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Where Bay Blades meet Panchatantra...
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From Telugu nursery rhymes with animation to grand prix racing, there's a lot in store for children this summer, finds Sangeetha Devi. K
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SUMMER FUN Children have a wide range of activities to choose from this summer Photo: K Gajendran
What's summer vacation without a gamut of activities? Ask young parents and they'll admit that children are busier during their holidays than they were during school days. A typical day is packed with indoor and outdoor games, and perhaps some summer camp activities thrown in. But there's always room for some leisure, both for parents and kids alike, to participate in something new that's creative and educative. The market is, as is noticed during summers, flooded with a range of products. Books, games and movies top the list. Yesterday was World Book Day, a good occasion that saw children pay a visit to bookstores.
What's hot?
Occupying prime space in leading bookstores and toy stores are Duel Master series of card games. Never mind if the prices are between Rs. 400 and 600. The trading games are the hot picks followed closely by Pokemon cards and of course, bay blades.
For Barbie lovers, there's the new edition of Barbie as the princess. Those who like something creative can pick the custom carmakers and puzzle makers. Microsoft, on its part, has released strategy and sports related games, read games related to racing, which are accompanied by gifts.
Old wine in a new bottle
Amidst all the time spent on online games, good ol' books are still in demand. On one hand, The Chronicles of Narnia, whether it's the set of eight books or individual ones, and other titles are flying off the shelves. On the other hand, NRIs who are in Hyderabad for vacation are lapping up all time favourites.
"NRIs feel books are the best way to teach their children about Indian tradition, practices, folklores and epics. Books on Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Amar Chitra Katha titles are in demand," says Lingam Prasad of Walden bookstore.
Books aren't the only bet if you want to teach native folklore. "Kids are acclimatised to nursery rhymes in English. But there are innumerable rhymes in Telugu as well. This got us thinking and we introduced a series of VCDs that have Telugu rhymes accompanied with animation videos. So you have titles like Chandamama Raave, Panchatantra, Balashiksha and Bala Vinodam," says G. Sathyanarayana, marketing manager, Comprint Multimedia.
If fun with information is what you are looking at, check out the new school edition VCD titles from Discovery that touch upon various topics.
Well, Harry Potter is still running to packed houses at the IMAX but new releases like Ice Age 2 and Zathura, and DVDs of Ice Age 2 and Chicken Little are also hot picks.
While you are out to catch the latest flicks, cinema halls are also going all out to cater to children and teens. The multiplexes are armed with gaming consoles that offer discounts and gifts.
"We are planning to have a cyber game contest. And apart from discounts at the gaming consoles, there will also be added attractions such as playpen and the space ball that rotates 360 degrees," says Kishan Prasad, marketing manager of Imax.
When the holidays come to a close and schools throw their doors open in June, there's still some room for fun.
Superman Returns will release in India, on 3D Imax!
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