One concept I liked was the Baby Einstein 12-book library. This is a set of 12 books, and each book is about 3 inches tall, 3 inches wide, and an inch thick. The size makes it easy for toddlers to hold a book and turn pages. The  recommended age group for this product is 10 months to 3 years.

Each book has a theme. For example, the “Colors” book shows objects of different colors. On the “Blue” page, there are pictures of blueberries, blue socks, a blue crayon and other blue items . My daughter has enjoyed looking at the different objects under a particular theme.

However, I think this good product could be made even better by addressing the following issues.

1. Age-appropriate images — There are certain images in the books that toddlers cannot relate to. For example, in the “Shapes” book, the word “Triangle” is followed by an image of a set-square.  No 10-month-old would understand the concept of a set square and it is hard for parents to explain it to them. Better alternatives are a sailboat or a slice of pizza. In the same book, under the word “Star” is a star-shaped cake pan. Again, how do you explain that to a very young child?  A better image would be a regular old star (the twinkle-twinkle kind) or maybe the star on top of a christmas tree.

2. Lack of uniformity — The books have some recurring characters that probably appear in a number of Baby Einstein products. But there is a lack of uniformity in how these characters are depicted. Some characters have elaborate clothing and real-life names . For example “Jane” is a bear and she wears a safari outfit. Other characters like the bee and the tiger are named “Bee” and “Tiger”. Unlike Jane, they do not wear clothes. Another lack of uniformity lies in the text of the books. Some of the images are photographs, others are cartoons.

3. Bad depictions of actions — The “Let’s Move” book has words like “Walk” and “Jump”  and shows images of animals performing these actions. Another page has the word “Run” and it shows a cow stretching its legs to run. It looks like the cow is leaping rather than running. For the word “Walk”, an elephant is walking on its hind legs. In this book too, half the animals are characters that carry instruments and wear clothes, while some are just regular old naked animals.

In short, it looks like the books were hurriedly designed by the Baby Einstein art team. It is likely that they had a database of images from where they picked pictures and put the ones that “kinda go” under each theme. So while the concept of little books for little hands is brilliant, the content needs real work.

What surprises me most is that Baby Einstein is owned by Disney. I would expect that a company that spends and makes millions of dollars on children’s entertainment would have the ability and the good sense to hire some educators for their “Einstein” product.

However, I think there are a couple of reasons why building blocks may just be worth the trouble.

1. Motor skills — Kids use their fingers to pick up pieces of lego and place one on top of the other. This builds their fine motor skills. Sometimes, they need to hold the towers they build steady with one hand when they place the next block on top. This develops coordination and balance.

2. Mental processes — Lego helps kids be creative and use their imagination. Toddlers create bridges, towers and use lego wheels to make cars, while older kids can build spaceships, castles and houses. I’ve noticed that my 2-year-old uses her lego for different things. She makes prints on play dough with different lego shapes. She uses the open side of the pieces as little bowls to fill cheerios and other small objects. She even takes a few in the bath tub to fill and pour water. She places little stuffed animals in her lego car and pushes them around the house.
When kids build, they have to think about process (“First I should put this block on the table, and then place the other on top. Once that is done, I can place yet another block on the second”). 

3. Pre-math skills — At the doctor’s office, I noticed a toddler counting all the lego pieces in the toy box. He made two towers, then took note of which tower was taller than the other and tried to make them of equal length.
Kids also learn how to sort and group. Toddlers sort the lego pieces by color, shape and size. Then they build yellow bridges, or houses with only the big red pieces.

4. Laws of Physics — Toddlers learn the basics of structural engineering when they build bridges and skyscrapers. For example, they discover that bridges that are top heavy can be unstable, and that you can only build a tower to a certain height or else it will fall.
Kids also discover friction and acceleration when they play with their lego cars. They find that their cars will roll easily on smooth surfaces and slowly on rough ones, and that they will go fast downhill and will need to be pushed uphill.

