Out In The Dark - Poem By Edward Thomas

Out In The Dark

                -   By Edward Thomas

Out in the dark over the snow

The fallow fawns invisible go

With the fallow doe;

And the winds blow

Fast as the stars are slow.

Stealthily the dark haunts round

And, when the lamp goes, without sound

At a swifter bound

Than the swiftest hound,

Arrives, and all else is drowned;

And I and stars and wind and deer,

Are in the dark together, - near,

Yet far, - and fear

Drums on my ear

In that sage company drear.

How weak and little is the light,

All the universe of sight,

Love and delight,

Before the might,

If you love it not, of night.

Vocation - Poem By Rabindranath Tagore

Vocation

- By Rabindranath Tagore

When the gong sounds ten in the morning and

I walk to our school by our lane,

Everyday I meet the hawker crying, "Bangles, crystal bangles!"

There is nothing to hurry him on, there is no road he must take,

No place he must go to, no time when he must come home.

I wish I were a hawker, spending my day in the road, crying,

"Bangles, crystal bangles!"

When at four in the afternoon

I come back from school, I can see through the gate of

That house the gardener digging the ground.

He does what he likes with his spade, he soils his clothes with dust,

Nobody takes him to ask if he gets baked in the Sun or gets wet.

I wish I were a gardener digging away at the garden

With nobody to stop me from digging.

Just as it gets dark in the evening and my mother sends me to bed,

I can see the watchman walking up and down.

The lane is dark and lonely, and the street-lamp stands like a giant

With one red eye in its head.

The watchman swings his lanterns and walks with his shadow at his side,

and never once goes to bed in his life.

I wish I were a watchman walking on the street all night,

Chasing the shadows with my lantern.

If You Think You Are Beaten - Poem By Walter D. Wintle

If You Think You Are Beaten 

     -  By Walter D. Wintle

If you think you are beaten, you are,

If you think you dare not, you don't

If you think to win but think you can't

It's almost a conch you want.

If you think you'll lose, you're lost.

For out in the world we find

Success begins with a fellow's will.

It's all in the state of mind.

If you think you're outclassed, you are,

You've got to think high to rise.

You've got to be sure of yourself before

You ever can win the prize.

Life's battles don't always go

To the stronger or faster man,

But sooner or later, the man who wins

Is the man who thinks he can!

Importance of Physical Development

Physical development implies to one's physical well-being which plays an important role in the overall development of one's personality. One of the most important factor of personality development is the physical development. The term physical well-being deals with one's ability to enhance one's physical fitness. This may include our food eating habits, our harmful habits, workout regime, rest, work hours and overall lifestyle. Though few factors such as heredity as well as environmental conditions do play a major role in our physical well-being and development, yet our own efforts to maintain a good physique counts. Physical development in children contributes to a child's overall physical growth rate in his growing years.




A good physical development is referred as sound physique. Characteristics that contribute to sound physique  includes:

- Good immunity

- Perfect coordination of sensory organs

- Our muscle power

- Body stamina

- Body flexibility

- Overall well-being

Factors of Physical Development

Balanced Diet

A balanced diet is the most important factor that contributes in maintaining good physical development. Regular intake of fresh fruits, seasonal fruits and vegetables helps our body to maintain good health. A balanced diet includes proper intake of carbohydrates, proteins, fat, calcium and minerals. Avoiding daily consumption of fast food and processed foods helps. Eating meals at fixed hours works in the benefit of good physical development.

Physical Exercise

To achieve adequate muscle strength and bone strength one needs to exercise daily. Daily exercising helps your body to maintain flexibility and agility. Sedentary lifestyle needs to be avoided. Exercise schedules need to be included in your daily life. Some activities that could help in maintaining good physical development include yoga, jogging, brisk walking, swimming, trekking, Suryanamaskar etc. Even indulging in sports such as football and volleyball could help you develop good physique.

