This makes little activities with children feel like another chore. So having an open conversation with your husband and letting him know of activities that you could do with some help will open up avenues to involve him in little (big for moms) ways!

2. Encourage your child to spend more time with daddy. Let them enjoy some alone time together without you having the need to go and check on them every few minutes. If they are having fun playing outdoors when it is time for dinner, then wait for them to return. Dinner can wait; let your child enjoy a few extra minutes of being with daddy.

3. Forget micro-managing: Over time mothers tend to develop a habit of micro managing every little task-even the ones daddy is in charge of! If your child is enjoying his/her bath with daddy by splashing water and making a mess in the bathroom, do not interfere and grumble about the mess. Let them enjoy the moment. Similarly if your child cries and you feel the urge to go and comfort him/her, try and refrain. Let your husband tackle the situation his way. This will only create more balance at home in terms of sharing responsibilities.

4. Offer suggestions in a respectful and a positive way. If you see your husband handling a situation in a way not very comfortable for your child, you may offer a suggestion and not criticize his way or command on what he should do. This will help keep peace between spouses and will not ruin the moment for the child.

5. Follow the same rules on parenting: Parents may agree on a few rules which their child should follow even in the absence of the other parent. For instance, if both agree that the child should not be allowed to watch cartoon at mealtimes, stick to that rule whether mom is around or not. If parents are not on the same page with regards to inculcating good habits and discipline, the child will grow up with mixed (good and not so good) values from both parents. This can create issues as the child grows. So understanding, agreeing and following some rules between the parents is crucial for the well being of the child.

Not all dads are hands-on dads. On the other hand there are moms who may not get enough time during the week to spend with her child. Making the time for your child, being involved in small activities in your child’s day, effective communication between parents are some of the ways to effectively share parental responsibilities and letting your child enjoy happy moments with both mom and dad.

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Parentune.com : MOM AND ME SUMMER WORKSHOP

MOM AND ME SUMMER WORKSHOP 2014 Age Group: 1.50 to 2.50 Date: 11-Jun-2014 to 30-Jul-2014 Timings: 04:00 PM - 05:00 PM Address: S - 49 Panchsheel park Near ING Bank, Delhi-110017 About the event: A specially designed, fun and colorful program of age 2 to 4 years! The program will focus on the needs of children of this age and will work on developing their sensory perceptions and coordination and will help them learn about colors, shapes, everyday objects and also their environment.

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Parentune.com : Bright Sparks Summer Camp in Mumbai

BRIGHT SPARKS SUMMER CAMP - WEEK I Age Group: 4 to 14 Date: 09-Jun-2014 to 13-Jun-2014 Timings: 10:00 AM – 1:15 PM Address: 11 & 12, Shah and Nahar Industrial Estate, Worli, Near Furniturewala, Off Dr E Moses Road, Mumbai-400018 About the event: This summer camp offers a multitude of exciting workshops and activities for children of all ages which help in developing their analytical skills, problem-solving and teamwork skills. Also children get to experience the magic of science and the thrill of story-telling.

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Parentune.com : Creative Writing Workshop

Creative Writing Workshop II Age Group: 7 to 14 Date: 02-Jun-2014 to 06-Jun-2014 Timings: 04:00 PM - 07:30 PM Address: G-1 Shalimar Apartments, A.K. Marg, Kemps Corner, Behind Shalimar Hotel, 400026 About the event: A summer workshop for kids of age 7 to 14 years for various activities with the aim of enhancing their writing, reading and creative skills which will lead to overall personality development

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Parentune.com : Teaching our children the Value of Money

When my son was about 3.5 years old I distinctly remember a very interesting conversation we had and I must share it with you.

On most of our trips to the mall or market it was a punishment for us because he used to put his hand over a toy and we would buy it for him. We loved the smile and happiness that this unnecessary and expensive buy brought on your childs face but gradually we begin to realize that slowly it was burning a big hole in our pocket.

Gradually we even came to a stage where, my son actually could not choose a toy in the shop because he had most of them it was Funny! Or so we thought till the next time when we visited the mall my son said, “Mama I want this toy !” rather than just saying a blatant refusal I told him “it is too expensive and mama is not carrying enough money”.

My mother who was accompanying us (being a wonderful yet indulgent grandparent) was hurt by my statement and said, “this is not right and that he is too small to understand this”. Even before I could give her an explanation, my sunny boy tells me, “mama lets go to the ATM and get money; just put your card in and the money will start coming out”.

I was dumbfounded as he had accompanied me to the ATM only once before. When I answered back that there was no money in the ATM he said lets go to the bank. Everytime I remember this incident a smile comes across my face.

The moment of Truth!!

That night we as parents decided it was time to teach our child the value of money.We decided we would initiate the process of making him understand about “ Money” and we later found out that we were underestimating his ability to understand and comprehend matters regarding Money.

