Diet Tips for the Exam Season – Ekya Recommends
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It is that time of the year!
Timetable? Stuck by the study table.
Notes? Compiled and sorted.
Stationery? Freshly stocked!
Diet Plan? Huh?
As students from across the country take on their final exams, we look at how their diets play a significant role during this season. Ms. Swetha Rammohan, Clinical Dietician, Nutritional Counsellor, and Ekya Parent takes us through the do’s and don’ts of the “Exam Season Diet”
Why Balanced Meals?
Balanced meals and timely snacks make a considerable difference during exams. Children and teenagers have an increased nutritional need owing to the development of their bodies, therefore adequate and proper nourishment is required, especially with all the stress, anxiety and tension that comes with exams. When it comes to nutrition, during this time of the year, a few things should be kept in mind
- A calm stomach keeps a calm mind. Feeding yourself with healthy snacks and timely meals help.
- Compliment your study plan with a diet plan built around it. Plan it and adhere to it.
- Eating right helps boost your immunity which fights off any possibility of catching an illness during exams.
Calm the mind with a calm stomach
To begin with, let’s see what foods should be included and what to be avoided for a happy stomach:
How do we achieve this? Here are a couple of tips you can try at home:
- Replace fizzy soft drinks and sugary drinks with lemon, fruit juices, clear veg/non-veg clear soups during winters.
- Coffee and tea may give you an instant boost but should be ideally avoided as it may cause acidity issues. It can be replaced with a cup of hot chocolate or lightly sweetened buttermilk.
- Pizzas can be made at home by replacing the pizza base with whole wheat roti and can include freshly chopped tomatoes, choice of your favourite veggies/chicken and sprinkled with cottage cheese/paneer.
- Who doesn’t love burgers? choose burger buns that are smaller than the usual. The high-fat sauce can be replaced with thick creamy hung curd, lettuce leaves, sliced tomatoes and cucumber along with homemade potato/chicken cutlet.
- Instead of French fries or highly processed potato chips, opt for baked, grilled and tawa roast potato chunks with herbs and flavourings such as coriander, lemon and pepper.
- To accompany these dishes, skip the high-fat sauces with thick creamy hung curd, tomato salsa, pudina or coriander chutney.
Stick To The Plan
Always remember to allocate time for meals and snacks when you plan your study timetable. A sample diet/ study timetable is as follows:
NOTE: This is a sample plan that you can use as a guide. Chalk out your own plan based on your schedule, your exam dates/time and other considerations such as health or medical conditions. Your study time can be replaced by the choice of your chores based on your individual needs. The quantity of food items is not mentioned as it may vary with the age, gender and physical activity level of the student.
Fight Illness With Food
During physical and/or mental stress, water-soluble vitamins, which are required to boost immunity and combat fatigue, start to dip. Include Vitamin C-rich foods in your diet. Fruits like oranges, guava, amala, strawberries, papaya, and kiwi along with vegetables like capsicum, broccoli and tomatoes are good sources of the Vitamin.
As with Vitamin C, Vitamin B is also equally important, required for sustained energy and absorption of nutrients and is found in fish, poultry, meat, eggs, dairy, fortified cereals, apple, soy milk, bananas, green leafy veggies, and a certain variety of cheese.
How To Stay Stress-free During Exams?
• Stick to your diet/ study plan on most days.
• Eat small frequent meals.
• Hydrating yourself at regular intervals will keep you alert.
• Breakfast is a must on all days especially on the day of the exam.
• At least 8 hours of sleep is a must. There is evidence that students who sleep adequately perform well.
• Avoid using laptops, mobiles, tabs, watching television before retiring to bed.
• Include your favourite physical activity even during exams such as walking with a friend or dancing for fifteen minutes, as it boosts brain cells for better performance.
• De-clutter your study room.
We hope these few guidelines during exam help you all to perform better, feel better and be stress-free. We wish our students the best for all their papers.
Women of Ekya – Celebrating International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day is annually observed on 8th March - a day of recognizing and celebrating women around the globe, the values they bring as individuals and as part of a community, highlighting the challenges and struggles each one of them has faced, to pave way for others.
We took this opportunity to ask some of the women at Ekya for their thoughts on Women’s Day and women. The answers you see truly embody the “individual” spirit of women.
"Empowering a woman is to empower the entire system that surrounds her, be it family, colleagues, and friends or just about anyone. A woman only needs support and understanding and she can conquer the world. She can stand shoulder to shoulder with anyone else, be it a man or another woman and succeed in all fields. Empowering women is not a necessity because of gender discrimination as it is because of an existing system that does not feel the need to do it actively. Empowerment comes in many ways - teach her and she will be the best there is, guide her and she will lead the way, support her and she will reach the highest pinnacle, encourage her and she will make miracles happen, acknowledge her and she will make the people around her a priority and achieve beyond imagination." Ms. Aparna Kiran Rao, Parent of Ekya.
