Freedom, what does it mean?

Freedom is very important to us. Luxury, affluence, ‘picture perfect life’, served to us without freedom is meaningless.

Let me share a short story which talks about the importance of freedom – Once there lived a beautiful princess. She was very fond of birds, every morning a little bird used to come to her palace and sing for her. The princess was very happy to see the lovely bird and listen to its music. The bird visited the palace daily and the princess waited eagerly for its visit every day. She was almost in love with the bird. She wished that the bird should keep company with her all the day.
One day the princess put the bird in a golden cage and served it the best type of food. But the bird felt sad. It did not sing and eat anything. In spite of the best food the bird began to grow weak day by day. It did not sing as before. One day the princess asked the bird the reason for all this. The bird said, “I want to be set free.”

The kind princess set the bird free.

The bird flew happily to its freedom. The next morning the bird was back again with its usual song. The story tells us that even the birds do not want to live in captivity, however well they are fed. This shows us the importance of freedom.

But freedom is not absolute. There are certain limitations to it. We can enjoy our freedom only if it does not infringe upon the rights and freedom of others. For example, freedom to live and settle anywhere in India does not allow us to build our houses on roads.Freedom allows us to develop, grow, and improve to the fullest extent. The limitations are a necessary safeguard for us to enjoy freedom and allow others to enjoy as well. Unlimited freedom is dangerous. It will bring confusion and ruin our freedom.Freedom is the most valuable gift. Without it whatever we do has no meaning. Let us enjoy our freedom.

- A message from Ms. Mahua, Teacher of one of the Best Schools in Bangalore : Ekya School

Ekya Early Years campus @ Kanakapura Road

The Ekya Early Years campus caters to both the Montessori and Kindergarten methods of teaching and learning.

Montessori method of teaching: The teacher acts as a facilitator in the classroom, assists and role models to the children the techniques and skills that are required to work with the Montessori materials.  Their role is to stimulate the child’s learning while allowing the child to explore each level at his/her own pace, thus encouraging individuality and independence in the children.

Kindergarten method of teaching: The role of a kindergarten teacher is to impart learning through instruction time, collaborative learning and the use of worksheets that facilitate significant concepts to the children. Children learn in larger groups and emphasis is laid on formal math, general science and language skills at this age level. Teachers monitor students’ learning with constant facilitation and feedback during the learning process.

At Ekya, the educational experience is focused towards developing a sense of curiosity and inquisitiveness in a child.

Typical day in Kinder

The kinder classroom typically consists of 30 students. The day begins with a morning meeting of greetings, rhymes, calendar activities, sight word revision and prayer time.

In a given week, the children are engaged in different activities both inside and outside the classroom that include gardening, rhymes, stories, art and craft activities, outdoor play and physical development time.

The essential curriculum focuses on language arts, mathematics, science and social studies concepts. Each of these core essentials are covered in all areas of the children’s daily learning.

Importance is given to the arts, both creative and visual for the young children to explore their creative and imaginative minds. A convenient space that is designed as an atelier is an area for children to experiment and create with the various materials made available to them.

Typical day in Montessori

Wishing the teacher and settling into the morning circle time with their peers is the start of the day for the Montessori children. The Montessori classes have an equation of 30:2 typically, the teachers take on different roles during the day and work with groups of children to carry forward the different aspects of the curriculum.

Rhymes, action songs and the morning routine that comprises of calendar activities,sight word revision and weather for the day are covered with the teachers facilitation. After the whole group discussion, the children move onto individual tasks to work with the Montessori materials. The classroom setup is strategically laid out for children to access materials with ease. Depending on the age of the child and the level of challenge that he/she has accomplished, the teacher introduces the next level with a one on one facilitation to the child.

While one group of children work with Montessori materials, another group of children work on a different task as a whole group with the teacher providing instruction and appropriate techniques for children to grasp the concept, especially when teaching letters of the alphabet or numbers. The Montessori classrooms have children working on multiple tasks and is at the same time synchronized with smooth transitions from one task to another and opportunities for learning are taking place for every child at different levels.

Visit: http://www.ekyaschools.com/kanakapuraroad/

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Extended Day Program at Ekya Schools

Academic Subjects:

Language
Mathematics
Ekya Quest
Handwriting
Non academic Subjects:
Visual Art
Performing Arts
Yoga
Gardening/ Outdoor time
Audio Visual Room