Important Life Lessons that may help in the process:

- Making the child understand that it takes a lot of hours of hard work to give them the comfortable life they lead.
- They must learn the value of money but at the same time not get attached to it. Money is like water it has to flow and flow it does.
- Prioritizing how the money should be spent goes a long way.
- Making the child understand the difference between a Need and a Want.
- It is more valued if you make them work for it.

The next day we made our son sit down and emphasised how there were so many needy kids that did not have a single toy then we further reinstated the same same fact by explaining to him that he could only buy one gift in a month and before that gift came in he would have to to donate any old toy of his to a needy child. At first he did not quite like the idea but over the years now he is on board with it.

Later to further facilitate his understanding we also gave him a piggy bank where he collected his savings ( which was mostly the change that his grandparents gave to him when they visited) and later bought what he wanted.

In the last two years he has learnt that he cannot waste money, infact if I am shopping in the mall he checks me by saying that I am wasting money ( Can you believe that ).

The children need to be explained in a comforting manner that they must take care of their belongings and they are responsible if something happens to them. They should be made aware that buying a thing is neither easy noe appropriate again and again. Asserting that all their toys must go to the appropriate place once they are done playing with them will instill in them a sense of responsibility for taking care of their belongings.

Another instance which further reinforces the point that I am trying to make is when a family friends of ours who have a teenager, lost a camera on a school trip probably because of carelessness. In order to teach him the value of money his parents told him to compensate for the camera that he had lost. Mind you, they belong to a very well off family but the child had to forgo his birthday party .When I heard this I felt a little bad but the child learnt the lesson of his life (though he still got the i-pod he wanted as a birthday Present).

A year ago my son really wanted a WI game so I told him to start saving money in his piggy bank. Everytime he would help us with a household chore we contributed to his piggy bank. We explained to him that he might have to save for the whole year since the game was expensive.Very patiently he collected the money but was very disappointed to see that inspite of saving all through the year he had not collected enough money and his birthday was fast approaching. We told him not to worry and pooled in the balance amount. I am proud to say that by then my son had understood what we wanted him to learn all along.

Another good place to teach children how to spend money well is the supermarket, by giving them a pre fixed amount of money and asking them to make maximum use out of it.It really is an eye opener for them when they see the money spend in realtion to the things that they have bought. Our childrens are born in the age of I Pads , hi tech cell phones , video games and many other gadgets but we as parents need to make them realize the importance of all that they have but at the same time they should not forget how hard their parents have worked to make sure they have access to these things.

A penny saved is a penny earned, how many times have we heard this…. and this is so true.

As soon as our children can learn to count we should start our small lessons in handling little money.We should help them understand how to spend money wisely this will help them take intelligent and well informed decisions in the future.

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Parentune.com - Bone Health in Children

Osteoporosis, a disease which used to be associated with old age is affecting more and more children now. Utmost care for your child’s bone health should be given during his/her formative childhood years. This will go a long way to build a strong framework of bones benefiting the child in later years. If the dietary intake of calcium/vitamin D by children and adolescents is below the recommended levels of adequate intake, the children will be unable to develop their optimal bone mass, which can put them at the risk of osteoporosis.

What exactly is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is sometimes referred as a paediatric disease with geriatric (old age) consequences. Osteoporosis is a condition where the density of the bones decreases resulting in brittle and fragile bones which make them prone to fractures. Your child’s bones mature gradually as they grow, with childhood and early adulthood being the prime periods for bone development. Whatever bone mass your child has attained in childhood and adolescence is a very important determinant for his/her lifelong skeletal health.

What are the main fallouts of undernourished bones?

It’s alarming to know about the increase in incidences of fractures in otherwise healthy children, reflects the unhealthy changes in lifestyle in the past few decades.

    Low bone density
    Brittle Bones/ Fractures
    Avoidance of dairy products/calcium deficiency leads to individual vertebrae becoming out of shape resulting in hunch back appearance.
    A distorted and damaged spine is painful, disabling and disfiguring.
    The distorted bones can compress other organs like the lung and abdomen leading to breathing problems.

How can we Boost Bone Health?

1. Calcium Rich Diet

Milk is rich in calcium and it is an easy way to get the required calcium your child would need. But for those of you whose child is not open to milk there are other sources of calcium too. Whatever the case it’s always better to understand from your paediatrician the recommended calcium intake for your child per day at various stages of his growth.

    Apart from milk, dairy products such as yoghurt and cheese are a great source of Calcium.
    Include plenty of Green Leafy vegetables, Fresh Green Peas, Broccoli, Beans and legumes  in the diet
    Tofu (The calcium content of tofu varies, depending on how it's processed so please check the nutrition label.)
    Replace soft drinks and colas with milk/dairy based smoothies/milkshakes as this will contribute to a significant amount of calcium intake.
    Almonds are a rich source of phosphorus , Calcium and vitamin –E contributing to strong bones and teeth. {20 – 25 almonds( approximately one ounce) contain as much calcium as ¼ cup of milk}
    Check for Calcium fortified breakfast cereals, fruit juices and soya milk.

