Parentedge mag vol 6 issue 2 preview

September-October 2016

Vol 6 - Issue 2 - `100

Is Your Child Getting Enough

Pg 8

Teenagers &

Peer Pressure Pg 30

Choosing

the Right Fit Books

for Your Child Pg 39

Steiner-Waldorf Schools - An Introduction Pg 20

Summer camps at boarding schools abroad Pg 47 SAT and ACT - What you should know Pg 26 Workbooks to supplement schoolwork Pg 24 Common infections in school going children Pg 16

Cover Story

Is Your Child Getting Enough

September - October 2016

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Cover Story

Thomas Dekker rightly said “Sleep is the golden chain that binds our health and body together”. Sadly, though, for today’s children, it is sleep that is sacrificed at the altar of high achievement and pursuit of entertainment. Long commutes to school that mean early waking hours, pre-occupation with gadgets, and heavy loads of school work that push bed times later and later – allow today’s children far less sleep than they should normally get. Most of us are sadly unaware of the effects of sleep deprivation in children – these are not just physical but also psychological.

Sleep is essential for the body to carry on its functions smoothly. During sleep, the human body finally gets its share of rest and it gets ample time to recover from the wear and tear that it goes through during the day. For example, sleep is involved in healing and repair of blood vessels. Ongoing sleep deficiency is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke.

Slee p Loading

Reasons for insufficient sleep A vicious cycle seems to have set in as far as children’s sleep habits are concerned.

The quantum of homework to be done in the evenings push the little play and recreation time that children get much later. As a consquence, dinner time is late too. Many a times, toddlers are allowed unhealthily long naps in the afternoons, and older children take evening naps after a tiring day at school. Fathers, and many times, mothers return from work later nowadays, than a decade ago. As a consequence, children are allowed to stay up later than advisable, simply to get that time together as a family. Added to all this, is the omnipresence of television, video games, smart phones, laptops, tablets – excessive time spent on these inhibit the natural onset of sleepiness in 10

September - October 2016

children. Most Indian children’s bed times are shockingly late – ranging from 9 pm to 11 pm in children aged below 10 years, to anywhere up to 1 am for older children.

Wake up time is early, 5:30 to 6:30 am in most urban households with schools starting early. Thanks to this double whammy of late bed time and early wake up time, most children are sleep deprived.

Signs of sleep deprivation in children of different age groups In children three to five years old, signs of lack of sleep include feeling inactive during the day, irritability and lack of appetite. In children six to ten years old, the ill effects manifest at school in the form of prolonged fatigue, deteriorating

academic performance and low enthusiasm for various activities. In adolescents, 11 to 14 years old, the signs can be lethargy, irritability and social withdrawal. Lastly, among children in the age group 15 to 18 years, signs include lowered academic performance, disinterest in interacting with people, lack of interest in anything and continued fatigue. In addition to these age specific signs, social isolation and frequent illnesses such as common cold are signs of sleep deprivation in children.

Wellness

COMMON INFECTIONS IN SCHOOLGOING CHILDREN

Dr. Krishna Mahathi is a paediatrician with post graduate diplomas in the management of allergies and developmental neurology.

Respiratory infections

Many parents often lament increased instances of their child falling ill especially from the time they started going to school.

While there are no fool-proof strategies for preventing a school-going child from being exposed to any kind of contagious illness, it is certainly worthwhile for the parents to be informed about the challenges they can handle effectively.

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September - October 2016

The most common contagious challenge is cold and sore throat. Even amidst the best of settings, children can be expected to have a cold eight to 12 times a year. The best defence for the children is to be up-to-date with the recommended immunization schedules.

If the child is suffering from cough, runny nose, or sore throat along with fever, she should be excused from attending the school and made to return only after the fever has subsided completely without the need for any further medications. Additionally, children should be encouraged to cover their nose and mouth with a tissue or the crook of their elbow while coughing or sneezing.

Quick Resources

Workbooks to supplement schoolwork

Textbooks used at school can be supplemented by workbooks at home. They provide an opportunity to do additional hands-on work – this augments the skills imparted at school. What’s more, in the higher grades, workbooks can provide alternate perspectives and additional information in a user-friendly language and style, giving children a chance to go beyond the textbook.

Preschoolers

Big Preschool Workbook The Big Preschool Workbook combines popular School Zone workbooks into one big workbook. The workbook is separated into five different sections – Pre-Writing skills, Colors and Shapes, Alphabet and Basic Phonics, Numbers and Early Math and More Readiness Basics. The activities are arranged in order of increasing difficulty, so children stay challenged, expanding their knowledge. There are 320 pages with many different activities. The book is from School Zone Publishing. It is available online at sites such as Amazon India, Flipkart and Firstcry India and is priced at Rs 683 on Amazon.in.

Primary Schoolers

Oxford International Primary School Workbook The Oxford International Primary School series provides workbooks for many subjects, including Geography, Computers, Maths, English and Science. The Maths books in the series take a problem solving approach that helps students discover, explore and connect with Maths. The Science books adopt an enquiry based approach to learning, engaging students with questions that make them think and activities that encourage them to explore and practice. The Geography books provide interesting perspectives in the subject.

The series is published by Oxford University Press. The number of pages in each book varies between 150 and 250. The prices range from Rs. 490 to Rs. 560. The workbook series is available online at sites such as Amazon India.

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September - October 2016

College Education Abroad

SAT and ACT what you should know Viral Doshi is Founder of Viral Doshi Associates, an independent international education and career guidance boutique with offices in Mumbai, Dubai, London, Singapore and New York. Viral has mentored students and families for the last two decades.

Please give us some details about ACT and SAT - are they only for college admissions in the US? Are there any other benefits of taking these tests?

The standardised tests were brought in on the premise that academic rigour varies from school to school in the various states in the USA. The key role for these tests is to bring in a level playing field for all students.

They are said to indicate how well a student will thrive in college.

SATs were introduced in the 1940s and 50s and have ever since gone through several changes. SAT includes an aptitude test in Maths, English comprehension and an optional essay writing component. This test is the most popular evaluation tool used by colleges in the USA. That said, I must mention that for about 40-50 colleges in the US, the SAT is optional, school academic scores are used instead.

SAT is also used in for college admissions Singapore.

For UK colleges, SAT scores can be an enhancement to the student’s application. in

ACT is a test originally initiated by a group of colleges in Midwest America, positioned as a ‘different’ test. In ACT, Math, English comprehension, Reading, Science logic are allotted 36 marks each. Average of all section scores is taken as the final score.

Until about six years ago, ACT was not very popular in India. Now, about 40-50% of Indian students take up ACT, preferring it over SAT. Students whose areas of strength are science and math, often choose ACT.

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September - October 2016

Making Sense of Adolescence

P

s r e g a n e e r e u s & T res

r e e

P

What is peer pressure? I am not looking for a definition of peer pressure, but trying to understand its manifestations.

Peer pressure is a very generic term and can encompass several different aspects. According to Wikipedia, peer pressure is the influence exerted by a peer group or an individual, encouraging other individuals to change their attitudes, values, or behaviours in order toconform to group norms.

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September - October 2016

Family Matters

Becoming a parent without a partner Raising a child solo

September - October 2016

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