Vocabulary through imitation For a child who is beginning to learn to speak, building vocabulary is primarily through imitation. She learns words by observing her surroundings and mimicking the words spoken around her. As the child grows and more conscious learning sets in, vocabulary building becomes a deliberate activity. When…
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Kitchen is a Science lab My husband is very fond of experimenting, especially conducting experiments in the kitchen. A few days ago, while I was away from home, he got the idea to set home-made ‘curd’ (yogurt, ಮೊಸರು, दही). When I returned home in the evening, I saw a vessel…
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Out of thin air Have you ever wondered what we are all made of? Many years ago, I attended a seminar in my office. The speaker was a visiting delegate from the USA. His expertise was in K12 education. He had carried a thick wooden log with him to use…
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Spelling is confusing Learning English spelling is not straightforward. It is confusing to learn and remember all the spelling rules. After spending many years with the English language as a student and professional, I use the language intuitively. If you ask me to explain a spelling rule, I will have…
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English spellings can be confusing to learn. Given that English has a non-ideal phonemic orthography, the pronunciation and the spelling do not have a one-to-one relation also. Why are put and cut pronounced differently, even though they have the same vowel? This is one of the few common questions that…
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Science concepts I often come across students and parents who complain about the Science and Maths concepts learned in school. They think that learning such concepts is a waste of time and these concepts do not have real-life applications. These comments are usually peppered with doses of righteous indignation. A…
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What sound comes to your mind when you think of the letter ‘s’? Is it the hissing sound ‘ssssssssss’? You would be right. The hissing sound ‘ssss’ is the default sound of the letter ‘s’. However, did you know that the letter ‘s’ also makes 3 other sounds? It sure…
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Festival of Lights Deepavali is the festival of lights. It is also the time of the year when children and families gather to burst firecrackers. The year 2020 has seen subdued celebrations all over India, with minimal firecrackers. I stopped indulging in firecrackers many years ago. My fascination has taken…
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Cleaning the mind I am usually a contemplative and reflective person. Asking open-ended questions feels therapeutic to my mind. While I am specific and practical with everyday logistical situations, my imagination soars when I need to de-clutter my mind. Recently I finished reading a book – When Things Start to…
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“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” Isaac Newton Keeping curiosity alive This famous quote by Newton has been an inspiration to many students of Science, I am one among them. Two years ago, in July 2018, I had started to learn something…
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