Sevikas: Ruchi and Jacqueline
Prayers:
• Om Saha Naavavatu (click here for text)
• Vakratunda Mahakaya (click here for text)
• Sarasvati Namastubhyam (click here for text)
• Shree KrishnaH (click here for text)
Quiet Time: 1 minute of silence, with some pretty accurate shell counting during our focus game. Great job, kids!!
Geeta Chanting: Chapter 10, Shlokas 1, 2 and 3 (click here for audio and text)
Story: Lord Ganesha Circles His Parents
Homework: Lord Ganesha Stand Up Card (click here to view)
Likhita Japa:
• Children wrote राम 21 times (click here to view tracing card).
• Children wrote ऊँ 36 times
Sanskrit Words of the Week: मूषकः (muuShakaH, mouse), मयूरः (mayuuraH, peacock), and बुद्धि (buddhi, intellect) (click here to view list)
Sanskrit Learning:
• KrishnaH vadati (click here to view text)
• Counting, 1 – 5 (click here to view numbers)
End of Class Prayers: Aarti and prayers were conducted in the auditorium.
Comments: We sure had a lot of energy and enthusiasm in our class today — in spite of the heavy rain outside :-)
After we reviewed our alphabet learning thus far, we dove into our new letter of the week — "I is for Intelligence." Our group discussion was quite lively during circle time. The children were very interactive as we explored "What is intelligence," "What is the difference between us and animals," and "How can we use our intellect wisely?" Once we exhausted all of the physical differences between us and animals, we touched on the key difference ... that people have a well developed mind and intellect which allows us to make right and wrong choices. Animals do not. The children all agreed that this did not mean we were better than animals, just that this is the main difference :-)
This lively discussion led us into our story time, which was about how Lord Ganesha and Subrahmanya were given the challenge of circling the world for the celestial fruit. Subrahmanya immediately jumped onto his peacock and began his journey, while Lord Ganesha pondered over this task and realized that if he circled his parents, that was equivalent to circling the world. Lord Ganesha used his intellect, instead of immediately acting! No matter how many times we hear this story, it is an all-time favorite ...
We introduced a new tracing card today for the likhita japa segment. We learned last week that many of the children were not very confident with writing ऊँ, so we decided to add this to our curriculum along with writing राम. If you are interested in having your child continue this writing at home, please feel free to download the tracing sheets from the blog. We couldn't be more proud of how well these kids are doing during this segment. Once we return from winter break, we will probably be able to use real paper journals for them to do their likhita japa in. Most of the kids are remembering how to properly write the strokes!
Make sure you check your child's backpack. We sent home a fun art project for him/her to assemble. All you need to provide is a glue stick. The children are to arrange the pre-cut pieces of paper to resemble Lord Ganesha. Click here to see the finished sample and instructions.
The aunties had a really great time today — hope you kids did, too! Keep practicing your Geeta Chanting — we're going to continue with Shlokas 1, 2 and 3 next week. But come January, we're planning to move up to Shloka 4.
Hope everyone stays warm and dry. Today is a good day for some nice hot chocolate ... (with marshmallows, of course.)
Next week's lesson: "J is for ________" And here's a hint: It's not "jack-o-lantern" or "jelly bean."
p.s. For our helper mom who was interested in the music we played today: The album is "Divine Chants of Ganesha" by Uma Mohan.
Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda
December 13, 2009
December 6, 2009
Dec 06 Class: Section 1
Sevikas: Ruchi and Jacqueline
Prayers:
• Om Saha Naavavatu (click here for text)
• Vakratunda Mahakaya (click here for text)
• Sarasvati Namastubhyam (click here for text)
• Shree KrishnaH (click here for text)
Quiet Time: 1 minute 30 seconds of silence. Great job kids!!!
Geeta Chanting: Chapter 10, Shlokas 1,2 and 3 (click here for audio and text)
Story: None
Activity/Games: Drew pictures of God's Gifts to us. (click here to view art gallery.)
