THE TALE OF A FROG

The princess kissed the frog, he turned into a handsome prince and they lived happily ever after!!

Sounds very familiar right? Well this was the theme for the WHY to WOW session on the 27th of November,2010. THE TALE OF A FROG was indeed a very interesting, informative and exciting session for the kids!! The whole life cycle of a frog was conveyed to the children in the form of a dramatised story. Wondering who the characters were? Well none other than our own kids who were here for the session to learn, except for the frog - who represented himself!! Yes, we had two live frogs kept in water to demonstrate the behaviour of a frog. It was an enriching and a very inspiring experience to see the kids so involved in the learning process.The session concluded by showing the children the movements of a frog by letting it go back to its mommy!!

How I wish I also learnt Biology through stories??

This was the feedback received from one of our parents!! Very true indeed!!

WHY TO WOW ....!!

OUT OF THE BOX launched its first Science Learning Program - WHY TO WOW for the age groups 4-6 yrs and 6-8 yrs. This "Fun Science" program has been carefully constructed by able researchers and the content maps to the I.C.S.E and C.B.S.E syllabi.

 

REaD @ Gokulam

OUT OF THE BOX REaD reaches to Gokulam residents, thanks to all the support and encouragement from our present members. Lot of demand and enquiries from various complexes prompted us to take the next step in our REaD program.
To start with, we initiated with Gokulam Apartments on KR road. It was an overwhelming response with six kids coming on the first day itself and showing so much zeal in LEARNING TO READ!!
Classes in Gokulam will be held every Monday and Wednesday between 5 and 6.30 pm

Outside Out of the Box

'Outside Out of the Box'




Guess who wanted us to do their fun event at their "Bring your kids to work day" on 23rd October, 2010??!!.........none other than Infosys. We had less than 4 days to come up with events for around 70 kids. It was a challenge! But at OBX we love challenges and we came up with 4 exciting events.

Diya Painting - This was the most popular activity of the day. I think every kid that came,painted a diya or two. There were such beautiful one's.

Story time - Sheela and Rajitha narrated stories that would glue you and me on the seats. Kids loved the part where the Rain Gods shower chocolates.

The Story Ends like this - We introduced this activity and had a great response. We have seen a lot of creative talent. Even young kids ages 4 and 5 with the help of their parents completed the stories.

Budding Entrepreneurs - This was the most challenging event. The kids were asked to name a product, design a logo and give a punch line to product. It got a lot of older kids to think Out of the Box.

Overall, it was a fantastic day. Kids had as much fun being part of the activities as we had making it for them.

Wordless Wednesday

Media and it's influence

When I was growing up, the biggest influences for me were from school, parents and my friends. Growing up I didnt know what was daily television hour...the only shows I can remember of (other than the daily news) is the one off cartoon show on DD channel. But in less than 2 decades there seems to be a big change. Media in terms of - Television, internet, radio and printed material has taken over our lives.

The benefits of this growth are early readiness for learning, educational enrichment, exposure and awareness of different cultures and not to mention a lot of entertainment.

Having said that, media influence on the children is not always positive.  Television viewing takes time away from social interactions, such as conversation, storytelling, imaginative play, intellectual pursuits and leisure reading that promotes literacy.

We as parents need to constantly monitor what our children watch and assist them in making good choices. We must remember that the amount of viewing, the kind of programs watched are factors that affect children’s attitude and achievement.

Comment and let us know what is your child's favorite Television show?

The Story ends like this....

Young readers,

Here is a chance to show us your creative writing skills.
We will soon publish  part of a story and we would like you to complete the rest. Does this sound exciting? Hang on...we are giving away landmark gift certificates...not one...but three of them!
This is a contest for kids 9 years and above (members and non-members).

Keep watching this page for more info.

Read to your child - give the gift of knowledge (Contest)

"Children are made readers on the laps of their parents." - Emilie Buchwald

One of the nicest activities that you and your child can enjoy is reading a book together. It develops a lot of skills, from increasing attention span and building vocabulary, to developing emotional intelligence.

Reading to your child has innumerable benefits. Listed below are a few

- Increases the child's vocabulary

- Being read to, helps the child learn how to express himself clearly and confidently.

- Child's imagination and creativity develops

- Reading to child gives him a desire to read

Here are a few fun ways of reading to your child

- Make reading an everyday activity.

 - Modulate the tones and enact the characters from the book.

- Let your child choose the book he/she wants to read. Reading what interests him/her is one way to make it fun.

- Don't limit reading to books. When you are out - read with your child the billboards, banners, shopping list, restaurant menu or any other print material.

- As a parent, you are your child's role model. Set an example by reading yourself, be it a newspaper or a magazine or a book.

- Visit a library regulary and surround him/her with books.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”

—Dr. Seuss

We have 4 gift certificates to giveaway. Win yourself one!

To enter, post a comment on this blog by telling us the book you and your child enjoy reading together. 

Contest closes 28th October,2010. To earn extra entries, after you have left a comment, do one of the following.

