Children love stories and look forward to their 10-minute story time session with teachers and parents each day. Through stories, they meet different characters, learn new ideas, and even further expand their imagination. Illustrious picture books are captivating and inspires our little ones to become creative thinkers. Math on the other hand is the least favorite subject for most of us. How can math be made more meaningful to kids? Read through this Blog to discover some storybooks that integrate math learning and vocabulary, through pictures, songs, and rhyming words.

What Time is It Tim?

A simple storybook that helps children understand the concept of Time. The characters in the book are interesting and the scenes are relatable, as they are a part of the child’s everyday life. Best suited for children of age group 2 years to 5 years.

100 Bugs! A Counting Book

Kate Narita (Author), Suzanne Kaufman (Illustrator)

Who says counting isn’t fun? Packed with thrilling adventure and mysterious revelations, this book keeps children fascinated from beginning to end. Join the young lad and his sister, as they set off to find different kinds of bugs and count them in sets of 10. As you proceed, you will discover different ways of counting to 10, until you finally reach the magic figure of 100! Alongside counting, our curious learners learn about different species of plants & names of bugs.

My Granny Went to Market 

Stella Blackstone (Author), Christopher Corr (Illustrator)

We’ve heard Aladdin loves to fly around on his magic carpet, but now it’s granny’s turn! In this book, granny uses a carpet to travel the globe exploring cities and regions, while collecting different kinds of souvenirs. It makes for an enchanting read, with rhyming verse and colorful illustrations. So, hop onto the carpet with dear granny and travel the globe.

Round Is a Tortilla: A Book of Shapes

Roseanne Thong (Author), John Parra (Illustrator)

Shapes are all around us! Our earth is spherical, the pizza slice is triangle shaped, and the television is a rectangle. This book ‘Round Is a Tortilla’ focuses on introducing kids to a variety of objects and draws the attention of the reader towards identifying different shapes. Shape by shape, you playfully notice that the bar of ice cream is a rectangle, and quesadillas form triangles, similar to the piece of watermelon. Can you think of anything that is oval in shape? Every now & then in the book, you will also find some Spanish words, which can be translated as a passing reference to add to your child’s vocabulary. The book is indeed written with a witty sense of humor and the verses make for a delightful read.

One Is a Snail, Ten Is a Crab A Counting by Feet Book

April Pulley Sayre (Author), Jeff Sayre (Author), Randy Cecil (Illustrator)

If you are a seasoned educator, you would have probably picked this one for story telling sessions and discussed it with kids during circle time. Most Dubai and other GCC region based IB schools have this book on their library shelf. As you flip through the pages, the characters become more real and you feel a sense of involvement. It is indeed super fun learning counting and multiplication with big feet and small feet and meeting people, spiders, dogs, and insects, on the way- from 1 to 100! If you are a seasoned educator, you would have probably picked this one for storytelling sessions and discussed it with kids during circle time.

Inch by Inch

Leo Lionni (Author, Illustrator)

This book features a smart ‘inchworm’ who can measure almost anything. It can measure the flamingo’s neck, the robin’s tail, and the beak of the toucan. But one day a nightingale threatens to eat the inchworm if he is unable to measure its song. To know how cleverly the inchworm manages this situation, read the book and find out for yourself.

To further strengthen your child’s math skills, the Mathseeds platform offers a comprehensive fun-filled learning program that fosters a love for Math, while reinforcing concepts that are taught in schools across UAE in the Middle East, and globally. They even offer a 30-day free trial to learners who seem keen on using this platform for their everyday after-school Math revision: https://knowledge-hub.com/mathseeds/

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Globally, we are becoming digitally advanced and moving towards a connected future. Technology evolves at a rapid pace and its dynamism cannot be curtailed. Our dear friend ‘Elon Musk’ is revolutionizing the way technology plays a role in ‘space travel’ & ‘robotics’ thereby proving that ‘anything is possible with the correct use of technology’. Before we say goodbye to 2022, let us learn some of the cool tech trends that are shaping our lives & making the world a better place to live in.

#1 Blockchain

Information is ‘the most’ important aspect for carrying out business and running smooth operations. Therefore, companies need access to accurate information in real-time, to be able to take important decisions and make plans for the future. Blockchain is like a digital ledger that stores information and makes it available whenever needed. By accessing blockchain, one can get transparent and reliable data related to; business orders placed by clients, payment schedules, accounts, the scale of production, etc. Basically, it automates the process of having to manage huge amounts of data manually, and that-to error-free without any scope for duplication. Blockchain is exciting and without even us realizing it, we reap the benefits of Blockchain in our everyday lives. Blockchain is used for fast money transfers by banks & also eliminates the need for intervention by a third party. Our mobile ‘wallets’ like Google Pay make cashless transactions possible and also reward customers for their loyalty.

