Sparkling Mindz
  • Home
  • School
    • Young Changemakers' Summit
    • Changemaker Missions >
      • SM Plates (Healthy Food Practices)
      • TRUI (Climate Change)
      • CSP (Community, Stories and Practices)
      • MCV (Mission Child Vulnerability)
    • Poetic Fete
  • Preschool
  • Programs
    • Young Thinkers and Achievers
    • Early Learner's Enrichment
    • Summer Camps
  • Enquiry
  • Testimonials
  • Blog

Visual-Kinesthetic Learning Spaces

28/7/2014

Comments

 
Picture
As children we are natural Kinesthetic learners. As adults too, we may not realize it but many of us feel drained and are unable to think of ideas unless we move our bodies around. Our mind-body is a connected system and for many of us restricting our body movements can lead to an inefficient learning experience. So, then, why are classrooms, conference rooms, training rooms designed the way they are? Well...that's an interesting question best answered through an interesting design that we used for our classrooms. Keeping in mind that children needed multiple kinds of learning experiences and not merely "Auditory or Visual" lectures we chose minimal furniture and a design that let children move around, dance, huddle in groups and achieve maximum learning through movement. We chose to use stories, role plays, drama, experiential and hands-on activities to engage students through multiple modalities of learning outcomes. Most importantly, we chose learning outcomes that would engage their whole being in the learning experience - developing a positive attitude, perseverance, focus, deep engagement and multiple connects with prior knowledge, a thirst to learn more, perspective to look at problems as challenges and more...

A child who can connect with learning outcomes higher than mere knowledge, use their entire mind-body to experience learning and work with others confidently to achieve desired results is going to be successful in any economy, any crisis, any situation that you put her in. In fact, she might be the one that chooses the toughest situations to spend her energy on because she can, because it is worth her while and because nothing LESS will do!

Seriously, as parents it is time for us to collectively decide, NOTHING LESS will do for your child. It is important that they experience learning in enriched visual-kinesthetic spaces with facilitators who understand the importance of visual-kinesthetic learning. It's upto you, you can choose to give them an EDGE today.

Comments

Moving towards a more Child-Centric classroom

6/7/2014

Comments

 
Picture
It is intriguing how traditional classrooms are designed. The teacher seems to be the center of the universe. She can view everyone and all the children can look and receive learning from her. It comes from a few basic assumptions. Firstly, that the teacher is the only one who can contribute to the learning process. It inhibits participative and peer learning, for what learning do children have to offer to their peers? It is amazing how much have we done in our system to ensure there is no collaboration in learning; we deny any opportunity to let children learn for themselves or from each other. There is so space for curiosity, applying learning, learning from the thoughts and ideas of each other.

But that was what it used to be. We need not follow the same tradition because it exists.

How might we create our classroom that revolves around the learning of the child and not the knowledge bank of the teacher? A classroom that helps children have a more participatory, fun and exploratory approach to learning. How might we create a classroom that leaves children excited about concepts than bored of them?

Classroom is not the Teacher’s den. It should be the Child’s Treasure Island. It is high time we build a learning space for children than the teacher. It is high time we opt for learning over convenience.

This is why we at Sparkling Mindz continually look at making spaces, curriculum and delivery child centric. We truly believe that the child can be trusted with their learning. We constantly work on giving them an environment that develops their natural curiosity than the one that shuns it. 


Comments

Are you a Parent Looking for answers too?

17/10/2013

Comments

 
Quest for a personality development programs for my child

 A year ago, I was the distraught parent of a shy and timid child groping for answers to my questions. My five year old was not the exuberant, confident and outgoing child that I wanted her to be.  My quest for a sound personality development programme in the neighborhood was unfruitful. The prospect of sending my child to an activity center where children are herded in droves did not appeal to me.  About eight months ago I saw an ad for Sparkling Minds and it changed everything. Here was a fresh and innovative approach to a child’s development using an activity based approach centred around NLP and MI. It was very evident from their website and brochures that a lot of sound research had gone into the design of these programmes. Working in groups of ten meant individual attention to each child. Finally, the impressive credentials of the founders reassured me that my child would be in safe hands.

First exposure to 21st Century Skills - becoming greedier!

The first interaction with the coordinator opened a world of possibilities beyond personality development. They were offering to groom my child to become a 21st century citizen with attributes like interpersonal skills, independent thinking, sound decisions making, leadership etc. This was more comprehensive than any generic personality development program. The holistic feedback system would ensure that I would know the best way to work with my daughter. From being confused and worried, I became optimistic and maybe even a little greedy about this whole new world of possibilities.

New Learning Experiences & Lovin’ It!

It has been four months since I started this relationship with SM and I have loved every minute of it! My daughter loved going to Sparkling Mindz right from the word go. The facilitators, the activities and the carefully designed rooms made her very happy. In the first few days itself, I saw a never before eagerness in her to be a part of everything.  Even at home and at school, her social interactions and confidence improved.  She became enthusiastic to participate and perform without any inhibitions.