Likhita Japa: Wrote राम 21 times (click here to view tracing sheet)
Sanskrit Learning: Played "KrishnaH vadati" (click here to view text)
Sanskrit Words of the Week: भगवन् (bhagavan, God), देव (deva, God), and शान्ति (shaanti, peace) (click here to view list)
End of Class Prayers: Om PoornamadaH (click here for text)
Homework: None
Comments: We reviewed our alphabet thus far, "A is for Aspiration," "B is for Brotherhood," "C is for Cleanliness," "D is for Dad," "E is for Enthusiasm," and "F is for Friendship." Today's lesson was "G is for God." After our morning prayers, Geeta chanting and quiet time, we spent some circle time sharing our thoughts about God. Lots of questions were asked: "Who is God?" "Can we see Him?" "Where does He live?" "How do we thank God for all the gifts He has given us?" And as you can imagine, we got oodles of answers! Afterwards, the children settled down to draw a picture of what they were thankful for. (click here for art gallery.)
We also spent a few minutes talking about the ways we can thank God for all His wonderful gifts to us. Every child eagerly agreed that we should respect God and do pujas. But when asked about other ways we can show gratitude, there were a few seconds of silence and some serious thinking going on :-) We then explored the meaning of prayer. Prayer is a way for us to talk directly to God and we should always offer Him our gratitude with prayer. And, that when we learn to quiet our mind and sit silently (which is what meditation is), then we will be able to hear God talk to us.
The children are doing great with their likhita japa — we couldn't be more proud of them!! They are able to sit still, quietly chanting राम, while they write. We have discovered that a few of them are now able to write without any visual guidance, and are using the dry erase boards. We will continue to learn how to write राम throughout the month of December. We will also introduce ऊँ next week for those children who are not completely familiar with the strokes.
At the end of our class we played a round of "KrishnaH vadati." We had a lot of fun! Towards the end of the segment, some of the children were feeling pretty confident and offered to be the instruction caller. It was very satisfying to see them so engaged, especially with this being our first attempt at playing the game. We learned 6 verbs in the imperative: उपविशतु (upavishatu, sit), उत्तिष्ठतु (uttishThatu, stand up), उत्पततु (utpatatu, jump), भ्रमतु (bhramatu, spin), नृत्यतु (nrtyatu, dance), and तरतु (taratu, swim). So, whenever time permits, we will continue our Sanskrit Learning segment with games and play.
Parents: please be sure and sign in your child when you bring them to class. We are trying to streamline our attendance taking, so that we will have more time for fun — and less time for administrative work :-)
Nanda aunty, if you are reading this blog while in India, please know that we are sending lots of warm wishes your way. We hope you are having a great time — and look forward to seeing you in January. And guess what? We finally got our first snow!!
Stay warm everyone — see you next week ...
Prayers:
• Om Saha Naavavatu (click here for text)
• Vakratunda Mahakaya (click here for text)
• Sarasvati Namastubhyam (click here for text)
• Shree KrishnaH (click here for text)
Quiet Time: 1 minute 30 seconds of silence. Great job kids!!!
Geeta Chanting: Chapter 10, Shlokas 1,2 and 3 (click here for audio and text)
Story: None
Activity/Games: Drew pictures of God's Gifts to us. (click here to view art gallery.)
Likhita Japa: Wrote राम 21 times (click here to view tracing sheet)
Sanskrit Learning: Played "KrishnaH vadati" (click here to view text)
Sanskrit Words of the Week: भगवन् (bhagavan, God), देव (deva, God), and शान्ति (shaanti, peace) (click here to view list)
End of Class Prayers: Om PoornamadaH (click here for text)
Homework: None
Comments: We reviewed our alphabet thus far, "A is for Aspiration," "B is for Brotherhood," "C is for Cleanliness," "D is for Dad," "E is for Enthusiasm," and "F is for Friendship." Today's lesson was "G is for God." After our morning prayers, Geeta chanting and quiet time, we spent some circle time sharing our thoughts about God. Lots of questions were asked: "Who is God?" "Can we see Him?" "Where does He live?" "How do we thank God for all the gifts He has given us?" And as you can imagine, we got oodles of answers! Afterwards, the children settled down to draw a picture of what they were thankful for. (click here for art gallery.)