"My first and foremost inspiration is my grandmother, Amrithavalli. She was a cancer survivor who faced many hardships and losses in her life with a smile. She was educated only until the fifth grade, but was a voracious reader, teaching herself Hindi and English using books. Her drive and willpower in fighting cancer, her compassion and encouragement towards others are qualities that I look up to.
I also admire the work done by Lady Ada Lovelace and Agatha Christie. Agatha Christie is a well-known household name with her stories engrossing millions of people. At a time when women authors were confined to writing social commentaries and domestic fiction, Christie paved a new path for women authors by showing that they are no less capable in the written word. Lady Ada Lovelace is known as the world's 'first' programmer. Statistically, few women venture into the field of technology. Ada Lovelace is a reminder that girls can code and be as tech savvy as the boys." Ms. Ahlada Sudersan.
For the strong women in every chapter of our lives,
May we know them,
May we be them,
May we raise them.
A mother, wife, daughter, friend, but importantly an individual. A woman of substance. A woman with a goal and a vision – who does not step away from challenges and strives to find a better way to do things. Who laughs, celebrates and lives life.On this occasion, we celebrate the women of Ekya, who run every cogwheel of our chain of schools. Leading the vision of Ekya Schools is the dynamic Ms. Tristha Ramamurthy, supported by two stalwarts in education, Dr. Sabitha Ramamurthy, who leads the CMR Group of Institutions for over 25 years and Ms. Sharmila Choudhury, who is the Senior Director of Academics at Ekya, with three decades of teaching experience. The energetic and passionate women of Ekya Learning Centre strive to bring the best teaching methodologies and framework from across the world. The love and care of our Head of Schools and teaching staff nurture the citizens of tomorrow while the support staff ensures that everything runs smooth. The women of Ekya make “Living the Lesson” possible, working diligently to create lifelong learners.
We took this opportunity to ask some of the women at Ekya for their thoughts on Women’s Day and women. The answers you see truly embody the “individual” spirit of women.
What is Women’s Day to you?
While everyone unanimously agreed that celebrating womanhood should be all day every day, rather than a dedicated annual affair, we had some interesting insights of what the day meant to each one of them. “It’s a day to reflect on how far we have come in humankind's journey for gender equality. Without struggle there can be no progress, and Women's Day is a reminder to appreciate the small and big struggles women from all walks of life have overcome to ensure that men and women today lead better lives than they did before” Ms. Tristha Ramamurthy, Founder and Managing Director, Ekya Schools. “We need to change our mindsets from celebrating women for a day as an afterthought to providing women with equal opportunities, pay and scope all over the world.” Ms. Ahlada Sudersan, Ekya Learning Centre. “A special day to reflect and promote women's equality and women's rights. It's that time of the year when we acknowledge and celebrate the lives of ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in society. Women are feted, honoured and revered." Jyothi Menon, Head of School, Ekya School ITPL. “It is a day of remembrance, of the hardships and struggles that women face. It is a day of celebrations, of achievements of every woman. It is also a day that highlights the issues women face, bringing a collective voice against them” Ms. Diya AnilKumar, Grade 10, Ekya JP Nagar. “Women's Day to me is a celebration of all the phases of a woman. It is a loud call for all the women in the world to stand up for each other and make their world filled with respect and dignity.” Ms. Poornima Mahesh, Headmistress, Ekya Early Years, Kanakapura Road.
"It's a very important day for women across the world to come together and make the world recognize the gender inequalities and also celebrate the achievements of women who have overcome these barriers. I would like to see women in our country enjoy personal freedom and not having to deal with sexual misconduct and harassment in personal and professional arenas. They should have right to property, better educational access, equal opportunities for jobs and equal pay. We all have to do our bit to achieve full gender equality for women all over the world."Ms. Manisha Pandit, Ekya Learning Centre.
What is women empowerment to you?
