Even before we had a child, back in summer of 2008 I met a child who was like most of her peers, but yet different. Confident, expressive, loud and free are the adjectives that come to my mind. It was fascinating for me to watch her and somehow she made me feel very happy. When …
Most of us feel uncomfortable when our children exercise their freedom to be silent, walk around seemingly doing nothing of importance. This is because most of us feel uncomfortable ourselves being silent and doing nothing. Modern culture, which is obsessed with activity and productivity, calls it ‘laziness’ and conjures up proverbs like ‘An idle mind …
We have a log cabin set that our kids play with, building different kinds of log cabins or other structures or sometimes combining it with other construction sets, giving form to their imaginations. There are three kinds in this set – small, medium and long. This morning after breakfast, Aniket as usual put away the …
This article grew out of a stray conversation with a friend who dropped in over the weekend. His daughter apparently hates math. My friend shrugged it off to lack of aptitude. “You either have it or you don’t”, he said. It makes his parenting style relaxed, conscious. He doesn’t want to stress out his teenager. …
After visiting Kanheri Caves and hearing the stories of Angulimala, Megh was introduced to Buddha. While crossing Sardar bridge I showed him the full moon and said, “today is birthday of Bhagavan Buddha, this full moon day (Sharad Purnima) is thus known as “Buddha Purnima.” He replied, “Hmm… so God has come with cake!” What …
One of the most powerful stories I have heard is the story of Story. One day, the sisters Truth and Story got into an argument about who was more beautiful. They argued mightily and loudly and late into the night and still couldn’t come to a conclusion. So they decided to test it. Each would …
The first Indian Homeschoolers’ Conference under the umbrella of Swashikshan – the Indian Association of Homeschoolers, was held between 28th February and 3rd March at St Mary’s Villa in Khandala in Maharashtra. St Mary’s Villa is located on the hills of Khandala overlooking a valley. Two hundred people from all over India attended the conference …
Reflecting back at the Indian Homeschoolers Conference! Read More »
“Does one desire the Yule-tide spirit, sir?” “Certainly one does. I am all for it.” – P.G. Wodehouse, The Inimitable Jeeves We were looking forward to the India Homeschoolers’ Conference from even before it was proposed; wishing and hoping that there could be a time and place for all of us to be together for …
This article was compiled after much deliberation on the Swashikshan online e-group, following individual responses to a questionnaire prepared by the author. It reflects the diverse, unique and vibrant flavours of the Indian Homeschooling Community – a community that celebrates learning and growing without school. Different Flavours of Homeschooling When P. Aravinda, from Mumbai, Maharashtra …
Life is learning. As we look back at each day in the months and years we’ve come through, they seem very similar to one another. But take one yesterday out of the journey and it’s a missing piece in the puzzle. What makes each day so different from the next? Think about it… it was …