Kidzone

Art for juniors

Here is a simple, yet sweet ladybug to draw. Just follow it step by step and draw a bright picture for your room!

Do it Yourself

Funky Jeans

Use your creativity to transform your staid pair of jeans into funky trousers bearing your personal style statement. Here are some great ideas to embellish your jeans:

Colourful dangler. Cut a […]

Bonds of friendship are special. Unfortunately because of social distancing rules and travel restrictions mandated to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s been especially hard for children and adolescents to meet with and bond with friends. But there are many who have made innovative efforts to bond with friends […]

Puzzle Box

Parvathy wants to convey a message to some of her friends. Can you find the names of her friends and the message?

Answer: Reduce, reuse, recycle. Shalini, Mohan, Sirish, Binu, Harish, Anju.

Moms’n Dads

Anitha Bennett

Here’s an activity that you can do as a family and enjoy the spirit of giving.

On special days, like birthdays, anniversaries or […]

Do it now!

Use your pen power!

Nikhil Jayadevan

When you set out to do something to make a difference — for example, to eradicate hunger — working solo or with a few friends is not enough. Sometimes it’s necessary to write letters to alert government officials, newspaper editors, local business leaders and producers of television news programmes.

Write what you […]

Short Story

A House Named ….

Lakshmi Narayan

Once met a gadabout on my travels who kept me entertained with tall stories of where he had gone and who he had met. But the oddest experience he said he had was when he lost his bearings and found himself in front of a cottage in the midst of a […]

Heart to Heart

Hey Guys!

Do you want your life to make a difference to society?

There are many ways in which we can make an impact on the lives of others. We can protect the environment, create awareness of social needs and reach out to help those in need.

The satisfaction of making a difference is inestimable. PW Kidzone gives […]

Puzzle Box – find the missing numbers

Vinod is trying to make a weekly planner to use this year. But he lost the numbers 1- 7. Can you help him find them in the picture?

What do you see below? Look beyond the word and find the hidden phrase.

Moms ’n Dads

If your New Year resolutions never seem to last, try making them together […]

Do it now!

The New Year has begun and a planner is just the thing for a great start! Make your very own planner. You will need:

A 5-section notebook
Colour pens, glitter glue, stickers, 3D colours, and satin ribbon.
Give a heading to each of the five sections. Next, enter your goals and resolutions under each head.
Set your goals for […]

Short Story – The Kitchen King

The Kitchen King

Sangeetha Narayan

It had been a regular day in school. One of our teachers asked us about our ambitions. I wonder what came over me as I foolishly expressed my secret ambition, “I want to be a chef!”

There was total silence for a minute, and then the entire class burst out laughing. I had […]

Heart to Heart

Hello Children!

PW Kidzone brings you warm New Year wishes along with a load of new ideas to begin the year with!

If you are brimming with optimism, with hopes and dreams that make you want to soar, we are right with you.

And if you are doubtful about what the year holds in store, we bring […]

Puzzle box

Look closely at the sentences below and discover some coolers hidden in between.

Angela took some board games to Minu’s house.

‘Raju ice-cream’ has three coolers hidden inside.

Answer: Gelato, ice, ice cream, juice

Moms’n Dads

Want to rustle up a dessert for the family? Doing things together is fun. Try making this Mango Treat together.

Things needed

• 3 ripe mangoes

Short story – The Pinata Party

The Pinata Party

“Mind your own business,” Ravi snapped. Vivek had offered to help Ravi fix his cycle chain, and was shocked at his rudeness.

“I don’t understand him,” Vivek told Sunil and Partho, joining them on the playground. “He’s the only one at our cricket camp who is so unfriendly.”

“Oof. I’ve had enough of him too. […]

Heart to heart

Hello Children!

The Christmas season is here. Even in these grim pandemic times the prospect of the Xmas break and onset of the season of jollity, peace and goodwill is certain to lift spirits. But apart from Xmas festivities, you need to find things to do that ensure that the break from online classes and setting […]

Do it now!

Make a mobile rack

Anitha Bennett

Design an interesting and attractive mobile rack using odds and ends in your Art and Crafts box.

You need:
• A coat hanger
• String or twine
• Assorted objects

How to make it:
• Paint the coat hanger with diluted fevicol and sprinkle glitter on it. Hang it up to dry.
• […]

Puzzle box

Only two of the butterflies below are exactly the same. Can you figure out which ones?

