When children step into a Toddler environment at age 1.5 years their minds are like blank slates, with only limited information picked-up from conversations at home with parents. Stepping into a pre-school introduces children to a whole new world of learning. They observe, communicate, and learn to behave well in a social setting.

Tiny tots often replicate the adult’s actions and are very observant. Therefore, in a kindergarten setting, the teacher must be a role-model and adopt a disciplined way of action to inculcate the same values in the classroom.

Children’s brains are like sponges, they absorb information that is thrown at them with ease. Science has proven that maximum brain development that is 90% happens by 6 years of age. Therefore, to make them well-rounded individuals in the future, children need to get an exposure to numerous activities.

Parents encourage their children to participate in music, art, physical fitness, and dance, even before they start to master their ABC’s. Computer literacy is another skill that a kindergarten child is rapidly being exposed to. The world is becoming increasingly dependent on technology and people are coming even closer, thanks to the use of the web.

The question is that, can you teach a 3-year-old child to connect with the fascinating world of technology and discover colors, numbers, vocabulary and shapes, from a tab?

Well, the answer is definitely an assertive. Parents are amazed at how quick their pre-schoolers learn to ‘click’ and ‘navigate’ on their path of self-discovery. Learning-by-doing themselves is a way of instilling confidence in youngsters and they get a sense of pride when they accomplish a task.

Technokids has a deep understanding of the learning capabilities of children and thereafter designed different training modules to teach them the basics in an interesting manner. To support the learning of numbers, colors, shapes, and letters, taught by the teacher in class, children are given the freedom to experiment and use their imagination to create meaningful projects on the TechnoKids app. Have a look at what each of the module focuses on.

Techno Colors

Dive into the world of color with Techno Colors and transform your kid into a budding artist. Techno Color teaches kids the following:

• Color challenge: Using the drawing tool, children themselves draw patterns, sceneries and add their choice of color to it.
• Shades of color: Matching shades of color needs children to identify and pair the appropriate color shades together.
• Feeling color: Different colors are associated with emotions and when children choose a color it demonstrates what mood they are in.
• A colorful day: Children add color to the bright morning skyline.
• Colorful music: This is a unique activity where children listen to music and paint a picture on the melody of the sound.

Learning objective to kids by using Techno Color

• Identifying different colors
• Lean about the various shades
• Use the mouse to click, drag, hold, and double click
• Learn to draw with tools like pencil, marker tool, crayon, and chalk
• Choose stickers, add sounds, and paste animations
• Add text to the picture
• Create artwork to express mood

Techno Numbers

Develop the knack of number recognition amongst your kids with Techno Numbers. Techno Numbers teaches kids the following:

• Number challenge: Engaging number challenges that intrigue an interest in the child for learning math passionately.
• Numerous numbers: Counting, tracing, and painting numbers helps the child practice, while having fun.
• Big book of numbers: Avail the student number counting workbook along with the kit.
• Stylish numbers: Children sort, count, and draw numbers in an artistic way, from one to ten.

Learning objective to kids by using Techno Number

• Develops recognition of numbers from 1 to 10
• Counting skills enhance
• Children learn to locate number keys on keyboard
• Creativity increases with drawing tool
• Easily print the artwork to flaunt your child’s work

Techno Shapes

Children visit the computer lab and work on the Kid Pix tool by Techno Shapes to learn about the basic shapes and geometric patterns. Techno Shapes teaches kids the following:

• Connecting Dots: Children join the dots in a sequential manner to make shapes.
• Shape Design: Children experience a shape Art Show and display their creativity to replicate Geometric shapes.
• Shape Detective: Put up the child’s thinking caps on as they are on a mission to detect various shapes.
• Lovely Lines: Draw and paint lines with different curvatures to form artistic patterns.

