Best garden landscaping services in Bangalore - home, farmhouse, office, parks or big gardens

Bangalore is known as Garden City and true to its heritage spots many beautiful landscaped gardens.

What if you need to find a trustworthy, cheap and best garden landscpaing service providers in Bangalore city or outskirts for your home, office or famhouse?

• Lalbagh Botanical Garden horticulture services: +91 80 26576733
• The Bodhi Tree,282, 1st main, Defence colony, Indiranagar, Bangalore (private)
  
• Indo-American Hybrid Seeds: +91 80 26760111
• Exotica garden landscaping services, Uttarahalli (private): +91 9448955860

Indo-American Hybrid Seeds wil lgive you services like Greenhouse cnstruction, Seed testing etc if you already have a gardener in place.You could also purchase tools like secateurs, sprinklers, lawn movers, cutters, ceramic, plastic and terracotta pots from here.

Private firms like Exotica offer services like landscaping, garden development and maintenance, horticulture consultancy and development of farms.The Bodhi Tree provides architecture, interior desgning and landscaping services.

Here is a good reference site, if you are interested and have ideas t odevelop in garden landscaping: myidealgarden.com

Have a beautiful lanscape and once you have it please do share your comments and experience! 

How to select the right school for your child? State syllabus or ICSE or CBSE,...

Remember every child doesnot need the same care, facilities and support.So, be aware and choose your child's school, syllabus and environment accordingly.

1. Syllabus - ICSE or CBSE or IB. Rather than your strong opinions, see how suitable it will be for your child, how it helps children to fare in competitive exams in future.

2. School environment, teachers, admission procedures, kind of children/peers who study in the school, their cultural and  monetary backgrounds - all these matters in framing your children's attitude and personality.Be careful about this.

3. Talk to school going children's parents, how a typical school day goes, before you take admission.

4. Parents normally engage their children on different coaching and training classes for dance, tennis, badminton, cricket, other sports etc. This should take care, if your school does not have enough space for sports and would have their focus on academics. Check this anyway and how it suits you.

5. For any franchisee playschools, teachers and principal/franchisee pedigree and commitment should be the criteria , rather than just the chain name like eurokids, zeekids etc. Do personally visit, talk to few parents, how a typical school day goes before you take admission.

6. Incase of relocation, check more about each of the school shortlisted by you, before you come to Bangalore itself, in the net.(Use specific search in google with their name)

7. Take appointment and see the principal personally by J&R and check for any vacancies.

8. In case of transfer, get a good school leaving certificate and reference from current school, assuming you would have to seek readmission there later if needed :)

9. Parent Teacher Association(PTA) may not exist in some schools, but normally it doesnot matter if professionally run. Do check this anyway.

10. Some schools, have heavy advertisements but their school buses are not disciplined and mostly would reach school after the school starts. Be warned of such schools! Check this factor too!

11. Some other schools, as heard from parents and read from internet that they take money but generally give receipts much later. Be warned and sort this out with other parents.

12. In some schools, where so many people throng the school and receptionist for admissions, they might come across sometimes rude to you! Never mind - be prepared and aware of the same! :)

Happy go lucky! Best wishes!

Please do write in your comments and share your opinion, suggestion and useful experiences with other readers!

Top tips to get preferred school admission for your child

You have researched and found a suitable school for your child's abilities and now how to ensure admission for your child? Few guidance and tips from experience for successful admissions for self, colleagues and friends:

1. Ensure that your preferred school is not by hearsay but well researched.Look for schools with focus on education, facilities to nurture talent, good and experienced teachers, effective administration and well paid staff.

2. Getting a right and reputed playschool close to the preferred school matters a lot. Check the effectiveness by verifying the list of playschool's alumni who got admission into your preferred school.Do get this school's certificate and seal.And submit this along with your application form.

3. In case of school transfer, get a good school leaving certificate and reference from current school. It will also help  you to seek readmission there later if needed.

4. Attach a good photograph of your child, even if not asked for in the application form.

5.Find a best way to mention if your child's sibling or close relatives are alumni or studying or working or associated with the school. Also, do mention the academic background and designation of parents in the application form. 

6.Staying very close to the preferred school and mentioning that address in application form matters a lot.Also let the powerful 'receptionist' know about it. If your house is far, consider moving to a rented facility very close to the school.This would help your children anyway!

