Pirates seek treasure. They only travel and explore the mighty oceans. They may do so to escape King's soldiers, as it may be hard to spot them in the wide ocean. Though not as adventurous as a pirate, one can walk a trail and search for treasures on land. Though not to gain material wealth, the motive can be a simple quest for fun and adventure. Nature trail can be exciting, boost ones adventure spirit and if lucky find hidden treasures.
It can be a great way to explore the woods, find crawling critters in the mud and crosswalk swirling creeks. It can be fun to jump on water puddles, stop and listen loud splash sound and turn 360 degrees to watch the amount of water scattered all around. Competitions for the best splashier can add to the fun. A simple thing like stopping and listening to the pleasant sound of the wind, making a swaying sound on the leaves of tall trees can generate peaceful music to one's ears.
Walking, playing and searching for simple treasures (different kinds of leaves, rocks etc.) can make one sweat profusely. Suddenly, a whip of breeze can blow and soothe one’s tired nerves and give a pleasant feeling. Shadows can be the best places to take occasional breaks for the tired leg. Running for the nearest tree for shade, taking a break to quench thirst and exploring the holes of the shady tree can be quite exciting.
Simple things once taken for granted are not so simple to get anymore. Bottles of water can be soon consumed, packets of juice can add to the thirst. Soon quest to find the nearest water fountain can become a priority. Breaks under a shady tree might be skipped, tired legs can be soon forgotten. Finally spotting a water fountain, legs can run for it. Finally satisfied with the amount of water consumed, one can spot a bench and rush towards it to take care of the tired legs. The spot near the bench can be a good place for rock collection. Some smooth, rough and strange looking rocks are collected and the nearest tree can be used as a target to check one's aim. Some rocks can also be collected, which might go inside one's treasure chest.
Further exploring the deep woods, one can spot huge, different kinds of trees. The shapes of tall trees can sometimes resemble an animal. Some trees can be intertwined with others as though they are hugging. Some trees can stand-alone. One might also spot trees lying down with roots exposed. Looking at the tree, one can wonder and question, "Did a mighty storm bring it down or was the tree too old to handle itself?” It can be amazing to explore the enormous roots to find that it houses other tiny animals and crawling critters.
One can continue the trail and find added pleasure, a few bigger animals may share the path. A bunch of deer can cross the path. Counting and naming them based on their skin type, color and spots can provide exercise to the brain. Spotting crawling critters and trying to estimate the longest ones can give much-needed rest to the tired legs as one's brain estimate their length.
Though relieved that the trail has ended, treasures collected during the journey can give a good feeling of accomplishment and can lead to exploring new trails in the future.
Some treasures collected, some can be stored in the brain as pleasant memories. When heart’s full and minds sad, one can open the brains treasure chest and use the memories to lighten the heart and put a smile on the swollen lips. It is people who represent and set boundaries for a country. Every country big or small has its own culture, history, and a story. Stories passed on from a generation to next, survive as they transferred their legacies via word of mouth, transcripts, folk tales etc. They sometimes provide valuable information, general insights and to a certain extent their way of life. Boundaries among countries have always been changing. It's not so surprising to find common ancestors or similar folktales among neighboring or somewhat far off countries. Some people pass their culture, way life and stories from one generation on to next. People carry forward the knowledge and way of life and develop a culture. These cultures thrive for a period of time. Some cultures not only survive from ancestral knowledge but each generation creates a legacy of its own. These cultures form civilization which can be the basis for others to follow. There have been great civilizations in the past which gave rise to advancement to today's arts, architecture, science, technology. People in the past too seeking knowledge and personal gain have been moving, trading their ideas and exchanging culture. Mother Earth over centuries has been contributing her share on setting boundaries. The movements of tectonic plates have created huge continents. The once clustered landmass chunk has evolved and scattered into various tiny and huge lands, which have been exploring the wide ocean and its limits. Mankind, being a product of this land has been exploring its vastness over generations. People over centuries; have been migrating from one place to another for various reasons. Migrations can be associated with better living conditions, plundering of their village by barbarians, banishment or just a human tendency to explore new boundaries. There have been many major/minor disputes over land leading to great wars. The boundaries among countries have been changing. Many new boundaries have been set in the past, paving way for new countries. The land has always been associated with glory and honour. The world has witnessed major bloodshed as a result of one or two scrupulous man's dream to rein the world. History has thought a great lesson to mankind. Thanks to the advancement of