Learning objective to kids by using Techno Shapes

• Identify basic shapes
• Select appropriate drawing and painting tool
• Create a dot to dot design
• Use patterns or stamp to draw geometric shapes

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When children begin to learn essential skills at school whether they are curriculum-based skills or extra-curricular ones, it shapes them into bright individuals. Reading, writing, conversing, public speaking, debates, art and craft, sport, performing arts are some of the vital activities that nurture them so that they can have well-rounded personalities. Of course, this is just the beginning and there are infinite possibilities ahead of them to be achieved. One such important skill to attain in early education is to know how to use a dictionary.

The basic function, why a person would use a dictionary, is to look up the meaning of a word. Words in a dictionary are arranged alphabetically, so as for them to be found easily by the user scavenging for the meaning of a word. The moment someone finds any word in a dictionary, it will show its meaning, they can check the spelling, see its pronunciation, and the dictionary mentions the part of speech for the word. Moreover, it will show another part of speech related to the searched word. E.g., Resolve – is a verb, which means to make up one’s mind. The noun for the same word would be resolution and the adjective for it would be resolved.

Dictionaries are available in many languages. There are several dictionaries that help translate a word into another language. They also explain the origin of certain words. A dictionary helps to understand synonyms and antonyms of words, which have similar and opposite meanings respectively. There are picture dictionaries as well for little children and those are very illustrative with attractive pictures to help children understand the meaning of several things. In a game of Scrabble, which is an excellent word game to build up one’s vocabulary, a dictionary comes in handy when there is a common argument related to the spelling of a word which people would get confused with and the dictionary solves all the queries and the players can enjoy and play an error free game.

So, as we have seen, there are tremendous benefits a dictionary can offer and when a child understands the alphabetical order and the pattern of how to use a dictionary and find a word, they will gradually become a pro at it and it will become the best tool for them to improve their language, grammar, pronunciation, strengthen their vocabulary, enhance their writing skills and they will be able to speak confidently and carry themselves in great spirit with positive and smart body language, as it boosts their morale as well as their mental health. Having a strong command over any language, will not only help them in school but outside as well and will empower them in future competitive exams.

These are great assets for a child to have and they need to constantly keep working on themselves with amazing parents and teachers by their side for them to prosper in life. English is used worldwide and is the most spoken language and they must definitely master it but on the other hand it is also crucial to sharpen one’s regional or second languages. If you are one to be staying in Dubai or in another Emirate of the UAE, or in any Middle East or a GCC country, then we would urge the parent to polish the child in the local languages like Arabic and many more, where one resides. Here these non-English dictionaries will help a lot with such languages and to get a grip over them. There are English to other language convertible dictionaries and vice versa available to help the user translate the words and help themselves.

Apart from knowing English and local languages, it is imperative and supremely helpful to learn other foreign languages as well like French, German or Spanish for example that when the child gets to study abroad, it would really help them and even on a regular holiday to a foreign location, a dictionary comes in handy at all times. Not only should the adults but the children must carry them in their pockets or backpacks. Today with the internet and online search engines like Google, our gen-next children are very intelligent and they would easily find the meaning of a word online but what a traditional dictionary can do and is capable of is beyond imagination. It is essential to learn the crux the hard way around and then you will see your child rise and shine. Prep your children to use dictionaries more often, play games with them, do fun word searches and interesting activities that will excite them and they will use them.

“Reading Eggs” makes learning to read interesting and engaging for kids, with great online reading games and activities. And it really works! Children truly love the games, songs, golden eggs, and other rewards which, along with feeling proud of their reading, really motivate children to keep exploring and learning.

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In the words of Jim Rohn, “Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.” There is no shortcut to achieving anything in life. To be able to master something, whether it is, to run, swim, sing, dance or speak English proficiently, you have to learn the basics and then go on to becoming a champion and the learning must never stop. English is the most spoken language in the world. To have a natural command over it and to speak it fluently, one has to first get a strong grip over the grammar that forms its crux and an important component of which are the 8 parts of speech such as noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection. These indicate how the word functions in meaning as well as grammatically within a sentence. In simple terms, sentences are made up of many words and each of these words fall into a category of part of speech.