7. Do personally visit the school several times, enquiring and keeping a watch on admission procedures and dates.Also this will help to get your face familiar to the receptionist, who in many schools would have key roles.

8. Do take an appointment and see the principal personally with the children and parents together. Appriase of your situation and check for any vacancies and possibilities for admission. 

9. In some schools, where so many people throng the school, principal and the receptionist for admissions, they might come across sometimes rude to you! Never mind - be prepared and aware of the same! :)

10. Talk to the school going children's parents and find out what extra things would help you. Go in the morning time to school, where parents comes to drop their children or when they come and wait to pickup their children. This will give you information on any entrance examinations, interviews, contacts and other essential information needed for the admission.

Good luck!

If you liked this, do share it and write in your comments.

How to select a best international school suitable for your child

Relocating to a foreign country as an expat? Or you have come back from a foreign country where you child had international schooling and look for the same in your own country? Or simply, you want your children to have the best global education and facilities and hence looking for an international school? Here are few tips from my experience on getting admission in one of the best international schools for my children, during an on job relocation, sponsored by the company.


International schools are private schools that generally follow a curriculum that is international like IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) or IB(International Baccalaureate).You will find international schools that admit children who are native (would be from wealthiest families who could afford the fees) with a good international mixture of students. Your child will possibly be going to school with students from all over the world and this can be a great learning experience for them in terms of being exposed to other cultures and learning how to get along with different people.

Generally, kindergarten to grade 12 are taught at the international schools and extracurricular activities are encouraged just as they probably are at your child’s current school. In most schools, English is the primary language spoken and used as a teaching medium.Not all children need the same things so it is really important to find the best fit for your child.

Here are a list of things to study and verify  with respect to the international school for your child:

1.Ask for a list of alumni from the school.

An easy question to ask and this reveals much of information about the track record and history of school.

2.How is the attrition of teachers in the school?

Find this from other parents and teachers in the school

3.Is the school accredited and licensed, with a good service experience? 

4.What calendar year, the school follow - U.S. or Indian or European school year?

5.Ask to see the academic and cultural backgrounds of  the teachers in the school?

6.What kind of standardized tests are there to gauge academic progress, in line with their native education system?

Does the school have a way to measure student achievement and is it communicated to parents? Standardized tests, within the grades, are not the end-all of instruction: You should know what your child understands and can do, beyond the taking of tests, so a portfolio including your child's work, in secondary as well as elementary and middle grades, is an important part of assessment.

7.Will transportation be provided by the school for your child? 

8.What extracurricular activities are facilitated by the school?

9.What are the classrooms like - air conditioned?

10.Check out the various facilities on the campus like gym, play area, cafeteria, etc.

Is the school physically attractive, the buildings and grounds clean, neat and well lighted? 

11.What quality of food is available in the cafeteria?

12.What kind of Parent-Teacher interaction and meetings are  there?

13.How does the school help your child adjust to his/her new environment?

14.What is the students to teacher ratio?

15.Does the school offer any options or camps for the summer?

16.Do you get to do any voluntary work or even a paid job in the school?

This will help you to spend your time effectively when you need to go and pick up your children or help you to be occupied and close to your kids. 

17. MOST importantly,do think about the possible schools and colleges your children might get admission, when you are back to your native place, after the relocation.

I had seen many colleagues and friends in India who went abroad, got their children one to three years of international education and when they came back didnot get admission in reputed schools as they couldnot pass Hindi.Finally they end up compromising on some schools which took them or ended up paying a fortune by sending them to some 'affordable' International schools available.

18.How is the school administration and management? What is their reputation?

19.How is the school fees structured? How do they justify the fees and charges? 

20.Are there high standards for your child and all students in the school? Does the school provide the support that children need to succeed? Are there Advanced Placement (AP) and/or International Baccalaureate (IB) programs offered? Is there any scholarships or assistance programs?

Teachers must be well prepared to provide that support; this includes ongoing staff development and access to the physical resources necessary to meet the needs of all students.

Best Wishes!Hope this compilation is useful.

Do write in your comments as it will help other readers too.

Looking for the best international schools in Bangalore, India? See details here:bangalore.sneham.in-top-international-igcse-ib-residential