Tuesday, 12 April 2016

Navratri Vrat Recipe: An Absolute Delight to Tickle Your Taste Buds

Fasting is very closely associated with any Hindu festival be it Navratri, Janmashtami, Shivratri or any other popular celebration. During these special days, people eat only pure veg food and there are also certain restrictions with certain food ingredients. 

Navratri is a festival that is devoted to the nine forms of Goddess Durga and it is a nine daylong celebration when many people observe fast. 


Charita Navratri is celebrated during the months of March-April and it is the time when people invoke the energy of Durga to purify their body and soul. 

Usually people eat fruits, milk, yogurt during the fasting days, but we also get a chance to eat some specific things like Kutu, singhara, sabudana, sendha namak etc. I have always seen my mother and grandmother keep a nine day long fast and during this time they used to prepare a wide variety of Navratri vrat recipes that were usually not prepared during any other time of the year. 

Here in this blog, I will share with your some tasty Navratri vrat recipes that are easy to prepare and are also nutritious and healthy. 

Kuttu ki puri: Kuttu is a grain that is considered as pure and can be used to prepare a variety of delicacies during fasting days. Since kuttu is very warm, it should be eaten with dahi. Kuttu ki puri is a tasty preparation and can be served with dahi aloo or simply with raita. 

Makhana kheer: Desserts are often delicacies during vrat and phool makhana kheer are very healthy and easily digestible. It has medicinal properties and provides energy during the vrat. It is very easy to prepare and can be enjoyed daily as well. It can be served warm or chilled like any other kheer preparations. 

Sabudana khichdi: Sabudana is a rich source of carbohydrates and is preferably eaten during the days of fasting. Sabudana khichdi is a tasty Navratri vrat recipe. Prepared in minimal oil with very light spices and boiled potatoes added to it, the dish is filling and also boosts your energy. 

Singhare ka halwa: For all those sweet lovers out there, here’s a halwa that you can relish only during the fasting season. Singhare ka atta is called water chestnut flour and this is used to prepare halwa during the Navratris. With lots of ghee and dry fruits, it is a rich source of energy and can be eaten any time of the day. 

So, enjoy this Navratri with great vrat recipes to choose from and keep yourself healthy and fit even while fasting.

Friday, 1 April 2016

Enhance the Auditory Skills with Humpty Dumpty Nursery Rhyme

We all are familiar with famous nursery rhymes like Jack and Jill, Humpty Dumpty and etc. and even today we continue to teach out little kids these classic rhymes in the same form that we were told by our parents. I still remember reading nursery rhymes as a child from a big book with pictures that is still packed in the box somewhere. That was my favorite book as a child. 


Now, when I see my little kids reading English rhymes, I remember my childhood days. My children read them from modern books that have larger prints and more beautiful illustrations, but the purpose to read rhymes still remains the same. These poems have been around for hundreds of years and contribute a lot in a child’s reading development. 

Research has stated that there is a strong relationship between a child and classic rhymes and their success in future reading and spelling. Kids who are familiar with various poetries when they are between the age of three and six have increased literacy abilities in the coming years. 

Their knowledge is a powerful predictor of their skills in phonological awareness. Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme has an underlying meaning in which Humpty Dumpty represents the King Richard III of England. The wall represents his horse. Others refer it to the downfall of Cardinal Wolsey at the hands of King Henry VIII. 

Nursery rhymes allow parents and teachers to carry the child to an imaginary world of fantasy and play, which helps to develop the kid’s visualization skills by using actions. These short poems often tell a story and have a beginning, middle and an end. Since it is a compact way of storytelling, it helps the child to easily follow and understand the sequence of events that will be of great help when they read big stories in the future. It helps to improve their vocabulary as they hear and use new words that they may not come across in everyday language. 

Nursery rhymes in English improve extensive literary skills that include phonemic awareness, vocabulary, oral language, fluency and comprehension. It is through playful ways and actions that it draws the child’s attention to the sounds of different words and helps them to learn the spellings. The ups and downs in the poems, the pauses and the loud patterns give children a scope to combine visual and movement activities that are easy ways to enhance the auditory aspects of the lesson. The more enjoyable, personalized and interactive the rhyming activity is, the better is the learning process ahead.