What to do if your child hates to read:

• Playing the tickle monster is one idea to make your child interested in reading. Tell your child that for every page he would read, you would tickle him. This will work like charm. And see the difference your child will be more interested in reading that usual with this therapy.
• Make your child to pick out his/ her own book at the library instead of making suggestions judgement. Give him total freedom of reading it when he wants to and where he wants to.
• Once your child gets into real reading slowly adjust their taste to harder books.
• You can find out which one interests your child by choosing different books.

• Get them their own library card.
• Read 20 minutes every night by dropping everything else. You can make it more interesting by making the whole family participating.
• Make sure that your child see you reading. You can read in front of your child - recipes, magazine, articles, books- it doesn't matter what you read.
• After reading a book reward your child with a new book to keep.
• Let your child stay up later only to read. Let your older boys stay up 30 mints later than their younger siblings if they want to read. ( They are gonna say yes for that)
• Label things around the house.
• Re-read books to your child and let your child re-read them to you. This will improve their comprehension (how well they understood and remember what they read) and how quickly they can read it. This will also help them with word recognition.
• Try not to correct every mistake.  This not only makes your child lose confidence, but it slows his fluency.  Your child should be able to figure out that the word was wrong by ending the sentence, because it doesn’t make sense.
• Realize that the book is too hard If your child is missing more than one word per sentence. At that time you can suggest a different book.
• Find out some books with not too many words per page. I know it seems silly, but this is going to overwhelm the discourage reader. But make sure you are starting small.
• You can try team-reading where you read a page and your child can read a page. You can do this with paragraphs, too.
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• You can make your child read some recipes if your child loves baking.
• For his favorite books make some new bookmarks.
• Turn on the closed captioning on your television on all of his favorite shows. This will make him interested in reading at a very early age.
• Not everyone enjoys reading. It can be tricky.you can try some of these suggestions if your child hates to read.
• Instead of forcing your child to read you can install a love of reading into your child with the right atmosphere and books. 
  
  
  
  
  Reference : ebenezerirs.org

AYURVEDIC SECRETS FOR DIGESTION

1. Eat only when you’re hungry.

Eating when you are not hungry makes you feel bloated and uncomfortable. It will also make you gain weight. Your digestive enzymes are strong enough to break down your food only when your stomach is truly empty.

You can try the difference between eating when you are really hungry and eating out of habit. There is a huge difference and you can experience it yourself on how you feel. Make sure you take three to four hours between meals. This is the time it takes to fully absorb your food.

2. Eat in calm

Make sure you eat in a calm, seated environment and at a moderate pace. Many of us suck down a green juice while racing to catch the subway to work or yoga. But there will be a huge difference in your digestive system when you take just a few minutes more for your juice. When we actually sit down to eat, we focus on chewing the food thoroughly and also on the amount of food we are putting into our bellies. The problem with walking and eating is that, the people will only chew a couple of bites before swallowing. This will cause the belly to do more work than teeth.

3. Take in the smells, tastes, and textures of your meal.

When you pay attention to the sensory details of your food your body also does the same.if you are not actively smelling and appreciating the food you are eating that will affect your digestion so badly. take time to soak in the smells, texture and tastes your stomach will really feel fuller after a meal. You can also spend the rest of the day a whole lot more satisfied.

4. Eat freshly-cooked foods.

You won't feel fresh after eating a food if your food isn’t fresh. That's because it has lost its life force which can leave you feeling tired and sluggish. So spend a few extra minutes whipping up something new instead of eating the leftovers.

5. Sip warm water throughout the day, and at meals.

It is easier for food to pass through the digestive system when you are hydrated.  You will feel fuller, faster.  While drinking water make sure you drink warm water because it is actually pretty challenging to digest.  Your body will take about 30 minutes to digest warm water and one hour to digest cold water because the body has to work overtime to heat up colder water before absorbing it.

6. Relax after meals

After meals give yourself a few minutes to relax, breathe, or take a gentle walk. Most of us pop our dishes in the sink and are out the door before we have finished our last bite. Making it so quick after the food will hinder the body’s ability to absorb food. This will also halt the blood flow in the stomach and decreases circulation. So don't drive back into work right after the second you are done with your meals.

7. Eat your biggest meal at lunch.

The Ayurvedic principle is that when the sun is at its highest point of the day, the digestive fire is strongest. We are a reflection of what is happening in nature. So eat your biggest meal at lunch and give your body plenty of time to fully digest before going to bed. That is the time when the digestive system effectively shuts down.  

8. Drink ginger tea.

Ginger tea is good to have after a heavier meal. It helps to burn the sluggishness caused by rich food. But just don't drink it too much because ginger can be a little too fiery for anyone with acid indigestion. Just try slowly sipping a weakly brewed version right after you eat.