#2 5G

5G (fifth generation) wireless is currently the most advanced mobile broadband technology standard in the world. The 5G download speed can reach 10 gigabits per second and is attributed to be 100 times faster than the previously used 4G network. One can access files, videos, and programs without any waiting time due to its almost zero-latency promise and higher execution capacity. This means that 5G is a trustworthy network that clearly ticks all boxes when it comes to speed, security, coverage, & exponential capacity. Private organizations, government services, and multinational conglomerates today rely on 5G data to conduct their business and service customers across the globe. Even high-demanding jobs in sectors such as; manufacturing, healthcare, and energy transmission that require utmost precision & where every milli-second counts, can comfortably rely on 5G connectivity. Fun fact, did you know; UAE is amongst the world’s fastest countries in deploying 5G networks?

#3 Virtual Reality (VR)

Virtual Reality is used in different industries to train their staff and get employees ready to handle highly-skilled jobs. In the medical field, the simulators create a 3D scenario of a patient on whom a critical operation needs to be performed, and the trainee surgeon gets to practice step-by-step operation without putting the patient at risk. VR can also be used to train military armed forces by creating different war-zone-like scenarios, thereby preparing them to tackle any enemy attack that they may have to combat. Even the education sector is making utmost use of VR to excite students and transport them to any country or region across the globe to study landscapes, observe monuments, and learn about its topography. Dubai is pretty tech-savvy and most schools encourage students to participate in simulated environments to foster their creativity.

The comprehensive computer curriculum by TechnoKids is supporting this VR revolution and therefore introduced the TechnoMinds module. Using remote control programming, children can experience VR and all that it has to offer. TechnoKids is adopted by K12 schools world-over, including those in GCC regions in the Middle East.

#4 Edge Computing

We have heard the term Cloud Computing, but what is Edge Computing? Cloud Computing became popular in 2010 and now Edge Computing has taken over in 2022. It is one level advanced to Cloud Computing and assumes more reliable & efficient processing. The Internet of Things (IoT) technology extensively makes use of Edge Computing phenomena. Basically, Edge distributes the computing framework and brings enterprise applications closer to data sources, such as IoT devices or local edge servers. This proximity to data to its source can benefit by providing faster insights, improved response, and stronger bandwidth availability.

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Robotics competitions are the new trend and students from across nations are invited to participate to flaunt their Coding Skills. Middle-school & secondary graders are invited to solve some engineering problems and showcase their ingenuity at such competitions that take place in GCC regions, including UAE. Some of these events allow students to select their topics, while others have a theme that needs to be kept in mind while submitting the final project entries. Such competitions prepare students to be NextGen designers, engineers, and builders, with a passion to raise to challenges & find innovative solutions.

Here are some tips that will help you prepare in advance for the competition:

1. Get to know your teammates well. A good team has a mix of members who demonstrate different capabilities. Someone may be proficient at preparing a plan and the other may excel at executing the project. So, learn each teammate’s strengths and weaknesses, well in advance.
2. Practice using the tools and Robotic kits that you would have to make use of at the competition. Every participant needs to be acquainted with the toolkit so that there is no panic at the end moment. Experiment with building a variety of Robots using the toolkit, well in advance before the competition date.
3. Involve your team in virtual simulator games so that you can estimate each member’s timing and aim to improve their speed of working. Robotify is an excellent virtual coding platform that allows students to practice coding without physically using hardware or any additional software. Robotify also has coding games like; Treasure Trove, Drone Park, Axel’s Mars Adventure, so that children don’t get bored while working with tricky Python codes! Robotify subscription is available to all students and its popularity is evident in Dubai & other UAE regions.
4. Create your own bugs while preparing for the contest, so that you can find out which teammate demonstrates the best ‘problem-solving’ abilities and entrust him the duty to guide everyone on competition day. Become friends with ‘common bugs’ such as; error in syntax and error in calculation, so that you know how to proceed further without panicking. But also, be prepared for unexpected surprises!
5. It is a great idea to approach a senior mentor or someone whose everyday job involves making Robots so that you can get some handy tips for extra advantage in the competition. Your mentor will provide you with guidance & direction, thereby mentoring your team to be more confident in completing the coding tasks.
6. Push your limits and don’t settle for less! Participating in the Robot competition could be a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity and your team needs to aim at winning the annual Robotics cup. Therefore, keep reworking your models until you are satisfied with the outcome. Power your Robot to challenge itself because there’s nothing that a Robot can’t be made to do.
7. Delegating responsibility is the basic fundamental of how an organization works. The success of any project is measured by the capacity of the team to put bits & pieces together to form a complete deliverable. If one member is entrusted with the duty of testing, the others should manage construction, drawing, and prototyping, so that the final model is robust enough to carry out its functions & does not falter at the time of presentation.
8. Practice your presentation to impress judges. Once you have your Robot ready, it comes to how you present it before your esteemed audiences. The panellists need to understand what value your Robot is adding and how is it better than the projects submitted by other teams. Practice your pitch in advance and choose the best communicator in the team to do the needful.

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