• Subscribe to OBX
• Be a fan of OBX on Facebook Page

Last 2 days...rush in your entries and win yourself the gift certificate.

Programs at OBX

I. READ program - (Reading Enrichment and Development )

1. Ages - 4-5

Level 1: Mondays and Wednesdays : 5.30 - 7.00 pm starting Oct 18th

Level 2: Thursdays - 5.00 - 7.00 pm starting October 21st

2. Ages 5-8 

Level 2: Tuesdays - 5.00 - 7.00 pm, starting October 19th

  

3. Ages 8-12

Success with Comprehension and writing.

Every Thursday starting October 28th

  

II. ROBOTICS Classes by Robokul

Ages 6 - 10

Every Saturday for 6 weeks starting October 23rd

III. KEYBOARD Classes

Every Tuesday 5.00 - 6.30

IV. FUN SCIENCE LEARNING

We are very excited to start this series every Saturday from November 13th, for ages 6 to 10. 

 More updates to follow!

Wordless Wednesday

Lil Hands....Big masterpieces

Workshops Details

Photography :

This festive season give your child the gift of photography. This workshop will give him an artistic perspective and will bring out the creative side in him. Whether your child is a first timer or has clicked a few random pictures, there are skills to learn that can make Photography an enjoyable and captivating hobby.

Jayanth and his team will give insights into the basics of photography. There will be a lot of awesome moments for your child to capture. At the end of the session, children are bound to leave the place with picture perfect smile.

Date : October 11th - October 14th
Time : 10AM - 1:00PM
Cost : Rs1600/-

Creative Thinking and Writing:

Join Out of the box for a fun filled 5 day theme based literary workshop. This workshop will help your child to expand his horizon when it comes to writing and better their ablities to express themselves. The session will end with a quiz based on the week's activities.

Day	Author	Theme book
Day I	Roald Dahl	Charlie and the chocolate Factory
Day II	R.L Stevenson	Treasure Island
Day III	Roald Dahl	Witches
Day IV	Louis Sachar	Sideway stories from Wayside School
Day V		An 'out-of -the box' quiz

Dates : October 11th - October 15th
Time : 2:00PM - 4:00PM
Cost : Rs1250/-

Clay Modeling Workshop

CONCEPT :
Apart from playing with the squeashy squashy clay and messing up their clothes, in this workshop, children will pinch,poke,hit,roll and clay to fashion earthen items that not only mirror the child's individual character but also captures their interest and imagination.

WORKSHOP DESIGN :
Children will get to follow the mentor and create clay things individually on the first day. On the second day, they will work in small groups of three's to make their own 'awesome' creations. This pattern will follow all the three techniques of pinching, coiling and slab work. On the fifth day,children can invite their family and friends for a small exhibition of their work.

Table showing list of items that children will learn and do across the five days

DAYS	LEARNING and CREATING
	Technique	Products
Day I	Pinching	Bowl, lamp, tortoise, mushroom and hat.
Day II	Pinching	Children’s own creations
Day III	Coiling	Coaster, snail, snake and pot
Day IV	Coiling	Children’s own creations
Day V	Slab work	Seals, coins, tiles and box and Exhibition

Dates: 11th to 15th October 2010 (5days)

Age: 5 and above

Group Size: 15 in each group

Timing: 10:30- 12:30

Cost: 2000/- per head including material

Holiday Activities @ OBX

Dussera holidays are just around the corner. This festive season we are offering enriching and entertaining courses to children of all age groups. Sign up now to let your child explore the creative spirit in him.

More details to follow.

Crafty Saturday

It is that time of the week when kids can kick off their shoes, not worry about school or home work and enjoy stories and craft at OBX.

This week the kids were read stories about Gingerbread man. Apart from the story, the kids also enjoyed sponge painting the Gingerbread man and making a story book for themselves.

Friday Fun @ OBX

What is it that you absolutely need to survive?


Apart from food to eat and air to breathe...yes you got that right...


So this week's theme for the Science project is the thirst quenching Water.


First, the kids put salt in the water. It disappeared. And they were wondering where did it all go? When Miss R suggested why not taste the water...they did and it was salty, it was so because the salt dissolved.

Then they went on to see what happens if they add sand to the water...what do you think? Oh, you are right it did sink and not dissolve

The kids observed how a few things dissolve in the water whereas a few others sink.

Happenings @ Out of the Box from June 2010

Starting June 2010 following are the programs/activites happening at Out of the Box

READ-a-THON - Ages 6-14 yrs started 24th May and continues till 30th June.
What is this: This program is introduced to create interest and motivate children to read books.
Who can take part: Opened to all members and non-members who walks into the centre.
How to go about: Just register your child (no fee for registration), and ask for a read log sheet

• Books list available on the notice board
• Read, borrow books from the list and turn in these books in the log sheet
• Avail surprise gifts, certificates etc when you reach milestones like 25, 50, 75, 100 books

Reading Enrichment and Developement (REaD PROGRAM) - 2 Batches

Ages: 4-6 yrs

Days: Mondays and Wednesdays, Timings: 5.00 - 6.30pm

Ages :6-8 yrs Days: Tuesdays and Thursdays, Timings: 5.00 - 6.30pm

Read CLUB:

The goal of this program is to continue to promote reading and lateral thinking.