9. Unplug while you eat.

It is hard for any of us to disconnect Tv shows or checking facebook updates during meal time.  This will engage the nervous system which might lead physical digestion to shut down.

Reference: www.ayurvedaschool.in

Healthy Snack Ideas for Elderly

It is important to have healthy snacking for seniors to help address ageing health issues. The right snack can improve conditions like diabetes and arthritis, while the wrong snacks can worsen them.

It is much difficult to provide healthy snack for seniors because they face unique diet challenges that can result in malnutrition. They also might face issues like chewing or swallowing. They might lose certain senses like smell, taste, thirst or hunger. They might also experience gastrointestinal issues. Malnutrition will lead to conditions like frailty syndrome, muscle weakness and osteoporosis.

Just like healthy snack ideas for seniors, there are also unhealthy snack choices. These choices will cause your loved one to experience more health issues and to feel more pain. I am listing a few things that you should stay away from.

You should avoid prepackaged snacks because they contain large amount of salt, sugar and synthetic additives.

• Avoid snacks containing high saturated fats and salt as they worsen/lead to heart conditions.
• Sugary desserts and pastries should be avoided  as they worsen/ lead to diabetes.

You can provide some healthy snacks to seniors which they will love and will get the nutrition they need.

Nuts and Seeds

A great alternative to unhealthy crunchy options like chips is nuts and seeds. They will get protein and healthy facts by satisfying that urge to eat something crunchy.

Pre Cut Veggies

You will get all the needed nutrients from the vegetables. Try cutting up broccoli, carrots and cucumbers or purchase grape tomatoes or baby carrots. They are colourful and stimulating to the senses which is important for seniors.

Hard-Boiled Eggs & Deviled Eggs

This is another great source of protein which makes a convenient, satisfying snack.

Green Tea

Green tea have the potential to fight cancer and heart disease, burn fat, lower cholesterol, prevent diabetes, burn fat and stave off dementia.

Yogurt

This provides much needed calcium for bone health and also a convenient easy to eat snack.

Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate is actually considered to be healthy. This is packed with antioxidants which provides serotonin, which makes people feel happy and excited.  

Cheese

Cheese is a filling snack that provides protein and is also an easy snack. This helps lessen frailty syndrome by serving repair cells and tissues and also produce red blood cells that carry oxygen and antibodies that fight disease.

Fresh Fruit

As a result of reduced activity seniors often experience constipation, and they easily become dehydrated because they often lose their sense of thirst. Fruit is a great solution for all these issues as it provides a healthy dose of fiber and contains natural hydrating juices. It is also a natural way to satisfy a sweet tooth plus it provides antioxidants.

Homemade Granola

Mix up some nuts, seeds and oats with real maple syrup and bake. It is delicious and healthy. You can either eat it alone or add some milk or almond milk to create a cereal. But make sure you make it yourself at home because you have a control over what you put in it.

Raisins & Prunes

This provides fiber that assists with constipation and digestion. They are also a chewy treat that helps fight bacteria that leads to gum disease and cavities.

Smoothies

You can try blending Greek yogurt, flaxseed meal, spinach or kale, frozen fruit, chia seeds and water for a nutrient-dense yet delicious treat.This can be ideal for seniors because they don’t have to involve in any chewing and they are an easy way to pack in important nutrients.

You can use this list of healthy snack idea for seniors to make a difference on how healthy they can be and how they feel. You can also create your own healthy snack idea list that you can add to overtime when you determine what works and what doesn't. Now you really don't have to as hard while providing healthy snacks for elderly.

Dont Miss the India's greatest Elephant festival:The Pooram

Location: Vadakkumnatha Temple, Thrissur, India

Dates: held in (April or May) the Malayalam month of Medam

Level of participation:

Watch big fireworks and big elephants

Thrissur city is the Kerala’s festival hotspot and pooram is the festival that outrank all others.

It was introduces as a spectacle around 200 years ago. It is a celebration bringing together Hindus, Muslims and Christians, though it's mostly about the elephants.

In this parade, two teams each of 15 beautifully caparisoned elephants face off across the temple grounds. On each elephant's back there will be two men, one holding a parasol taller than the elephant while the other person waves a yak-tail fan like a feather boa.

The parasols are exchanged among the men as the pandimelam (temple orchestra) plays.

The drums continue to bang through the day, and there is a pyrotechnic display of elephantine proportions at the night. There will also be fireworks for up to four hours.

Essentials:

The festivities starts at 6 am and will be there for about 36 hours. This can be a long day in the temple grounds so bank some sleep if you can.

Local attractions:

The Vadakkumnathan Temple is at the centre of Thrissur. This temple is one of the oldest in kerala. Only Hindus are allowed inside the temple but the mound surrounding the temple has sweeping metropolis views.

More info: Visitor Kerala (www.visitorkerala.com)