We also spent a few minutes talking about the ways we can thank God for all His wonderful gifts to us. Every child eagerly agreed that we should respect God and do pujas. But when asked about other ways we can show gratitude, there were a few seconds of silence and some serious thinking going on :-) We then explored the meaning of prayer. Prayer is a way for us to talk directly to God and we should always offer Him our gratitude with prayer. And, that when we learn to quiet our mind and sit silently (which is what meditation is), then we will be able to hear God talk to us.
The children are doing great with their likhita japa — we couldn't be more proud of them!! They are able to sit still, quietly chanting राम, while they write. We have discovered that a few of them are now able to write without any visual guidance, and are using the dry erase boards. We will continue to learn how to write राम throughout the month of December. We will also introduce ऊँ next week for those children who are not completely familiar with the strokes.
At the end of our class we played a round of "KrishnaH vadati." We had a lot of fun! Towards the end of the segment, some of the children were feeling pretty confident and offered to be the instruction caller. It was very satisfying to see them so engaged, especially with this being our first attempt at playing the game. We learned 6 verbs in the imperative: उपविशतु (upavishatu, sit), उत्तिष्ठतु (uttishThatu, stand up), उत्पततु (utpatatu, jump), भ्रमतु (bhramatu, spin), नृत्यतु (nrtyatu, dance), and तरतु (taratu, swim). So, whenever time permits, we will continue our Sanskrit Learning segment with games and play.
Parents: please be sure and sign in your child when you bring them to class. We are trying to streamline our attendance taking, so that we will have more time for fun — and less time for administrative work :-)
Nanda aunty, if you are reading this blog while in India, please know that we are sending lots of warm wishes your way. We hope you are having a great time — and look forward to seeing you in January. And guess what? We finally got our first snow!!
Stay warm everyone — see you next week ...
Dec 06 Class: Section 2
Sevikas: Kalpana and Indira
Prayers: Om Sahana Bhavatu (click here for text)
Quiet Time: ऊँ three times, followed by 1 minute of meditation. Kids are doing an excellent job!
Bhajans:
• Ganesha Sharanam (click here for text)
• Gopala Gopala Radhey Nandalala
• Krishna Here, Krishna There
Geeta Chanting: Practiced Chapter 10, Shlokas 1, 2. Learnt verse 3. (click here for text and audio)
Story: Story about FRIENDSHIP – Lord Krishna and Sudama's Friendship.
Activity/Games: Made a puppet of Lord Hanumaan (click here to view)
Likhita Japa: none
End of Class Prayers: OM Poornamadah (click here to view text)
Comments: We reviewed Alphabets A through E. We learnt alphabet F is for Friend, discussed what qualities makes someone a special friend. Kids came up with various qualities, like "I like my friend because he plays with me." Another one was "because he builds LEGOS with me."
We talked about the Friendship story — Lord Krishna & Sudamaa.
We learnt verse 3, Chp 10th Geetha Chanting. Kids are doing a wonderful job reciting. Please practice at home. Please practice the new Bhajan and you can try it with different names like Ganesha, Raama, Durga, Lakshmi, etc.
Prayers: Om Sahana Bhavatu (click here for text)
Quiet Time: ऊँ three times, followed by 1 minute of meditation. Kids are doing an excellent job!
Bhajans:
• Ganesha Sharanam (click here for text)
• Gopala Gopala Radhey Nandalala
• Krishna Here, Krishna There
Geeta Chanting: Practiced Chapter 10, Shlokas 1, 2. Learnt verse 3. (click here for text and audio)
Story: Story about FRIENDSHIP – Lord Krishna and Sudama's Friendship.
Activity/Games: Made a puppet of Lord Hanumaan (click here to view)
Likhita Japa: none
End of Class Prayers: OM Poornamadah (click here to view text)
Comments: We reviewed Alphabets A through E. We learnt alphabet F is for Friend, discussed what qualities makes someone a special friend. Kids came up with various qualities, like "I like my friend because he plays with me." Another one was "because he builds LEGOS with me."
We talked about the Friendship story — Lord Krishna & Sudamaa.
We learnt verse 3, Chp 10th Geetha Chanting. Kids are doing a wonderful job reciting. Please practice at home. Please practice the new Bhajan and you can try it with different names like Ganesha, Raama, Durga, Lakshmi, etc.