2. Vitamin D – The Sunshine Vitamin

Sometime ago a popular children’s health drink TV commercial highlighted the importance of Vitamin D for better bone health in children. It sent out a message how Vitamin D is helpful for the absorption of the calcium in the milk you give your child. According to the latest research ,vitamin D deficiency can not only cause rickets (a disease that can lead to bone deformity and fractures), it can also keep a child from reaching her genetically programmed height and peak bone mass.

Sources

    Your child’s skin can make vitamin D from the ultra-violet light in sunlight. So exposure to sunlight even for a short while as ten minutes without applying sunscreen is useful.
    Dietary sources such as certain fatty fish and egg yolks have abundant Vitamin –D.
    Vitamin D fortified cereals and dairy products
    You could consult your paediatrician to prescribe necessary Vitamin D supplements if you are unsure about your child’s adequate intake of vitamin D.

3. Bone Building Physical Activities

Any kind of physical exercise is great for your child but the best ones for their bones are activities like walking, running, hiking, dancing, tennis, basketball and gymnastics. Children who tend to play outside will also have higher vitamin D levels. Any physical workout or activity for one hour everyday will not only help your child in keeping fit but will also help in strengthening his/her bones.

4. Discourage carbonated drinks

Studies have showed that regular/ excessive intake of carbonated drinks is directly associated with lower bone mineral density.We need to encourage our children to have soya milk / milk and juices fortified with calcium and vitamins.

Prevention of osteoporosis begins in childhood. A healthy lifestyle and nutritious diet can be vital in promoting your child’s healthy bone health. Proper care in your child’s bone health will reap him rich rewards of strong bones later in life.

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Parentune.com - 7 Questions to ask when choosing a school

When it comes to choosing the right school for our children, we all want to be super sure of our decision and not make any mistake. After all, schooling is not just about teaching children academics. A good school fosters an overall development for your child, helps a child find his/her expression, and prepares a child for the challenges ahead by instilling the right principles and values.

At parentune, we not only recognize the importance of the right school for your child but also share your concern. And so, we organized a webinar with our Education Expert, Nitin Pandey, on the 15th April, 2014, on Choosing the Right School for your Child. Parents participated actively in this proparent services webinar and got their doubts cleared around a host of issues—from preparing the child for nursery admissions, what education board to choose, changing schools midway through an academic session etc.

We get you a peek into the webinar.

Q- How can I prepare my 1.8 year-old-child for nursery admissions?

A-Assuming that your daughter has started expressing and speaking in words, you could begin with colours, vegetables, things of her liking in the outdoors, picture books, and some initial familiarization with numbers. Make it as playful and interesting as possible. You could also try some clay modeling, pattern games, lego, pictionary, games with numbers, making the learning incidental to the experience.

Q- My daughter Sakshi will be 2 years this June. My concern is which board should I put her into? I am in Mumbai. I am an IT- software professional.

A- Preschool is board independent, but for schools, you would have options between SSC, CBSE as well as ICSE, all three being in good numbers in your area. Let me give you a quick comparison.

SSC- syllabus focused and driven by the same, limited infrastructure, reasonable fees, low on technology and physical infrastructure; CBSE- largest education board in India, focused on syllabus again, off late has got a new assessment called CCE-trying to change, one has to go from school to school to compare; ICSE- Focused on project based learning and understanding right from the beginning, gives more flexibility to learn concepts, not so much biased to syllabus completion, at the same time-competitive enough.

Also, CBSE has a clear structure to foster result based pedagogy, whereas ICSE has a focus on concept understanding. Having said that they are both trying to focus on practical/hands on application of the learning. That makes them a better option compared to a SSC.

Q- I have read that if planning for competitive exams - CBSE (concentrating more on physics, chemistry and maths) and ICSE (concentrating more on art and learning) are better. Is that correct?

A-Actually, ICSE has a good balance between science subjects as well as arts. And compared to SSC, both CBSE and ICSE have evolved and innovated faster.

Q-I know CBSE and ICSE are more into practical knowledge rather than bookish knowledge. But the amount of assignments, projects they ask the child to do and expect it the very next day - makes me re-think, would I be able to give ample time for my kid to deal with this kind of pressure.

A-You are right about the projects becoming a menace off late....but this again has been the case mainly with a few CBSE schools, not all. ICSE board manages this with a good balance. I understand your worry about being able to give enough time....that i hope, you would balance well as Sakshi grows up.

When choosing a school for her, look for a place which gives her a variety of learning in the surrounding rather than just rote learning from the text book. When learning infrastructure is not supported by extra-curricular activities and sports infrastructure, it is a downer....it is good if the school has a balance between the two.

Also do look at schools independent of the board, but on factors like teacher quality, learning and physical infrastructure, feedback mechanism, and most importantly the word from the fellow parents whose children are studying at these schools.

Q- Someone suggested that till primary I put my child in ICSE or CBSE and then from Secondary section onwards, I continue with SSC. That will lay the foundation, enhance the way the child thinks. What is your opinion?

