The answer is quite obvious actually. It is to hobby. But many a hobbyist need a bit of help to get started. SkoolShop.com has put a bunch of hobby tips and how-to-get-started pages on our SkoolShop Facebook Page. Here are some of the tips we have put up so far. See, share & comment.

HOLIDAYS ANNOUNCEMENT DESK:
Most exams are already over and some have started their holidays. We think Holidays should be divided into two parts. Part 1 is pure unadultrated fun. Part 2 is a bit of constructive time, either to get interested in a hobby, or read more, or work on a project, and so on. We liked this link as it has some interesting ideas for those who are at home these holidays. See and Share.

WHAT TO DO DURING HOLIDAYS DEPARTMENT:
For the next 100 days, we will try and bring you one tip a day for maximizing your holidays. They could be about hobbies, fun, vacations, learning, sharing & caring. This first one is about a list of interesting hobbies. See and Share.

ELECTRONIC HOBBY DESK:
Robotics, Circuits or plain old magnets. These are what electronic whiz kids grew up on. So here’s a good place to start if you are considering a electronics related hobby. See and Share.

HIGH FLYING HOBBY DESK:
Which one among us didn’t want to fly an airplane? Well, if you can’t do the real thing, here’s something even better. Learn about building miniature flying airplanes that can give you countless hours of joy. See and Share.

THIS HOBBY SAVES LIVES DEPARTMENT: Ever wondered who saves thousands of lives when all means of communications go down during a natural disaster. He/She is a Ham Radio hobbyist. Intrigued? Well, See and Share.

REVIVE THIS HOBBY DEPARTMENT:
Is Stamp Collecting dead as a hobby? Or is there hope yet. For those kids who might like to start, here is a good place to know the basics. The rest can continue to use email. See and Share.

ROBOTICS HOBBY DESK:
They say that the future of the world is in the hands of a robot. Well, wouldn’t it be nice if you could also create a robot who could do all your homework ? Here’s the place to start then. See and Share.

HOBBY THAT CAN MAKE YOU FAMOUS DEPARTMENT:
Here’s a hobby that can ultimately make you very famous & perhaps rich too – Fashion. Here are a few tips on Fashion as a Hobby. See and Share.

PUZZLING HOBBY DEPARTMENT:
We came across this article in the NY Times today which talks about how practice can make you smarter, which then leads us to believe that solving puzzles can be a very interesting hobby, that can also help you in the process. Shampa from Delhi also agrees in her blog. See and Share.

More as we go along. Watch this space.

There are still a few students out there who are writing their exams now, so we thought we’d collate all the tips we have been posting on our FB pages, Blog and Twitter. Here goes and all the best…

EXAM HALL CRISIS DESK:
You are in the middle of writing an exam. All the studying has been done. What matters now is managing time and writing it well. Here are a few tips on what to do when you are in the thick of it. See and Share – http://www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/undergraduates/current-students/656

EXAM CHECKLIST DESK:
This week we’ve decided to focus only on exam related checklists. Tips that will help you take care of everything around exams. We leave the studying to you, of course. All The Best. See This and Share – http://kate-le-page.suite101.com/simple-checklist-for-exam-preparation-a247322

PHYSICS EXAM FEVER DESK:
Everything that goes up must come down is what they say. Here’s a way you can go up if you’ve come down with a case of Physics exam blues. See and Share -http://www.academictips.org/acad/physic/physics_study_skills.html

MORE EXAM FEVER DESK:
Everyone has someone they know who is right in the thick of examinations right now. So spread some calm and good advice around. Here’s something from our side. See and Share – http://ezinearticles.com/?Best-Possible-Exam-Results—Ten-Things-to-Do-Before-A-Big-Exam-to-Get-Them&id=172263

EXAM FEVER DESK: Are those countless hours hunched over your study books causing a sprained neck and blurry eyes? It’s good to take a break every 40 minutes and do light stretches and some deep breaths to refresh. Here’s a nice illustrated chart showing some simple moves that you can do by your desk. See and Share – http://​kikutowneavclub.tumblr.com/​post/9737697316/​exercises-to-do-while-standing-​at-your-desk-at