archaeological science and required technology to aid it, mankind to large extent matured and has the knowledge to try and avoid repeating the same mistakes. There have been many reigns in countries and on its people in the past. Many empires have been built in the past by acquiring more land or by making other states their subordinate. Many great empires have collapsed as people demonstrated their courage to free their states from bondage. Many have freed their country and gained their independence through violent/ not so violent means. Every free country and its people have a flag to proclaim their freedom. Their flag hang's high on every major monument, administrative building, to demonstrate their independence and glory. It is important to stress the significance of the circle of life in the modern context. Many progressive countries have avoided in-house manufacturing of harmful chemicals/products due to restrictions from the law , environment safety or for other reasons. This may have led to outsourcing in other less developed countries, which will affect their land causing it to become arid and not suitable, as the cities around the industrial area become congested. This also can lead to large migration to healthier lands for good living conditions and prosperity. This can lead to tensions, adaptability problems and sometimes congesions in the progressive world. It is hence important to make self-sustained countries and individuals rather than creating an un-necessary dependance which can lead to eventual destruction of this planet. A country's glory can be man-made or natural. Some countries have natural glories in the form of rivers, vast deserts and mountains, green forests or great oceans/seas. There are also many natural resources like gold, diamond, coal etc., specific to a country. Then again people add glory by being responsible and choosing the type of government that would help their country's economy grow and prosper. They are wise enough to trade their natural resources. Every country trades in its currency or uses a global currency.It takes intelligent minds to make a developed country with high GDP. Then again, it takes a great country with matured minds to create a place wherein its people are self-reliant, compassionate and have a healthy mind. Sports have been an integral part of every country. Every country has a sport that originated or has been adopted. Sports were a major form of entertainment for major civilizations in the past. In the past, sports were mostly associated with bloodshed and cruelty. It is good to see many bloody sports/wars replaced with rules. Every country shows its honour and respect for fellow humans by winning or playing in a sport. Every sportsman shows their best and strives for making their country proud. It would not be an understatement to quote "When people do their best for the country, in return their country does well for them". My in-app "Country" in " kidzfun - select" application and the app in "Kidz Mix" tries to capture and narrate the natural and man-made glories associated with countries, starting with alphabets (A-Z). Check it out in an app store.
Recently there has been quite a few changes in the display of contents, in "Kidz Fun" and "Kidz Fun - Select” applications. Both applications are intended for kids, have similar names and menu options (Alphabets, Numbers, Songs, Stories and Q&A) but differ in content. Though both applications can be enjoyed by kids irrespective of their age, "Kidz Fun" application have content that is more appropriate and dedicated to Toddlers/Preschool kids. "Kidz Fun" application display images/audio of alphabets and numbers at random, unlike "Kidz Fun-Select" application which display 's content upon selection."Kidz Fun - Settings" tab is located at the Status bar in iOS and a "Settings" menu is displayed in "Android"."Kidz Fun" application mainly aims for kids to know more words for an alphabet than knowing about the word, while "Kidz Fun-Select" application aims for kids to know more details about a word for an alphabet in a particular category. "Kidz Fun-Select" application is making changes to provide bit more explanation of each word/image for an alphabet in a particular category. The "Animals" and "Vegetable/Fruit" categories in "Kidz Fun-Select" application have contents that reflect the above changes. For example, in "Kidz Fun" application the alphabets display an animal, a fruit or vegetable, an item/emotion, flower at random but in a sequence. The audio describes the name of the image for a particular alphabet. "Alligator begins" with letter "A".
While "Kidz Fun-Select" application displays image and other related images for a particular alphabet. The audio also provides bit more explanation like "Alligators are mostly found in South West America and their lifespan is about 50 years". Similar changes will be available for other categories too in the future. The songs and stories in each of the applications reflect the above changes. Little kids using "Kidz Fun" application are more inclined to enjoy and have fun listening to rhymes/songs and stories."Kidz Fun-Select" applications display songs and stories intended for kids with a bit heavier content. The number menu option in "Kidz Fun" application has numbers 1-10 for kids to learn by counting. "Kidz Fun - Select" application contains "adding" and "subtracting" numbers for slightly older kids to learn. Kidz Learn applications through mobile are a "Content-driven Platform". Kidz Learn tries to provide good and educational content for kids everywhere to have fun and learn. Any suggestions/Comments/improvements are welcome from parents.