A-I won't recommend that, changing the board to SSC after CBSE/ICSE in primary is a bad idea. That would lead to complete confusion. These two are completely different ecosystems by themselves. In fact, the other way round if so happens at an early grade- say before grade 5, it is still fine to move the child from SSC to CBSE or ICSE.

Q- I am unaware about the admission process after schooling. When you get into Junior colleges, how do they rank the children from different boards and give admissions?

A-For Mumbai- clearly, the pass-outs from CBSE/ICSE schools are doing better in competitive exams, college entrances. But outside of Mumbai too, CBSE/ICSE would be a better entry point at colleges. Now, even exams like IIT, CAT give a percentile weight-age for the school results (XII- results).

Q- What should a preschool be about?

A-I think preschool is a great place for child's physical and mental development, social skills, fostering independence and just to be looked at it to prepare a toddler for a competitive school is not a good thing....one needs to let the child explore his/her surroundings and learn about the world around him/her and not push the child to compete to get into a school

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Parentune.com - Storytelling for children in Pune

Age Group: 5 to 8 Date: 07-Jun-2014 Timings: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Address: Plot No. 20, Serial No. 90/2/B & 90/3/B, Koregaon Park, Mundhwa, Behind Bharat Gas, Pune-411036 About the event: Do you like stories? Did you know that stories are more fun when they are shared with friends? Meet other kids, imagine and create. Play a game to get to know one another and then participate in a storytelling session. Imagine, fill your ideas with colour and then make up stories of your own. Read, write and draw - in other words, interact, imagine and innovate!

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Parentune.com - Personality Development Camp in Hyderabad

PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT CAMP Age Group: 10 to 18 Date: 02-Jun-2014 to 02-Sep-2014 Timings: 05:00 PM - 06:00 PM Address: First Impressions,2nd Floor Apollo Pharmacy Building, Hitech City,Madhapur, Opp Kasani Hotel, Near Madhapur Indian Oil Petrol Pump,Hyderabad-500031 About the event: Personality development camp for 10 to 18 year olds with an aim to unleash their creative skills while having fun. It is the most exciting time to acquire various skills through fun-filled activities. The activities are designed age-appropriately to help kids master various concepts.

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Parentune.com : How to say 'no' effectively to children

 
Saying 'no' and getting a child to obey is perhaps one of the trickiest part of parenting. It can lead to tantrums, tears, angry fits and embarrassing situations. In her blog, a blogger parent shares with us effective ways to say 'no' to a child when to give in and importantly how to manage an outburst when in a public place.

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Parentune.com : Being a Mother

Have a motherhood moment that you feel like expressing? Then, go ahead and express it and you may stand the chance of winning a prize worth Rs 15,000 and gift vouchers too. Participate in our contest and write in no more than 50 words your feelings when you experienced your most precious moment as a mother. Attach a picture of the moment along with it and the most liked entry will be the winner.

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Parentune : Creative Summer Workshops in New Delhi

CREATIVE SUMMER WORKSHOP I Age Group: 5 and above Date: 02-Jun-2014 to 06-Jun-2014 Timings: 03:00 PM - 07:00 PM Address: B 30 A, Kalkaji, New Delhi About the event: New learning and new excitement every week! Activities offered - Art & craft, DIY workshop, Photography, Yoga, Meditation, Cold cooking, Graffiti and Photo editing.

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Parentune: The most precious gift you can gift your child

Gifts an integral part of childhood and they play a very important role in a child’s life. The gifts you buy your child need not be expensive but should be a possession your child enjoys using, feels proud to show around and helps bring positive development in your child physically and mentally.

Here is a list of the top 10 responses from parents on the best gifts they gave their child. Our list might help solve your dilemma the next time around on your child’s birthday:
1. I gave my child a book on origami and got her origami paper too. She is delighted by all the animals and birds she can make out of it. It is creative and intelligent – Ankita A Talwar.
Positives: Origami is known to develop fine motor movements, hand-eye co-ordination, symmetry, attention to detail to name a few. With small children, it will require adult supervision but older ones can remain engrossed for hours.

2. My 12-year-old always wanted to learn dancing but we belong to a conservative family. I convinced my in-laws to allow her. As a gift I got her enrolled in a dance class and she is very happy- Prince Gupta
Positives: Dancing helps boost self confidence, teaches self control via the movements, and improves memory by learning the sequences.

3. I got my 10-year-son a small camera. It is not expensive. But he never leaves it alone and spends a lot of time clicking pictures outdoors with it. – Gaurav Kandpal
Positives: A camera helps one capture memories in forms of photographs, encourages presentation skills, allows your child to display their potential through creativity. It also develops child’s interest in the environment and people around him.

4. I gave my 5-year-old daughter a gold fish. She loves her pet. Though I have to take care of it most of the time, she is learning to take care of it and nurture it. – Meenu
Positives: Looking after a pet teaches a child to be responsible, they learn to associate and nurture another creature; children with pets display improved impulse control, social skills and self-esteem. But be prepared to take care of the pet as much. Children can be forgetful about feeding and cleaning schedules.