With #PressforProgress being this year’s theme for Women’s Day, the women of Ekya had their say in what empowering women mean to them. “To me, women empowerment means to strengthen the economic, social and educational abilities of women. Education is the most important and indispensable tool for women empowerment. It enables women to respond to the challenges, confront their traditional role and brings about a positive change in their attitude.” Ayesha Sirajuddin, Head of School, Ekya School ITPL. “The ability to make choices is empowerment. I believe women empowerment is a movement when women will choose to work with confidence and dogged persistence towards achieving their ultimate goals, in whatever sphere it may be.“ Ms. Tristha Ramamurthy, Founder and Managing Director, Ekya Schools. “We all mostly associate women empowerment with having equal rights and opportunities. However, a very important aspect of the journey of successful women is the support they get from their loved ones. The encouragement and moral support from the people around them play a huge role in their empowerment. To me, that is the true meaning of women empowerment. Women are moving forward in their journeys; it’s time for the world to catch up.” Ms. Trishikha Kiran Rao, Grade 10, Ekya School JP Nagar.
"Empowering a woman is to empower the entire system that surrounds her, be it family, colleagues, and friends or just about anyone. A woman only needs support and understanding and she can conquer the world. She can stand shoulder to shoulder with anyone else, be it a man or another woman and succeed in all fields. Empowering women is not a necessity because of gender discrimination as it is because of an existing system that does not feel the need to do it actively. Empowerment comes in many ways - teach her and she will be the best there is, guide her and she will lead the way, support her and she will reach the highest pinnacle, encourage her and she will make miracles happen, acknowledge her and she will make the people around her a priority and achieve beyond imagination." Ms. Aparna Kiran Rao, Parent of Ekya.
To bring more women to the fore, we need to ensure that all girls are ensured basic school education. We need to create safe spaces for women to gather and discuss opportunities, problems and needs. Participating in a social network will encourage more women to educate themselves. We need to educate everyone at the grassroots level about the importance of treating women equally, about respecting their needs and decisions.
Who are the women you look up to?
When we asked about the women they look up to, names of mothers were on the lips of everyone. So did the names of women with inspiring stories behind them - from Indra Nooyi, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw and Chandra Kocchar to Jhumpa Lahiri, Ellen Degeneres and Etta James. "Savitribai Phule, who established the first women school in India and became the first women teacher to change the social fabric. Rosa Park and Frida Kahlo for utmost courage and determination. My mother and teachers, Dr Jyoti Dalal and Moloyashree Hashmi for their indomitable spirit and grit." Pooja Arya, Ekya Learning Centre. "Women in the Armed Forces, who have broken gender barriers. We need to salute them for the courage they possess as women excelling in a once male-dominated field. Being part of the Armed Forces is requires unwavering mental strength than physicality, which is proven by these women" Ms. Trishikha Kiran Rao. "I look at myself every day and say, 'there I am' - the woman who has grown up from a little girl to a responsible and strong human being." Ms. Baishakhi Roy, Ekya Learning Centre.On Educator Appreciation Day, one of our children came dressed as Savitribai Phule, the mother of Modern Girls' Rights and a social reformer. From that day, I have been inspired by her and her open-mindedness to bring about the change in the outlook of education and rights to girls. As an educationist, I would want to turn every stone to make learning reachable and meaningful. Savitribai Phule has been on my mind whenever I think of modern steps towards learning.Ms. Poornima Mahesh, Headmistress, Ekya Early Years, Kanakapura Road.
"My first and foremost inspiration is my grandmother, Amrithavalli. She was a cancer survivor who faced many hardships and losses in her life with a smile. She was educated only until the fifth grade, but was a voracious reader, teaching herself Hindi and English using books. Her drive and willpower in fighting cancer, her compassion and encouragement towards others are qualities that I look up to.
I also admire the work done by Lady Ada Lovelace and Agatha Christie. Agatha Christie is a well-known household name with her stories engrossing millions of people. At a time when women authors were confined to writing social commentaries and domestic fiction, Christie paved a new path for women authors by showing that they are no less capable in the written word. Lady Ada Lovelace is known as the world's 'first' programmer. Statistically, few women venture into the field of technology. Ada Lovelace is a reminder that girls can code and be as tech savvy as the boys." Ms. Ahlada Sudersan.
For the strong women in every chapter of our lives,
May we know them,
May we be them,
May we raise them.
Happy Women's Day!
Understanding the Social Science Program at Ekya Schools
Gone are the days when a class in History revolved around marking important portions in a textbook and listing out dates whose significance is not just historical but also for answering questions for examinations. When learning about a country in Geography was about marking its rivers and mountains, states and capitals. The days when a lesson in Civics had an ocean of words sum up the roles and functions of various administrative institutions and governing authorities, frightening students for their lack of enough fingers to remember the points by.
At Ekya, a lesson in Social Science has our classrooms bustling with activities, having done away with marking lines and paragraphs in textbooks and bringing in the "Live the Lesson" experience. In this edition of Understanding Ekya Curriculum, we look at how these subjects are delivered in our classrooms by exploring the Ekya Social Science program designed by the Ekya Learning Centre.