There is way more, if you look carefully…

While these changes were noticeable in the initial couple of months, imbibing attributes like self-confidence, not buckling to peer pressure, learning smartly, listening and observation, structured thinking etc. happened later.  About three or four months into the program, my daughter started displaying the above attributes in her own small ways. 

  • She started becoming curious about learning the process behind any activity or product
  • She subconsciously breaks down any given task into steps for better execution
  • She figured out on her own that if 5+5=10, diving 10 by 2 would be 5 without any prior exposure to the principles of division
  • She started using rhyming words to remember spellings better

This morning she stumped me again. We were watching a show called Mr.Maker on Discovery Kids, which was previously aired on CeeBeeBees. The final credits alluded to ceebeebees.com. Pat came the question as to why should ceebeebees be a part of the credits if the programme has already transitioned to Discovery Kids, why are they still referring to CeeBeeBees. That was a home run for listening and observation!

My child will stand out from the crowd – thanks to Sparkling Mindz!

My daughter has embarked on a journey of self-discovery and loves it. She is acquiring critical life skills which are essential to survive and succeed in today’s dynamic environment.  The children of today are all smart and intelligent. But the Sparkling Mindz programme will help to differentiate her from the rest.

The right program at the right age

I too have attended sessions on team play, structured thinking and interpersonal skills at work. However I have observed that these initiatives do not always generate the desired results because adult personalities are pretty much set and transformation is difficult and time consuming. By starting early, my daughter will have these traits and would not have to be tutored as an adult.  I am glad that she is developing an edge without even realizing it! 

Contributed by Roopa Balakrishna (Dhriti's mother), she is an equity analyst by profession and currently a full time doting mother,

Comments

Holidays - what do we do now?

15/10/2012

Comments

 
With a lot of festivals coming up till year end, its holiday season!

While some take this situation with a smile on the face and peace in the mind, for many it seems to be a question of - What do we do now? So much free time!!!!

If one ponders over why such reactions to holidays, it raises more questions. Are we too busy being busy to be able to enjoy the free time we get? Do we get "bored" with the free time because we are habituated to our lives being run by a schedule?Are we unable to enjoy the holiday time unless there is a to-do list?


Lets leave the adults aside for a minute. Have any of us tried asking our children how do they feel about holidays? What is it that they want to do with the free time?
 
If their response is anywhere close to the points listed above, we know where its coming from and need to do some serious thinking.
 
If not, its a great opportunity to help them/guide them/lead them to manage their free time to make the most of life! 
  • Try a new game/class together that you have never attempted before
  • Try to reverse roles at home - you can make your day's calendar together and take their 2 cents in terms of managing time
  • Have them read you a story book before you go to sleep


We have a lot more creative and whacky ideas to share in terms of engaging the children during holidays and quite a few engaging games to offer. Contact us at +91 8095267849 if you are interested to find out :)

By Anubha Jain - a Learning Facilitator with Sparkling Mindz
Comments

Don't want to grow up!

24/3/2011

Comments

 
As we were taking stock of the past few months of creative thinking workshops with children and gearing up for the summer camps, one thought stood out in our minds. Given, the sheer energy and creativity of the children, how can we retain it, nurture it, channel it better? Most importantly, prevent it from getting lost in this maze of exams, subjects, competition and simply, part of growing up!

We need more tinkerers, experimenters, innovators, ideators today than every before and one of the major success themes amongst these kinds of people is a "child-like curiosity" and "lack of preconceived notions" on what can be done, how and why? So, here's our fervent wish as exams come to a close and summer holidays begin, lets all go on a mission to help channel and preserve the creative energy of our children so they grow up to be great innovators and thinkers.
Comments

Inspiring Minds...

15/3/2011

Comments

 
Its been a fantastic journey for us. We started with a vision to unlock and nurture the creativity in children and every single step we take in that direction, every single workshop we have done to fulfill that dream has been enriching and eye-opening at the same time.

We have had 6 year old kids analyze and give a new meaning to the phrase "art appreciation" and 8 year olds blow our minds away with their lateral thinking prowess on the activities given to them.

As we are hurtling towards April/May with the busy summer camp schedule, we look forward to touching more lives and inspiring several more young minds...
Comments

    RSS Feed

    RSS Feed​

    Sparkling Mindz is an organization with a vision to create millions of confident thinkers and communicators amongst our children!

    ​You can read more on...

    CEO's FB Page

    Archives

    December 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    July 2017
    June 2017
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    September 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    July 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    January 2013
    November 2012
    October 2012
    August 2012
    June 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011

