Zero Shadow Day!

Earth is ball shaped, rotate on tilted 23.5 degree axis and has elliptical orbit around sun ...just these facts makes earth really interesting place to live on! Amount of sun energy (light) varies throughout year and we have different seasons and then life escapes from being monotones.

Understanding Earth - Sun relations is interesting with some simple day time astronomy experiments. Generally we say Sun is overhead at 12'o clock noon but when we get smallest shadow Sun reaches at zenith and that is different time than our GMT. We get smallest shadow in the north.

On 21st March Sun passes  exactly above the equator and reaches line of cancer 23.5 degree N on 21st of June. Then again starts southward journey and reaches equator on 23rd of September. There are certain days twice in these six months that Sun passes exactly above particular place between 0 to 23.5 degree in northen hemisphere. And ....when Sun is exactly above head there is smallest of all solar noon shadows of the year! which seems almost near to 'Zero' or 'No shadow'!

We were waiting for this day since long. If your place's latitude is less than 23.5 Degree then don't miss this amazing phenomena and great opportunity that can inspire your young astronomer!.

Toys from trash workshop

Wake up at 4 AM plus traveling, though  too sleepy and tired Megh  was completely engrossed into moment. That's magic of making toys and especially Arvind Gupta toys!

Something from trash or some cheaper things  from  hardware store and within minutes you can make toy generating 'Wow!' moments !!! Isn't it amazing? It is and without age bar this wow effects everyone equally. And the journey started with 'Wow' goes long way to 'How' and then deeper way to 'Why'!!!!!

Every child has special affection for trash, he collects every little thing he feels interesting no matter from where he found it. We don't throw any of plastic bottle,card board box, used pen/sketch pen, buttons from used cloths etc. and already stocked lot of trash at home but I found Megh collecting every little thing he found interesting on the road. That's natural I think but Arvind Gupta has put it one step ahead and made toys from trash which are easy to make and capable to generate 'Wow!'. When a child makes toy himself  it doubles his joy. Making toy is itself a learning process...you make mistake and toy doesn't work ,then you learn trial and error method, though simple it is it requires certain level of accuracy and some simple but effective tricks to make it working. Plus learning science is much more effective with  self-made model and knowledge gained by self-learning.

Learning science - most people thinks it's costly-affair. You need lab. and equipments and then it is limited to some people only. But with these toys science reaches to all. Do you think you can make model which can easily explain how energy transfers in waves, frequency of waves, model of DNA  for the cost of 20Rs? Just a packet of simple straw and cello tape!

It was four days workshop for teachers and i have took part with children, people around were surprised how sincerely children attended workshop. 'Making toys' is something closer to our heart so no surprise for me... thoroughly enjoyed the workshop, made lots of toys, learned things, meet many people and cherished sharing knowledge.

We are extensively using www.arvindguptatoys.com for years. Big part in our homeschooling. Books, toys, videos....almost everything helpful in learning I have found on it. Megh goes to this site, select toy , watch video, collect things and try to make toy himself.....most of the times fails but he loves it. Guptaji's years of work  reaches to children ( or 'child' living in every adult) through this site and inspires them to make their own toy. Today only Megh has made this toy using thermocoal cup, toothpick and a straw and loving it!

Athlete's foot!

It was late night and I couldn't sleep. My daughter was suffering 500km away from me.

Adventure course was her long time pending wish. Somehow we couldn't manage it til now and suddenly it was all set. She has to leave before two days of course date with her friend. Before 2-3 days of leaving I found her unusually quiet and not walking properly. Whenever asked she said "Nothing, just skin peeling due to minor injury... see I'm running, dancing, jumping!" Day before leaving I suddenly found her toe skin completely peeled off , 'Oh! why didn't you tell me?' . Ok still we have two days and it will be fine...we all were optimistic, didn't want to miss course.

I was bit worried when i sent her in morning and was relaxed after talk with her on phone, she sounded happy as she has visited museum on the way and got wonderful ideas for drawing and writing. But at night her friend's mother called me her toe's condition is critical, infection spread to other toes too and probably she could not go for course!

Infection!, so it was not just peeling of skin! I have surfed and found it's 'Athlete's foot'! Surprised by name of this disease. Possible?- yes, she is gymnast & have daily workout with socks, higher rate of sweating, swimming ,carelessness and may be injury.


As she is having athletic physique I rarely need to worry. She had injury and her ignorance about fungal infection- but at least timely treatment could cured it. Why she had hide it or did she lie? For a moment I was very much disturbed but when you give some time and think everything seems clear and that's patience we parents needs most. As far as I remember she never lied. Here, it's her optimism+ ignorance that she will recover and she didn't want to drop course at any cost. We are also not different than her...never give attention to miner physical problems and at times overly optimistic.  

All is well at end - life is good teacher it teaches through experience!

Muze kya?

"Why do you bother so much about Gujarati-English medium issue or what other's writing about it?"

May be he was not in the mood to discuss in the morning. But I didn't like this 'Muze kya?' attitude, tried to explain him 'why?' and a good discussion early morning!

Then read a nice story in newspaper - An american farmer and his wife brings mouse trap, mouse in tension told about it to hen, pig and cow in the farm....but no one helped and showed 'Muze kya?' then a snake's tail caught in mouse trap and farmer's wife got bitten by snake, need to make hen soup to treat her weakness, pig & cow too have to give their life to serve guests coming to see his wife suffering from illness and after her death. Told this story to children in the bed....and left them thinking along with thoughtful mouse!

Then in evening a friend shared Satyamev Jayte link and again listened Aamir saying "Meri zindagi to thik chal rahi he, Muze kya? kya farak padata he? farak padata he.....' And this episode revealed the naked truth that not illiterate, poor, village people but educated, rich and urban people are more associated with female foeticide.

