Kidzone

Moms n’ Dads

Breaking unhealthy habits and adopting good ones can be a family affair. When the whole family is committed to a lifestyle change towards better food choices and exercise, it becomes much easier than doing it solo.

Plan activities such as daily walks, joining fitness clubs and playing a new sport together. You can collect healthy food […]

Do it now!

Home-made Squash

Instead of stocking fizzy drinks and tetrapacks, make your own fruit squashes that you can drink any time. It’s healthier, and cheaper!

Nutritionist Rashmi Chakrapani offers two easy recipes. Store squashes in the refrigerator and serve when you have guests or when you experience summer thirst.

Lime Squash
• Squeeze the juice of 20 limes/lemons. Strain […]

Action Plan

If you really want to start building a healthier lifestyle, here is some advice about drawing up an action plan. Try out these easy ideas and you could soon start feeling energetic and active. Pick up pointers from the other Kidzone pages and make your own action plan.

Keeping germs at bay
 Avoid touching your […]

Heart to Heart

Hello Children!

When was the last time you were laid up in bed with an illness just when you were looking forward to a special event in school?

Illness is literally a pain. Worse it forces you to miss out a lot of fun and enjoyment. Therefore maintaining good health and fitness is important. But good health […]

Moms n’ Dads

Here’s how to make a special Puzzle Box for your family.

• Decorate a cardboard box.
• Cut out a Sudoku, Cross-word, Unscramble and other puzzles from a newspaper.
• Stick each one on a piece of card.
• At the back of each card, stick a sweet, a small bar of chocolate, or any other […]

Do it now!

An invisible message

Anitha Bennett

Have friends who love solving puzzles? Then here is something that they would love to receive from you! A puzzle in a puzzle!

You will need:
A sheet of white paper (A4 size), thin cardboard sheet of the same size, a pair of scissors, markers, glitter pens/glue, juice of an orange/lemon, thin paint […]

Short Story

Grandfather’s puzzle

Nisha Daniel

“You won’t believe what I found!” Tanya yelled. Raveena and Muskan looked up and snatched the wooden board she held from her hands.

“What’s this?” Raveena asked, running her fingers over the embossed pictures of fruits on the board.

“It’s an age-old puzzle my Grandfather made. I found it in my Grandmother’s room and she […]

Heart to Heart

Dear children

Happy New Year!

What’s it about mysteries and puzzles that’s so captivating? The suspense of not knowing the answer and the challenge of guessing tend to keep us engrossed for hours!

Whether you enjoy crossword puzzles, rubik cubes, jigsaws, mystery novels or teasers, we share your enthusiasm. T

hat’s why this issue of Kidzone is dedicated to […]

Moms n’ Dads

Anitha Bennett

A birthday is an occasion that provides ample opportunities for parents to show the birthday girl/boy how valuable they are. And home is the best place to start.

Here are some good ideas for making the birthday person feel like royalty.

Make it an all-day celebration. Start with breakfast. Let her choose the day’s menu starting […]

Do it now!

Simple cake decorations

Anitha Bennett

Decorating a birthday cake yourself can make it extra-special. Get a sponge cake and try these easy decoration ideas.

Quick ’n easy sugar icing

This icing is thin and makes a nice haphazard pattern on the cake.

Mix two cups of powdered sifted sugar with 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence and two tablespoons of milk.

Add more […]

Short Story

A birthday shock!

Shreya Sanghani

“Let’s give Minosha a birthday surprise,” suggested Riya.

A mischeivous twinkle lit up Hira’s eyes. “How about giving her a birthday shock instead? Followed by the surprises, of course!”

“You and your ideas!” Riya laughed. “What do you have in mind?”

“A midnight ghost to wish her a spooky birthday.”

Riya laughed. Soon they were planning […]

Heart to Heart

Hello Everyone!

It’s someone’s birthday every day of the year, even if yours comes only once annually.

It’s fun to be involved in all birthdays, one way or the other. You might be roped in to plan a birthday party, or you might want to figure out the perfect birthday gift for your best friend.