5. My 8-year-old son loves baking. I got him a silicone baking set with moulds and icing equipment. I supervise him when he is baking but he loves it. - Ravia Ranjanava
Positives: Baking will help develop your child’s motor skills, learning how properties change, improves creativity and imagination. It can also be a positive boost to his talent and boost self confidence.

6. When my daughter turned 3, we got her a set of story books. We read the stories together every day and she loved them. Now they are like her prized possessions and no one is supposed to touch them without her consent! – Anurima
Positives: Improves communication skills, boosts imagination, enhances concentration and creates a strong bond with the parent when read to.

7. I gave a life sized teddy bear (soft toy) for my daughter when she was 2 years old. Now she is 7 and loves the teddy dearly. She has been hugging it to sleep for 5 years now and it has become her best companion. – Sujata
Positives: A cuddle or a comfort toy gives comfort and security to the child. Having a conversation with the toy can help a child deal with difficult emotions. Stuffed toys also boost imagination and help child related to other people in her life.

8. My 8 year old daughter loves making things. She draws birthday cards for her friends, tries making gifts like bracelets, hair bands and other accessories for friends and family. So I try to buy her little DIY packs with glitter, glue, stickers, colours and the like. She keeps them with care and makes wonderful little gifts with those. I think I have a budding designer at home! – Padma.
Positives: DIY (Do It Yourself) projects improve creativity, imagination, boost confidence and provide the child with a sense of independence. They also keep the child busy for a long time and children learn to become self-occupied and not television addicts. But do take care of small parts and things like superglue and scissors around a small child.

9. I gave my son a guitar on his 11th birthday. He had no lessons but learnt playing it on his own. He is now 13 and is quite an expert. Listening to him play makes us very proud- Prakash.
Positives: The benefits of playing an instrument are numerous. Its helps improve concentration, teaches perseverance, enhances coordination, boosts team skills and teaches organisation skills. It also directs energy in a positive direction.

10. Looking at how my daughter loved listening to music, we got her an iPod shuffle about a couple of years back. She is now 14 and has been listening to the iPod regularly. She takes care of it, asks us before downloading songs on it, respects rules and does not listen when she has to study or do other tasks and finally, she has never asked for it to be replaced by new and more advanced gadgets such as the iPod touch or even an iPhone. We are so proud of her!- Ruby
Positives: Listening to appropriate music develops a child listening skills, stimulates the brain, increases attention span and relieves stress.

Sometimes a gift may not be a tangible object; it could well be an investment of your time with your child such as a going on a holiday as a family. What matters are the positive experiences and the memories your child creates with the precious gift given by you.
Please share your experiences on the most precious gift you think you gave your child.


About Parentune :- Parentune focuses on helping parents true to their own context, making parenting a joyful experience thereby reducing parental anxiety.It is guided by the belief that each parent can achieve more for their child given a pro-parenting support. Parentune strives to help each parent achieve better quality of development for his or her child.

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Parentune.com : Drama Workshops in Pune

DRAMA WORKSHOP Age Group: 5 to 14 Date: 20-May-2014 to 23-May-2014 Timings: 09:00 AM - 11:00 AM Address: Artsphere, North Court, (North Avenue), Road Number 12, Near Joggers Park, Kalyani Nagar, Pune About the event: This month, a stimulating dramatic adventure awaits your children. With puppetry and drama on the cards, this drama workshop will weave a magic of expression around the young actors. The workshop will encourage the participants to bring out their acting abilities, conquer stage fear, learn to talk and think, tell and write stories and work with costumes and props.

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Parentune.com : SUMMER ETIQUETTE WORKSHOP in Delhi

SUMMER ETIQUETTE WORKSHOP Age Group: 4 to 7, 8 to 12, 13 to 19 Date: 21-May-2014 to 30-Jun-2014 Timings: 10:00 AM - 06:00 PM Address: B-360, Basement, Chittranjan Park, Near Market no.1, Delhi – 110019 About the event: It is a platform for everyone to understand and exhibit Courtesy, Confidence and Character in everyday life. In this summer camp, focus will be laid on developing communication skills and enhancing etiquette through various activities which in turn will lead to overall personality development.

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Parentune.com - Being a mother - My aspirations

I have learnt that being a mother is the best experience that a woman has in her lifetime. Giving birth to a child, starting a family and raising a human being is a wholesome learning and satisfying experience for the mother as well. After 9 months of sweet anticipation, when I saw my baby for the first time, it gave me an incredible feeling of empowerment.

I cherish every moment of motherhood. It does have it's ups and downs but there is no better feeling than the unconditional love between a mother and her child. No better feeling than watching my baby sleep peacefully on my chest while I wonder what he is dreaming about.

There is no stronger love in this world than the love a mother feels for her children. She cries for them, she worries about them, and would even give her life for them. I believe a mother is one who can take the place of all others, but whose place no one else can take. I celebrate every moment with my son and try to make it memorable. The first time he crawled, his first step, the first birthday, when he learnt to cycle..every moment is precious.

