Winning formula for exams

Exams exasperate. Now, that they are almost there, students are cramming their textbooks with feverish pitch. Nevertheless, many times children fear that they are not able to retain what they have studied and their mind is as blank as a blackboard. The stress levels soar high during the exam time and parents need to learn PQRST model to help their child with revisions so that the fears of children could be put to rest.
Imperial College London has suggested PQRST, which is a good revision technique that can be used
Preview - skim the material to get an overall preview
Questions - formulate questions that highlight what you aim to derive from your reading
Read Actively - make appropriate notes of key ideas
Summarize - identify the main points using lists, key words, flow diagrams, etc. and connect them with knowledge from other sources
Test - test yourself by reciting and reviewing the summaries immediately after learning the material and again at later intervals

A good way for effective retention is to take breaks while studying.

Strategy inside the exam hall
Writing exams is an art and like all other arts it needs to be mastered. After all, this is the place which judges your academic accomplishments in a time of three hours. Naturally, stress and exam hall go together. Take help from tips mentioned below to score better in the exams--

Map your time. This is the primary rule of writing an exam. Read the questions carefully and allot time to writing answers to these. While solving numerical questions if you are getting stuck, it is a good idea to move on and return to the question later. Always strive to have 15 minutes in hand so that you can revise the answers before handing your answer-sheet.

Avoid irrelevance. This is not going to fetch you any mark and your will waste your time.

Write in a legible handwriting and avoid grammatical and spelling errors. It becomes difficult for examiner to give marks if s/he can't read what you have written. Spelling errors and grammatical mistakes are a big put off.

Underline important points. Leave a line between paragraphs and between the answers. They may sound common sense, nevertheless are overlooked in the hurry to complete the answers.

Start your answers with crisp definitions, and give relevant diagrams wherever necessary.

Tips for parents

1. Exam time is stressful for children. However, with the support of parents children can beat stress.
   Be affectionate with the child but your over-attention is going to make him/ her uncomfortable.
2. Spend some light moments with your child. It could be sitting at the dinner table and sharing some jokes with the family.
3. Forget about an exam as soon as your child has appeared for it, ruminating over it is not going to help you or your child. Inculcate the same in your child.
4. Do not set down rules for your child; let the child follow his or her routine while studying
5. Encourage your child to take adequate breaks.
6. See that the child gets eight hours of shut-eye.
7. Nutritious food is essential for your child but steer clear of foods that are high in fat and sugar.
8. Fresh fruits and vegetables are the best bet.
9. It is however recommended that in extreme cases of stress, insomnia and tearfulness expert consultation should be sought.
   

Finally, children remember external pressures around exams can be huge. It can be hard to deal with, especially with family and people you respect, but you need to remember that it's your life and your exam, with you in control. Also try to put the last exam out of your mind and look ahead to the next one - you can't go back and change things.

Day-care dilemmas

There is no place like home. But for mothers who work day-care is inevitable and so is the dilemma. When it comes to children we hate to compromise, yet many of us are ignorant of the facts, one should look for while deciding on a day-care.

Checklist

1. Go by the word of mouth. While deciding on a day-care, go for one, which is highly recommended. Seek the opinion of other mums.
2. Find out adult to child ratio. Experts say that crèche should have a realistic child-staff ratio. That is one adult to four two-year-olds or six three-year-olds. Avoid crèche that is run by ayahs, maids rather than mothers and facilitators.
3. Is it clean? Look for a day-care that is clean and comfortable. This means toilet flushes should be in working conditions, clean toilets and mattresses to loll around the daytime. Staff should be aware of hand washing practices.
4. Are children punished? Corporal punishment is a big no. So is a crèche that ostracises children by making them wear badges for an unacceptable behaviour. A day-care that reprimands children for accidental leakages is to be avoided.
5. Safety. Safety is of paramount concern. Have a close look at the driver who ferries children in the van. If the school employs a teenaged driver then reject the day-care immediately. Does a maid accompany children in the school van? Do they keep tissue papers to wipe nose of children and water with plastic cups in the van. Do they have child-proof switchboards? Is the toilet seat low for toddlers?
6. Could you visit anytime? An open door policy for parents is what you want. Does the place seem clean whenever you walk in? Large imposing gates are intimidating and a day-care that does not allow you easy access to your child is not a good idea, after all.
7. Activities. A day-care should endeavour to have a healthy mix of activities. Children should have a routine to follow for all their activities, which should offer age-appropriate stimulation.
8. Open space. A day-care that offers open space like a jungle gym or a park is preferable to one that does not have this kind of space. Young children need open areas to expend their energy.
9. Number of children. Smaller the size of daycare better it is. Also it is not a great idea to mix children of different age groups, as they have different requirements.
10. First aid knowledge. The staff should be trained enough to handle emergency situations. Children as well the staff should follow the vaccination chart religiously.

If you feel that your baby is not accepting day-care, there has to be some inherent problem with the day-care, or your child is not ready to accept separation from the mother. To make transition easier start looking for better options—like a crèche at work, working from home, flexi-timings, so that you are able to spend more time with your baby.