Moms’n Dads

Holidays provide perfect opportunities to tune children into nature.

If vacationing in a new habitat, use the opportunity to investigate the flora and fauna together. Make sure you bring home plenty of nature souvenirs and pictures for your scrapbook.

If visiting […]

Short story – The Arjun Tree

The Arjun Tree

Annie Besant Jon

Meera was a bubbly ten-year old who loved to spend summers climbing trees looking for birds’ nests and trying to befriend squirrels. Her favourite tree was the Arjun tree at the corner of her street.

One afternoon, as she was having lunch, her mother said, “Meera, I think you should say goodbye […]

Do it now!

Bird Buddies

Anitha Bennett

Want to make your home nature-friendly? Try making these birdie accessories and make feathered friends! Site them in your balcony or your garden.

Bird Feeder

Materials

1 empty mineral water bottle (preferably Bisleri)
A sharp knife (adult help needed)
A compass
Ribbon or rope
Some bird seed (from a pet store) or a variety of grains (from the kitchen)

Process

Cut off […]

Heart to heart

Hello Children!

Do you yearn to explore the fascinating world of Nature? If you believe living in a city is cutting you off from nature, think again. Living in a city can actually help you appreciate nature better.

Just lean back, close your eyes, and think about the beauty that nature offers us.

Waterfalls. Thundering waves. Chirping birds. […]

Heart to heart

Hello Children!

PW Kidzone brings you a ‘Family special’ issue this month.

Like most people, you may have a love-hate relationship with your family. There may be times when you wish you never had a sibling and other times when you bless the day you were born into this family.

But no matter what, family relationships are special. […]

Short story – What are families for?

What are families for?

Sangeetha Narayan

“I’m planning to quit school!”
Raj announced as he threw his school bag on the sofa.
“More trouble?” I asked. This wasn’t his first such announcement.
“The school bullies just won’t stop harassing me. How I wish
I were taller!” said Raj as he attacked his snack as if it […]

Do it now!

Funky frames!

Cynthia John

Choose one of your favourite family photos and make a unique frame for it.

Materials

• An OHP (overhead projector) sheet
• Scissors
• Modelling clay/M-seal
• Acrylic colours (if you are using M-seal)
• Cellotape
• Wool/satin ribbon/strip of cardboard

The process

Cut two pieces from the OHP sheet into the same size as the photograph.
Place […]

Moms’ n Dads

Here’s an enjoyable game that the whole family can play.
Write down a bunch of questions on separate strips of paper. For example:

Which is the best family holiday you remember? Why was it memorable?
Who is your favourite family member and why?
What was the funniest family incident you experienced?
What’s the punishment you hate the most?
Your questions […]

Puzzle box

Do a bit of unscrambling of alphabets to figure out the answers in this puzzle. “He’s small, mechanical and loves collecting old things. All alone, he collected waste till the day he met the machine of his dreams and fell in love.” To find out who we are talking about, first unscramble the names of […]

Do it now!

‘Corn’ucopia

Anitha Bennett

How about a brimming cup of popcorn to go with your movie? Sounds just good? Grab a pack of the buttered corn and pop it in a microwave oven. When the corn’s popping, get your ‘cornucopia’ out to fill. Here’s how you can make a popcorn holder.

Things needed

• Corrugated cardboard — 14×7 inch sheet

Short story – Animation films

Animation films

Annie Besant Jon

You may remember watching wide-eyed as cowboy Woody and space-ranger Buzz Lightyear fell into the hands of toy-hating Sid Phillips in Toy Story. Or maybe many of you were super-excited when Marlin reunited with his son in Finding Nemo. Animation movies have a long history going back to the 1890s!

The first animations […]

Heart to heart

Hey, Guys!

I still remember shedding a few tears for the dyslexic hero of the movie Taare Zameen Par and rocking with laughter on my bean bag while watching Baby’s Day Out. Whether it’s animated cinema, children’s classics, or humour, a good movie can linger in the memory for years. I’m sure all of you have […]

Puzzle Box

The names of three popular authors are hidden in each line alongside. Each line has two ‘dummy’ alphabets. Find out which are the ‘dummy’ letters and delete them to find the answers.