We click 'like' and see how popular are cartoons on education system. We all know it's main cause which is spoiling society, people, country and damaging everything but we are silent without any action, with 'Muze kya?' attitude. We don't have dare to throw this system out from at least our own life. You think nothing is wrong ...your child is happy to go school, school is fine,schools are changing now, teachers not all but some teachers are really nice, we have some good- mischievous-unforgettable- sweet & sour memories of our own school times or it's education which made me earn so much of money or it lead me to good life. But dear friend before clicking 'like' on such cartoons or clapping & appreciating Aamir's Satyamev Jayte......just think what I'm doing? 

By throwing education system I'm not telling everybody should start homeschooling. It's not possible. But we need true education for  human being...not just degree and hi-fi career. Education which lead us to see in the true sense because we know only 'Satya' wins. Education which leads to healthy, happy, harmonious life. Education which makes you free because it's सा विध्या या विमुकतये.

And for that nobody is going to help...just read your child and you will have way.

Cooking experiments

Sukhadi

Nowadays whenever Megh feels hungry he makes his favorite 'Sukhadi' ( a traditional Gujarati sweet ). I never made it but he has seen Nikhil making it 2-3 times and now prepares delicious Sukhadi! It's quick recipe and Nikhil makes sometimes on children's demand. But for not yet 7 year old working with gas stove, mixing ghee & wheat flour, finally quickly & thoroughly mixing everything after adding jaggery and finally pouring in plate!...he don't like anybody's help but take my permission before making it as I told him he will prepare when someone else is in kitchen. Usually my mom supervises. As he like soft Sukhadi he adds milk. 

A dog face Roti!

Many a times he helps me in kitchen. Today I was preparing Handi Paneer and he was with me.... grated ginger, washed tomato, made paneer pieces. When onion turned golden brown - " it's ready-it's turned golden like Hermoine's hair!"..... nothing out of Harry Potter magic!

Though he helps me, he likes making things independently. Roti with extra ghee is his special, garlic bread breakfast then Megh will do it, if you are our guest then he will prepare nimbu sharbat or tea for you.

Along with some delicious treat we have to be ready for some recipe with strange combination  of ingredients. He is already making many different Ukala (potion) by boiling different herbs. Once he prepared a potion using cardamom, cinnamon and clove and it was nice mouth freshener! Now Harry Potter added magical effects to making of potions!

So, cooking is lot of fun and learning together and like most homeschoolers we too enjoy time and freedom in kitchen. We try making different recipes together too... but it's great when child is independent in preparing own healthy food.

Transit of Venus 2012

We never know how things or sequences in life sets. It's mid winter days when Ashna got interested in light experiments first and later sun experiments. She has made different kind of pin hole cameras from post card, cardboard box, mount board etc. and found many pin hole effects in real life! She has read some books about Sun and experiments with Sun but she has to wait till summer for some of those experiments. Meanwhile I came to read Vivek Monteiro's small but interesting book 'Measuring the Universe with a string and a stone' and we were about to start experiments from that book, and got invitation to join workshop TOV 2012 (Transit of Venus) from Navnirmiti ! Ashna was more excited than me but she couldn't join me as it was intensive national level workshop. But she was happy that at least I recovered from accident before workshop. Workshop experience was great, lot of learning and meeting some really interesting people whose work always admired by us all.  And most important is the aim of TOV 2012 ... 'Universalizing the Universe' and The sky fascinates everyone! Events in the sky which happen during day time give a special opportunity of taking people from "Wow to Why and How".

 

 Khadaki - a remote village on the border of Gujarat-Maharashtra. It's remote in many sense but Gandhian lady Sujata Shah has created miracle by her strong will. Where life is truly difficult ,she has done great work in the field of education, health and environment. Visiting her school brought Ah ! feeling. Beautiful natural surrounding, clay huts, river nearby and happy children around.   

I have to conduct 2 days workshop, 50 children and this is what I was doing first time. Two teachers were

there to assist and my children also supported me. My kids are always with me, not just to enjoy outing but they help me, explore events, know people around and that all is part of learning. When I talk about such program with my kids I use 'we' rather than 'I' ...so, we have to conduct workshop. They feel responsible ,support me fully..... and my load divided. 

First day mostly I have to explain things to children so Ashna has done photographer's duty perfectly along with exploring river bank with Megh whenever got time and helping children to do some experiments... making ball mirror projector, dark room etc. 

Initially I was bit worried about language as I came to know these children's language difficulties, they speak Konkani (which is mixture of Gujarati-Marathi) at home and study in Gujarati. But surprisingly found Khadaki children quite fluent in Gujarati. Working with them cleared many of my doubts about them. They are really intelligent, open to learn, having good grasping power, happier than any city kid..........but they are bit introvert, can't open up quickly, speak and express less. They are prompt and even ready to work in any condition, th they attended workshop whole day,done all their daily cleaning work and prepared their dinner ...they enthusiastically prepared Angle-Dangle meter under pale bulb light so can measure latitude with help of pole star. 

From observing shadow of a pole Ashna was almost sure to have zero shadow on next day, took readings and  surprisingly children found zero shadow at 12:30! Being experienced in making different kind of pin hole camera she actively taught other children how to make and use it. She mingles with them easily, in fact she loved to be with them since last year she attended 5 days camp with tribal kids at Dharampur.

  

Day Time Astronomy experiments are learning with fun and that too almost everything available at home.... ball, mirror, cardboard box, needle, globe, toothpick, clay etc. then why don't you do yourself with your children and children around you? All the resources books ( book I mentioned above is available under name of TOV booklet) , videos etc you can download from  http://www.daytimeastronomy.com  . Transit of Venus 2012 is on 6th June and it's once in a life time event, don't miss it.