These simple drawing ideas for kids is shadow art created with basic art supplies and the sun! Shadow art is a fun STEAM activity for kids of all ages that is sure to inspire their creativity. Making shadow art drawings works well at home or the classroom playground!
Atal Pension Yojana
Atal Pension Yojana (APY), a pension scheme for citizens of India is focused on the unorganized sector workers. Under the APY , guaranteed minimum pension of Rs. 1,000/- or 2,000/- or 3,000/- or 4,000 or 5,000/- per month will be given at the age of 60 years depending on the contributions by the subscribers. Any Citizen of India can join APY scheme. Following are the eligibility criteria:
- The age of the subscriber should be between 18 – 40 years.
- He/She should have a savings bank account/ post office savings bank account.
The prospective applicant may provide Aadhaar and mobile number to the bank during registration to facilitate receipt of periodic updates on APY account. However, Aadhaar is not mandatory for enrollment.
Need for Pension
A Pension provides people with a monthly income when they are no longer earning.
- Decreased income earning potential with age.
- The rise of nuclear family-migration of earning member.
- Rise in cost of living.
- Increased longevity.
- Assured monthly income ensures dignified life in old age.
Government Contribution
The co-contribution of the Government of India is available for 5 years, i.e., from the Financial Year 2015-16 to 2019-20 for the subscribers, who join the scheme during the period from 1 st June, 2015 to 31 st March, 2016 and who are not covered by any Statutory Social Security Scheme and are not income tax payers. The Government co-contribution is payable to eligible Permanent Retirement Account Number (PRANs) by the Pension Fund regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) after receiving the confirmation from Central Record Keeping Agency to the effect that the subscriber has paid all the installments for the year Government co-contribution will be credited in subscriber’s savings bank account/ post office savings bank account 50% of the total contribution subject to a maximum of Rs 1000/- at the end of financial year .The beneficiaries, who are covered under statutory social security schemes, are not eligible to receive Government co-contribution under APY . For example, members of the Social Security Schemes under the following enactments would not be eligible to receive Government co-contribution under APY :
- Employees’ Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provision Act, 1952.
- The Coal Mines Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provision Act, 1948.
- Assam Tea Plantation Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provision, 1955.
- Seamen’s Provident Fund Act, 1966.
- Jammu Kashmir Employees’ Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provision Act, 1961.
- Any other statutory social security scheme.
Benefits of APY
The benefit of minimum pension under Atal Pension Yojana would be guaranteed by the Government in the sense that if the actual realized returns on the pension contributions are less than the assumed returns for minimum guaranteed pension, over the period of contribution, such shortfall shall be funded by the Government. On the other hand, if the actual returns on the pension contributions are higher than the assumed returns for minimum guaranteed pension, over the period of contribution, such excess shall be credited to the subscriber’s account, resulting in enhanced scheme benefits to the subscribers.
The Government would also co-contribute 50% of the total contribution or Rs. 1000 per annum, whichever is lower, to each eligible subscriber, who joins the scheme during the period 1 st June, 2015 to 31 st March, 2016 and who is not a beneficiary of any social security scheme and is not an income tax payer. The Government co-contribution will be given for 5 years from the Financial Year 2015-16 to 2019-20.
At present, a subscriber under the National Pension System (NPS) is eligible to get tax benefit for the contribution, up to a ceiling, and even for the investment returns on such contributions. Further, the purchase price of the annuity on exit from NPS is also not taxed and only the pension income of the subscribers are considered to be part of normal income and taxed at the appropriate marginal rate of tax, applicable to the subscriber. Similar tax treatment is applicable to the subscribers of APY .
Procedure for Opening an APY Account
- Approach the bank branch/post office where individual’s savings bank account is held or open a savings account if the subscriber doesn’t have one.
- Provide the Bank A/c number/Post office savings bank account number and with the help of the Bank staff, fill up the APY registration form.
- Provide Aadhaar/Mobile Number. This is not mandatory, but may be provided to facilitate the communication regarding contribution.
- Ensure keeping the required balance in the savings bank account/post office savings bank account for transfer of monthly/quarterly/half yearly contribution.
Mode of contribution, how to contribute, and due date of contribution
The contributions can be made at monthly/quarterly/half yearly intervals through auto-debit facility from savings bank account/post office savings bank account of the subscriber. The monthly/quarterly/half yearly contribution depends upon the intended/desired monthly pension and the age of subscriber at entry. The contribution may be paid to APY through savings bank account/ post office savings bank account on any date of the particular month, in case of monthly contributions or any day of the first month of the quarter, in case of quarterly contributions or any day of the first month of the half year, in case of half-yearly contributions.