Recreation

Our busy mind and brain needs something to look forward to which would help it relax and enjoy a bit. This is where pursuing a hobby plays its role. Hobbies helps your mind and brain to relax and also contribute to positive thinking. Any hobby including reading, stamp collection, music, gardening, playing musical instrument, writing, coking etc.could help you de-stress and thus contribute to good physical development.

Hygiene

We often hear, 'Cleanliness is next to Godliness'! Personal cleanliness contributes to good physical development. Certain good habits which contributes towards hygiene and cleanliness help us stay healthy and fit. If we do not maintain good hygiene, we are more at risk of getting sick; and sickness will not help us maintain good physical health. Hence proper attention needs to be paid towards hygiene and body cleanliness. Personal hygiene can be maintained by:

- Taking bath daily.

- Trimming nails regularly.

- Trimming and washing hair.

- Washing hands and feet after coming back from outdoors.

- Brushing teeth twice a day.

- Washing hands after using a toilet.

- Wearing clean clothes everyday.

- Washing hands before your meals.

But only maintaining personal hygiene is not going to help in physical development. Apart from personal hygiene one also has to contribute towards cleanliness of surroundings. Cleanliness of surroundings can be maintained by:

- Not spitting on the road.

- Not dumping garbage on the road.

- Not defecating or urinating in open.

- Always using handkerchief while sneezing.

- Not accumulating water which would act as a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

If - Poem By Rudyard Kipling

If

          -  By Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream ---- and not make dreams your master;

If you can think ---- and not make thoughts your aim,

If you can meet with 'Triumph and Disaster'

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch - and - toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings,

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold when there is nothing in you

Except the will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings ---- nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And --- which is more --- you'll be a man, my son!

Importance of Reading

Reading is one of the most important part of effective study skills. Effective study skills not only help us to achieve the goal of passing with flying colours but they also make our academic journey rather enriching, enlightening and pleasurable. And hence to improve our efficient study skills one should be adept in reading. One of the very important maxim says, 'Read and grow'. You find your intellectual as well as mental growth through reading. Reading cannot be just considered as a mode of learning but it is also one step that you take towards self enrichment.

Importance of Reading

Reading aloud and reading silently both have their own importance. Where reading aloud helps a child to improve his learning skills and beat the problem of understanding words; silent reading could help improve a child's reading speed and enjoy a book in more sitting and relaxed manner. Reading not only helps us understand the subject matter with much more clarity but it also enhances our knowledge. Reading improves our vocabulary building and pronunciation. The habit of reading helps develop self confidence in one and boosts our self esteem. An exposure to good literature helps a child to improve his intellectual development. Continuous reading helps a child to revise his studies and thus memorize textual content.

Points to Remember while Reading

To improve your reading skills you need to pay attention to certain points. Such few points for enhancing your reading skills are given below.

1. Reading works as a part of a vocal exercise which helps improve our voice modulation. And hence while reading, one should pay attention and work on the pronunciations, pace and grammar.

2. Read so as to develop your speaking voice by making the words sound in it's natural content such as whisper, dramatic speech or mysterious conversation. Never forget to consider the punctuation while reading.

3. If you have a session of group reading, practice and rehearse several times for better preparation.

4. It is necessary to read with proper understanding of words and scenes. Always keep a dictionary handy. Refer a dictionary or other reference materials, if you have a problem with what you are reading.

5. Always pay attention and concentrate on the subject matter. Never lose focus from the passage that you are reading.

6. While reading if you come across any pictures, diagrams, maps or charts, take a proper look at them. Never skip them while reading. These pictures or maps help us to understand the topic clearly.

7. Keep a notepad ready while reading. Whenever possible, highlight or underline certain keywords which you feel important and make notes. If you do not understand or have confusion with any word or sentence in a particular passage, note it down and check with your teachers for better understanding.

Do's and Don't of Reading

Reading is necessary factor for efficient study skills and hence it needs to be done properly. There are certain do's and don't that need to be followed while reading. Few are listed below to help you gain success in reading skills.

