Positive effects of music on growing children

Ranjith’s first and instrument

David got a kiddie guitar when he was around five or six but his brother Ranjith was more interested in this instrument. He would carry it all over the place, like a security blanket. He would randomly strum it all the time, that’s when his parents realized that their child had an ear for music. As the years went by they saw Ranjith start to play songs accurately just by listening to the song over and over again, with no formal training.

In his late teens he formed a band with David being the lead singer and their friends were equally talented on the drums and rhythm guitar. Their band called ‘The Sticks’ became very popular among college students and they won many competitions... now 15 years on Ranjith owns his own music school with a Montessori department for babies to come and get acquainted with music.

Positive influence of music

It is a known fact that music has a strong influence on children, whether they are in their teens or younger. Music has a strong effect on adults as well, so you can imagine the influence on kids.

Here’s an article about the positive effects music have on children http://to.pbs.org/1Hp8RDy

Lawrence School

We at Lawrence realize the importance of music and extracurricular activities for our wards. Our teachers are well equipped for this and your children will get a healthy holistic education. To know more about us http://lawrenceschool.in/

Ugly Truth

Stop using the word ‘Ugly’

The word ‘Ugly’ is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as ‘unpleasant or repulsive, especially in appearance.’ Does this agree with you? Children are brought up with fairytales saying if you’re not pretty then you don’t have much going for you. Stories like the Ugly Duckling or Prince Charming; he got by solely on his looks. Have you ever thought if Sleeping Beauty wasn’t beautiful would Prince Phillip have kissed her? In the movie ‘Shrek’ they depict this by showing a scene where Princess Fiona is in her cursed form, an ogre. And wouldn’t you know it; the Prince gets scared and leaves her there. It can be because she was an ogre and was scary looking, but the Prince mentions the word ‘ugly’ and runs off.

Not just us but our kids are bombarded with images in the media and just about everywhere else on how they ought to look, magazines showing pictures of thin, flawless models and actors. Most of these images are photo shopped. But the message has already been sent and received. There are celebrities who try to fight this and send a positive message to their young fans. Pink’s F***** Perfect and Christina Aguilera’s song ‘Beautiful’ are all about having a positive body image and that you’re perfect and beautiful just the way you are.

Why concentrate on the colour of one’s skin tone

Closer to home, there is so much importance on skin tone and the lightness of skin colour. Did you know we’re the only country that have fair creams? Look at the ads, countless of them for fair creams. Why should a person have to have fair or light skin in order to be seen as pretty? The word ‘ugly’ should be taken off the dictionary and cease to be used. To read more on the impact this word has on children click here http://bit.ly/1EogLuC

Lawrence School

Lawrence would be a good fit for you and your child because our teachers and staff are well qualified and trained to handle anything that might crop up. To know more about us, click here http://lawrenceschool.in/

Benefits of co-ed education

Choice of school

Being surrounded by girls was nothing new to Kathy, she had two sisters. One elder and younger, the only male figure in the house was their dad. Kathy and her sister finished their schooling in an all girls’ school. But when Kathy’s younger sister, Jane was in seventh standard their dad got transferred to another city and the nearest school was a co-ed one.

After Kathy, her older sister Margo and their parents talked about it, they decided to let Jane decide. After all she was entering high school and she was old enough to make a decision. Jane took this choice seriously and thought and talked about it with her friends. It didn’t take long, for two days later Jane had decided that she wanted to go to a co-ed school... it was a different world this co-ed school. The girls didn’t have their claws out as much and the boys’ presence made it all so much better. Jane fit right in and made lots of friends. Her high school years after that were a kaleidoscope of fun, laughter, frustration and tears... when her family asked her about her experiences in this new school while compared to her old one, Jane sat back and thought for a minute, framing her reply just right. At the end she said “it was nice in an all girls’ school. Women understand each other. But the co-ed school was so much more what I thought it would be. I found that I took more interest in my studies and also tried out for the different sports they offered.”

Jane’s decision

Jane’s family talked about it together and left the choice up to her. If you are wondering about the same thing, there is help out there. The online sphere has 100s of sites that will throw light on this topic. Click here to read more on this subject http://bit.ly/1yxemvQ

Lawrence School

If you choose to send your child to a co-ed school, then we at Lawrence would be a good fit for you and your child. Our teachers and staff are well qualified and trained to handle anything that might crop up. To know more about us click here http://lawrenceschool.in/     

Home school VS Public School

Home schooling

Preethi and Ming talked a lot about whether they wanted to put their kid in a public school or home school her. After much consideration and deliberation they finally decided that they would home school their daughter. There are sites that guide you through this process and teach the parent how to educate their child. Places where a whole curriculum which will be affiliated to an education organisation are also available on the World Wide Web.

When asked why they decided to home school their child, Pretthi replied “the main factor was that we chose to shelter our child as long as we can, because there are many things besides education that a child picks up from school. And that’s a known fact.”

Home schooling or Public school

They took their child Rachel to a school one day and had her attend a whole day of class and what they got back was news to them. Rachel (eight years old) liked being part of a class and loved that there were other kids her age that she could interact with and learn from.

There is much debate about this topic. People say that the child learns so much more and needs a healthy interaction with kids their age and also with adults; teachers, staff and others. They learn many life lessons outside the classroom but of course it’s not all roses and sunshine. The child might have a stunted social growth when home schooled and may not learn essentials like team building, games and other extracurricular activities that one learns from school.

