This year (2016), there has been a renewed focus on children’s health. The WHO has launched a global strategy on health for women, children and adolescents. New challenges keep cropping up as increase in travel and people-to-people contact creates a globalization of microbes. Degrading environment has its own set of problems.

Simple stories by Shaurya Kabra, an astute high-schooler, who demystifies the scary world of money. ************************************ Shaurya Kabra’s Ek Prayaas takes on a bold journey—giving young individuals financial knowledge through the fairy tales of yore. The book by the 16-year-old presents a short story collection inspired by tales like Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella and Jack and the Beanstalk, but with an Indian context. Named after an initiative by Kabra, the book simplifies concepts like, budgeting, saving, interest, and how money works by creatively using six children&…

Have you ever heard of virtual autism? It’s a concern emerging among children who spend an excessive amount of time in front a screen. Its symptoms include hyperactivity, attention deficiency, lack of interest in non-digital games, delay in speech, reluctance in interaction, irritability, mood swings, and difficulty in learning anything new. Virtual autism is not a diagnosis like Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) but a term encompassing symptoms that resemble ASD. However, the sooner kids move away from screens and become active in the real world, positive changes are visible.

Recapitulating the prestigious Green Schools Awards and felicitating the inspiring contribution of all the awardees. *************************************************************************************** The much awaited and eagerly anticipated Green Schools Carnival of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi was back on 30th January 2024. Against the backdrop of climate change and environmental degradation, the Carnival underscored the vital role of children and educators in championing sustainability-based initiatives...

An inspiring story of a school teacher, transforming a barren hilltop into an evergreen haven with sheer grit, indefatigable passion, and true love for nature. ******************************* My name is Jeevan Singh. I was duly appointed in government service by my state’s education department in 2010. But I got properly initiated as a teacher only when I was posted at the Government Primary School, Sidhot, based in Salooni Educational Block of Chamba district in Himachal...    

Sharing fond memories from 25 years back—of ice creams, rookies, cow dung, and some cool environment stuff for kids. ************************************ In the summer of 1992, late at night in the basement of the then rented office space of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the editorial team of the Down To Earth (DTE) magazine had a very long hot and tiring day putting together their very first issue. Anil Agarwal, the founder editor,...

Narrating the tale and trajectory of Gobar Times—of how it evolved into a new avatar and gained new characters. ************************************* My association with the Gobar Times will be incomplete without Piu & Pom. We were once working on a comic strip for the magazine. Piu is the name of my daughter so it was easy to decide the name of one of the characters. But for Pom, there’s an interesting story. 

A thoughtful reflection on the value of Gobar Times with an understanding of what it is about, why so, how...and a little bit more.

Many of us love pets, especially dogs. But do you know that over the last five years, they have killed more than 300 people, mostly poor and rural children? Over 20,000 rabies deaths have been caused by homeless dogs and more than 30 endangered species have been hunted by them in the wild. The human-animal conflict between people and stray dogs in India has reached an alarming level. So, the next time you venture outdoors, please take care of yourself!

An opinion on the public schools vs. private schools debate, arguing what’s wrong with the private schools and why the public schools must be promoted.

Classroom experiments for fostering a healthy learning environment—based on ‘community comments,’ cooperative lesson plans, and a ‘mystery person.’ ********************************************************************** I believe that the most important aspect in a positive learning environment is the rapport between a teacher and her students. When the students are convinced that their teacher cares for them and wants them to do well, they feel relaxed to open up and ask questions. They no longer hesitate in making mistakes and taking risks. In order to build such healthy relationships, the …