November 22, 2009
Nov 22 Class: Section 1
Sevikas: Ruchi and Jacqueline
Prayers:
• Om Saha Naavavatu (click here for text)
• Vakratunda Mahakaya (click here for text)
• Sarasvati Namastubhyam (click here for text)
• Shree KrishnaH (click here for text)
Quiet Time: One minute of silence followed by a concentration game.
The kids are definitely moving up to 1 minute 15 seconds in our next class – they did great! Ruchi aunty said that they were so still that she could hear the shells dropping into the bowl while standing guard outside in the hallway. Now, that's impressive!
Geeta Chanting: Chapter 10, Shlokas 1 and 2 (click here for audio and text)
Story: Sudaama and Lord Krishna
Activity/Games: Made a puppet of Lord Hanumaan (click here to view)
Likhita Japa: none
Sanskrit Learning: Click here for Words of the Week
End of Class Prayers: Om PoornamadaH (click here to view text)
Homework: None
Comments: Boy, was today a busy day — we certainly got through a lot in an hour and a half, though!
We began our class by reviewing the Alphabet we have learned thus far. "A is for Aspiration," "B is for Brotherhood," "C is for Cleanliness," "D is for Dad," and "E is for Enthusiasm." Our lesson today focused on "F is for Friend." We spent a good chunk of time discussing the special qualities which makes someone a friend. After our brainstorming activity, we then settled down to hear an all-time favorite story about Sudaama and Lord Krishna.
Our Geeta Chanting is coming along nicely — clearly a lot of the children have been practicing at home! We will begin Shloka 3 in our next class. Please continue to work with your children at home. We're trying to pace our learning so that we don't have to do "cram" studying as we get closer to the Competition date :-)
We learned three new words in Sanskrit today: mitram (friend), sakhya (friendship) and paaJcaalikaa (puppet) Click here to view text. We had hoped to play a full game of "KrishnaH vadati" today, but time ran out before we could get to it. In order to include Sanskrit learning in the class curriculum, we will probably end up alternating it with a craft activity from week to week. So, instead of an art project next class, we will play games in Sanskrit. We're thinking that this might be the solution to our weekly time crunch.
Parents: Please note that we now have an attendance sign-in sheet at the front door of the classroom. Please check off your child's name when you bring him/her to class. We are hoping that this will streamline our attendance taking :-)
Also, you will notice that we have a video playlist in the announcement section above. We will be sharing music videos and animations that we think speak to our lessons of the week. Hope that you and your child will enjoy!
Hard to believe that this weather is so fantastic at this time of the year! Have a very peaceful and relaxing week, and we look forward to seeing everyone again after our mini break. Next class: "G is for _______" Bet you kids can guess this one!
OM ShaantiH, ShaantiH, ShaantiH
Prayers:
• Om Saha Naavavatu (click here for text)
• Vakratunda Mahakaya (click here for text)
• Sarasvati Namastubhyam (click here for text)
• Shree KrishnaH (click here for text)
Quiet Time: One minute of silence followed by a concentration game.
The kids are definitely moving up to 1 minute 15 seconds in our next class – they did great! Ruchi aunty said that they were so still that she could hear the shells dropping into the bowl while standing guard outside in the hallway. Now, that's impressive!
Geeta Chanting: Chapter 10, Shlokas 1 and 2 (click here for audio and text)
Story: Sudaama and Lord Krishna
Activity/Games: Made a puppet of Lord Hanumaan (click here to view)
Likhita Japa: none
Sanskrit Learning: Click here for Words of the Week
End of Class Prayers: Om PoornamadaH (click here to view text)
Homework: None
Comments: Boy, was today a busy day — we certainly got through a lot in an hour and a half, though!
We began our class by reviewing the Alphabet we have learned thus far. "A is for Aspiration," "B is for Brotherhood," "C is for Cleanliness," "D is for Dad," and "E is for Enthusiasm." Our lesson today focused on "F is for Friend." We spent a good chunk of time discussing the special qualities which makes someone a friend. After our brainstorming activity, we then settled down to hear an all-time favorite story about Sudaama and Lord Krishna.