Ekya Quest:
The Ekya Quest is an exclusive curriculum that has been integrated into the content of the children’s learning objectives. It comprises of a teaching style and learning that is driven by an inquiry based approach. Children learn and imbibe more by inquiring into their environments and being curious about the world around them; with the teacher’s facilitation and guidance, children are given myriad opportunities to do so.
Topics of interest and those that have an immense scope to be explored and investigated into are chosen for the academic year, keeping in mind the age appropriateness and children’s prior knowledge of the subject.
Learning takes place in the form of pre- made worksheets, group discussions, audio and visual media, field trips and incursion visits to the school campus by professionals who can give an in-depth learning experience to the children.
The Ekya Quest covers both science and social studies topics some of which include:
• mammals
• health and hygiene
• sense organs
• plants
• solar system
• life cycles
The goal of the Ekya Quest learning module is to enforce learning through a medium of instruction that moves away from the traditional system of learning from textbooks and other familiar teaching practices. As educators we strive to provide enough experiences for children to grasp and empower themselves whether it be learning through activity based learning or discussions which will support various thinking routines. Through this approach, we nudge children to also become independent thinkers and well rounded individuals.
While the learning is an ongoing process, the teacher documents the learning through pictures and observations are made during group discussions in the class. From the beginning of a topic to the end of the selected topic which might last from a period of four to six weeks, the learning that the children gain evolves from the first week to the last week. The objectives are met and children gain new understanding and perspectives of the world around them by the end of the topic.


Performing Arts:
The performing art classes include activities related to dance, drama, rhymes, and songs.
The teacher defines a schedule for the year, and uses a resource package of activities that will emphasize and tap into children’s potential into the performing arts.
Through drama, children explore facial expressions, body language and basic voice modulation techniques with the teacher. This is a great opportunity for them to lose their inhibitions and enjoy themselves. The performing arts classes will also be driven around the Quest topics that will be ongoing throughout the school year. For example, if the children are learning a unit on mammals, the teacher would create a short drama sequence that will be driven around the characteristics of mammals. Children will take on the role of choosing to be any one mammal and enacting the mammal or enjoying enacting how an elephant trumpets and walks around.
Children will also get opportunities to make props appropriate for their drama sequences to add creativity and also to add an element of excitement of performing for an audience.
Dance for younger children is an expression of themselves. Dance lends itself to physical movements and coordination for children that is crucial at an early stage. Listening and speaking skills also get targeted here, as children follow instructions and steps to a dance sequence.
Dance classes can be in the form of understanding and appreciating it as an art or they could be driven around a theme such as a festival that might be celebrated at school. This then also lends itself to an appreciation of cultural dances in India and children expand their learning. Some dance sequences can be driven around well known songs, or even stories that children are exposed to at home and at school.
Rhymes and actions are integral to every early childhood classroom; at Ekya we include it as a morning activity to awaken the children’s listening skills and also to help them settle into the day’s schedule. Teachers take it to another level, by including rhymes and songs in different languages, onlookers can see children burst into smiles and sing along loudly with the teachers.
While rhymes and songs can help children to open up, it also addresses important development skills such as self- esteem, social skills and confidence in children. Actions and movements along with the singing of the rhymes bring both the children and teachers together. On specific days, children are also taken outside of the classroom to enjoy rhymes and songs with other class groups.

Visual Arts:
The visual arts teacher guides children to experience the techniques and skills that are characteristic to experiencing the arts. Through various art mediums, children explore and create pieces that are characteristic and are an expression of their creative minds.
Children in the art classes will also be introduced to famous artists’ work from around the world, and will be given opportunities to enjoy simple techniques and skills in their art books.
 For example, at Ekya children are exposed to learning Kandinsky’s concentric circles and it is integrated through Quest topics that are covered during the day. When the teachers are covering a topic on birds, the drawings of the birds could be done by using Kandinsky’s concentric circles, by doing this art appreciation is also tapped into through the visual arts classes.
The elements of art that the younger children experience are: color, line, shape, texture, patterns, composition, visual awareness, clay, perspective and form.

Ekya School, best CBSE school in Bangalore gives you an Extended Day Program.


To Know More about school, Visit: http://www.ekyaschools.com/

Dog - Heartbeat At Our Feet

"Not every person knows how to love a dog, but every dog knows how to love a person."

Why are there so many dog lovers out there? Dogs or furballs like I call them, share our lives in a way that most other animal can’t, and they are so close to us that its easy to take their faithful companionship for granted. Dogs have stolen our hearts and made a place in our homes for thousands of years.

I am hoping that through this article we all are reminded as to why we love dogs so much and we stop to spare a few minutes and few words in praise of "man's best friend," the dog.

Dogs are creatures of simple needs and love human companionship. Your dog waits for you by the door, face smiling, mouth open and tail wagging, ready to dote on you - his best friend in this whole wide world. Now, wouldn’t your ego be gratified at the sight of this happy furball who can’t wait to greet you at the end of a hard day? We are the center of their universe and they are always eager to please us in any way they can. They give the best of themselves, their loyalty, unconditional love and affection. In return, we owe them gentle handling and an abundance of our time and love. It is without doubt the best deal man has ever made.