Ages: 3 - 5 and 5-8 years

A 12 week program for REaD program participants. Every week participants will engage themselves in a bunch of book based activities like puzzles, poetry, stories.

Science Program:

For ages 6 - 8 and 9 - 12

A fun hands on science program conducted by EvolvingMinds from June - January. Please visit www.evolvingminds.org for more details.

Keyboard Classes: Every Tuesday at 4.30 pm.

Chess classes: Every Saturday at between 5.30 to 6.30 pm.

Reading Enrichement Development Program - For ages 4 to 6 and 6 to 8

We are very excited to announce the starting of our READ program beginning June.

Due to limited class size of 12 please register early.

READ - A - THON Program at Out of the Box

Greetings from Out of the Box!!!

The team at Out of the Box had a wonderful summer and thanks to all the parents and children who made it possible.

We are happy to announce the laucnch of our " READ - A - THON" starting May 24th 2010.

Please find below the rules for the same.

• The program is open to children ages 6 - 14 years of age


• The program is open to members and non-members


• Pre-registration is required


• There is no registration fee - however the number of kids will be limited to 50 on a first come first serve basis.


• Each participant will be given a LOG SHEET on which will be a log of all the books read.


• There will be prizes for each participant at definite milestones - after reading 25 books, 50 books, 75 books and 100 books.


• Participants will be rewarded for every milestone and the picture of every participant who completes reading 100 books will be put on the blog page.

Wishing everybody a very happy and fun reading!!!!!

Summer Fun @ Out of the Box

Please find the schedule for Summer Fun 2010 @ Out of the Box:

The team @ Out of the Box is happy to bring forth an array of activities for children ages 3 to 14. The summer programs are more than just a hobby class, they are a chance for children to self explore at their pace and have fun.

Ages 3 to 5:

Little Blooms:

10 days of theme based activities with fun stories, interesting science experiments, vibrant crafts, group games, magic show, a picnic and much more. The camp will conclude with a carnival with live music and snacks.

The activities will revolve around the concepts of common themes like water, Earth, Sun, Animals, emotions, food etc.
Children will be presented the activities for the day and will be given the choice to choose what they wish to do.

Limited seats- Only 10/ per batch. Please call or email to confirm participation.

Will be offered 3 times :
April 5th - 16th
April 19th - 30th
May 3rd - 14th
Time : 10.00 am to 1.00 pm


Ages 5 - 8

Create and Discover:

The program is put together keeping in mind all the budding science explorers, blooming artists, crafting enthusiasts and children who would like to just have FUN. During the 10 day session we will explore concepts of science like surface tension, floating/sinking, heat and light etc. Inspiring children to build working models, create vibrant art works, make interesting craft projects based on these concepts is the goal of this program.

Will be offered 3 times :
April 5th - 16th
April 19th - 30th
May 3rd - 14th
Time : 10.00 am to 1.00 pm

Ages 9 - 14

Paisa wise : Out of box in association with Dhanshiksha is happy to bring present a 5 day workshop for financial literacy.

Paisa Wise is a series of activity based programmes that are guaranteed to be action-packed, fun-filled and empowering. A perfect fit for children in the age group of 9 - 12. With easy illustrations and interactive modules, the children will learn the value of money, how to spend it smartly, and will learn vital basics of saving, the appeal of sensible investment and how to prepare for a rainy day

Sessions: April 5th - 9th
April 19th - 23rd.
Time: 10.00 am to 1.00 pm

Photography camp by well known photographer Jayant Sharma:
A 5 day fun, educative session which give them a glimpse of what it takes to get the right picture. At the end of the session children are bound to leave the place with a picture perfect smile.

Sessions: April 12th - 17th
May 3rd - 7th
Time: 10.00 am to 1.00 pm

Budding Entrepreneurs !!!

To provide a platform for participants to move from a mode of competition to contribution will be the goal of this workshop. Children will be encouraged to research, think and explore to find out what do they really or what comes naturally to them.
Inspiring " one of a kind ideas" that changed civilizations, life histories of people who contributed to the betterment of the planet will be presented to inspire children to bring out the best in them.
This 5 day workshop will include fun games, interactive sessions with two inspired entrepreneurs, team work, a project report preparing and presenting on the last day of the session

Sessions: April 20th - 24th
May 10th - 15th
Time: 10.00 am to 1.00 pm.

Only 10/ batch, please call or email to confirm

Little Blooms - 3 to 5 years

Summer Fun @ Out of the Box

Summer is around the corner and we at Out of the Box, are excited to celebrate the summer and have fun with children. The theme for this summer is celebrating our wonderful planet "EARTH". We have programs starting in April and going all the way to mid May.


We have our programs segregated by age group


Ages 3 to 5


Ages 6 to 8


Ages 9 to 12
Please call us us at 080-40959668 / 9902006029 or email us at inof@outoftheboxindia.net for more details