For You

Fond of mint chocolates? Try making it at home. It’s so easy to make that even your 5 year old will do it with ease. All you need is some molten chocolate (put the bar of milk chocolate in a bowl and place that over another bowl full of simmering water), a few fresh mint leaves, a butter knife and a platter. Take one leaf and spread some chocolate paste over it with a butter knife. Let your child help, and arrange the chocolate coated leaves on a greased white platter. Keep the platter in the refrigerator to set and serve chilled.

Before you rush and enroll your child in an after school activity, pause: Does he really need this activity? Is he already getting enough of extracurricular activity in school? Is he interested in it? Only if you’ve answered these questions honestly should you a decision. Make sure he has a choice. You can try to persuade him but don’t force.
Also choose the best institute or class for his activity. Just as you would select the best school for him, asking numerous questions and researching its philosophy and ideals, pay equal attention to the “extra” classes that your child opts for. So, if in Delhi, joining the Delhi School of Music will be a better bet than your local guitar master coming home to teach, even though the latter may be convenient for you. Not only will your child get his basics right, they will also provide more exposure. They are also likely to have other institutes around the country linked to them, so if you do get transferred to another place, the “activity shift” becomes easier.

Scientists have found that the brain development of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is delayed but is otherwise typical, according to a new study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA. Comparing brain scans of children aged 6 to 16 who had the common psychiatric disorder with scans of those who did not, researchers found that some areas in the ADHD brain – particularly those involved in thinking, attention and planning – matured on average three years later than “healthy” brains, but otherwise followed normal patterns of development. This proves that most children with ADHD do get better.

You might have made clutches or potli bags out your grandmother’s old benarasi saree, now try it out with your teenager’s denims or even the cover of a novel. Take out that old denim skirt or trouser and instruct your tailor to “cut of the legs” – in case of a pair of trousers – and close the “base” with a denim piece. Ask him to fashion “handles” from the remaining material and to stitch on a zip at the top. If you want a novel for a bag, find cover that’s really bright. Ask your regular handyman to fix a lining inside the cover and on the sides. Buy wooden handles, or get handles from an old bag or even large, thick bangles and use them as handles. Fix a zip on the top.

Arrange for glue, toothpicks and brushes to work easily with the glue, double sided tape sequins, small artificial flowers gota, dori, lace, brightly colored material, table tennis balls to form heads, old socks for sock puppets, newspaper, cotton wool to stick on hair or as moustaches, little accessories such as tiny baskets or hats, and needle and thread for you to work with. Keep the materials in a place you do not mind getting sticky, wet and messy. Give children the option of bringing their own material. Smaller children may also bring their dressed dolls and simply add embellishments in the form of gota or sequins. The boys may want to make a Power Rangers doll.