In case of continuous default
The subscribers should keep the required balance in their savings bank accounts/post office savings bank account on the stipulated due dates to avoid any overdue interest for delayed contributions. The monthly/quarterly/half-yearly contribution may be deposited on the first date of month/quarter/half year in the savings bank account/ post office savings bank account. However, if there is inadequate balance in the saving bank account/post office savings bank account of the subscriber till the last date of the month/last date of the first month in a quarter/last day of the first month in a half year, it will be treated as a default and contribution will have to be paid in the subsequent month along with overdue interest for delayed contributions. Banks are required to collect Rs. 1 per month for contribution of every Rs. 100, or part thereof, for each delayed monthly contributions. Overdue interest for delayed contribution for quarterly/half yearly mode of contribution shall be recovered accordingly. The overdue interest amount collected will remain as part of the pension corpus of the subscriber. More than one monthly/quarterly/half yearly contribution can be recovered subject to availability of the funds. In all cases, the contribution is to be recovered along with the overdue charges if any. This will be bank’s internal process. The due amount will be recovered as and when funds are available in the account.
Deduction would be made in the subscribers account for account maintenance charges and other related charges on a periodic basis. For those subscribers, who have availed Government co-contribution, the account would be treated as becoming zero when the subscriber corpus minus the Government co-contribution would be equal to the account maintenance charges, fees and overdue interest and hence the net corpus becomes zero. In this case, the Government co-contribution would be given back to the Government.
Withdrawal procedure from APY
- On attaining age of 60 :- Upon completion of 60 years, the subscribers will submit the request to the associated bank for drawing the guaranteed minimum monthly pension or higher monthly pension, if investment returns are higher than the guaranteed returns embedded in APY . The same amount of monthly pension is payable to spouse (default nominee) upon death of subscriber. Nominee will be eligible for return of pension wealth accumulated till age 60 of the subscriber upon death of both the subscriber and spouse.
- In case of death of the subscriber due to any cause after the age of 60 :- In case of death of subscriber, same pension would be available to the spouse and on the death of both of them (subscriber and spouse), the pension wealth accumulated till age 60 of the subscriber would be returned to the nominee.
- Exit before the age of 60 :- In case a subscriber, who has availed Government co-contribution under APY , chooses to voluntarily exit APY at a future date, he shall only be refunded the contributions made by him to APY , along with the net actual accrued income earned on his contributions (after deducting the account maintenance charges). The Government co-contribution, and the accrued income earned on the Government co-contribution, shall not be returned to such subscribers.
- Death of subscriber before age of 60 :-
- In case of death of the subscriber before 60 years, option will be available to the spouse of the subscriber to continue contribution in the APY account of the subscriber, which can be maintained in the spouse’s name, for the remaining vesting period, till the original subscriber would have attained the age of 60 years. The spouse of the subscriber shall be entitled to receive the same pension amount as the subscriber until death of the spouse.
- Or, the entire accumulated corpus under APY will be returned to the spouse/nominee.
Other important facts
- It is mandatory to provide nominee details in APY account. If the subscriber is married, the spouse will be the default nominee. Unmarried subscribers can nominate any other person as nominee & they have to provide spouse details after marriage. The Aadhaar details of spouse and nominees may be provided.
- A subscriber can open only one APY account and it is unique. Multiple accounts are not permitted.
- A subscriber can opt to decrease or increase pension amount during the course of accumulation phase, once a year.
- The periodical information to the subscriber regarding activation of PRAN, balance in the account, contribution credits etc. will be intimated to APY subscribers by way of SMS alerts. The subscriber will also be receiving physical statement of Account once a year.
- The physical statement of APY will be provided to the subscriber annually.
- The contribution may be remitted through auto debit uninterruptedly even in case of change of residence/location.
- The scheme is open for Indian citizen only.
- The subscriber can change the mode (monthly/quarterly/half yearly) of auto debit facility once in a year during the month of April.