Birthdays are special […]

Moms n’ Dads

Here’s a great way to explore culinary delights from different regions of India with your family.

Set apart one day a week as Food Day. Every week, choose a different regional cuisine to explore.

Every member of the family pitches in to find out more about the highlights of that cuisine, look up recipes in books or […]

Do it now!

Choco-nut log stack

Anitha Bennett

Want to surprise your family with a scrumptious dessert? Here’s a simple lip-smacking Choco-nut Log Stack you can make.

You will need:

 1 pack chocolate wafers
 2 cups of whipped cream, ½ cup powdered sugar
 1 tsp vanilla essence
 1 big bar of milk chocolate
 Almonds and walnuts

Preparation guide

1. […]

Beating the bully

“Hey, freak!”

John froze. It was that horrible bully Aaron again.

“What’s for lunch?” Aaron smirked. John tried to run but Aaron was too fast for him.

“No!” John cried. “Don’t take my lunch box!”

Aaron just laughed and snatched it from him as usual. John felt pangs of hunger and shame because he allowed Aaron to take away the […]

Heart to Heart

Hey, Guys!

Does the thought of a spicy plate of biryani or a yummy chocolate cake excite you?

Most of us are gourmands or gourmets, although the latter is the preferable option. Whether it is a simple pulao you enjoy at home or exotic global cuisines in restaurants, food continues to tease people’s tastebuds and delight them […]

Moms n’ Dads

Figure out what your family needs, and plan to fulfill the need together. For example, you could choose to tidy the house all together, as a team.

Choose a day of the week and time when everyone is at home. Let the children draw up the tidiness plan. Allot work to each member of the family, […]

Do it now!

MAKE AN IMPACT!

Anitha Bennett

Do you feel strongly about a cause or idea? Do you want to make others sit up and take notice of it? If so, don’t keep quiet. Take the lead and do what you can to publicise the cause. If you are wondering how to go about it, here are three helpful […]

Short Story

Finding a Way

Shreya Sanghani

A little green eye opened, and a furry paw stretched. Rohan was enthralled by the kitten that had just woken up and was blinking at him.

Just then, Devleena and Arnav came running in, each holding a kitten in their arms. Rohan and his friends had rescued the kittens from some street urchins […]

Heart to Heart

Hey, Guys!

How many times have you dreamed of doing something big? Starting a programme to help others? Starting your own club? We often want to do something new — sometimes we get down to doing it, mostly we don’t.
Taking the initiative to start a project (and continuing it) turns dreams into reality.

With ideas, enthusiasm […]

Moms n’ Dads

Pocket money is a rite of passage in childhood. It’s fun for children to have money in hand. But it can also help them learn a whole lot of math.

Saving a portion of pocket money is one way. Let your kids figure out how much they can save and calculate the interest their saving can […]

Do it now!

The Secret Code

Anitha Bennett

Does the M word give you the jitters? We’re talking about math, what else! Most of us experience fear and frustration when working with numbers. Be it the simple division sum, or the slightly more complicated world of algebra — it’s hard to equate maths with fun! But there are many new […]

Short Story

The Number Mix-up

Nisha Daniel

Meena ma’am never went wrong with her numbers. Everybody knew that. So what was happening this morning?
She was teaching class II and was making such simple mistakes that even the students spotted them at once.

She looked again at her colourful equations. Her class VIII students had recently gifted her a board […]

Heart to Heart

Hello children!

Is maths your most-hated subject? Many find math subjects difficult and frustrating. Yet, whatever your experience with maths as a school subject, you could still have an hidden love of numbers.

If you love number-driven games, magic tricks and puzzles, you don’t really hate maths.

Math subjects can be challenging, and frustrating. But like any other […]

Short Story

The Humming Butterfly

Nisha Daniel

Class VI was full of transparent jars. Mrs. Rao, the science teacher, had urged the class to collect butterfly eggs and watch them turn into caterpillars, pupas and then butterflies.

Zeenat’s jar had produced a beautiful multihued butterfly while most of the others had ordinary yellow or blue garden butterflies.