    Categories

    All
    21
    21stcenturylearning
    2 Year Olds
    3 Year Olds
    4 Year Olds
    4-year-olds
    5 7 Year Olds
    5-7 Year Olds
    5 Year Olds
    5-year Olds
    8 13 Years
    8-13 Years
    Activity Modules
    Add
    Adhd
    Afterschool Program
    Age Appropriate Session
    Age-appropriate Session
    Age Group
    Awards And Recognition
    Bangalore
    Being Changemakers
    Book Reading
    Child Development
    Children Making Friends
    Children's Activities
    Children's Workshop
    Children's Workshops
    Collaboration
    Communication Skills
    Communication Skills Workshop
    Community
    Concluding Sessions
    Confidence
    Confident Learners
    Confident Thinkers
    Conflict Management
    Conscious Parenting
    Creative Individuals
    Creative Thinking
    Creative Thinking For Kids
    Creative Thinking Summer Camp
    Creative Thinking Summer Camps
    Creative Thinking Tools
    Creative Thinking Workshop
    Creative Thinking Workshops
    Creativity
    Creativity For Children
    Critical Thinking
    Critical Thinking Workshop
    Curiosity
    Deep Learning
    Deep Thinking
    Dep
    Developing Creativity
    Distracted Behavior
    Documentation
    E
    Emergent Curriculum
    Emergent Play
    Emotional Quotient
    Emotional Vocabulary
    Emotions In Learning
    Empathy
    Everychildcan
    Experimenting
    Exploring Emotions
    Facilitation
    Facilitator Discussion Diaries
    Flexibility
    Flexible Brain
    Following Your Passion
    Fun Activities
    Fun Activities For Children
    Fun Modules
    Fun Places For Children
    Game Based Learning
    Games For Kids
    Getting A Quiet Child To Talk
    Growth Mindset
    Holistic Development
    Hyperactivity
    Imagination
    Imagining-with-blocks
    Impulsivity
    Innovative Learning
    Innovators
    Inquisitive Children
    Inspiration
    Inspirational Stand Up
    Inspiring Confident Communicators
    Inspiring Confident Learners
    Interpersonal Skills
    Invitation To Play
    Joy
    Joyous Learning
    Just Books
    Keys To Success
    Kindness
    Lateral Thinking
    Learning For Keeps
    Learning From Play
    Learning Styles
    Learning To Make Friends
    Light Play
    Logical Reasoning
    Making Connections
    Motivation Skills
    Music
    Natural Things
    Nature Of Creativity
    Nature Walk
    New Age Classrooms
    Open Ended Thinking
    Openness To New Expeiences
    Ownership In Children
    Parenting As A Skill
    Parent Invites
    Parent Testimonials
    Parent Workshop
    Peer Intervention
    Play Based Learning
    Playschool
    Poem For Children
    Poem For Children 8+ Years
    Positive Attitude
    Preschool
    Preschool Activities
    Preschool Games
    Preschoollibraryactivity
    Pretend Play
    Problem Solving
    Programs For Children
    Reframing
    Regg
    Reggio Documentation
    Reggio Emilia Inspired Preschool
    Reggio-emilia Inspired Preschool
    Reggio Emilia Inspired Preschool India
    Reggio-emilia Inspired Preschool India
    Reggio Emilia Inspired School
    Reggio Emilia Preschool Bangalore
    Resolving Disputes
    Resolving Fights Amongst Children
    Role Plays
    Self Expression
    Self Identity
    Self-identity
    Self Learning
    Self-learning
    Selflove
    Sensory Play
    Shy Child
    Shy Child To Talk
    Skills
    Social Emotional Learning
    Social-emotional Learning
    Sparkling Mindz
    Sparkling Mindz Stories
    Sports
    Stories
    Story Telling
    Story-telling
    Success Stories
    Summer Camp
    Summer Camp 2012
    Summer Camps
    Takehome
    Team Work
    Thinkers
    Thinking
    Thinking As A Habit
    Thinking As A Process
    Thinking Corner
    Thinking Program
    Thinking Skill
    Thinking Skills
    Thinking Skills For Children
    Thinking Skills Program
    Tinkering
    Traditional-classroom
    Trust Based Parenting
    Understanding-children
    Value Based Learning
    Visit To Park
    Visualization
    Weekend Activities For Children
    Wittyconversations
    Wonder Based Learning
    Workshop For Kids
    Workshops For Children
    Workshops For Kids
    Young Achievers Academy
    Young Thinkers Academy

Announcements

Admissions are open for 2020-21 batches. Limited seats remaining. Call us at +91 9900080331/2 for more details. Click here to register.

The season 3 of our TED-Ed Clubs are open now! As we are waiting for talks to get published, you can see past videos here!
​​
Next Trinity Communication Skills exam will be held in Oct 2020 at Sparkling Mindz. Our students have achieved distinction across grade levels in the exam the past two consecutive years! Enroll in our Young Thinkers and Achievers Program here today to participate. 


If you are passionate about innovative and joyous teaching and learning and want to be a part of SM Community. Apply here!

Locations
Hennur - 8/4, Kannuru, Bidarahalli Hobli, Hennur-Bagalur Road, Bangalore 562149
Kalyan Nagar - 408, 2nd Floor, 5th Main, HRBR Layout 2nd Block, Kalyan Nagar, Bangalore - 43

Contact Details
Mobile: +91 9900080331

                 +91 9900080332
Phone: +91 80 4111 5607
Email: contact@sparklingmindz.in

Company

About Us
Team
​
Child-Led Missions
Careers
Media

Support

Contact
FAQ
Terms of Use
​Privacy Policy
© COPYRIGHT 2011-2023 AVIDA EDUCATIONAL TRUST.