Our Geeta Chanting is coming along nicely — clearly a lot of the children have been practicing at home! We will begin Shloka 3 in our next class. Please continue to work with your children at home. We're trying to pace our learning so that we don't have to do "cram" studying as we get closer to the Competition date :-)
We learned three new words in Sanskrit today: mitram (friend), sakhya (friendship) and paaJcaalikaa (puppet) Click here to view text. We had hoped to play a full game of "KrishnaH vadati" today, but time ran out before we could get to it. In order to include Sanskrit learning in the class curriculum, we will probably end up alternating it with a craft activity from week to week. So, instead of an art project next class, we will play games in Sanskrit. We're thinking that this might be the solution to our weekly time crunch.
Parents: Please note that we now have an attendance sign-in sheet at the front door of the classroom. Please check off your child's name when you bring him/her to class. We are hoping that this will streamline our attendance taking :-)
Also, you will notice that we have a video playlist in the announcement section above. We will be sharing music videos and animations that we think speak to our lessons of the week. Hope that you and your child will enjoy!
Hard to believe that this weather is so fantastic at this time of the year! Have a very peaceful and relaxing week, and we look forward to seeing everyone again after our mini break. Next class: "G is for _______" Bet you kids can guess this one!
OM ShaantiH, ShaantiH, ShaantiH
Nov 22 Class: Section 2
Sevikas: Indira
Prayers: We started the day chanting OM 3 times followed by 1 min meditation and Sahana Bhavatu prayer.
Quiet Time: We meditated for 1 min, prayed to GOD to give us a Happy & Fun Filled day.
Bhajans: Ganesha Sharanam (click here to view)
Geeta Chanting: We practiced verse 1 & 2. Kids are doing well and need more practice at home. (click here for audio and text.)
Story: We talked about alphabet 'E for ENTHUSIASM. We talked Gitu, the tiny chipmunk who showed enthusiasm in all her work. All animals in the jungle were making fun of her because of her size but she still worked hard and succeded. We also talked about another story - a boy named Anand. Parents be sure and ask your kids to narrate the stories and recite the Bhajans they have learnt in class. We reviewed alphabet A thru D.
Activity/Games: coloring page for alphabet 'C'. C-for cleanliness meaning having clean thoughts. Kids colored 3 monkeys - see no evil, hear no evil and don't talk evil/bad things.
Craft Project: We did the spinning wheel project. (click here to view) Kids did a great job decorating the top, writing OM and making colorful borders.
Likhita Japa: none
End of Class Prayers: Aaarthi followed by Poornamada.
Comments: We have no class on Nov. 29th. Have a Happy and safe Thanks Giving Holiday! The next Balavihar class is on Dec. 6th. Parents please bring your kids on time at 10am. Please make sure they have their Balavihar bag, folder, crayons & My Prayers book.
Prayers: We started the day chanting OM 3 times followed by 1 min meditation and Sahana Bhavatu prayer.
Quiet Time: We meditated for 1 min, prayed to GOD to give us a Happy & Fun Filled day.
Bhajans: Ganesha Sharanam (click here to view)
Geeta Chanting: We practiced verse 1 & 2. Kids are doing well and need more practice at home. (click here for audio and text.)
Story: We talked about alphabet 'E for ENTHUSIASM. We talked Gitu, the tiny chipmunk who showed enthusiasm in all her work. All animals in the jungle were making fun of her because of her size but she still worked hard and succeded. We also talked about another story - a boy named Anand. Parents be sure and ask your kids to narrate the stories and recite the Bhajans they have learnt in class. We reviewed alphabet A thru D.
Activity/Games: coloring page for alphabet 'C'. C-for cleanliness meaning having clean thoughts. Kids colored 3 monkeys - see no evil, hear no evil and don't talk evil/bad things.
Craft Project: We did the spinning wheel project. (click here to view) Kids did a great job decorating the top, writing OM and making colorful borders.
Likhita Japa: none
End of Class Prayers: Aaarthi followed by Poornamada.
Comments: We have no class on Nov. 29th. Have a Happy and safe Thanks Giving Holiday! The next Balavihar class is on Dec. 6th. Parents please bring your kids on time at 10am. Please make sure they have their Balavihar bag, folder, crayons & My Prayers book.
