Our Regular Programs and Activity Schedule

1. Reading Program
Customised reading program using the
phonetics method for building and
improving reading skills , developing
reading comprehension and vocabulary
building and ensuring good grammar
usage
For 3-16 year olds
2 sessions a week 1 hour a session
Fee :Rs 1600 p.m.( for 8 sessions)
2. Have Fun, Learn!
A Unique games based program for brain
development focussing on vocabulary
development , math skills building and to
promote strategic and logical thinking
7-12 years
Fridays 6.00 P.M to 7.30 P.M
Fee :Rs 400 p.m
3. Show and Tell
To improve communication skills and teach basic concepts to young children
3-8 years
Fridays 4.00 P.M to 5.00 P.M;5.00 P.M to 6 P.M
Fee: Rs 400 P.m
4. Communication skills workshop
A Program to build good communication skills in children , focusing on public speaking , extempore , debating , reverse debating and building social communication skills
8-14 years
Saturdays 5.00 to 6 P.M
Fees: Rs 600 p.m
5.English Conversation Classes
Basic Communication skills in English for young children with emphasis on correct grammar , pronunciation and good self expression
3-8 years
Mondays , Wednesdays
5.30 P.M to 6.30 P.M
Fees: Rs 600 p.m
6.Drawing Classes
Drawing techniques , sketching and shading methods will be taught
For  4 yrs and above
Saturdays , Sundays
11.30 A.M to 12.30 P.M
Fees:Rs 600 p.m
7.Saturday Activity Club
A Different activity every Saturday - fireless cooking , storytime yoga ,art and craft ,Theatre , traditional games,science experiments ,gardening  etc
5-12 years
Saturdays 3.30 P.M to 5 P.M.
Fees: Rs 600 p.m
8.Chess Classes:
In association with Phoenix Chess Academy , classes will be held to teach Beginner and Advanced levels strategy and gameplays
Wednesdays 5 PM to 7 PM
Fees : Rs 600 p.m.

Christmas Fun at Books n More!

We have a lot of exciting events lined up for the winter break in Hyderabad! 

Event : Chocolate Making workshop for ages 6 and above 

Date : 24/12/2011

Time: 10.30-12.30 P.M

Event : Young Scientist  for ages 6-12

Date : 26/12/2011

Time :10.30-12.30 P.M

Event : Decorative Paper Craft and Quilling for ages 6 and above

Date : 27/12/2011

Time :10.30-12.30 P.M

Event : Tell me a story ( an interactive story telling workshop with puppets and role play) for ages 4-9 years

Date : 28/12/2011

Time :10.30-12.30 P.M

Event : Traditional Games (a workshop to revive the games our grandmothers used to play ) for ages 4 -12 years

Date : 29/12/2011

Time :10.30-12.30 P.M

Event : Theatre Workshop for ages 4 -12 years

Date : 30/12/2011

Time :10.30-12.30 P.M

Please call 9885956728 for registrations! Limited seats only and registration on first come first served basis.

"Origami Fun!"

Learn the Japanese art of Paper Folding with Anagha Narayanan as she teaches you how to make a purse , a tie , an envelope and a lot more stuff with just your hands ..no scissors , no glue !
This workshop is meant for 4-10 year olds .It's happening on 26/11/2011 from 4.30 P.M to 6 P.M at the library .

"Suno Kahani"

A storytelling event for 3-8 year olds - "Suno Kahani " is coming up on the 19'th of November . The theme is - Indian Stories for Indian kids .
The stories that will be told are :

• Gajapati Kulapati- a very hilarious story by Ashok Rajendran published by Tulika books. The story will be told along with a lot of role play by the children .

• Subbu the Signal - a charming story about a signal's wanderlust published by Pratham Books.The story will be told with stick puppets.

• The Prince and the Magician - A classic Andhra Folktale with drama , mystery and heroism .There will be a skit based on this story in which the children will participate.

Children's Creative theater workshop on 12/11/11

Books n More is hosting a Creative theater workshop for 5-11 year olds on 12/11/2011 between 3.30 and 5 P.M . Mime, role play and theater games will be the activities conducted in the workshop .

Ideas for Diwali

With the Diwali preparations on in most homes , here are a few fuss free activity options to keep your children entertained.

1. Make Diwali cards for friends and family .( Ages- 3 years upwards)
Supplies needed: Chart paper , Glitter pens, crayons /colour pencils, pencil , eraser and sketch pens
Let their creativity run free as they draw colourful pictures of diyas and fire crackers and write their own personal notes to friends and family members .