Ideas expressed in this blog are solely my opinions and this blog does not get data or analysis for reference from other sites. Its readers responsibility to infer right from wrong.
Since early beginnings, humans have the need to communicate with one another. Language is a creative product of this need. Over centuries, there have been many dialects and symbols as a way of communication. Many sounds have died, few have undergone changes and many have adapted or blended in with other dialects to form a new one. It is not an understatement to think, “Language or being able to communicate is the inception of being creative”.
Investment of time, combined with creative minds of genius are harboured into creating a language. Its noteworthy to think and appreciate the creative minds of people, no matter their origins, to come up with sounds, words, vowels and scripts to form a language. It’s often stated that music comes from his/her feelings or a state of mind, Language from the need to express and communicate. Man is a social animal and thrives being successful in groups. Without language and an ability to communicate, humans would be any other living being wandering the planet. Sure, many other creatures are creative, for e.g. birds have the ability to create wonderful nests, animals also use sounds to communicate with each other, But humans have an ability to craft the sounds into beautiful language. No matter how unpopular, different or beautiful, language is truly the work of creative genius inside us. Every language has its own specialty. Some give emphasize on sound, some on scripts and many on its uniqueness. It is no wonder some cultures associate creativity as a means to communicate with God. No matter what we speak, we enjoy different music that is generated from different sounds. I truly believe we have the responsibility and a need to preserve, acknowledge and respect every language. It may be highly unlikely that humanity will have a need to develop a new Language. So supporting the language by acknowledging, preserving should be encouraged. A Toddler tries to create his/her own sounds but later succumbs and corrects the sounds when exposed to outside environment. A child or an adult can have an ability to learn 2 -3 languages. A language can empower a child’s mind to be creative and use his/her imagination in many known/unknown ways. “ Kidz Learn” applications considers the importance of language and give kids exposure to different world languages. All the applications facilitate the broadminded nature of a child. "Kidz Learn" applications not only accept's and appreciate the sounds but also enable kids to enjoy and absorb their richness.
Do we eat to live or live to eat? This question always eats my mind. In today's busy lifestyle, we tend to take food for granted and eat edible food on the go. How important is good, balanced nutritious food in our day to day lives? When we are kids we are advised to eat healthy food. Lunch and dinner menu always includes vegetables and meat. We dump vegetables in our stomach unwillingly. In teens, we mostly eat food from the school cafeteria and purposely dump vegetables in the trash. As an adult, we mostly neglect eating vegetables and select the juicy, meaty stuff, which can add grease to our mind, body and heart.
I believe, more than half of world’s population, eat to live. The rest who live to eat may just do so to relish the taste and to savour food for a balanced diet. This leaves only 1% - 3% relishing a good balanced and nutritious food. It’s a disturbing fact that good and nutritious food is given low importance in our day to day lives. The least preference among the low importance category can be linked to the intake of vegetables. There are foods that give energy to our body, but I strongly believe vegetables and fruits provide healing powers to body and mind. Sure white, red meat and fish are healthy and provide strength and nutrition that are vital, but vegetables and other condiments (spices) can have powers to heal and protect internal wounds and prevent harmful chemicals from sticking inside our body. There are cultures around the world that give "Eating right" their highest preference. Many have the wisdom to associate eating right with developing positive energy in the body. Among the foods that radiate positive energy, having a daily diet of vegetables and condiments are given highest priority. There are many who skip eating meat altogether, some tend to refrain from eating vegetables that are grown below the ground, others merely eat fruits and vegetables that fall from the trees. Eating right amount of vegetables and fruits is associated with control of mind over body. Many vegetables have the power to cure symptoms of depression. They also help reduce harmful effects of stress. Stress is the growing cause of concern in today’s world. Many vegetables and fruit juices can help reduce weight. Many fruits and vegetables can also help heal many skin related problems. Eating right can cause much-needed balance between mind and body. Surely vegetables along with fruits will help aid in creating the balance. A balanced body will help a person being wise. Being wise and having good health can improve and aid us in getting wealth. On a spiritual note having a good health and mind is synonymous with acquiring wealth. I believe, having vegetables and fruits as part of a daily intake can make a person healthy, wealthy and wise. My applications (Kidz fun and Kidzfun- select) emphasize on eating right, at an early age. On a lighter note, "No harm in trying - 100% zero side effects ;-)".