If you’re a parent deciding to home school your child, here is a link that will take you to a website that will throw some light on this agenda. Click here to know more http://bit.ly/1A764pe

Lawrence School

If you choose to send your child to public school, then we at Lawrence would be a good fit for you and your child. Our teachers and staff are well qualified and trained to handle anything that might crop up. To know more about us,
click here http://lawrenceschool.in/

Benefits of older siblings

Maybe I don’t belong but maybe I do

Growing up Sammy always thought that he didn’t belong to the family he was born in. He was the youngest of four kids; all his older siblings were a lot older than him, Jim the oldest 35, Ranjith 33 and Deborah 31, Sammy was just 23. He wasn’t allowed to go out and do anything that his siblings did; he would constantly get the reply “when you’re our age then you can do this.” For this reason he was one of those kids who couldn’t wait to grow up. As each year passed he knew that he’d be a grown up soon and be able to do things his older siblings did.

Sammy soon realized that being the youngest had a lot of perks as well. While he was still in school all his siblings had graduated and were working. Since they didn’t have a family of their own, his siblings would spoil him rotten and buy him things. Not just that but the clothes he’d get from his brothers were the best! There wasn’t a shortage of clothes and Sammy never repeated an outfit. He was constantly getting things handed down to him and new things were also bought. Christmas was the best for Sammy; he would get presents not just from his parents but from his three older siblings as well. The oldest Jim was constantly coddling him and Sammy had no objection.

Perks of being the youngest

There are so many things that you could learn from your older siblings. Sammy’s taste in music was eclectic and some were ahead of his years. While kids his age would listen to Taylor Swift, Kanye West, Coldplay, Bruno Mars and Ed Sheeran. But Sammy enjoyed the classics like The Doors, Queen and The Beatles, mostly music from the 70s up to the 90s.

  Older siblings can teach you a lot and to read an article about the benefits of having older siblings, click here http://bit.ly/1xE5Qdt

Lawrence School

Our teachers and staff have been trained to spot anything that’s not only good for your children but warning signs that parents should know about. Generally there are healthy older/younger sibling relationships. But if there are any early on signs of a child not adjusting because of his/her older siblings, our teachers will know about it.

To know more about our school click here http://bit.ly/1tEBfuJ

Importance of Sports Day

The craziness of sports day

Sports Day is something that the students and teachers alike look forward to and an annual event all schools conduct. Athletics and games are very important for the all round development of a child. On the field they learn discipline and focus, to work hard something that keeps children fit and healthy. Sports Day brings out healthy competition between students and they learn how to win and lose with dignity. The atmosphere is electric with fun, excitement, cheer and different aromas from the various food stalls, all beckoning you to come and savour the delicious sweet and spicy food dotted all around the place.

Sports can change you

Michael and Tina noticed that their child wasn’t interacting much with the other kids her age. She would rather sit in a corner playing by herself. Whenever any other kid would approach her, she’d get up and move to another corner. This behaviour was disturbing to the parents and they took to scouring the internet for possible reasons and how best to help their child.

They came across an article that said getting your child involved in sports and games was a good way to get him/her out of their shell. In a few short weeks after enrolling their kid in the various sports that her school offered, she started to open up and became more enthusiastic. She learnt to work as a team and to interact with others of her age group and older.

To know more about the importance of sports day in schools, click here http://bit.ly/1vyRxQj

Lawrence School

We know that sports and games are very important for the healthy development of children. That is precisely why we hold an annual sports day for all our staff and students to enjoy alike. To know more about us, click here http://bit.ly/1tEBfuJ

Pay it forward this Christmas season

Pay It Forward

A movie released in 2000, directed by Mimi Leder and starring Kevin Spacy, Helen Hunt and then-child star, Haley Joel Osment is about a young boy who attempts to make the world a better place when his teacher gives the class an interesting assignment – think of something to change the world and put it in action. In turn, Osment’s character, Trevor, comes up with the clever idea of paying a favour forward.

An Unconventional Teacher

Miss Singh, a teacher that is loved by everyone, and often elected the ‘most favourite teacher’ by her students and peers alike. She never teaches in a conventional way and sometimes even uses movies to get the message across to her students. This is one such movie that you could watch with your kids this weekend or suggest that kids in school watch it together.

Youth Inspiring Movies

While it stands that movies in no way are an actual representation of reality, they nevertheless mirrors actual life and are based on real events and people. There are always teachers who have inspired each one of us, and continue to do so. In everyday life, in some way or the other, we carry a little part of them in us.

These are but a few such movies inspired by teachers that spread love, cheer and joy to show students in school or play it for them at home. To know more about movies that could inspire young minds and adults alike, click here http://bit.ly/1FAjoFJ

Have a great weekend!

Lawrence School

Lawrence High School, located in HSR layout, Bangalore, focusses on educating children with traditional values to adapt and excel in the world. Established by the Cauvery Education Trust, we follow Lawrence High School at Koramangala, set up in 1991, providing value-based education through Pre KG classes up to Xth Standard. We are affiliated with the CISCE board that conducts the ICSE level examinations in the Xth standard. The ICSE syllabus has an advanced level syllabus that enables students to forge ahead.

To know more about us click here http://bit.ly/1tEBfuJ