Answers: Enid Blyton, Agatha Christie, J k Rowling

Book Mark

Speed Reading Made Easy

Don’t you wish you could find the time to read all recommended books? […]

Do it yourself

Make a bookshelf

Anitha Bennett

Here’s how you can make a bookshelf for yourself. It’s quite simple! You will need:

• A sturdy cardboard box

• Poster board or two thick card-board sheets

• Scissors/knife

• Paints/gift wrapping paper

Preparation guide:

1. Choose a cardboard box of the dimensions that you want your bookcase to be. Remove the top flaps.

2. lay the […]

Heart to Heart

Hello children!

The thrill of experiencing exciting events, exploring new locations, meeting strange characters and unraveling mysteries is stimulating. Join us as we explore the fascinating world of children’s literature.

The magic of books is their capability to transport us beyond everyday routines into new worlds and exciting adventures.

Books provide more than mere entertainment. They motivate, inform, […]

Short story

Shruthi’s Pink Stripe

Nisha Daniel

“Higher!” Shruti yelled. She was on a swing and Vanitha was pushing. The bright pink swing was suspended from a large tree and Shruti could see the sunlit branches and the clouds as she felt the wind rush through her hair. It
felt heavenly.

Sharing her joy Vanitha pushed harder.

“Stop! Stop!” Shruthi shouted […]

Puzzle Box

There are thousands of colour shades. How many can you spot in this grid? Search forward, backwards, upwards and downward.

Answers: Ecru, magenta, scarlet, cyan, beige, lavender, maroon.

Moms’n Dads

Anitha Bennett

Try this family project. Focus on a theme like ‘Nature’.

Your goal should be to collect objects of as many colours pertaining to the theme as you […]

Do it now!

Chunky Rainbow Crayons

Anitha Bennett

You can make your own multicolour crayons using your old ones.

You need:

Old broken crayons
Ice-cube or muffin tray (look for ones with interesting shapes.)
Glitter
A shallow pan
A smaller pan

Methodology:

Peel the paper from old crayons.
Place the larger shallow pan filled with water on a stove. Allow water to boil. Ask an adult to help while […]

Heart to Heart

Hello Children!

Do you love balloons? Cartoons? Flowers? All of them conjure up images of colour.

Can you imagine a black-and-white comic book? A clown dressed in grey? A world without colour? We enjoy colours around us every day but rarely stop to think about them. This issue of Kidzone is dedicated to colour. You’ll find some colourful […]

Heart to Heart

Hello Children!
Who doesn’t like a good laugh? There are so many things that make us laugh — a comic strip, the expression on a friend’s face, a funny story or a kid brother’s innocent comment. Or just pure happiness.

I’m sure you will agree that everyone needs large doses of laughter in their lives. That’s […]

Do it now!

Draw Your Toon

Anitha Bennett

Funny faces are easy to draw. The key to drawing cartoons or caricatures is to exaggerate a person’s facial features — like huge eyes, rabbit teeth or hairy ears — to make them larger than life on paper. Follow these instructions and mix and match to draw hilarious funny faces!
1. The […]

Short story

Finding joy at Christmas

Nisha Daniel

“Yaah….aah….”
Clint looked on in amazement at his two little cousins yelling and chasing each other. Christmas at Grandma’s was a new experience. It was truly a madhouse!
He surveyed the Christmas tree he had decorated. ‘Nice. But how will I protect it from these brats?’ he wondered, just as Vinola […]

Puzzle Box

How many smiles can you spot in this picture?

Choose alphabets from this question to find a laughter word.

• What do you hear when you crack a joke with a jovial chum? ______________!
• Do you think a merry heart is, in fact, as good as ____________?

Answers: 13, Chuckle, Medicine

Book Mark

A Christmas Carol

Charles Dickens

The transformation of […]

Moms n’ Dads

The home is a great place to develop children’s public speaking skills. You never know whether you have a motivational speaker or a joker in your family until you encourage everyone to speak up.

• Plan a weekly time when all members of the family get to stand before an audience (the family) and talk about […]

Do it now!

Magic Box

Cynthia John

This is a game that will help you think of numerous ways to solve problems and get ideas from others to solve yours!

• Decorate a cardboard box by sticking gift paper around it. Take 15 sheets of paper or cards and place them into the box.
• Each person can pick up a […]

Heart to Heart

Hey, Guys!

At some point in your life you must have rebelled against the education system, like I did. Why should we slog so hard? I asked my parents. If it was just to score high marks and feel proud of it, that seemed a pretty hollow objective.

Now, I realise that my parents who persuaded me […]