- Registration form for Atal Pension Yojana (APY)
- Permanent Retirement Account Number
- Get Aadhaar Card
- APY Scheme Details/Circulars
- Pension Fund regulatory and Development Authority
- National Pension System
- Employees’ Provident Fund
Let’s Make SHADOW DRAWINGS WITH KIDS
The challenge with making shadow art is how to draw around a shadow cast by a toy (or the subject of the drawing) without obscuring that shadow with your own! Look at the example above for inspiration. We have found that situating the child on the other side of the art work space can help kids stay out of the way of their own shadow art!
Related: Check out these super awesome art hacks.
The best time of day to make shadow art?
Shadow art can be made at any time there are shadows present. In fact, letting kids see the difference in shadows made in the morning, noon and afternoon can be a fun science extension to this clever art project full of things to trace.
6 Easy & Creative Ways to Make Shadow Art
1. Creating Shadow Art with Favorite Toys
Start this craft by having your kids line up all their favorite toys outside. You can even tell your kids that the toys are having a parade. Finish getting the craft ready by putting a piece of white paper on the ground behind each toy. Then, challenge your kiddos to trace the shadow on the paper before the sun moves.
Once they’re done tracing the shadow, it’s like they made their own coloring page. The kids will also get a kick out of drawing their favorite toys.
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2. Drawing Portrait Silhouette Art
For this shadow art project, tape a piece of paper to the wall. Then have one of your kids sit with their face in profile. Setup a flashlight to create a shadow of your kiddo’s profile and have another trace the shadow on the paper. Have them finish the project by cutting the shadow out of the piece of paper and gluing it to a colored piece of paper for a new backdrop. This can be a wonderful keepsake.
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3. Chalk Shadow Art
My kids love chasing their shadows and seeing how they change depending on the light and their location on the sidewalk. This is one reason shadow art is considered a STEAM activity; your kiddos are learning how shadows are created. Help them chase their shadows by tracing their shadow with sidewalk chalk. They can then fill in the outlines with chalk or chalk paint.
4. Sculptures with Shadows
After the kids create a small statue of an animal or person using tin foil, attach the sculpture to a piece of a paper. Then, encourage your kiddo to trace and color the shadow in to complete the masterpiece. By adding the shadow to the craft, they’re adding dimension to their sculpture.
5. Capture Nature with Shadow Art
The shadows trees make with their trunks and branches can be pretty beautiful. Lay out a long piece of paper next to a tree on a sunny day and watch your kiddo create tree shapes by outlining the shadow.
The wonderful thing about shadow art? You can do it with just about any object and just about any season, as long as the sun is out.
6. Photograph Shadow Art
Grab your camera and capture your child and their shadow. There are so many creative ways that kids interact with that dark figure that follows them everywhere and getting a snapshot of the fun can be a great memory to keep forever…even when the shadow goes to bed.
More Shadow Fun & Art from Kids Activities Blog
- Make these easy shadow puppets for more shadow play.
- Watch how this cat is scared of his own shadow!
- Or watch this little girl is scared of her own shadow.
- These stencils remind me of the shadow art and can be really cool painting ideas for kids.
- We have 100s of more kids art ideas…there is something you can create today!
- If you are looking for more cool drawings to create, we have some really awesome tutorials from a teen artist.
- Or check out our really easy series of simple how to draw tutorials that you can print and follow…even the youngest artist can get started with these easy art lessons.
Which shadow art technique are you going to try first?
Water Blaster Splatter Painting For Kids
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Inside: Get the kids off the screens and outside with this messy splatter painting with water blasters.
If you’ve been following along you know we’re in the third week of our at home summer camp series.
This week is all about the great outdoors; from animals to activities to do outside and more.
Today, we’re taking things outside again with this super messy, super fun splatter painting for kids activity.
Read on below for all the details so you can create your own splatter paint masterpieces.
Outdoor Art For Kids
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Splatter Painting Supplies
1. Make sure you do this activity outside as it is very messy! Also, dress your child in old clothes you don’t mind getting paint on.
2. Add each paint color to a few small-medium sized bowls.
3. Add about a tablespoon of water to each bowl so the paint is thin enough to suck up with the water blasters.
4. Place the canvas on a sturdy surface like a chair or fence.
6. Have your child suck up the paint with the water blasters and shoot the paint on to the canvas.
7. When done painting, leave the canvas outside in the sun to dry.
We’re aren’t ones to do really messy projects around here (well, I’m not anyway), but kids love this activity and the cleanup won’t be too bad.
We did this outside and then just hosed down the overspray as soon as we were done painting.
If you’re looking for a fun art activity that will leave your kids squealing with delight, try this one out!