I don't think dog lovers anywhere in the world have not been guilty of praising and talking about their beloved friend with passion and delight. Invariably, the conversation always turns to dogs and then there is no stopping them from sharing loving stories about each other's four legged babies. Here I would like to add my favourite phrase that "dogs are great connectors". They instantly draw people together, whether friends or strangers. People generally regard dog lovers to be an eccentric lot who at the drop of a hat will be ready to stand up not only for their beloved pets but also for the homeless bundle of joy on the streets. I urge everyone to stop and think before pelting stones at a dog. But all I can say to these people is, "You don’t know what joy and happiness is missing in your life!"

The sad part though is that people have so many misconceptions about these beautiful creatures and without a second thought they are mistreated. When one chooses a dog, one must become a responsible dog owner. Never get a dog on a whim, think through your decision as your new puppy will be a family member who will be with you for next ten to fifteen years. He will be giving you his best and deserves the same from you. Sometimes life gets rough and we are forced to make serious choices but abandonment is NEVER acceptable.

Some people feel that a dog needs too much care and attention. You have to feed them and take them for walks. Here, I would like to say that, I can’t imagine my life without my two beautiful girls who have taught me many valuable lessons on our journey together. They are worth any work I have to do because they are not just dogs but they are my babies and my family would not be complete without them. Over the years our bond has strengthened and my girls have been by my side with their smiling faces and wagging tails, helping me go through all the ups and downs in life.

Last but not the least, I would like to end by saying that, love can make a dog’s world go round as much as love makes our world go round. Man is truly blessed and should be honoured to have such a beautiful and faithful friend in his life.

A Very Heart touching article written by Miss Ritu, a teacher in Ekya School. Ekya School is the top CBSE schools in Bangalore.

To Know More about school, Visit: http://www.ekyaschools.com/

What Freedom Mean to you

Freedom is very important to us. Luxury, affluence, ‘picture perfect life’, served to us without freedom is meaningless. Let me share a short story which talks about the importance of freedom –
Once there lived a beautiful princess. She was very fond of birds, every morning a little bird used to

come to her palace and sing for her. The princess was very happy to see the lovely bird and listen to its music. The bird visited the palace daily and the princess waited eagerly for its visit every day. She was

almost in love with the bird. She wished that the bird should keep company with her all the day.
One day the princess put the bird in a golden cage and served it the best type of food. But the bird felt sad. It did not sing and eat anything. In spite of the best food the bird began to grow weak day by day.

It did not sing as before. One day the princess asked the bird the reason for all this. The bird said, “I want to be set free.” The kind princess set the bird free. The bird flew happily to its freedom. The next morning the bird was back again with its usual song. The story tells us that even the birds do not want to live in captivity, however well they are fed. This shows us the importance of freedom.

But freedom is not absolute. There are certain limitations to it. We can enjoy our freedom only if it does not infringe upon the rights and freedom of others. For example, freedom to live and settle anywhere in India does not allow us to build our houses on roads.

Freedom allows us to develop, grow, and improve to the fullest extent. The limitations are a necessary safeguard for us to enjoy freedom and allow others to enjoy as well. Unlimited freedom is dangerous. It

will bring confusion and ruin our freedom.

Freedom is the most valuable gift. Without it whatever we do has no meaning. Let us enjoy our freedom.


Article Written by a Teacher of Ekya Schools JPNagar, Best ICSE School in Bangalore.

Graphic Organizers @ EKYA

At EKYA Schools, teachers use graphic organizers to help facilitate effective instruction and meaningful learning experiences for students. Students are able to classify ideas and communicate effectively while using these organizers. The student’s ability to identify main ideas, brainstorm, recollect information and illustrate their thoughts and ideas are developed simultaneously with the ongoing learning process. The use of graphic organizers aid in the development of higher order thinking skills like problem-solving and decision making skills.
Using Graphic organizers help students at EKYA, with retention of content, increased comprehension, and critical thinking abilities. Students remember and recollect information better it when it is represented and learned both visually and verbally through these knowledge maps. This results in an improvement across learning content areas and academic grades.

Writing Activities using Graphic Organizers:
In this world of digital technology, where writing practices are almost extinct, we, at EKYA believe that children learn best in environments that support their early writing practices.
Our educators serve as responsible facilitators of this process. They guide students about the formal aspects of writing and help them in building essential writing skills. Offering thoughtful feedback, encouragement, and positive reinforcement at all times, all writing activities are dealt with ease by the teachers.
It is absolutely essential that written language is purposeful and meaningful to our students. At EKYA, a variety of Graphic Organizers are used to fulfil this purpose. Teachers give consistent feedback and encourage self editing of written work. The well planned curriculum helps students in learning the language by guiding them across grades to frame sentences, format content into paragraphs, create monologues and dialogues, write short stories, compose poems and emails, essays, summaries, write book reviews and Biographies.

Ekya School is one of the Best Schools in Bangalore to admit your child for better future.