#0022: My son earned his 1st penny!

Reading time: 9.20 min 

Hey 👋  - Hello, there!! Hope you had a great week. 

Why many adults cannot make sense of different countries and where they are in the world?

what is wrong with the way geography is taught in a typical classroom?

Is it possible to make geography more interesting for kids?

How much of geography you can relate to that you learned in your classroom?

I remember learning about contours, and many other useless things that were difficult to understand and had no connection whatsoever to my life.

Also being assessed on things like whether I could label a map of Europe correctly didn’t seem like an accurate way to measure my understanding of the subject.

The teacher hardly went outside the books and the emphasis was on rote learning rather than enjoying and understanding the subject.

In short, I was bored senseless by geography lessons at school and it wasn’t until I started traveling that I became interested in the subject.

Geography is incredibly important, but it is often taught in a way that makes it seem dry and uninteresting. It doesn't have to be this way! There are many ways to make geography more exciting for kids.

So how can you make geography more interesting for kids?

Adding the Human Element-

One way to make geography more interesting for kids is to focus on the human element. For example, instead of just memorizing facts about different countries, focus on the people who live there. What are their customs and traditions? What is their daily life like? This will help kids to see that there are real people living in these places, not just abstract concepts.

No wonder vloggers who show their lives from different parts of the world have become popular, kids can easily relate to them.

Make It Hands-On-

Another way to make geography more interesting for kids is to make it hands-on. There are many ways to do this. One option is to create a giant map of the world that kids can walk on. This will help them to get a better sense of the size and scale of different countries. You can also use play dough to create models of different landforms. Or, you can have kids create their own maps of imaginary countries. There are endless possibilities!

There are puzzles and games like Mapology that kids can see in Augmented reality as well.

Use Technology-

Technology can also be used to make geography more interesting for kids. There are many great apps and websites that can be used to help kids learn about different countries. You can also use Google Earth to take kids on a virtual tour of different places around the world. There are endless possibilities!

Recently we explored the app Geo Guesser, where we can go to different places on the map and guess the place with clues.

Integrating History -

Another way to make geography more interesting is to focus on the physical aspects of the world. Kids are naturally curious about the world around them, so if you can tap into that curiosity, they will be more engaged. For example, instead of just memorizing the names of different mountain ranges, focus on how they were formed. This will help kids to see that the world is a constantly changing place and that there is a lot to learn about it.

There are many ways to teach geography, but some methods are more effective than others. Many adults struggle with geography because they were taught in a traditional classroom setting where the focus was on memorizing facts and figures. This can be quite boring for kids, and as a result, they may not retain much of the information.

If you want to read the full article on this topic, find the link at the end

My son earned his first penny 

Yesterday my dad wanted to get a document typed in Hindi and he was sending someone for the task, so I thought to myself ‘why not ask my son to do it? ’. After all, it would be a great opportunity for him to learn something new and earn his first penny.

Knowing that he likes work related to computers and that he was been trying to type these days, I went ahead and asked him.

To my surprise, he immediately agreed and set to work.

He had some trouble writing a few words but with a little help from me, he was able to complete the task. He used other skills like naming a document, and editing which was not easy with Hindi but he did not give up.

He was very professional with his work and didn’t stop till the work was done. I was very proud of him.

When he was done, my dad paid him the money for his work and he was beaming with joy.

It was a great experience for Adi, he now gets that it's not easy to earn money and he is very conscious of the things he spends his money on. He discusses the value of things with me before buying anything. I think this is a great attitude to have as he grows up.

If you want to read the full article on this topic, find the link at the end

My son and I wanted to ditch the boring lunch this Friday and do something special. we love trying new foods, so we went in search of some good street food. we found a great spot that had a bunch of different vendors with all sorts of delicious options. My son was in heaven! he loved trying everything and even got to meet some of the people running the stands.

Listing some of our favorite street foods below:

- Gol gappe- a type of fried bread that is filled with a variety of different fillings like potatoes, chickpeas, and spices. I have tried them in the fanciest of places but nothing beats street food.

The tangy tamarind water filling along with the myriad of spices is what makes it so special. It was funny to watch my son struggling as he had the entire thing in his mouth trying to swallow it.

We have plenty of carts with gol gappe in our town mostly around the evenings, you just need to find the cart that suits your taste.

Adi wanted to learn about the business model of the pani puri business so we spoke to the seller.

He told us that he buys the Golgappas for Rs. 2-3 and sells them for Rs. 30 per plate of six golgappas. He said that he needs to sell around 80-100 plates to make a profit of Rs. 2500-3000. This business model works out perfectly during the summer season as there are a lot of people on the streets and the demand is high. He also shared that he makes more profit during the festivals like Durga Puja and Diwali.

He generally finishes the stock by 8-9 pm and if he's sold out earlier, he packs up and goes home. He also needs to pay the stall rent and my son also realized that this must not be easy as it involves a lot of standing in the heat and dealing with customers but it's a great way to be independent.

If you want to read the full article on this topic, find the link at the end

cheers, Priyanka

My son suggests the book Reva and Prisha written by Shals Mahajan