The English language does get tricky and there are certain words that can belong to more than one part of speech because of their ability to have a different meaning in various circumstances. The learner has to identify them. Of course, with practice one can effortlessly become a pro at acing them and to exactly know where to use which part of speech and then forming sentences will be a breeze. There is wonderful study material available online and one such site that we recommend to visit is knowledge-hub.com to get great insights on English grammar and shop for online lessons. In the meanwhile, let us understand parts of speech in detail and how they can be used in sentences.

Noun

A noun is a word used to describe a thing or a person. There can be proper or common nouns. Nouns can also be singular or plural. Capital letters are used to denote names of proper nouns which are names of people and places. E.g., My dog Kino lives with us at our home in Dubai. Common nouns are dog and home and they are singular nouns. Proper nouns are Kino and Dubai. E.g., The residential properties at Palm Jumeirah in Dubai are beautiful. The noun in plural here is properties.

Pronoun

A pronoun is a word that is replaced by a noun in a sentence. They could be words like I, you, he, she, etc. E.g., Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is a renowned politician of the United Arab Emirates and she is the President of the Dubai Women Establishment. The pronoun here is she that gets replaced by her name when it gets mentioned twice in the same sentence.

Verb

A verb is an action word that describes an activity that someone is doing or tasks people are engaging with. E.g., My parents are travelling to the Middle East for a month-long holiday and will be visiting Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, and Oman and will be meeting friends and family across these places. The verbs here are travelling, visiting, and meeting that denote action.

Adjective

An adjective is a word that further describes a proper or a common noun or a thing in a sentence. The descriptive adjective could either be in a good or a bad light that is talking about the noun. E.g., I love the Ferrari World at Abu Dhabi which always gives us an enjoyable experience and it is the most spectacular theme park in the United Arab Emirates. The adjectives here are enjoyable and spectacular which describe this place in a good way. E.g., Littering on the streets of Dubai is awful and one is penalised with a hefty fine for doing so. The adjectives here are awful and hefty that are used to describe the unpleasant activity of littering.

Adverb

An adverb is a word that describes a verb or an adjective or modifies them. Usually adverbs end in -ly. There are some adverbs that do not end with -ly such as also, never, often, very, too, again, etc. There are some interrogative adverbs that are used in a question such as why, when, where, how, etc. E.g., The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is absolutely stunning. Here the adverb is absolutely which is a word ending in -ly and the adjective is stunning which is describing the Burj Khalifa. E.g., Apart from living in the UAE, people often migrate to other GCC countries like Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar. Here the adverb is often which is followed by the verb migrate. E.g., When are you moving to Dubai? This is a question and the adverb here is when and the verb is moving.

Preposition

A preposition is a word that links a noun to another word or it links a noun to a pronoun. Prepositions can be to, on, at, after, etc. E.g., Ayesha went to school on Wednesday. As we can see, to and on are the prepositions here linking the proper noun Ayesha to the common noun school and the proper noun Wednesday in the sentence.

Conjunction

Conjunctions are words that join other words, sentences, or clauses. Conjunctions are but, and, or, while, etc. E.g., Rubina and Farhana enjoyed themselves at Ski Dubai while skiing and playing with the snow. The conjunctions in this sentence are, and that comes twice and while.

Interjection

Interjections are very short exclamation words that are used in a sentence to express sudden emotions of surprise, joy, hurt, greeting, etc. E.g., Wow! I love this present. This is someone being surprised and happy while receiving a gift. E.g., Ouch! I mistakenly pricked my finger while stitching. This sentence describes hurt being the emotion for getting pricked by the needle. E.g., Hi! How are you doing? A simple greeting is being expressed with this exclamation in the sentence.

‘Highlights Library’ is a global media brand with major presence in Dubai and UAE, and a digital reading platform that fosters a child’s love for reading. With thousands of books at their fingertips, students can enjoy a world of imagination and exploration personalized for them. It supports children’s many interests through stories, videos, and rewards that engage and delight. Spanning 10 content areas and 30 reading levels, ‘Highlights Library’ allows children to choose what they read and thus they are excited to discover even more books. If you are a resident of the Middle East or GCC Countries, subscribe to the Highlights platform via our link https://knowledge-hub.com/highlights/ 

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TechnoKids Computer Curriculum is a collection of technology projects that provide engaging computer activities for K-12 students. Each technology venture teaches different current technologies and STEM skills such as Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Coding, Programming, Innovation, 3D Printing, and many more. Since the introduction of these computer lesson plans, countries like UAE have shown great promise in inculcating these into the lives of their children, with Dubai being at the forefront of it.