Can white be beautiful? I look at all the colors in my kid's paintbox and wonder! A white canvas or paper looks unappealing but beautiful when immersed in colors. Sure "white" is associated with purity, but can I wear a pure white dress and not be intimidated by the way I look? Surely not. Though a white dress is associated with a sign of mourning and a way of expressing sadness in some cultures, can one look good and not be intimidated by wearing a totally white accessory? I always wonder. Many (including me) have totally avoided wearing a white outerwear for many reasons; from being too bright, for not being visually appealing, and for fear of stains. Many idioms have been associated with sound "white" as boring ( "plain vanilla"). A dirt or a small stain is predominantly visible and looks more ugly on a white dress when compared to a stain on any colored dress.I believe a white dress overshadows his/her personality. This may be one of the reasons many are comfortable wearing a totally black dress.In black, the personality of the person(self) is more visible than his/her accessories. I like and prefer sober colors.It always blends in with my personality.We may not be fashion designers in blending pure white as a dress on us. If great designers do exist in blending white, the designs may not be easily visible or accessible to a common man. Well, that's where Nature comes in to fill the gap.
On one of those snowy days, I was able to look, enjoy and marvel the craftsmanship by Nature.I was surprised by the power of "Nature" to perfectly adorn pure white on to itself.Never have I dreamt or imagined white or a white accessory so pretty. The carving of icicles on trees are perfect and for a minute, I thought the trees have blossomed snow flowers. For that minute I believed in fairies and snow angels. For a moment I was a child looking and absorbing all the wonders and crazily clicking my digital camera. I even regretted and wished for a camera that had the power to capture images that my eyes could see.But the next moment, I had to come back to reality and overcome the hurdles and dangers of having to drive my vehicle in the excess snow. Happy for small mercies, my mind time and again goes back to that happy moment where it was able to block all the perils and dangers of the aftereffects. Mother earth is a billion years old. It has been recycling many of its resources again and again. It remains pure and delicate. The years have added to her beauty. Though man over generations has been using its natural resources, changing its physical appearance by building roads, bridges and dams, it remained strong.Though many pollutants have been added to its surroundings, still nature remains pure, innocent and pretty. Well, now I truly believe in the power of nature.
The year 2014 has started with quite a frozen outlook, especially in all Northern parts of the continents. With the approach of Polar vortex, many lakes and most of the land mass in the Northeast part of US is completely frozen. The beginning of the month, in the year 2014, has not yet ended and the Northern parts have already experienced a macro and micro version of Polar Vortex. With below freezing temperatures, a thick blanket of ice covering the land and schools declaring holidays due to inclement weather conditions, it is highly unlikely that kids can play outside to make snow angels or snowman. Even going to a friends house for a playdate may not be a feasible option.So what do kids do other than remain indoors?
Most kids never complain when they are stuck inside. They now have all the excuse to watch their favourite cartoons and shows on TV, play video games or go to their favourite kid's site on a computer. Kids also love to play XBOX 360 or Wii. After all, why will parents deny them? Kids are having a healthy workout along with keeping them engaged for an hour or two. Well all of the above though good, can become quite routine.So how about trying something different? I and my kids had a date with creativity on one of those frozen days. We thought of ways to make our home sunny. We pulled out the curtains, making way for the sun rays to enter and brighten the dark room. But the sight outside the window saddened us. Heavy snow and ice had covered the land. We closed our eyes and imagined a bright day and the activities we would do on a sunny day. We then decided to draw and decorate our window glass. Thanks to special markers(which could draw on glass), ideas poured through our mind and we went crazy. Kids imagined that we are taking a stroll in the garden on a sunny day. We started off by drawing a bright sun with flowers and all the tiny bugs and animals that would run around the flower garden. We drew birds flying in the sky and lush green grass so fresh that the morning dew has not escaped it yet. Butterflies have just come out of their cocoons and are exploring the garden, looking at the beautiful flowers and wondering which flower to sit on to drink some nectar.All the animals are so happy to see a sunny day that they all have come out to wish each other a happy and a good day. Kids then imagined being on a boat to spot a whale. We drew a huge whale. The whale brought with it lots of shells and goodies. We also drew whales friends - Starfish and Salmon fish. The friends in water are happy to see a sunny day. On spotting us, the whale lets out a jet of water. Using different shades of window markers, we made our windows look as colorful as possible. Kid's are happy to see a sunny day on our window glass. We are now happy to look at our window glass and feel the warmth of our hearts. The gloomy and cold weather outside the window is replaced by warm and sunny weather on the window glass. Kids and I had a date with creativity for more than one and half hours and we never got bored, even for a minute. We are looking forward to having another date with creativity. Maybe on a very hot day when it's not advisable or too dangerous to go outside. We may imagine snow, snow clad mountains and other snow activities and redraw the window glasses. But until then we have our sunny day to look into and smile at our accomplishment. For those interested, take a look at our accomplishment's below. Maybe you could try with your own kids. Whatever the outcome, rest assured you will never regret it.