Do's of Reading

1. Reading should be carried in a place which is less noisy. Any corner of the house which ensures silence and peace is the perfect place for reading.

2. Sitting posture is very important while reading. One should sit comfortably for best reading experience.

3. Reading should be a matter of choice and hence read only when you wish to.

4. Keep notepad, pen and dictionary available with you when you sit to read. Note making is one of the most important part of reading.

5. Reading should be practiced daily without fail. Allot certain amount of time in your daily schedule for reading practice. Follow your reading schedule obediently.

6. Difficult subjects should be read only when you are in a good mood or in positive state of mind. Such subjects need complete attention and presence for good understanding.

7. Always keep a track of what you are reading to continue efficiently.

8. Allot some time at least twice a week to revise or re-read the study material you already read. Also make it a point to go through the highlighted or underlined content at regular intervals.

9. A splash of cold water helps relieve stress and fatigue. Hence it is advisable to splash cold water on your eyes for refreshing yourself.

10. Rest your eyes for a while if you have been reading for a long time. Just close your eyes and remain so for a couple of minutes before continuing.

Don'ts of Reading

1. Do not read in dim light.

2. Do not hold your book too close to your eyes.

3. Do not carry on with reading if others are forcing you to do so and it is not what you want.

4. Do not read if you are feeling tired and have a headache.

5. Do not read just to forget about it.

6. Do not make reading schedules which you cannot follow sincerely.

7. Do not read a book while watching television.

8. Do not read content which are not appropriate for your age.

9. Do not continue reading a passage if you are not able to understand or follow.

10. Do not lose focus from the passage while reading. 

Putting In The Seed - Poem By Robert Frost

Putting In The Seed

         - By Robert Frost

You come to fetch me from my work to-night

When supper's on the table, and we'll see

If I can leave off burying the white

Soft petals fallen from the apple tree

(Soft petal, yes, but not so barren quite,

Mingled with these, smooth bean and wrinkled pea);

And go along with you ere you lose sight

Of what you came for and become like me,

Slave to a springtime passion for the earth,

How Love burns through the Putting in the Seed

On through the watching for that early birth

When, just as the soil tarnishes with weed,

The sturdy seedling with arched body comes

Shouldering its way and shedding the earth crumbs.

The Gift Outright - Poem By Robert Frost

The Gift Outright

- By Robert Frost

The land was ours before we were the land's.

She was our land more than a hundred years

Before we were her people. She was ours

In Massachusetts, in Virginia,

But we were England's, still colonials,

Possessing what we still were possessed.

Possessed by what we now no more possessed.

Something we were withholding made us weak

Until we found out it was ourselves

We were withholding from our land of living,

And forthwith found salvation in surrender,

Such as we were we gave ourselves outright

(The deed of gift was many deeds of war)

To the land vaguely realizing westward,

But still unstoried, artless, unenhanced,

Such as she was, such as she would become.

The Need of Being Versed In Country Things - Poem By Robert Frost

The Need of Being Versed In Country Things 

- By Robert Frost

The house had gone to bring again

To the midnight sky a sunset glow,

Now the chimney was all of the house that stood,

Like a pistil after the petals go.

The barn opposed across the way,

That would have joined the house in flame

Had it been the will of the wind, was left

To bear forsaken the place's name.

No more it opened with all one end

For teams that came by the stony road

To drum on the floor with scurrying hoofs

And brush the mow with the summer load.

The birds that came to it through the air

At broken windows flew out and in,

Their murmur more like the sigh we sigh

From too much dwelling on what has been.

Yet for them the lilac renewed its leaf,

And the aged elm, though touched with fire;

And the dry pump flung up an awkward arm;

And the fence post carried a strand of wire.

For them there was really nothing sad

But though they rejoiced in the nest they kept,

One had to be versed in country things

Not to believe the phoebes wept.