It offers lessons digitally for schools, learning centres, and home-schools. TechnoKids divides projects into different categories. We have lesson plans for kids in Kindergarten to Grade 12.

PRIMARY CURRICULUM COLLECTION

This module includes technology projects for beginners. Activities are useful to Grade 1-3. Thoroughly ready lesson plans introduce computer skills to young children. The Primary Curriculum Collection includes 8 technology projects fit for kids in Grade 1-3 or ages 5-8. The collection involves TechnoBookmaking, TechnoFit, TechnoGallery, TechnoMe, TechnoPainter, TechnoStart, TechnoStories, and TechnoWhiz. Each project has a simple teacher guide for lesson planning, reproducible worksheets to strengthen learning, and customizable resources. The collection consists of learning by publishing stories, writing non-fiction books, producing slideshows, coding games and more. Instructional material is included for Google Docs, Office Offline, Office 2013/2016/2019 and Scratch Jr.

Technology skill: Publishing, Digital Citizenship, Graphics, Presentation, Programming and Word Processing.

JUNIOR CURRICULUM COLLECTION

Technology projects that integrate digital learning into curriculum. Activities are ideal for Grades 3-6. Student-centered lessons promote the practical usage of technology. The Junior Curriculum Collection includes 12 technology projects perfect for kids in Grade 3-6 or ages 8-12. The collection consists of TechnoCandy, TechnoEditor, TechnoResearch, TechnoToon, TechnoInternet, TechnoJournal, TechnoPresenter, TechnoSite, TechnoTales, TechnoTimeline, TechnoTrivia and TechnoTurtle. High-interest themes flawlessly fit into subject areas such as language, arts, math, social studies or visual arts. The collection comprises instructional materials for Google Docs and Microsoft Office.

Technology skill imparted: Animation, Publishing, Digital Citizenship, Graphics, Internet, Presentation, Programming, Spreadsheet, Web Design and Word Processing.

INTERMEDIATE CURRICULUM COLLECTION

The Intermediate Curriculum Collection includes technology projects perfect for teenagers in Grades 6-9 or ages 11-14. The collection consists of TechnoBiography, TechnoBudget, TechnoCode, TechnoEarth, TechnoDebate, TechnoEnvironment, TechnoHTML5, TechoMap, TechnoNewsletter, TechnoPython, TechnoQuestionnaire, TechnoRestaurateur and TechnoTravel. Every project has a comprehensive teacher guide for curriculum planning, student workbook to promote independence and personalized resources to implement learning. Integrate the activities as part of a curriculum unit, computer class, or after-school program. The collection has instructional materials for Google Docs, Office Online, Scratch and Python.

Technology skill imparted: Publishing, Digital Citizenship, Graphics, Internet, Photo Editing, Presentation, Programming, Spreadsheet, Web Design and Word Processing.

SENIOR CURRICULUM COLLECTION

Technology projects that challenge teenagers to master advanced computer skills. Projects are fit for Grades 8-12. Activities emphasize practical and real-world applications of technology. Prepare students for higher learning and career preparedness. The Senior Curriculum Collection includes 8 technology projects ideal for teenagers in Grades 8-12 or ages 12 and up. The collection consists of TechnoAdvertise, TechnoMission, TechnoSpecialist, TechnoPhotoshop, TechnoInvestor, TechnoPlanner, TechnoWonderland and TechnoAnimate. Each project includes an easy-to-use teacher guide for curriculum planning, student workbook to urge independence and customizable resources to support learning. Activities are illustrated, have step-by-step instructions with clear, easy to understand examples. Teach students word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, desktop publishing, graphic design, and information management skills they need to achieve success in life. Incorporate real-world activities as part of a curriculum unit, computer class or school club.