Soon all the pupas […]

Heart to Heart

Hey, Guys!

Like me you may enjoy learning one subject more than others in school. For me, science was the best subject. I believe it was because of the good science teachers we had. This made me an active member of the Science Club.

I remember visiting a planetarium, constructing a kaleidoscope and a magnifying lens holder […]

Do it now!

Party Fountain

Anitha Bennett

Bored of the same old party decorations? How about making something magical and different for your next birthday table? All you need are a couple of ingredients from the kitchen.

Things needed

 An opaque dish
 A plastic glass
 Tray or large plate
 1/4 cup vinegar
 4 tsp baking soda

Moms n’ Dads

Do you visit the malls or watch movies every weekend? Here are some other activities you can try instead. Read up some astronomy info and visit the planetarium (preferably with your astronomy book).

 Is the next eclipse around the corner? If so note the address of your nearest science centre to witness the phenomenon live.

Moms n’ Dads

There’s something special about a family that learns together. Learning a new sport together is great for family bonding and is certain to prove an enjoyable learning experience for all.

Try swimming for a start. Learn how to stay afloat and different strokes. When you go on your next vacation, you will have a blast as […]

Do it now!

Make Your Own Sports Drink – Anitha Bennett

Fascinated by all the jazzy drinks for sportspeople on supermarket shelves?

Wondering what magic formula the drink contains that makes it so pricey?

Here’s an easy recipe for a cool sports DIY drink that you can make yourself. It’s yummy, gives you an energy boost, and doesn’t pinch your […]

Short story

Crazy over Cricket -Annie Besant Jon

The Khanna household was busy as a beehive. Everyone was getting ready to go watch an India-Australia cricket match at the city stadium. Papa Khanna had called in sick at work, Mama was furiously making sandwiches and snacks to take along, Nikhil was getting his face painted with […]

Heart to Heart

Hello children!

We all have our moments to cherish, and I am sure you will have sporty moments to cherish.

The thrill of winning a game particularly, at the end of fast-paced, breathless play, is something else altogether! You may be tired, breathing hard, and on the verge of collapse at the end of a long game. […]

Puzzle Box

How many names of animals can you find that begin with the letters inside the mushroom?

Answers: Lion, leopard, aardvark, anteater, tiger, rhinoceros, rat, ram, llama, antelope, reindeer and more.

Book Mark

BLACK BEAUTY

Black Beauty is the fictional biography of a horse, set in the 19th century. Delightfully told from the viewpoint of the horse itself, […]

Do it now!

Visiting the zoo is fun. But it might be even more fun to make your own zoo. Here’s how you can do this.
Collect a big board (or a wide sheet of thick cardboard), soil, mustard or fenugreek seeds.

Find a place where you can leave the board undisturbed. Spread two inches thick damp soil on […]

Short story

Riding a camel to school -Dhanya Parthasarathy

On some days when Sarojini went to school on a camel, she would scrape a knee while jumping off. And often she forgot her water bottle that she carefully hung around the camel’s neck.

The best part about school is getting there, thought Sarojini. This camel is somewhat […]

Heart to Heart

Hello children!

I am well aware that most — if not all — of you are fascinated by our four-legged companions who share the world with us.

If you have spent time with a pet, you know how endearing they can be. That cute face wipe with a paw may have made you want to hug your […]

Make a Friendship Potpourri Jar!

Do it NOW!

Are you looking for a special way to tell your friend you care? Make a potpourri friendship jar that your friend will treasure!

Get a pretty glass or plastic (transparent) jar or take an old one and remove the labels by soaking it in warm water.

Fill the jar with a mixture of goodies as […]

Heart to Heart

Hello Children!

If fun and excitement is what you’re looking for, here’s the place for you! Kidzone presents proposals to rev you up, give you great ideas and help you do some interesting things solo and with other children.

Jump right in and join the action with our cool ideas, activities, engrossing stories, puzzles and more.

Also send […]

Heart to Heart

Do you want 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 who are in need.

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