Its yearly ritual to go to a beach once every summer. Just sitting in the sand and watching the distant ocean gives peace of mind. Glancing far into a distant sea calms my noisy mind. It somehow has the power to shut off other noises and some unknown calmness engulfs my wondrous mind. When I am at the beach, I am usually lucky to spot a sailboat.I am always happy to watch a sail boat in the distant sea. The ocean looks much more beautiful and pristine with boats riding with their colorful sails. Not to undermine the power of other motor driven boats or ships in the sea, but a sailboat for me represents one of man's achievement in utilizing wind energy in an environmentally friendly way. There is no loud noise of motors or propellers, but just the hush sound of wind. Beautiful sails can add color to the ocean, creating magic. The waves at the shore start of low and slow and with our indulgence tend to play with us by getting higher and foaming faster.
For kid's, beach is a play date. Apart from playing in sand and waves, the best part is to observe and collect the treasures brought ashore by high foaming waves. Collecting seashells of various sizes is the best part of visiting a beach. Though the bag containing shells are placed in a corner of some shelf at home and forgotten, they can be used for creativity during harsh cold days in winter. Shells can be used as a canvas for painting. It can be fun to use these shells as a canvas to paint and draw. On another such freezing day, thus began our second fun date with creativity.From 3 year old to an adult, we all had a shell, glue, color sparkles, paint, sketch pens and brushes and each of us tried to create our magic on the shell canvas. After more than an hour painting and sparkling, we were proud of our accomplishments. For those interested, take a look at our masterpieces ;-) below. Maybe you could try with your own kids. Whatever the outcome, rest assured you will have a great time.
Kids today, live in a digital age. Products, to aid our comfort, surround us at the touch of a button. Smartphones have broadened their usage from a mere text and talk to Personal Planner, Wallet Organizer, Entertainment Center and a Navigation aid. The reality today - Smart gadget are an integral part of our lives. Parents directly or indirectly influence kids in thinking the same. Kids use most of these smart gadgets. Parents have a number of kid applications downloaded on their smart Phones or Tablets. The App Store/ Google Play store/ Amazon is flooded with innumerable applications ranging from games, educational applications, and even curriculum base applications from kinder garden to 12th grade. Many applications have a beautiful and detailed explanation of the subject. Playing games is the most exciting and fun part of using smart Phone or Tablet. Most of the free applications have in-app purchases and advertisements. Kids can get carried away playing games and purchase in-app. The price of an in-app may not matter to them. Some of the in-apps have a recurring payment clause, written in fine print which can be easily ignored. Small kids due to their curious nature can click in-app purchases. Parents can get a shock at the end of the month looking at their app store statements. Ads in mobile space is a new way of displaying newer brands in the market. Some may be age appropriate but many are not. Hence parents need to be extra careful, downloading applications for kids. Applications designed for kids should provide some kind of barrier so that kids cannot visit ads that are not appropriate. All the applications of "Kidz Learn” be it free or paid have parental locks. All the in-app purchase links in "Kidz Learn" applications need parent approval for visiting the page or downloading. Ads are blocked based on the "text" contained in the ads. These texts are filtered in the settings page of the ad agencies displaying the ads. Secondly, there is a parental gate that denies access to external websites. Hence all the contents of "Kidz Learn Applications" can be used with minimal parental monitoring.
