Rashmi's Space

Many different teachers come in our lives and initiate us in this world through their passion and with the help of their own experience and knowledge. And while each of them do justice to this calling in their own special way and while every single one of them is special, there is always one or the other who is a particular favourite with children. Of course, this has more to do with the children than the teacher herself/himself; because one seeks and relates to only what one can appreciate. And so, if you want to know if there’s a certain teacher your little one thinks is special, and why, the best way to do that, is to ask the little one directly! For me, this was much easier till a few years back, when, like they show in advertisements, I could sit with my little one, a plate of cookies between us on the table, and pretended to ask him casually, who his favourite teacher was. Because, that time, you see, he was so young and so naïve, he would be happy to chat. But as he gro...

This is a sponsored post for The Atelier and was first published on MyCity4Kids.com  As parents, we all want only the best for our children – be it food, or toys, or books or their school! We even look for the perfect playschool for our little ones; the one that will prepare them to spend some time away from home and also help them learn the basic skills required for them to have an easy ride when they start school. So we begin with well-known names or ask around friends and family as to what playschools they would recommend; and secure an admission for our children. We check that the playschool offers convenient hours and hope that they will take good care of our children. We don’t necessarily see what the environment of the place is like – not the standard books, swings, trampoline, blocks etc., but the real environment where our child will spend time – like say, are there trees for our children to run around, is there a pond or a fountain for our children to en...

Okay, I am old enough to know that all that happens in movies is not real; but what can I say, for someone who was introduced to the Star TV Network at an impressionable age (ah! the joys of growing up in the 90’s in India); I believe it is okay to pine for some of the things that I have seen time and again in Hollywood movies. Wondering what I am talking about? Here goes – 1)                   Backyards and treehouses We have all seen the sprawling homes in Hollywood movies, with backyards that have a pool and at least one tree with a tree house and sometimes even a hammock! (Yeah, what bliss!) Even the modest homes are shown to have backyards with at least a strip of green and the quintessential tree with a tyre hanging from it. Even if some homes don’t have pools, there is enough space in most homes to have an inflatable pool for kids to play or at least to have some garden furniture to ...