November 15, 2009
Nov 15 Class: Section 1
Sevikas: Nanda and Jacqueline
Prayers:
• OM Saha Naavaatu (click here for text)
• Vakratunda Mahakaya (click here for text)
• Sarasvati Namastubhyam (click here for text)
Quiet Time: Man, oh man — these kids did great! They sat absolutely still for one minute — and nearly everyone got the correct number of shells dropped into the bowl during our focus game. Looks like these children will soon be ready to try for one minute and 15 seconds.
Geeta Chanting: Chapter 10, Shlokas 1 and 2 (click here for audio and text)
Story: How the squirrels helped Lord Ram build the bridge to Lanka, and how they came to have three stripes on their back.
Activity/Games: Made a spinning top (click here to view)
Likhita Japa: Practiced writing राम with our tracing cards. (click here to view)
Sanskrit Learning: Click here to view words of the week
End of Class Prayers: Aarti and pledge were done in the auditorium.
Homework: None
Comments: We have decided to banish the "big people's" tables and chairs for our class — and sit in a circle on the floor instead. And boy, did it feel right! We all seemed to be a bit more comfortable and together as a group. We will be conducting our class in this fashion from now on — so please have your child remove their shoes and line them up at the door when they first arrive. We will have a table at the front of the room where your child can keep their coat and backpack.
After what seemed like such a long break, it sure was nice seeing everyone again! We reviewed our Alphabet Safari letters: "A is for Aspiration," "B is for Brotherhood," "C is for Cleanliness," and "D is for Dad." Today we learned that "E is for Enthusiasm." We discussed what enthusiasm felt like, and why it was important that we do everything with this certain type of feeling. To further illustrate this "Word of the Week," we had the children make spinning tops (click here to see example) and see how long they could keep them going. Guess you can imagine how much fun we all had.
Today we tried something new during our activity segment. We introduced a few Sanskrit words and had the kids repeat them. We were very encouraged with how well they picked these words up ... so, at the end of our class (and only if we have time) we will try and have a Sanskrit Learning segment. We will play games and read interactive books to help us learn colors, numbers, clothing articles, verbs, etc. Next class we will plan to play "KrishnaH vadati"(click here to view text.)
We hope that your child had as much fun as the aunties did today! We will be missing Nanda aunty for the next few weeks while she travels to India. Though we are sad to not have her in class for the next month, we are really lucky that Ruchi Aunty will be joining us.
Please continue to practice Geeta Chanting with your child at home. We will work with Shlokas 1 and 2 next week, and plan to begin Shloka 3 in December.
Look forward to seeing everyone next week. In the meantime, enjoy the fabulous weather!!! This aunty is going for a verrrry long bike ride after this entry gets posted.
Kids: be sure and check out the videos in the announcement section above. You'll find these to be fun reviews for "E is for Enthusiasm" and भ्रमति (bhramati, spins). Oh yeah, and if any of you are LEGO enthusiasts, make sure your have your bucket of LEGOS handy while watching the last two videos :-)
Prayers:
• OM Saha Naavaatu (click here for text)
• Vakratunda Mahakaya (click here for text)
• Sarasvati Namastubhyam (click here for text)
Quiet Time: Man, oh man — these kids did great! They sat absolutely still for one minute — and nearly everyone got the correct number of shells dropped into the bowl during our focus game. Looks like these children will soon be ready to try for one minute and 15 seconds.
Geeta Chanting: Chapter 10, Shlokas 1 and 2 (click here for audio and text)
Story: How the squirrels helped Lord Ram build the bridge to Lanka, and how they came to have three stripes on their back.
Activity/Games: Made a spinning top (click here to view)
Likhita Japa: Practiced writing राम with our tracing cards. (click here to view)
Sanskrit Learning: Click here to view words of the week
End of Class Prayers: Aarti and pledge were done in the auditorium.
Homework: None
Comments: We have decided to banish the "big people's" tables and chairs for our class — and sit in a circle on the floor instead. And boy, did it feel right! We all seemed to be a bit more comfortable and together as a group. We will be conducting our class in this fashion from now on — so please have your child remove their shoes and line them up at the door when they first arrive. We will have a table at the front of the room where your child can keep their coat and backpack.