Social and e-mail sharing are the most powerful ways of communicating and expressing ideas about a product. Mobile applications, be it for adults or kids need these sharing tools for rating and commenting on a product. Many applications may collect private information ranging from location, first and last names, e-mail and other sensitive information like address, pictures and phone numbers. Many applications designed for kids may collect them for data mining purposes. All the applications of "Kidz Learn" have the social sharing links in the parent zone. Kids cannot access these tools prior to parental consent and approval. "Kidz Learn Applications" is a member of COPPA and my applications are placed in "Know what's inside" website which strictly encourages mobile apps which has these rules incorporated. Nothing is fool-proof, "Kidz Learn" attempts its best to incorporate security features in all of its applications.
Being in the city or suburb, one can get very busy and ignore all the sounds. We walk/drive past without spotting animals large and small. Even when walking in the park or walkway, we tend to put a walkman err.. iPod and avoid hearing the sounds of nature. It surprises me (to certain extent worries me) that my children prefer to see a movie as soon as they enter the car or look into a smart gadget to play games. I remember old days, when I was a child, fighting for a window seat with my cousins. Now I find a lot of vacant window seats in trains, buses and cars but none interested to look around and enjoy the scenery. This is a digital age and kids born in this age are exposed to many gadgets. There are so many applications in App Store/ Google Play store to learn, play, think and have fun. After a tired day of classwork at school, extracurricular activity and homework, kids do tend to look for a gadget as a means to escape their tiredness or as an added tool to improve their mental capabilities. Sometimes I really feel, kids can take a break and look at nature and world around us. Nature trails and looking at animals small and large can be one of the best stress relievers.
Though extremely difficult to spot a medium sized animal in a trail or by car, it's not impossible. I was fortunate to take one of the Nature trails with my kids in one of the National parks and was happy to see my kids have fun. My kids were equally happy trying to spot an animal big and small, as they would be having fun playing in a smart gadget. Most of their remarks are mentioned along with pictures above/below. Our hearts and mind were extremely happy, energized and enthusiastic to spot/identify animals. After spotting an animal, we got carried away and crazily clicked pictures(using a camera from a smart gadget). The animals did not seem to mind either. We did not know the names of some of the animals we clicked. I was thankful for having a smartphone which gave me pictures and the names of animals. This made me think, gadgets in nature trails can be very helpful as they can be used as an important tool to find their names.
Bugs are the most extraordinary creatures on this planet. Though small, different or scary to look at, and a short lifespan, they thrive in some of the unlikely places on earth. They are very useful and necessary to dispose of the unnecessary and rotten matter. They can be cute and small, yet are pests and harmful to mankind and plants.
We look to the skies to spot an alien. We may not know much about these crawling, flying creatures that dwell in huge numbers among us. Bugs have different characteristics and patterns which can amaze us and make us appreciate them for their important role in nature. Some of their characteristic's include: ability to withstand and survive extraordinary temperature, tackle and camouflage predators, grow and reproduce separately when slithered in two, shoot stinky or acid substance on its predator or have stingers with venom. They can change shapes, forms and colors.They have no eyes but can sense with touch or they may have 1000 eyes to clearly track and catch a moving object in mid-air. They can be perfectly still and look like a non-living object. They can produce sounds from their body parts. Some bugs have the huge body, but small wings to carry them at amazing heights, defying a theory of science. Their skill and ability to carry heavier objects than their own body weight is one of the important characteristics, among other things, to marvel. We may knowingly or unknowingly kill them, destroy them using chemicals that are 100 times more harmful to us, consider them gross and filthy that we will not allow them near us or our residence. Their presence is considered as a serious threat. But true knowledge about these extraordinary creatures will make us appreciate their existence and their importance in nature. My application about bugs (Buggy World in iOS and Bugs World in Android) classifies these extraordinary creatures into many categories and provide insights on their characteristics. Though one application is not enough to capture the huge world of bugs, "Bugs World" or "Buggy World" application paves the way as a small step in understanding these beautiful but sadly underestimated creatures. |
The ideas and views expressed in the blog belongs to the Proprietor of "Kidz Learn Applications" unless explicitly stated. Also the ideas and views in the blog though mostly researched, may not be perfect.
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