5. Interaction with other children and adults — Playing with blocks can be interactive if a child plays with an adult or another child. The child can pick up new ideas on how to build from her playmate. When kids play together, they may experience power struggles. But they will also learn about cooperation and teamwork.

While Lego Duplo is awesome for kids 18 months to age 5, Mega Bloks can cater to children as young as one. Both are great products for budding builders.

Most foreign universities will ask for your transcripts. Transcripts are official records of your academic performance, signed by your college registrar, sealed by your college and bearing your college’s official stamp. It is very important to remember that report cards are not substitutes for transcripts and will not be accepted by the foreign university.

The first thing you should do is look up the requirements on the foreign university’s website. How many transcripts do they need? Do they want your college to send it or can you collect them from the college and then send it yourself? What is the deadline for receiving the transcripts?

Visit your college and ask the office what the procedure is for getting transcripts. Don’t expect it all to happen in one day. You will probably be told the time and day that you can pick them up. Ask what they need from you (report cards, ID etc). At this point, you will probably have to pay for the transcripts in cash or be asked to bring a cheque the next time you come. 

It may take up to a week or more for the college to print your transcripts. Set aside an entire day to collect transcripts. Be prepared to wait for the transcripts for an hour or two in case of delays at your college’s office. Check that the transcripts have the official college stamp and signature of the registrar.

Some American universities now ask for evaluation reports from World Education Services (WES). WES compares your education to the U.S. system and prepares a report with a GPA, which makes it easier for the U.S. institution to understand the percentages and grades that your transcript shows. In order to create this report, WES needs copies of your transcripts (along with other requirements that can be found on the WES website).

An important detail to remember is that if your college is not autonomous (if it is affiliated to a university) then WES expects you to send transcripts from the university not the college. This is often more time-consuming than getting transcripts from your college because universities have more students than colleges do and often have limited hours in the day allocated to transcript work. Sometimes, transcript work is not even undertaken on the university’s campus. The university may ask you for all your mark sheets from college, your graduation certificate and a filled-out form. It can take up to a few weeks for a university to prepare your transcripts.

Although sending transcripts to WES is expensive and a lot more work since you have to involve your university, it is worth it. I believe that one of the reasons I was admitted into an Ivy League university was because the WES converted my transcript from Mumbai University into an evaluation report which showed a G.P.A of  3.96 /4.0.

Once you collect your transcripts, things are in your hands. You can post the transcripts to the foreign university and/or WES. Just make sure that they get there before the deadline! Good luck!

Which test should I take?
Visit the website of the school where you seek admission. You will find information on which exam(s) you are required to take.

What should I expect? 
Some of these exams test you on math and English, others only on your English language skills (vocabulary, reading comprehension, listening skills etc). There are some things you should know.

Format of tests: Most of these exams are computer-based or Internet-based. While US students are used to giving tests online, many Indian students may find this a new experience. When you study for the test, take as many practice tests as possible on the computer.

Content of tests: Sometimes, the English sections of the GRE and GMAT ask you to learn the meanings of a number of words with Greek or Latin roots. In the reading comprehension section, you may have to answer questions on topics you have never read about before such as American politics or American history. Additionally, the math may be a little different from what you have done before as well. Don’t be intimidated. Taking practice tests should familiarize you to the content. Try to read articles from American news sites such as the New York Times or the Washington Post, or read features from the National Geographic website. They will help you get the feel of American English, as well as expose you to different types of content.

Most cities have preparation classes that will help you study for the exam. Classes will familiarize you to the concepts and formats, but you must practice at home to really seal the deal. If you choose to not attend preparation classes, you can buy the necessary textbooks from your nearest bookstore or order them online.

How do I schedule the exam? 
If you are enrolled in classes, the teachers there will help you to schedule the exam. If you are studying by yourself, you can schedule the exam via the official website.