After what seemed like such a long break, it sure was nice seeing everyone again! We reviewed our Alphabet Safari letters: "A is for Aspiration," "B is for Brotherhood," "C is for Cleanliness," and "D is for Dad." Today we learned that "E is for Enthusiasm." We discussed what enthusiasm felt like, and why it was important that we do everything with this certain type of feeling. To further illustrate this "Word of the Week," we had the children make spinning tops (click here to see example) and see how long they could keep them going. Guess you can imagine how much fun we all had.
Today we tried something new during our activity segment. We introduced a few Sanskrit words and had the kids repeat them. We were very encouraged with how well they picked these words up ... so, at the end of our class (and only if we have time) we will try and have a Sanskrit Learning segment. We will play games and read interactive books to help us learn colors, numbers, clothing articles, verbs, etc. Next class we will plan to play "KrishnaH vadati"(click here to view text.)
We hope that your child had as much fun as the aunties did today! We will be missing Nanda aunty for the next few weeks while she travels to India. Though we are sad to not have her in class for the next month, we are really lucky that Ruchi Aunty will be joining us.
Please continue to practice Geeta Chanting with your child at home. We will work with Shlokas 1 and 2 next week, and plan to begin Shloka 3 in December.
Look forward to seeing everyone next week. In the meantime, enjoy the fabulous weather!!! This aunty is going for a verrrry long bike ride after this entry gets posted.
Kids: be sure and check out the videos in the announcement section above. You'll find these to be fun reviews for "E is for Enthusiasm" and भ्रमति (bhramati, spins). Oh yeah, and if any of you are LEGO enthusiasts, make sure your have your bucket of LEGOS handy while watching the last two videos :-)
Nov 15 Class: Section 2
Sevikas: Kalpana and Indira
Prayers: We had morning prayers
Quiet Time: One minute meditation and kids were sitting still for almost 40 seconds
Bhajans:
• gajana he gajana (click here for text)
• ganesh sharanam (click here for text)
Geeta Chanting: 1st 2 shlokas (click here for audio and text)
Story: Story of Sharavana where kids helped filling the blanks of the sentences had a great time.
Activity/Games: none
Craft Project: Made keychains and they all loved it. Keychain said "I love Dad." (click here to view.)
Likhita Japa: None
End of Class: Poornama Poornamidam prayers (click here for text)
Comments: Parents should bring their child on time and pick them up on time and if they are running late and if they see lights are off they should wait outside until we turn on the lights.
Prayers: We had morning prayers
Quiet Time: One minute meditation and kids were sitting still for almost 40 seconds
Bhajans:
• gajana he gajana (click here for text)
• ganesh sharanam (click here for text)
Geeta Chanting: 1st 2 shlokas (click here for audio and text)
Story: Story of Sharavana where kids helped filling the blanks of the sentences had a great time.
Activity/Games: none
Craft Project: Made keychains and they all loved it. Keychain said "I love Dad." (click here to view.)
Likhita Japa: None
End of Class: Poornama Poornamidam prayers (click here for text)
Comments: Parents should bring their child on time and pick them up on time and if they are running late and if they see lights are off they should wait outside until we turn on the lights.
October 25, 2009
Oct 25 Class: Section 1
Sevikas: Nanda and Jacqueline
Prayers:
Prayers:
Quiet Time: One Minute of Silence. We're getting better! — the kids sat absolutely still for 45 seconds. The focus game is still a bit challenging, though. We had a handful of the class get the number count right ... everyone else was off by 1 or 2. We sure are proud of you guys ... keep up the good work!!
Bhajans: none
Geeta Chanting: Chapter 10, Shloka 1 and 2 (click here for audio)
Story: How Father's Day Came to Be.
Art Activity/Games: Keychain for Dad (click here to view.)
Videos to watch with Mom and Dad: Ganesha Circles the World (click here to view) and Papa, Please Get the Moon For Me (click here to view.)
Comments: We reviewed our alphabet thus far: "A is for Aspiration, B is for Brotherhood, and C is for Cleanliness."
Today was "D is for Dad."
