Two children from Mumbai spend a year in a small army township in the middle of the Rajasthan desert. Missing the urban sights and sounds, it takes them a while to get used to living in a place where the only excitement is a roll in the dunes. But adventure is just a sandstorm away and all too soon their …

On April 24, 1895 Captain Joshua Slocum set to sailing. He was the first man to sail alone in a small boat, ‘spray’ around the world. He repaired the old boat and started on his historical mission. This is the story of Captain Joshua who braved the torrents of sea all alone. Barbarous Red Indians had surrounded the ‘spray’. They …

When we say special foods, we are referring to anything that is not artificial – it has no preservatives or additives and is in sync with nature. Times are changing and most people have little or no time to cook complete meals. They prefer fast foods and do not mind if they are frozen or non-seasonal. All this has an …

The debate about nature versus nurture in shaping specific traits of human personality, is an old and gripping one – which behavioural aspects are influenced by genes, which ones by upbringing? What one never hears in this debate is the possibility that there might be a third alternative: the role humans play in controlling their destiny. Recent studies by psychologists …

The most desired possession that we would like to give our future citizen is not knowledge or information, it is to make them trained intellect. Which would enable them to adjust themselves in this fast changing world in which we are living today. The school is the only place where an organised effort can be made to ensure a continuous flow …

Now that you’ve decided to work while you are pregnant, there’s another equally important decision you’ve got to make – how to travel to your place of work. While being pregnant should not make you fear travel, at the same time, you have to guard against the jolts and strains that mark normal travel in India. Car Travel If you …

Common signs of teething are drooling, gnawing, biting, and general fussiness and irritability. Your child may feel slightly feverish at times, but no further serious illness should be attributed to teething. He needs more cuddling because of his discomfort, he may wake up more often at night and may want to sleep next to you. All this is part of …

May 17 — It’s celebration time in Japan. The Imperial Household Agency confirmed this week that Crown Princess Masako is pregnant with her first child, news reports said. The news of the princess’ pregnancy appears to have stimulated hopes for a change in attitudes in traditional Japanese society. On the one hand, Japanese think-tanks have started pressing for a change in the …

Toys are necessary for a child to play and learn. From about three months, a baby needs stimulation in the form of simple playthings. A mobile suspended above the crib will amuse the baby and provide visual stimulation. Noise-making toys such as bells or rattles are useful as soon as the child learns to hold an object in his hands. …

A baby weighs about three kilograms at birth, and loses 150-200 g in the first three to four days. After that he grows rapidly and gains about 25 to 30 g a day for the first three months and a little less rapidly after that. The widely accepted formula that a baby doubles his birth weight at five months and …