I love it when we watch silly cartoons and laugh together, when we dance and play. We apologize to each other when we do something wrong. I also play with his friends so that they feel welcome at home. It is a whole lot of fun, being a mother. I really love to be with my child. I love to answer his questions and sit with him through his studies.

For me, the best part of raising a child is the little endearing moments during the day. I remember when I saw my son perform on the stage for the very first time, tears of happiness rolled down my eyes.

Being a mother is learning about the strengths you did not know you had, and dealing with fears and emotions you did not know existed. It is like discovering an all new side to yourself. Being a mother means being an anchor for your child, someone he knows he can reach out to without hesitation, someone who will always be there when he has a problem, someone he knows will always be understanding and compassionate and above all will always love him.

Motherhood is a 24 x 7 job and for me the compensation is the emotional fulfillment and the unconditional love I receive from my child.

As a mother my aspiration is to raise a good human being and instill values in him that will be his strength in his adult life. I want him to value people, relationships, emotions and to be kind to the needy. As parents, we try to set an example for him by doing the things we want him to learn, as that is the best way to teach a child.

Lastly, the best part of being a mother has definitely been the never ending hugs, kisses, and "I love you, Mamma". I am glad that God chose me to be his Mum !!!

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Parentune.com : SPELL 'A' SAURUS SUMMER CAMP In Delhi NCR

SPELL 'A' SAURUS SUMMER CAMP I Age Group: 6 to 14 Date: 26-May-2014 to 06-Jun-2014 Timings: 09:30 AM - 12:30 AM Address: Sec 10, Dwarka, 110075, Behind Indrapratha School. Delhi NCR About the event: The camp offers your kids to not only sharpen their skills but also an opportunity to thrive in a self learning environment. From workshops to dance classes we are making learning fun!!

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Parentune : All you wanted to know about Hepatitis

Hepatitis is an ancient Greek word that literally means ‘liver inflammation.’ In lay man’s language we know it as jaundice—a condition that is the outcome of Hepatitis C infection. Virus, alcohol, toxins, infections, obesity and autoimmune process are some cases that may cause the damage to the liver that leads to inflamed liver cells.

However, in children the major reason for Hepatitis is the virus. The five main hepatitis viruses are A, B, C, D and E. Of these, the most common are Hepatitis A, B and C. Hepatitis should be taken seriously because it directly affects liver. The infection causes severe illness which may cause liver cirrhosis, cancer and in extreme cases even death.
Importance of Liver

The liver is the largest gland and largest internal organ of our body. It consists of numerous lobules, each of them having many hepatic cells. These hepatic cells are the basic metabolic cells of the liver and assist in its functioning. The liver functions include:

• Digestion: Liver produces bile that help in digesting important nutrients including fats, protein, and minerals.
• Metabolism: The liver metabolizes the carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins into biologically useful materials to be absorbed by the cells.
• Detoxification: The liver detoxifies the blood and removes toxins from it before it reaches the body parts.
• Storage: Liver is the storage house of many essential nutrients, vitamins like A, D, E, K, and B12, minerals like iron and copper, and fatty acids. It also converts glucose into glycogen to store it.
• Production: The liver produces prothrombin, fibrinogen and albumins - vital protein components of blood plasma that helps in clot formation of blood cells and in maintaining the water level in the cells.
• Immunity: Liver functions to provide immunity to the system. It captures and digests fungi, parasites, bacteria, worn out blood cells and cellular debris.

Any damage to liver obstructs the proper functioning of human body.

Causes of Hepatitis in Children

Viral infection is the most common cause of hepatitis in children. Children are more prone to Hepatitis A and E infections. It is caused by the ingestion of contaminated food or drinks. It also spreads by close contact with the infected person.
Hepatitis B, C and D are caused by the contact with the infected body fluids, through either blood transfusion, infected syringes, contaminated medical equipment, contact with infected person or from infected mother to infant during childbirth.
Symptoms of Hepatitis

All types of viral hepatitis, whether it is A, B, C, D or E shows similar symptoms and can be diagnosed easily through physical examination by physicians and simple blood test. Jaundice (yellowing of eyes and skin), dark urine, grey-coloured stool, fever, extreme fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, joint and abdominal pain are the common symptoms of viral hepatitis.
Treatment

Once diagnosed, Hepatitis should be treated immediately and with utmost care. No medication is available for Hepatitis virus. It is mostly treated through supportive treatment. Patients should be given boiled foods that are easy to digest. It is advisable to avoid spices and oils and take ample rest. Encourage the patient to drink lots of water, juices, lemon water with sugar, citrus fruits, and fresh homemade soups but avoid aerated drinks. Avoid contacts with persons especially with young kids, as it will infect others. Follow the doctor’s advice. It is very essential to regularly monitor the patient for signs of progressions of liver disease.
When a child is infected by Hepatitis C infection that manifests itself as jaundice, it is important to give the child lots of rest and healthy, simple food. It is advisable to give food that is light to digest and rich in nutrients such as mausambi juice, tender coconut juice, vegetable juice etc. gradually he can be moved to more substantial meals such as roti or rice. Also, as the body gets weak, let the child rest. For recreation, involve him in indoor games such as board games that will not tire him out either
Physician may administer antiviral drug if it is required.
Vaccination for Hepatitis

Prevention is always better than cure. Vaccinate your child against Hepatitis virus for your peace of mind.

