Nutrition is KEY to brain development

I started paying more attention to nutrition labels only when my kids were around 18 months old. I wish I had been more educated about it earlier! Food companies market products that are targeted towards kids and most of these products are low on nutritive content and higher on the bad stuff. A child's brain thrives on good nutrition, water, and lots of fresh air.
Once my kids started to read very well, I taught them about the ingredients they need to be aware of. Now it is easier for me to shop with them in the grocery store. Both my kids are aware that cereal boxes with Spiderman or Dora does not mean that the cereal is good for you! They know to read the ingredients and if they see the words "High fructose corn syrup" or Partially hydrogenated oils" or "Artificial flavor" or "Artificial Colors" or "Enriched Flour", they place the products back on the shelf! Organic produce is my first choice. However, even organic products such as smoothies can contain upto 38 grams of sugar. So, please read the labels.
You can teach your child early on about what is good for them and what is not. It is also important that you be a good role model for your kids. When they see you exercise, cook and eat healthy food, they will want to mimic you. So, go ahead and teach your kids about the benefits of choosing healthy foods. But remember, it is OK to eat junk food once in a while:)

Why ThinkSmart?

I have always wanted to create a place where children, irrespective of their economic condition, can access a place where they can learn to read and do math. If children can read, their life can change. They will make better life decisions, will strive to achieve something in life, will be able to support themselves and make their life much better. So, now my life goal is to implement a "Champions for World Literacy" program where we can raise funds for implementing the ThinkSmart program in economically depressed places around the world.

ThinkSmart is program for children between ages 12 months to 6 years old. In this program, they are exposed to multiple subjects along with physical exercises and parent coaching. Every parent wants the best for their child and wants their child to excel in school, go to college and become a success in life.

What inspired me to enter the education field?

My education degrees are in Business and MIS. I worked as a management consultant for 13 years before I decided to take a break and stay home with my young children. I got interested in teaching as a result of teaching my children. Early learning experts like Dr.Maria Montessori, Dr. Shichida, Dr. Doman have inspired me to create my own curriculum for my children. I started teaching my children with a concrete curriculum when they were only 10 months old. They absolutely loved the materials I had made for them. The benefits of such an early program brought about so many benefits. The obvious benefits were they started reading early on, communicated with rich vocabulary at a very early age. The best benefit is that they loved to learn!! My children are now 6 years old and are in the gifted program in their school. They have scored highly on IQ tests. I love teaching them new material and I can talk to them about current affairs from global warming to economic conditions and they can grasp what I say with ease. We have long discussions on many issues and I love their point of view. Many times, I think I am learning so much from them than the reverse. Children are geniuses and I truly believe in that.