Here are links to the testing organizations sites:
ets.org to schedule a GRE or TOEFL exams
www.mba.com to schedule the GMAT
www.ielts.org to schedule the IELTS
sat.collegeboard.org to schedule the SAT exam and SAT Subject Tests
www.actstudent.org to schedule the ACT

If you have trouble navigating the site, have a friend or relative who can help you. Read as much as you can about the exams, the textbooks required, and how to schedule an appointment. Choose an exam date that will give you plenty of time to prepare for the exam, but make it early enough to be able to retake the exam if you need it. It is, however, rather expensive to take these exams, so work hard to avoid the retake.

Some test organizations accept credit, cheques drawn to U.S. banks, bank drafts, international money orders or even UNESCO coupons. Find out how you have to pay for your particular exam.

How do I choose an exam center? 
There may not be an exam center in the city you live in. You may have to travel to your closest metropolis. If this is the case, book your tickets well in advance and try to stay somewhere close to the exam center. Most Indian metropolitan cities have traffic problems, and the last thing you want is to be late for your exam.

In my personal experience, I had to travel to Mumbai to take the GRE. The exam center was fantastic and it followed all the guidelines set out by ETS. I also stayed with a friend who lived 10 minutes away from the center.

For the TOEFL, I was happy when I saw that there was a center in my city. But on the day of the test I found that the computers were too close together, the airconditioning was too powerful, the toilets were dirty, and the staff was unprofessional.

So if you are taking the exam in your own city, try to check out the testing center before you book it. Don’t be shy. The testing organization pays the center good money so that you can take the exam in a conducive environment.

What do I need on exam day?
Depending on which test you are taking, you may be required to carry a valid ID, the names of schools where test scores should be sent and an admission ticket.  The exam website will probably have specifications on the photo, signature and type of ID. Be sure to follow them.

Most importantly, get a good night’s sleep and try to stay calm. A very quick technique for feeling confident is standing tall with your hands on your hips (like Superman!) and breathing. It sounds silly, but it works.

Good Luck!

Today’s post is on the challenges Indian students may face while trying to get their letters of recommendation for a U.S. university.

Here are some of them:

1. Conveying the importance of recommendation letters - Few Indian universities ask for letters of recommendation when you apply for admission, so your professors may not be aware of or understand the urgency of getting these letters to you.

Solution - Start early. If you know you will need someone’s recommendation in two months, ask for it NOW. In your email, stress on how important a good recommendation is to get into a university abroad.  If they do not reply in a week or so, try again. They may have missed your email. 

2. Reaching out to the right people - Sometimes, people are willing to give you a recommendation, but they may not be the right people to do so. You will find that supervisors want to talk about the company you worked at rather than about you, or some professors may ask you to write the letter so that they can sign it. After I submitted my own application, I found out that one of my recommenders had made a glaringly obvious grammatical mistake.

Solution - Since you won’t get to see your letters of recommendation until after they are submitted (if at all), you can’t do much about badly written letters or typos. So choose a recommender who cares enough about your career to write good letters for you.

3. Submitting recommendations on time -  Your supervisors and professors are busy people and may put writing the recommendation off even if you give them plenty of notice.

Solution - Send reminders at regular (but well-spaced) intervals.  It’s better to remind the recommenders once or twice early on than to rush them at the last moment because they forgot.

4. Time-consuming online recommendations - Some foreign universities ask for online recommendations instead of paper ones. This means that your professors or supervisors have to to log in to a profile created for them and then answer a series of questions about you (eg. What are her strengths? What subjects was she particularly good at? Why do you think she is a good candidate for our course?). While this is a great for the foreign university since it reduces their paperwork and gives them specific information about the candidate, your recommenders may find this a little tedious compared to the paper format. Online recommendations take more time than paper ones and require a good deal of thought to answer.  Your recommenders may put the task off or may answer the questions in a hurry.

Solution - Again, choose a recommender that cares about you enough to answer the questions well. Reach out early and send reminders.

5. Bad Internet Connection for online recommendations -  Many smaller towns in India have unreliable Internet connections which make it difficult to complete an online recommendation in one sitting.