EXAM FEVER DESK:
At Skoolshop, we are huge fans of the mindmapping- planning out tasks, taking notes, and organizing information in a visual structure. With exam time around the corner, it’s worth seeing how to use mindmaps as a technique to prepare for your tests. See and Share – http://learningfundamentals.com.au/blog/how-to-mind-map/

EXAM FEVER DESK:
Is your child struggling with exam anxiety? This article sheds light on what causes it and some tips to help deal with it. See and Share – http://kidshealth.org/teen/school_jobs/school/test_anxiety.html

All For Now. All The Best.

Team SkoolShop
www.skoolshop.com

via GOOD.is

How a Poet Inspired 1,000 People to Become Teachers

New York City-based slam poet and former teacher Taylor Mali is well-known as a vocal advocate for educators. With more than 6 million YouTube views, his poem “What Teachers Make” is the ultimate comeback to people who disrespect those who dedicate their lives to students. But since Mali left the classroom to perform and lecture to a global audience 12 years ago, he’s done more than lyrically defend his colleagues’ hard work.

Read more here

At Skoolshop, we are huge fans of the mindmapping- planning out tasks, taking notes, and organizing information in a visual structure. With exam time around the corner, it’s worth seeing how to use mindmaps as a technique to prepare for your tests. This one pager describes the steps involved in mindmapping course work. Read it here

Are those countless hours hunched over your study books causing a sprained neck and blurry eyes? It’s good to take a break every 40 minutes and do light stretches and some deep breaths to refresh. Here’s a nice illustrated chart showing some simple moves that you can do by your desk.

You’ve participated in class, done all of your homework, studied hard, and you think you have a grip on the material. But then the day of the test comes. Suddenly, you blank out, freeze up, zone out, or feel so nervous that you can’t get it together to respond to those questions you knew the answers to just last night.

If this sounds like you, you may have a case of test anxiety — that nervous feeling that people sometimes get when they’re about to take a test.

How to deal with it? Here’s the entire article

Let Us Know: What are your tips to deal with exam anxiety?

Mathew Peterson in this great TEDx talk makes the case for a more visual style of teaching. Could teaching without words help stimulate interest and be more intuitive for children to understand English and Math concepts?



Let Us Know: Does the more visual style appeal to your child? And how much more effort is involved in teaching in such a way?

Kiran Bir Sethi is the founder/director of the acclaimed Riverside School in Ahmedabad. A trained designer from NID she has used her design and education expertise to question and redesign what role schools should play in a child’s education and growth. Watch her TED talk where she describes how she empowers her students to affect change in their world thru the motto ‘i can’



Let Us Know: Can schools play an active role in inculcating the qualities of being proactive and working towards affecting social change? Or is that better left for parents to do?

Taking meaningful complete notes in class is half the effort involved in learning your material well. While many note-taking styles exist, we are big fans of the Cornell Method by Walter Pauk. It may take sometime to get used to it, but once you get used to it get ready to ace those tests.

Explore it here via Lifehacker

Let Us Know what your note-taking style is. Have you taught your children how to take notes? Or is it something that they learn on their own or from school?

We get the feeling parents dread homework more than their children. Some tips and ideas from Parenting magazine to make homework less of a chore.

1. Foster a We’re-in-This-Together Vibe
“Do your homework as your child does his,” advises Trevor Romain, author of How to Do Homework Without Throwing Up. “If you have checks to write or e-mails to respond to, you’re role-modeling by just sitting and doing it.” Plus, if he needs help, you’ll be there.

2. Divide and Conquer

“I wish I could be the one with the great math skills, but I don’t think it’s in the cards,” says Andrea Tomkins of Ottawa, Ontario. Instead, Tomkins helps her fourth-grader with subjects she is good at (English, French, and social studies), while her husband takes math and science. “It makes the process more pleasant.”
Click here to read all the tips and ideas