Hepatitis A: Vaccination for Hepatitis A is recommended for every child above the age of one. To prevent the disease, even adults should get vaccinated. Two doses of vaccine are administered at a gap of 6 months.

Hepatitis B: All infants are given the vaccine at birth. However, even the older children and adults of all age can take it if it has not yet taken. Infants and children are given 3-4 doses over the period of 6-18 months depending upon the type of vaccine and schedule. Adults are given 3 doses over the period of 6 months.

Hepatitis C: There is no vaccine available for Hepatitis C.
Hepatitis can easily be prevented and it is better to get vaccinated and prevent the disease as there is no medicine available to cure it and it takes long to recover from the infection.

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Parentune : 12 ways to keep your child away from TV

With summer vacations on, keeping children away from the TV sets is not easy. They have their set of excuses—the weather is too hot to play outside, we are bored, what to do—for watching TV continuously for hours. But before your house becomes a battleground, we get you some strategies that will help you keep your child occupied and hence limit his TV watching.

1) Start the day early: Wake them early and take them outdoors while the sun is still bearable. Let them play on the swings, run around, get their hands dirty in the mud, or collect knick-knacks etc. This will tire them out and will get them to sleep through the hot afternoons. Evenings again can be planned on the terrace/balcony or at a friend’s house.

2) Set a timetable: Set a time table for your child. Look around for activities, classes, camps, sports coachings etc that she is interested in and get her enrolled. But do not force her. The time table should be relaxed and the child shouldn’t feel stressed out with it. Give them a choice on what they would like to do: try their hands at cooking or photography?

3) Keep them involved: Look for fun activities that will keep child engrossed. Paper machie, origami, clay, painting etc are some options. Get them board games, science kit sets or a large jigsaw that they can play with a friend or a sibling.

4) Plan an activity a day: Think of age appropriate activities for children and allot them according to days. One can be a room cleaning day, garden tending day, taking care of the pet day, cooking for family day. Start on the chore yourself and have them pitch in. Even three days a week will suffice.

5) Organize play dates: Organize play dates for children in the afternoon when they can’t go out. Have a themed play date, a fancy dress play date, a story telling session, or organize games for them such as making a tent out of an old bedsheet (tie it around furniture legs) and let them imagine it to be an army camp!

6) Let them enjoy: If she likes playing with water, set up a splash pool for her; if mud is what they like, let them get their hands and clothes dirty. Let the children have fun. These activities will keep the children busy for hours. Take necessary safety measures though such as keeping the pool in a shaded area or a bathroom.

7) Restrict family TV: It is not fair on the child that the mother or grandmother is watching TV while he is not allowed to. Communicate to the whole family that TV watching has to be controlled in the house. Be firm about it. And no meals in front of the TV. Let children make an effort to get up and eat food when hungry.

8) Include more family time: Make a conscious effort to provide the child with more family time. Go out together to a friend’s house, sit down for a meal together, ask them to help you arrange the table for lunch, go on a walk together. She will definitely prefer this to TV.

9) Have them watch programs and not just TV: Limit the mind-numbing content of cartoons. Instead, sit down together to watch a documentary or short film that is of his interest such as something on animals, space, machines, medical science etc. Or exchange rhymes and educational CDs with friends. Make a treat of this sort of TV watching. Sit down with popcorns and a shake.

10) Loosen your grip: Don’t make it a battle. Let him watch TV for sometime—maybe an hour. Keep a clock next to the TV to remind him when the hour is over. Also, do not let TV run in the background. Switch it off when not needed or the child will be tempted.

11) Be available to the children: House chores and cleaning can wait. This is more serious issue. Make an attempt to participate yourself or at least start them off on an activity such as a board game or a puzzle etc. Children require company.

12) Talk to them: Explain to them without exaggeration or threats, the disadvantage of excessive TV watching and how it will isolate them. Keep the tone level and understanding.

These tips though may sound difficult, once applied will eventually help you keep the child away from TV. But remember, most importantly the initiation has to come from you, the parent. You will have to become your child’s company—after all isn’t that better than she finding a friend in the idiot-box.

About Parentune : Parentune empowers each parent to achieve more for their child & become a better parent, a true Proparent community, It’s a MUST visit & use site for every progressive parent looking to achieve more for his/her child.