Technology skill imparted: Animation, Data Management, Database, Publishing, Digital Publishing, Graphics, Internet, Photo Editing, Spreadsheet, Web Design and Word Processing

To get more details about the TechnoKids curriculum and to learn how to incorporate it in your schools across GCC or Middle East, simply visit our website: https://knowledge-hub.com/technokids/

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What is Geometry?

Geometry is derived from the Greek word ‘geomtron’ where gē means earth and metron means measure. Geometry is therefore a branch of mathematics concerned with properties and relationships of lines, angles, curves, and shapes.

Children often complain why they have to learn this rather complicated subject ‘Geometry’ and where they will utilize the concepts of ‘angles’, ‘points’, and ‘area’ etc.

As an adult, if your child is ‘Math phobic’ and tries to give you 100 reasons not to study the subject, simply sit down and explain the numerous benefits of Geometry and how it creates an advantage to students who are good at it.

Numerous Career Opportunities and Choices Await You:

Graphic Designing

The graphic designer needs to have a good understanding of dimensions such as height, width, and surface area, to be able to deliver designs that appeal to the audiences. For example; if the artist is making a ‘standee’ for an event, he has to first set a layout and visualize how appealing the design will appear on the standee. Similarly, if an exhibition booth ‘display stall’ needs a branded banner, the designer should ‘do the math’ and figure the logo and the heading’s best placement.

Constructing Agile Robots

Robotics is picking up pace and there are numerous corporates who are venturing into Artificial Intelligence and Robotics space. Robots are capable of running errands and managing strenuous work activities, thereby minimizing the human efforts and reducing the chances of error. However, to assemble a tough robot, the engineer needs to have knowledge about structure and formation, such that the body of the robot is durable under all conditions. For this he needs a good understanding of many geometric concepts.

Civil Engineering

While constructing tall bridges, roads, and dams, the civil engineer first surveys the land for which geometry is of utmost importance to measure surfaces with precision. The infrastructure needs to stand the ‘test of time’ and each element must be thoughtfully planned. Even fancy buildings and sky-high towers need understanding of height limits, emphasis on central core, and a strong base to withstand the tall structure.

These are only a few examples and the above list can be further elaborated upon with other occupations such as; CAD Computing, Architectural Engineering, Fashion Designing, Animator, etc. that heavily rely upon the geometric capacities of the person.

Basic Geometric Concepts for Beginners

Point: It is a location represented by a dot and it does not have any shape, size, or width. It is merely stationed at a particular position.

Line: A line is a one-dimensional figure that has no width, but it only has length. A set of points together form a line and they extend in opposite directions infinitely. There are different types of lines such as; horizontal, vertical, parallel, and perpendicular lines.

Line Segment: A line segment is a part of the line. The only distinction is that, lines have an end point, while the line segment doesn’t have any end point.

A Ray: A ray is a part of line that has one end point and extends indefinitely in the other direction.

Angle: A figure that is formed by two rays, that have a common end point is called an angle. The symbol of angle is ∠ and the protector is a device that measure angles. The two rays that join to form an angle are also referred to as ‘arms’ and the common end point where the two arms meet is called as a ‘vertex’.

‘Mathletics’ is an easy to use Math platform to substitute the need for a tutor. The platform is easily downloadable across any part of the world, including Dubai and GCC Countries. Parents who struggle with teaching Math and Geometry concepts to learners, now find relief thanks to the engaging and interactive game-like challenges & activities that the App presents. International schools in UAE, and Middle East, are adopting various ‘digital mediums’ for studies and encourage parents to take advantages of these simple, yet highly effective tools.

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What is your first reaction when you hear the dreaded word ‘EXAMS’? Did your heart skip a beat? We are sure when you reminisce the old exam days, all you could think about is fear and stress. Exam stress affects students even today, and the undue competition to score good grades pressurizes children even more. Students have been hardwired to believe that ‘marks are everything’ and good grades equals to a brighter future. Well, this might not necessarily be true. Besides focusing on a certain ‘percentile’ can steal the joy away from learning. Children start focusing on finishing the syllabus, rather than enjoying the essence of the subject.