To know more about what each grade covers in the Social Science program, do have a look at our course descriptions through the links below:
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8
Grade 9 at Ekya ITPL(CBSE)
Grade 10 at Ekya ITPL(CBSE)
Grade 9 and Grade 10 at Ekya JP Nagar (ICSE)
History
History for the young learners at Ekya doesn’t restrict them to learning about the past but gives them the opportunity to understand how and why they should learn about it. This is achieved by having ‘research about the past’ as the pulse of the history class - students think like historians, posing real questions, finding resources, interpreting information, reporting what they find. They even conduct interviews with friends, neighbours, and family. This inquiry-approach to learning about the past begins at the tender age of first graders, working on the curiosity of our young children. Students at Ekya imagine themselves to be in the shoes of historical characters or present at significant events during the course of History. They give their own opinions on how they would have dealt with the situation if they had really been there.
Grade 4 students pretending to be historians to learn about the past.
Before the fourth graders went about exploring the Indus civilization, they were given an opportunity to understand how historians try and find out what happened in the past. After understanding why kingdoms and empires grew in India, our children from Grade 5 sailed across the Mediterranean to explore how the people in a small island of Greece started a culture that has had an enormous impact in the modern world.
At Ekya, we bring back the past in our own fun and quirky ways.
History is not just about devouring pages of facts and information. It encourages young minds to understand the past, in order to fully appreciate themselves, and others. It helps them understand the present and contribute to planning for the future. It helps them shape opinions about what happened in the past which they reproduce in form of journals, letters, and narratives.At Ekya, we don't just focus on the content of what they learn in class. We are helping our children get familiar with factual knowledge and give them opportunities to nurture the skills required to harvest such information - if they are not familiar with a specific historical reference, they should be able to locate it in place and time, know how to find sources of information and evaluate them, familiarize themselves with context and grasp the significance of the reference.
Geography
While our students study the physical and political divisions of India and the Continents of the World, the learning doesn't stop there. Geography at Ekya, allows students to understand the importance of the Environment. Action plans for protecting natural and human environments are given voice within the four walls of every Geography class, chalked about by students after gathering a plethora of resources and research material. They learn how to submit plans to save, restore or conserve a place and its environment
Chalking out action plans to save the forests of India.
Geography at Ekya is about- Developing curiosity and interest, a sense of wonder and knowledge about the kinds of environment, people, culture and places that exist around the globe, while providing students with a sound geographical knowledge of their own place, India, and of the world.
- Enable students to explore and gain a good understanding of geographical thinking including its perspectives, concepts and ways of explaining.
- Enable students to become active, thoughtful local, national and global citizens, and to understand how they can influence the future of a place.
- Develop students’ ability to ask geographical questions, plan an inquiry, collect and analyze information, (particularly through fieldwork and spatial technologies), reach conclusions based on evidence and logical reasoning, and communicate their findings in effective ways.
- Build the confident and creative use of geographical skills, and to enable students to use these skills to extend their knowledge; make sense of new situations, and to solve problems.
Understanding the climatic belt of Australia.
Civics
Introduced from Grade 3, civics and citizenship is aimed at facilitating the attitudes, values, and dispositions students need to fully participate as active citizens in their communities. As one of their activities, our third graders play a game without rules to understand the significance of rules and that one should be responsible for one’s own actions. They explore the meaning of democracy by collaborating to frame rules for their own classroom. They become aware of their rights and responsibilities and learn to appreciate the need for making decisions democratically. Students in Grade 4 understand the meaning of a Government and how it works, at the grassroots, also exploring the differences between rules and laws.Principles of duty and responsibility are conveyed at Ekya through storytelling. Planning games and making rules for the whole class allows students to comprehend the concepts of the subject. Once they realize their responsibilities as a citizen, and the basic functions of the government, the children then take up projects to solve problems that plague their neighbourhoods. They conduct interviews and collaborate to find a practical solution to resolve these issues.Our Grade 5 students participate in a role-play to understand which is the best form of government by imagining that they are stranded on an island. Here, they understand how governance works when they are to manage everybody else who are stranded with them on the same island. Through this activity, the students put different forms of governments under the lens, understanding why democracy has become the most popular form of government in the world.
To know more about what each grade covers in the Social Science program, do have a look at our course descriptions through the links below:
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8
Grade 9 at Ekya ITPL(CBSE)
Grade 10 at Ekya ITPL(CBSE)
Grade 9 and Grade 10 at Ekya JP Nagar (ICSE)
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