Chess, as a part of the Summer Camp activities, came to an end. The coach engaged in simultaneous chess display moves with all the participants to gauge their learning. Parents were very impressed with the varying techniques being used by their children which had been honed over one month. Later on the participants were awarded certificates and a chess technique manual. 

Udgam School started Summer Camp from this year. We have a variety of activities for our students from Classes I to VI. Children have been enjoying themselves thoroughly while learning something new. Here are a few snapshots of the ‘kids at play’.

Here are the names of the school toppers in 3^rd International English Olympiad. Congratulations to all!

All the above mentioned students were awarded with certificates and medals.

As kids we used to spend a lot of time writing letters, diary entries and compositions that were not a part of the school curriculum. In fact most of us enjoyed penning down our thoughts in the notebook that was ever ready to be whisked out whenever something interesting cropped up.

With the advent of technology, we have become attuned to sending emails and texts and writing with the hand has almost phased out. But writing needs to be encouraged and your child needs to be able to put his/her thoughts in words and enjoy the sheer joy of it. Even a toddler loves scribbling and the preschooler is looking forward to writing on paper.

Catch them young and carry on writing whenever possible. With the summer holidays coming up, what better time to instill the love of writing in your child!

Here are a few ways in which this can be done effectively.

1. Give her lots and lots of paper- big-sized ones, crayons and color pencils. Whenever she gets the urge to write, she can scribble away; you might be busy and would not like to be distracted. So at that time, keeping her engaged with paper and pencil will keep her busy too.

2. A special area of the house can be selected as a writing corner. Put up a huge paper here and let your child write or colour on it. Let her be as creative as she wants to be with full independence.

3. Read out to him from a story book and let him write down some of the words that he hears. Read through the words together after you finish.

4. Involve your child in writing grocery lists. Tell the child what all are required and let him write them down. This will instill a feeling of responsibility too.

5. Encourage the slightly older child to write letters to grandparents, cousins, uncles and others. Make the process of writing the letter and posting it a fun time for your kid.

6. Give your child a beautiful notebook to write on. Encourage her to write down poems, thoughts and entries on a regular basis.

7. Teach your child how to make greeting cards for all occasions and send them out to family and friends. This will also encourage her to be creative with designs and colours.

Writing is an art and needs to be inculcated and nurtured at home. As a parent you can play a big role in making your child a good writer.

Udgam School for Children believes in grooming the future citizens in its best possible way.

21^st April being the Earth Day, discussions in classrooms took place regarding our mother earth and most importantly students were sensitized towards pollution and  the need to celebrate ‘Earth Day’ . Students made posters and charts under the guidance of teachers, as a part of Earth day.

Three Udgamites namely Prapti Yadav, Hiteshi Raval and GurleenKaur Nanda all from class 9 took forward the knowledge gained in school of being sensitive towards environment.  They participated in a quiz competition  organized at the Centre for Environment Education on the occasion of ‘The Earth Day Eve’ on 21^st April,2013 as a part of ongoing campaign ‘MY CITY MY RIVER’ .

They brought laurels to school by gaining third position in the quiz. They passed through written round and faced the quiz based on Rivers and Heritage.

They were conferred with certificates and gifts as encouragement.

Young children learn by imagining and doing. Have you ever watched your child pick up a stone and pretend it is a zooming car, or hop a Lego across the table as if it were a person or a bunny? Your child is using an object to represent something else while giving it action and motion. But this pretend play is not as simple as it may seem. The process of pretending builds skills in many essential developmental areas.

When your child engages in pretend (or dramatic) play, he is actively experimenting with the social and emotional roles of life. Through cooperative play, he learns how to take turns, share responsibility, and creatively problem-solve. When your child pretends to be different characters, he has the experience of “walking in someone else’s shoes,” which helps teach the important moral development skill of empathy. It is normal for young children to see the world from their own egocentric point of view, but through maturation and cooperative play, your child will begin to understand the feelings of others. Your child also builds self-esteem when he discovers he can be anything just by pretending!

Language Skills
Have you ever listened in as your child engages in imaginary play with his toys or friends? You will probably hear some words and phrases you never thought he knew! In fact, we often hear our own words reflected in the play of children. Kids can do a perfect imitation of mom, dad, and the teacher! Pretend play helps your child understand the power of language. In addition, by pretend playing with others, he learns that words give him the means to reenact a story or organize play. This process helps your child to make the connection between spoken and written language — a skill that will later help him learn to read.

Thinking Skills
Pretend play provides your child with a variety of problems to solve. Whether it’s two children wanting to play the same role or searching for the just right material to make a roof for the playhouse, your child calls upon important cognitive thinking skills that he will use in every aspect of his life, now and forever.

Does your child enjoy a bit of roughhousing? Great! Some researchers in early brain development believe that this sort of play helps develop the part of the brain (the frontal lobe) that regulates behavior. So instead of worrying that this type of activity will encourage your child to act out or become too aggressive, be assured that within a monitored situation roughhouse play can actually help your child learn the self-regulation skills needed to know how and when this type of play is appropriate.

Nurturing the Imagination
Not enough pretend play at your house? Consider creating a prop box or corner filled with objects to spark your preschooler’s fantasy world. You might include:

Large plastic crates, cardboard blocks, or a large, empty box for creating a “home”

Old clothes, shoes, backpacks, hats

Old telephones, phone books, magazines

Cooking utensils, dishes, plastic food containers, table napkins, silk flowers

Stuffed animals and dolls of all sizes

Fabric pieces, blankets, or old sheets for making costumes or a fort

Theme-appropriate materials such as postcards, used plane tickets, foreign coins, and photos for a pretend vacation trip

Writing materials for taking phone messages, leaving notes, and making shopping lists

School Toppers

Here are the class wise school toppers for 15^th National Science Olympiad 2012-13. All the below mentioned students were conferred with medals and certificates.

15^TH NSO 2012-13

IMO School Toppers

It is matter of pride to announce the names of school level toppers in 6^th International Mathematics Olympiad.

6^TH IMO 2012-13

All the above students were conferred with certificates and medals.

COLOURS ALL AROUND…

It was a rhapsody of colours in the Exhibition Room at Udgam School. The students of classes 6 to 8 put up a grand display of their handiwork. Their yearlong effort was definitely worth the visit.

On display were a number of items, each standing out as a mark of art and beauty. There were a number of colourful aprons, pillow covers and cushion covers that were hand stitched and embroidered. The wide variety of fabric painting was very impressive and covered items like handkerchiefs and pillow covers which the students had made using vegetables and fingers. The needlework by Class 8 is worth a mention and the pin cushion holders, folders and stitching kits were painstakingly made and looked gorgeous.

Class 7 students had a grand display of origami covering flowers, fans and sparrows, heralding the arrival of spring and the return of sparrows to the city. There were bookmarks of all shapes and sizes too. Wall and ceiling decorative along with pen holders, put up by Class 6 students, looked good too. The paintings by the children looked very colourful and many had a delightful array of lentils and other small glass pieces to enhance the appearance. 

Udgam Ranks in the International English Olympiad

Udgam School students excel in the 3^rd SOF International English Olympiad conducted by the Science Olympiad Foundation in partnership with the British Council.

Heartiest congratulations to the students who have made us proud!