Solution - If you need an online recommendation and your recommender lives in a town with a bad Internet connection, explain the problem to the foreign university and ask them if you can send in a paper recommendation. However, do this ONLY IF you cannot find a solution to the problem at all. Be creative in your approach to the challenge. For instance, see if you can purchase a short-term wireless Internet data card. In India, Reliance and Tata sell such wireless Internet cards in small cities and towns. Schedule an appointment with your recommenders, offer them a data card so that they can use the Internet without any interruption, and wait outside their office while they fill out your recommendation.

I know this sounds rather aggressive, but if there is one thing I’ve learnt while living abroad in a bad economy, it’s that people who aren’t aggressive in a competitive market get left behind.

Do you have any stories or tips on recommendation letters? Share them here! 

She lived with a roommate because renting a tree in the heart of the forest was expensive. Her roommate was a kind bluebird, who ensured that he went to the bathroom on the fairy’s pretty pink potty and not on other people’s heads like the birds of the city do.

One Sunday morning, the fairy made some pancakes for breakfast. She asked the bird to find her some syrup to pour over it. The bird looked all around the kitchen but couldn’t find any. “Maybe I can go out and get you some honey” the bird said. Now the bluebird was a good bird, but not too clever. He didn’t know that he had to buy honey. After all, bees have to be paid for their hard work. So he went to a nearby hive and started digging around and helping himself to some honey.

Some of the bees saw what he was doing. Boy, were they mad! They flew after the bird angrily and tried to sting him. It’s a good job that the bird could fly fast, because he flew for his life! He went into his tree and shut the door tight.

“What’s the matter,” the fairy asked. “Did you buy some honey?”

“I had to buy it? No, I just started to help myself from the bees’ hives.”

“Oh no!” said the fairy. “The bees must be very very angry!”

She looked out of her window and found a swarm of bees angrily trying to get through the windows and door.

She called out to them. “Hey good bees! Please don’t be angry. The bluebird here didn’t know any better!”

“He’s a thief!” the bees cried out. “And you are his friend. You must be a thief too!”

“Oh! We aren’t thieves!” said the fairy. “Look, I know you are angry but if leave us alone, I will give you a present.”

The bees considered this. “What will you give us?”

The fairy looked around her house. “I could give you my lovely gold-framed mirror.”

Bees love all things in the color gold, so they agreed.

“Now we won’t sting you, fairy,” they said. “We will only sting the bird!” With that, they tried to squeeze themselves into the closed windows again.

The bluebird was very scared!

“Wait!” the fairy said. I will give you the flowers from my garden if you leave the bird alone too.”

Bees use the nectar of flowers to make honey, so they were very happy! They carried the flowers back and put them under their hive. They took the mirror and gave it to their queen bee.

The bird was relieved that the bees were gone. How silly he had been!

But now the poor fairy had no flowers in her garden. She was very very sad. She went to the bathroom to wipe her tears, but that only made her sadder because she couldn’t look into her pretty gold mirror. To top it all, she and the bluebird had to eat dry pancakes for breakfast!

And the moral of the story is: Choose your roommates and friends wisely. They may not be head-pooping birds, but they could be accidental thieves.

The End

On the other hand, when toddlers lift the flaps in books, it seems to be more about discovery. What will they find under that flap? Oh, it’s an elephant! How exciting! What will be under the next flap?

With flap books, children can participate in the reading process. When parents read to their toddlers, it is usually the adults that “run the show”. We read the text, explain what’s happening and set the pace. However, in flap books, the kid gets to time the “great appearance” by lifting the flap and making the discovery. Like, most participatory learning, this helps to hold their attention and increases their interest in the book.

An added bonus is that these books help with their fine motor skills. Kids have to use their fingers to lift the flap in a particular direction.

Here are some flap books I recommend for toddlers.

1. Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell (not much text, but kids love the animals)
2. Open the Barn Door by Christopher Santoro (animal sounds are included here. Kids love those!)
3. All the Karen Katz lift-the-flap books (flimsy flaps, but each books has a different theme)

What does your child love about lift-the-flap books? Which flap books are favorites in your house?