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Get set for the pantomime!

Song, dance, buffoonery, slapstick, cross-dressing, in-jokes….. pantomimes are all this and more!

There’s music, there’s comedy, and then there’s musical comedy. That’s a pantomime, for you. It is a stage production designed for entertainment, and was developed in England.

Modern pantomime includes songs, gags, slapstick comedy and dancing. They combine humour with a story which is usually a fairy tale, folk tale or fable. It is a participatory form of theatre — the audience is expected to join in the singing at certain parts, and shout out phrases to performers on stage. Traditionally, it is performed at Christmas or thereabouts.


Traditional stories

The story lines and scripts usually make no direct reference to Christmas, and are almost always based on traditional children’s stories, especially the fairy tales of Charles Perrault, Joseph Jacobs, Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm. Some of the more popular pantomime stories include “Cinderella”, “Aladdin”, “Dick Whittington and His Cat”, and “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”,”Jack and the Beanstalk”, “Peter Pan”, “Puss in Boots” and “Sleeping Beauty”, “Mother Goose”, to name a few.

Try your hand at these shuffle puzzles to see if you can form the picture of the pantomime.

“Mother Goose“

The story of Mother Goose is possibly the oldest story to be turned into a pantomime. It dates back to an ancient Greek legend about a goose that laid golden eggs. It is also one of the earliest pantomimes seen in Great Britain, nearly 200 years ago.

“Cinderella“

With a wicked stepmother and two jealous stepsisters, who keep her enslaved and in rags, Cinderella doesn’t have a chance of attending the royal ball. When she is upset and has given up all hope, her fairy godmother appears and transforms her into a beautiful princess, who can attend the ball, on the condition that she ought to return before midnight, or the spell will be broken. Cinderella enchants the handsome Prince Charming at the ball, but is forced to flee at midnight, leaving behind nothing but a solitary gold slipper. The prince is determined to find her, and orders his soldiers to find the woman whose feet fit the slipper. All’s well that end’s well when they eventually trace the slipper back to Cinderella.

“Dick Whittington“

Dick Whittington and His Cat is the English folklore surrounding the real-life Richard Whittington, a wealthy merchant and later, Lord Mayor of London. The story describes his rise from a poverty-stricken childhood with the fortune he made through the sale of his cat to a rat-infested country.

Ten to win

This weekend is all about giving numbers a fright as you outsmart them. So what are you waiting for?

Let’s play a game. All you have to do is run through your tables and there’s a bright chance of you acing this game.

Harvest happiness

With lots to do and plenty to be thankful for, the festival of Pongal is a wholesome package. Discover the delights that are in store.

Pongalo Pongal! Pongalo Pongal!

These happy cries can only mean one thing. The harvest festival of Pongal is here and it’s time to make merry. The festivities are all about celebrating the bountiful gifts of nature and reminding ourselves of the close association between man and nature — the crops, birds, bees, cattle, and the sun.

Falling in January, the day marks the beginning of the sun’s six-month-long journey northwards — signalling the changing seasons. As the chilly winter gives way to a bright, warm summer, the prospect of a prosperous harvest of crops brings a whole lot of cheer.

In Tamil Nadu, Pongal is a grand four-day spectacle with a host of customs and traditions. Click on the days to read about them.











Here comes the bus

Do you take the bright yellow bus to school? Try this entertaining activity while you learn some important safety tips.

All over the world, children take the school bus to school. Painted a bright yellow and designed for the safety of children, these buses are one of the safest means of transport.

Keep the following points in mind whenever you ride the bus.

Wait at the designated spot, away from the road, while waiting for the bus.

Make sure the bus has come to a stop before approaching it to board.

Once on board, do not distract the driver. He/she has an important job to do!

Sit in your seat. Do not put your head or arms out of the window.

Wait for the bus to stop before getting up from your seat.

Once you get off the bus, be careful. If you have to cross the road, look for a pedestrian crossing, waiting till you see the Green Man before crossing the road.

Now, here’s a fun activity for you.

Nature’s magic

Disappearing waterfalls, a perpetual thunderstorm, a crooked forest and singing sand dunes…sounds mysterious? Well, it should. Because, these are strange phenomena that can find no answers.

Nature throws up many surprises and most often has us baffled. In the days before technology, we attributed to one god or the other. Nowadays, we try to unlock these mysteries but Nature will not give up her secrets so easily and so, we have these unsolved mysteries on hand.

Sand dunes can sing

You may not recognise the tune but it is a deep hum, like that of a million bees buzzing. But, all dunes don’t sing the same tune. Some may make a high pitched sound, while others prefer a low bass. Studies reveal that the different notes produced depends on the size of the grain and the speed at which they whistle through the air.