The Transmutation - Poem by Edwin Muir

The Transmutation

        - By Edwin Muir

That all should change to ghost and glance and gleam,

And so transmuted stand beyond all change,

And we be poised between the unmoving dream

And the sole moving moment - this is strange.

Past all contrivance, word, or image, or sound,

Or silence, to express, that we who fall

Through time's long ruin should weave this phantom ground

And in its ghastly borders gather all.

There incorruptible the child plays still,

The lover waits beside the trysting tree,

The good hour spans its heaven, and the ill,

Rapt in their silent immortality,

As in commemoration of a day

That having been can never pass away.

Paper Cutting and Pasting Craft Ideas for Kids - Leaping Frog

Simple paper cutting and pasting ideas always interest kids. Such activities are also part of school projects and usually turn out to be much creative. Cut and Paste craft worksheets are readily available at all leading stationery stores. But it is fun for a child to draw and cut out a craft and then paste it himself on a drawing book and make it part of a whole picture. Such simple cut and paste activities ensure kids to be free from boredom and engages them in creativity.

Making a leaping frog out of paper cutting and pasting activity is one such simple draw, cut and paste activities which kids may enjoy doing. The material required are just few, readily available ones and time required is just a few minutes. It is easy and fun making this leaping frog out of scratch and then pasting it to a drawing paper. Once completed, kids can use the picture as part of a photo frame or could use it as a gift to someone.

Materials Required for Paper Cutting and Pasting of Leaping Frog

Green Card Paper - 1 sheet
White Card Paper - 1 square sheet
White card paper - 2 small round cutout for eyes
Child friendly scissors - 1
Pencil - 1
Black marker - 1
Sketch pens / felt pens - green, blue, brown and any other of your choice
Adhesive or glue

Method for Paper Cutting and Pasting of Leaping Frog

1

Draw a circle on a green card paper and cut out with the help of child friendly scissors.

2

Once done, with the help of pencil roughly draw out the shape shown below.

3

Darken the shape with a black marker, and continue to join the shape as shown below with the help of dotted lines.

4

Now start cutting the shape from both the sides until you reach the dotted lines. Once done, fold this line so that the body of the frog turns upwards and the hind legs of the frog come out from the backwards. You can also cut the whole portion if you like and stick the hind legs behind the back of the frog. Also stick the eyes on the top of the head.

5

Cut two front legs of the frog on the green card paper and stick them to the back of the body of the frog with the help of adhesives.

6

With the help of sketch pens or felt pens of your choice, add some features on the frog, like spots or zigzag lines. Kids can also make use of stickers or glitter if they wish to use to add decorative features to the leaping frog.

7

Now stick the frog in middle of  the white card paper. Do not apply glue to the whole body of the frog, just apply it in the center of it's back and stick it. This gives a 3-D effect. Now draw water, plants, stone or any other drawing of your choice to finish the landscape. Your leaping frog is ready. 

The Road - Poem By Edwin Muir

The Road

     - By Edwin Muir

There is a road that turning always

Cuts off the country of Again.

Archers stand there on every side

And as it runs time's deer is slain,

And lies where it has lain.

That busy clock shows never an hour.

All flies and all in flight must tarry.

The hunter shoots the empty air

Far on before the quarry.

Which falls though nothing's there to parry.

The lion couching in the centre

With mountain head and sunset brow

Rolls down the everlasting slope

Bones picked an age ago,

And the bones rise up and go.

There the beginning finds the end

Before beginning ever can be,

And the great runner never leaves

The starting and the finishing tree,

The budding and the fading tree.

There the ship sailing safe in harbour

Long since in many a sea was drowned.

The treasure burning in her hold

So near will never be found,

Sunk past all sound.

There a man on a summer evening

Reclines at ease upon his tomb

And is his mortal effigy

And there within the womb

The cell of doom,

The ancestral deed is thought and done,

And in the million Edens fall

A million Adams drowned in darkness,

For small is great and great is small,

And a blind seed all.