Minecraft

This is my 8 year old son's take on why I should continue letting him play Minecraft! I helped him a bit in the language part but all ideas are his .

Why playing Minecraft is great for children!

Minecraft is a videogame which is very popular with children.   In this game  you have to try & get resources to survive .There are three different modes: one is survival and the other is creative and the other mode is hardcore. 

In “survival mode”, you try to survive by collecting resources and if you die you can come back to life but you lose all the stuff that you had like diamond sword, wood, emerald etc. If you keep stuff in chests before you die then you get back your assets when you are alive again.

In "creative mode", you can build stuff like buildings because you have infinite resources. In Minecraft, I have built things like a rollercoaster, camping area, house and mining spot.

"Hardcore mode" is when you shouldn’t keep stuff in chests because you can’t come back to life once you have died. So in hardcore mode, once you die you lose the game.

In Minecraft, you can practically build anything you can imagine. It encourages kids to be creative and also gives them incentives to explore because they have to figure out what steps to take next  by reading Minecraft books or by watching youtube videos.

Minecraft helps you learn about materials like stones such as andesite and cobble stones because you need different type of stones to make roads and paths. It can give you inspiration to write a story like “One day I went to the nether……”.  “Nether” is another dimension in which there are no animals and there is one leader called “wither”  whom you have to defeat.

In Minecraft, I gained a lot of general knowledge like what an iron ore is, what a furnace is and how you smelt iron ore in a furnace. I also learnt about farming tools such as a hoe.

You can also design your own games in Minecraft  and set your own rules .This promotes thinking and planning .

The best part  is that Minecraft has no rules and so this gives children the freedom to do what they like and this helps them to do more independent thinking.

Social Media Contract for Kids ,Courtesy-iMOM

All moms who have tweens,preteens and teenagers,please go through the social media contract  :

Social Media Contract for Kids - iMom

It might help you to set the guidelines.

Matilda,Matilda !

My nine year old daughter is reading "Matilda" by Roald Dahl & loving it big time ! She is supposed to read at least 15 minutes every day and this is part of her school homework.She can choose to do the reading from anywhere she likes....it could be a fiction or non-fiction.

So when she reads I time her and the stopwatch is on .She usually asks me from time to time how many minutes have elapsed but with "Matilda" she is so absorbed that she doesn't even ask me anything related to time !

Rain play

These days our children are rarely exposed to the elements.They don't get wet in the rain and they don't splash in the puddles afterwards.We mothers also are very particular about keeping them clean.However,I still have vivid memories of getting wet in the rain....it sure was an exhilarating experience!!!

A few days ago on a rainy day instead of indoor activities I encouraged the children to go out and play.I took them out in raincoats and wellington boots. The moment they were out I could clearly see how excited they were.....there was no warming up period and they got into it immediately.They started jumping in the puddles and splashing water all over.....

Then we went on the side of the street where there were a lot of puddles and near a bus stand and quite a few pedestrians were amused by the activities of the kids.I had brought some water toys in a bag and on the sidewalk the puddles were quite muddy.My boy loved digging the muddy areas with his shovel.Their play became more and more exciting and climaxed into each child pouring muddy water on the other one's head!My boy too was enjoying this which is surprising considering that he doesn't like messy things at all.....this kind of delighted me.....nothing like a bit of messy play for such children to overcome their squeamishness!

After the rain stopped the kids kept playing with the mud and puddles for some time and upon returning both seemed very contented over their adventure!

Last Child in the Woods

I read this book a few weeks ago and it literally changed my views on the needs of my children. I thought that warm,loving care, nutritious food,mental stimulation and books were all that my children needed at this stage of life. But this book made me realize that they need nature,too and outdoor experiences can be one of the greatest teachers of all!

I was aware of the benefits of outdoor play for the enjoyment and for the social skills that they pick up in the playground. However, this book made me realize that children need nature and they need to touch and smell flowers,admire the shape of clouds and touch sand,mud and other natural materials,not just the wii remote.

I think this book is a compelling read for parents of our generation.

It takes a village to raise a child!!!!

Hello ! I am a stay-at-home mother of two preschoolers aged 3 and 5.I love being a mom to my little cherubs and I want to give them a childhood which they will remember fondly.Our days are filled with fun,fights and frolic!

There are days when I crib and whine about having to give up my career (my hubby can vouch for that) but hopefully years later I'll accept the fact that I was fortunate enough to enjoy my children's early years. I mean when they grow up I will never be able to revisit their childhoods.

I am passionate about early literacy and believe that mothers can be the first and the best teachers.Having said that,I must say that I am not "kiasu" and believe in child directed learning and the power of play.

Learning doesn't take place in one building within designated hours!It begins from birth and the first six years are the most crucial in brain development.Formal education may begin at six but stage for future academic success is already set even before formal schooling starts.


Many of you must be wondering why I have started this blog.I believe in the old adage that it takes a village to raise a child.Think of the many people involved in your child's life...the teachers,pediatricians,your parents,parents in law,your siblings,your spouse's siblings,other mothers.....the list is endless. In this era many of us are living away from our families and so internet and motherhood blogs may well serve as some kind of "village" for us moms.

So let's discuss,share and brainstorm about the different issues of motherhood and parenthood in general.Let not this be a monologue by me but a lively conversation between mothers.