Everlasting storm

Every evening, the sky darkens and a storm comes up over a swamp in north western Venezuela. This has been happening for centuries. Catatumbo lightning lights up the sky with an average of 28 strikes per minute and can last up to 10 hours. Strangely, there is no thunder.

Just groovy

The crooked forest in West Pomerania, Poland has some 400 pines, and not one of it has grown straight. This crooked forest is a part of a larger forest of normal pines. These trees were likely to have been planted in the 1930s. It is presumed that when they were around seven to 10 years old, something happened that caused them to take a detour.

Disappearing waterfall

The Brule River in Minnesota travels through Judge C. R. Magney State Park and then drops 800 feet forming several waterfalls along the way. At one point, a large jutting rock causes the river to split, resulting in two waterfalls. While one of them goes on its normal course, the other simply disappears into a deep hole known as the Devil’s Kettle.

Songs of success

It’s a hard fight to get to the top. But, the point is not to give up. Here are five musicians who believed in their dream and were willing to pursue it regardless of the trials they faced.

You watch a musician perform on stage and you are amazed by the voice, the confidence and the way he/she captivates the audience. But, behind their success lies a story of hard work, grit and perseverance. Let’s look at a few musicians who almost never made it, but who had music in their souls and refused to give up.

Games you may forget to play

The magic of childhood is to be able to go outdoors and play with friends. Rediscover these games to have yourself a good time.

Police and robbers, marbles, gilli-danda, spinning tops were once popular games. Kids played these games during the long summer days, when school was out and there was no homework in sight. However, today these have given way to games played in the virtual world. Play the memory game below to get a small glimpse into the many different games kids used to play, and you still can with your firends!

Sunshine and surplus crops

Pongal, Makar Sankranti, Bihu… it is a time for harvest, festivities, and celebration of life. A look at some harvest festivals across the country…

Harvest festivals celebrated across our country are many. From Pongal, to Baisakhi, the manner in which they are celebrated are also unique. Here’s a look at some popular harvest festivals across India.>/p>



Now that you have a fair idea about India, what about the rest of the world? Well, read on…

Communities around the world honour the harvest season with celebrations. Here are some global favourites.

Madeira Flower Festival, Madeira, Portugal: Funchal’s April flower festival fills the air with fragrance and marks the arrival of spring in Portugal. Each of the island’s children bring a bloom to create the colourful Muro da Esperança (Wall of Hope), and intricate flower carpets line the streets.

Rice Harvest, Bali, Indonesia: Dewi Sri, the rice Goddess, is venerated in Bali, where rice is the staple crop. During the harvest, villages are festooned with flags, and simple bamboo temples dedicated to the goddess are erected in the most sacred corners of the rice fields. Small dolls of rice stalks representing Dewi Sri are placed in granaries as offerings.

Olivagando, Magione, Italy: This two-day festival, in November, celebrates the feast day of St. Clement and the local olive harvest, bringing together everyone involved in the production of olive oil. A priest blesses the new oil at a special Mass, and the town hosts a medieval dinner in its 12th-century castle.

Chanthaburi Fruit Fair, Thailand:Chanthaburi is renowned for its native fruits. During the summer harvest, the annual Fruit Fair exhibits exotic durians, rambutans, longans, and mangosteens in vibrant arrangements. There are art displays, and the opening-day parade features floats made from thousands of tropical fruits and vegetables.

Sukkot, Jerusalem, Israel: It’s a celebration of Israel’s harvest, and locals reminisce about the time when the Israelites wandered the desert living in temporary shelters. Families build makeshift huts, or sukkah, with roofs open to the sky. Here, they eat, and sometimes sleep, for the next seven days.

Stand up, protect yourself

Fitness is important, but so is the ability to protect yourself. Stay fit, agile, and also defend yourself. Here are a few martial art forms you can consider.

Fitness is important, but so is the ability to protect yourself. The need to be alert and agile go hand-in-hand.

Here are a few martial art forms that will not only help you keep danger at bay, but will also keep you fit as a fiddle. Remember, expert supervision is a must.

Do you know the martial art forms we are talking about here? Take a guess, and check to see if you are right.





Young Chef 34 – Double chocolate cookie

Make your own yummy, double chocolate cookies. Follow simple instructions and reap delectable dividends.

Yummy, delectable, melt-in-the mouth chocolate cookies are just what you need in winter. Whip up your own batch. Here’s what you need:


Drag the slider to see what to do. Make sure to use kitchen equipment in the presence of an adult.