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Parentune.com : Best Parenting Websites in India

Parentune, is a proparent community empowering parents to do more for their child. Founded by Nitin Pandey with a vision to improve the quality of development for the child.Parentune is undoubtedly the best parenting website for parents who are on the lookout for quality solutions for their children.
Parentune focuses on helping parents true to their own context, making parenting a joyful experience thereby reducing parental anxiety.It is guided by the belief that each parent can achieve more for their child given a pro-parenting support. Parentune strives to help each parent achieve better quality of development for his or her child. To bethe best parenting website for parents, Parentune.com avoids generalised prescriptions, instead helps parents with quick & easy to use, parent-focused widgets & sections relevant to their specific parenting need. Parentune.com has interesting and exciting tools & applications, which are specific, relevant & useful for parents, also validated by parents & experts they trust.
The various features and benefits that Parentune has, which helps it become the best parenting site for parents who are on the lookout for quality solutions include:-
a.    Parent Verification – A best parenting websites  should either have parents or not. At Parentune.com, all the members on the website are real parents who are validated and verified by fellow parents or by the admin team
b.    Parent Talk – At Parentune.com, you get Useful books for Children and validated solutions from fellow parents through the interactive application called Parent Talk – another reason why it can be the best parenting website
c.    Search – In today’s highly paced world when people are racing against time, there is a need to ensure parents get what they want in the shortest possible time. What makes parenutne.com the best parenting website is the fact that there is search tab, which would help the parents to search for what they have actually come looking for – instead of going all through the site
d.    My Interest – Everybody has their own interest and their interest may not be the same as that of another. At Parentune.com – the best parenting website, they have ensured that Parents need not go through the website to find information relevant to them. Their interest areas can be pre filled, and one click on the Tab My Interest, provides them with all information on the site relevant to their areas of interest
e.    Expert Panel – To become the best parenting site, you also need experts who support the same cause. Parentune.com has a host of experts in their panel – experts which include Doctors, Nutrition for children and Wellness specialists, Psychologists, Oral Care experts, Parenting experts and child development and education experts
f.    Privacy Settings – When information is confidential, and you wouldn’t want the world to know all about you and your actions, the best parenting website, has a special feature, which allows you to control your privacy settings, allowing you to mark certain things private which you would want visible only to a select group or circle.

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Parentune.com : Parenting Workshop

The Parentune Expert Panel was a part of the recently held World Children Expo (WCE ’13) where they undertook a unique parenting workshop, “Raising happy children”. Parenting workshops are in line with the parentune mission of empowering parents to tackle real time parenting issues. The parents were unanimous in admitting the unexpected parenting challenges thrown at them. There is perhaps ample around us to reflect the phenomenal changes in terms of work culture, technological advancement and Internet boom. All this and more have pushed joint-families to give way to nuclear families and have more and more working mothers. Urban parenting today needs an approach updated with today’s time.
Driven by the awareness around the challenges faced by the urban parents the Parentune expert panel - Dr. Ann Simi John, Clinical and child psychologist, Ms. Tanuja Sodhi, Nutrition and fitness expert and Mr. Nitin Pandey, Founder CEO of Parentune, Child development and education expert, conducted the workshop “Raising happy children” at WCE. The workshop offered insights to strengthen and smoothen out the parent-child bond by addressing several important areas covering nutrition and fitness, handling aggression in children, how role-modeling is no longer a choice and more
As a part of ever growing abundance in urban lifestyle we find ourselves over-feeding our children offering them calorie dense foods and empty nutrients. Moreover, with all the safety issues and time crunch we find ourselves and children doing less of physical activities. So, as a consequence more and more children are fighting dangerous side effects of the likes of obesity and juvenile diabetes. In such a scenario the importance of healthy eating and active lifestyle cannot be over- emphasized.
2) In case you notice the aggression in your child, watch out for the root cause like insecurity, frustration, unexpressed anger, some recent change at school or home, death of a pet or of someone in the family and avoid curt reactions to child’s anger. Parents can perhaps help by offering acceptance and by being firm in letting the child know that it is not OK.
3) Educating children about the importance of being assertive rather than aggressive, by leading by example in person. Role modeling can do wonders in this area. So think before you abuse in mid of a traffic rage or an argument with a friend or a colleague over the phone.
4) Children are good copycats and they learn crucial behavioural lessons from their own parents, so parents can definitely help by consistently displaying a behavior in action that they would wish their children to emulate.
The parenting workshops was concluded by an energizing question-answer session wherein the Parentune team cheered parents actively offering answers to their queries and also rewarded the three most interesting questions by giving Parentune goodies and the parentune badge.

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Parentune.com : Parenting Teens Blogs

Parenting a teen is perhaps the most humungous task parents ever encounter while growing their children. Often parents are clueless about how to handle the always new and unique instances with their teens. Parenting teens blogs have often been an effective way of both expressing one’s experience and also seeking advice from fellow struggling parents. The blogs tend to cover a lot of perspectives such as the physical, emotional, hormonal and psychological turmoil that the teen goes through, the sudden need for him/her to take decisions related to their life, the change in lifestyle, the new found freedom, the access and exposure to all kinds of information, managing peer pressure, and how the parent and teen must strive to handle these situations together as a team. Parents world over now realize that they are not the only parents going through the task of trying to reason with their teens. The parenting teens blogs have managed to soothe the helpless feeling of such parents, they have also managed to bring the virtual community of parents of teens together through this medium.

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