2.Paint Diyas( Ages - 7 years upwards) :

Supplies needed: Plain terracotta diyas , poster colours , paint brushes and glitter paint .
Spread some newspaper on the floor , and let the children enjoy themselves painting the diyas.

The diyas painted by your kids , can be used to light up your home or even gifted with chocolates inside them , to your neighbours and friends .They even make lovely table decor for your Diwali party .


3.Here are a few books for  children to read  :

• My Book of Indian Festivals by Jamila Varqawala
• Festivals of India and other lands by Komal Mehra
• Ramayana - Amar Chitra Katha
• Krishna and Narakasura- Amar Chitra Katha
• Chhota Bheem - Diwali Dhamaka - Vol 27 

 4. Diwali songs :

• Happy Diwali 
• Shubh Deepavali (Poojan Aarthi)
• Deepavali Deepavali- Tamil song

5.Here's a no Cook recipe for Diwali which you can make with your  children:
 Choco crumble:
  
Ingredients :

• 1 cup wheat flour
• 1 cup maida
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven 
2. Make the young chefs mix everything up  in a mixing bowl. Spoon into a baking dish , level it up with a spatula
3.Bake at 180 degrees for 20 mins
4.Remove carefully from the baking dish and cut into pieces to serve( Adult supervision is needed for Step 3 and Step 4)

Activities for kids at Books n More , Library and Activity Centre for Diwali:

• 21/10/2011- 5 P.M to 6 P.M. -Show and tell - Diwali theme with card making activity for 3-7 year olds.
• 25/10/2011- Diwali Story telling session -for 3-8 year olds- 5 P.M to 6 P.M

Over 1000 new books added !

On completion of our first month , we treated ourselves  :) to over 1000 new books!  Revolution 20:20 by Chetan Bhagat , Secret of the Nagas, The Incredible Banker to name a few are our latest additions to Indian Fiction. We also have the complete set of Chhota Bheem Books for our young Chhota Bheem fans .

So now , we have touched 8000 books , with around 5000 books for children. We have also created an enhanced reading space , where children can read for as long as they want and a seperate activity room for our classes and workshops .

Diya making workshop for adults and children

This weekend (Friday 7/10 - Sunday 9/10 ) we're having a diya making workshop at Books n More . Pottery and Claymodelling will also be taught as a part of the workshop.The timings are from 10.30 to 12.30 P.M. Fees for the workshop is Rs 600/- per head for three days .

Show and tell for children

We started our Show and tell sessions yesterday for children in the age group of 3-8 years . This one was about animals- the children used finger and hand puppets to talk about their favourite animals . Some chose to sing animal songs- the cutest was by a 3 year old girl , who sang "Five little monkeys" with great aplomb .
Going forward, the sessions will be held every Friday between 5 P.M and 6 P.M  at Books n More . We would provide some props , but things created by children , that they would like to speak about ,would be wonderful additions to the show and tell sessions.

Have fun,Learn!

Books n More is hosting it's first activity workshop series titled "Have Fun,Learn!" tomorrow.
It will be a weekly activity on Friday evenings . The first week is for vocabulary development through word mazes, "What's the good word" and Scrabble. The second week is for building math skills through games like puzzle sum ,math rummy ,sudoku and math puzzles . The third week every month is for games of strategy - we're starting with chess. The fourth week every month is for games involving logical thinking and brain teasers .

Why Books n more ? What is Books n More ?

After years of dreaming about creating a space full of books and lots of room for people (especially children ) to browse,smell,read and fall in love with books (either for the first time  or all over again !), my friend Archana and I finally made it real . We started Books n More,Library and Activity Centre this month in a lovely space in Marredpally,Secunderabad.

As the name suggests, we have books and more books .Around 6000+ books now and counting .
Since there is no concept of a public library in India , we wanted to make books accessible to everyone . So we have priced the monthly membership (which lets a child borrow two books a day , or an adult, a book a day ) as low as Rs.100 .

The More in the name is for all the activities that we have started in the library . We have  activities like storytelling workshops, theatre sessions , communication skills workshops, creative writing classes for  children in the age group of 3-16 years  . At Books n More , we  offer a tailor made reading program to suit children in the age group of 2 to 9 years . The focus is on reading comprehension ,grammar and vocabulary development .

I hope to share some of the activities of Books n More in this blog. I also hope to share some ideas on teaching reading , reading aids , fun stuff for kids to do etc .

I would love feedback and ideas from people who read this .