While all stress is not that bad, and some amount of good stress is beneficial, as it leads to productiveness. The learners assume responsibility and do their best to prepare for an exam, as they feel motivated to beat their own record and perform better with every successive exam in school. On the other hand, over stressing, may lead to anxiety, and affect the child’s mental health in the long run.

Causes of Exam Stress

In order to deal with pre-exam nervousness, it is important to first understand, what is the reason that is causing students so much apprehension. Some of the common stressors that make exam-time difficult include;

Inadequate Study Preparation

Often students don’t take studies seriously through the normal school days, and panic only at the brink of the exam date. Learning & preparation should be a continuous and ongoing process through the academic year. Last minute study is like a burden and trying to cramp too much information within a short span of time, creates anxiety. An ideal scenario would be for the student to be relaxed and continue to do his revision, until the exam day, rather than opening the subject book for the very first time & trying to finish the full portion in 2 days. This disrupts one’s pattern & the child may not be able to give his 100% while appearing for the actual exam, because he’s sleep deprived and tired.

Adult Expectations

Every parent wants the best for their children. The best education, the best careers, the best degrees, and the list goes on. In the pursuit of achieving the best, parents may unnecessarily pressurize their school going teenagers to score good grades, and even try to secure the first rank in class. For this, poor children are made to undertake additional tutoring after school hours and do oodles of homework. Sometimes, adults tend to compare peer classmates and add to the stress of children to constantly perform at sky-rocket expectations. This becomes too much for the children to handle, and they may lose interest in studies altogether.

Pressure from The Educational Institution

In today’s world, cut throat competition exists everywhere, even when it comes to the reputation of an Educational Institute. In Dubai & UAE alone, there are schools offering different curriculums under the following educational board categories; CBSE, ICSE, International Baccalaureate (IB) and IB Diploma Programme. When the institute has its reputation at stake, they would pressurise children to give their best so that the institution is further known and recognized

Tips to Combat Exam Stress

Firstly, it is important to communicate to students that exams are not a deterrent, but actually an aid in achieving educational milestones in life. Here are some tips to achieve victory over the tension of exams:

Study All Through the Year

Consistency is the key when you want to achieve success in life. Similarly, students must make consistent efforts to study and do their homework on time, such that last minute panic does not arise. Be in sync with what is taught in class, and avoid lag in studying it, because the memory is fresh when you have just learnt the concept and retention is greater.

Ask Questions to Clarify Doubts

Sometimes, seeking the correct answers and clarifying doubts can go a long way in helping students be more confident before exams. One shouldn’t enter an examination hall with ambiguity, because this affects the morale of the student. So better be prepared with the correct answers to important questions which are most likely to appear in the exam paper.

Set Aside Time for Revision

Unless you have a brilliant IQ, comparable to that of Albert Einstein, it is impossible to remember definitions, long answers, or even stages of a math problem, by just studying once. Hence, revision is of utmost importance before exams. Revision reinforces the concepts and helps the child retain facts in their long-term memory. So, prepare a proper schedule, and set aside sufficient time for 2-3 revisions before appearing for the paper.

Take Breaks

We are not machines or robots to study 12-14 hours a day before exams. It is important to set aside time for relaxation and rejuvenation too. Students must not quit their hobbies, just by the fear of exams. Continue to go for walks, do yoga and even devote 30 minutes to socialization with friends. When you sit to study again, you would have a renewed spirit of zealousness which will bring positive outcomes.

With this current social distancing scenario, assessments are being held online. Markezy is one such hybrid portal that supports online, as well as pen & paper assessments, and allows the educators to correct the answer sheets at their own convenience, from any remote location. This flexibility and convince offered by the Markezy has made it a popular tool in schools across Middle East, including GCC countries. However, whatever the mode of examination may be, stress can be efficiently managed by following the above mentioned tips.

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