We talked about some of the important qualities of God (and what things God gives us.) Auntie wrote them on the chalkboard so we could keep track of all the great answers. "God is strong, God is invisible, God protects, God gives us food and good health, God gives us love." Then the children were asked which person in our family has some of these exact same qualities. Everyone shouted out "Dad!" (Moms you will be pleased to know that your name was shouted out, also. But we had to explain to the children that Mom starts with the letter "M" ... and we'll be getting to that letter soon ;-) Anyway, after all the children shared their stories about how cool their dads are, we settled down to do our activity project: a keychain for Dad (click here to view.)
Comments: We reviewed our alphabet thus far: "A is for Aspiration, B is for Brotherhood, and C is for Cleanliness."
Today was "D is for Dad."
We talked about some of the important qualities of God (and what things God gives us.) Auntie wrote them on the chalkboard so we could keep track of all the great answers. "God is strong, God is invisible, God protects, God gives us food and good health, God gives us love." Then the children were asked which person in our family has some of these exact same qualities. Everyone shouted out "Dad!" (Moms you will be pleased to know that your name was shouted out, also. But we had to explain to the children that Mom starts with the letter "M" ... and we'll be getting to that letter soon ;-) Anyway, after all the children shared their stories about how cool their dads are, we settled down to do our activity project: a keychain for Dad (click here to view.)
After our activity, we brought out the tracing sheets for likhita japa. The children are doing very nicely with their handwriting. Nearly every child was able to sit with the tracing sheets independently as they wrote राम, राम, राम ... We spent some time reiterating what sound each letter makes. Once the children finished writing 21 times, we pulled out white boards for them to practice on. A good number of the kids were able to write without any auntie assistance — and some were able to write राम without any visual guides! We will definitely be continuing this exercise during every class ... and if the kids keep up this great pace, we'll be introducing more likhita japa learning in the upcoming months.
We started Geeta Shloka 2 today. Please continue to work with your child at home. All of our assigned shlokas are on this blog (audio included.) Some of the kids clearly know Shlokas 1 and 2 ... hats off to those moms and dads! We will be working with Shlokas 1 and 2 through November, probably introducing Shloka 3 at the middle/end of December.
Hard to believe that we will be breaking until November 15 ... sounds so far away. Hope everyone has a peaceful and relaxing mini break. Kids, please continue to do your chanting and likhita japa at home. And if you get kinda bored next Sunday, because you're missing Balavihar, ask mom or dad if you can check out some of the videos and animations we've bookmarked for you. Also be sure to visit the Chinmaya Kids Website for some games and fun.
Next class we'll be learning "E is for _____" And nope, it's not "Ear," "Elephant" or "Easy."
See you all soon!
October 18, 2009
Oct 18 Class: Section 1
Sevikas: Nanda and Jacqueline
Prayers:
Quiet Time: One minute of silence — although a few of our friends got a bit restless after 40 seconds ;-) Afterwards we played our concentration game and nearly everyone got the shell count correctly. Definitely our kindergartners can focus when they want to — not one child counted out loud. Everyone did the number count in their head (which is not easy for this age group.)
Bhajans: none
Geeta Chanting: Chapter 10, Shloka 1 (click here for audio)
Story: Mother Goddess and Andhakasura. Click here to read the story of Goddess Mangaldevi and the Temple which was built in her honor in Mangalore.
Art Activity/Games: Scratch Art (click here to view.)
Likhita Japa: None
End of Class Prayers: Aarti and prayers were done in the auditorium with Swamiji and all the classes.
Homework: Diya Greeting Card (click here for assembly instructions and sample.) The children are to give it to someone they love.
Videos to watch with Mom and Dad: A Garden Dream (click here to view) and Typolution (click here to view.) These are both short and nicely done animations on cleanliness and pollution. Definitely check out "Typolution" — it's completely done in type! (The kids really get a kick figuring out which letters are being used.)
Comments: Today was "C is for Cleanliness." We talked about how we all understand that we must keep things clean – like our rooms, our bodies, our clothes, etc. But what about keeping our "inside" clean? What does that mean? Everybody raised their hands to share some ideas about what these unclean feelings and behaviours might be. Jealousy, fibbing and teasing were top on the lists ...
After our story and discussion we did an activity to help us understand that with constant work and diligence, we can take away all of our "gunky stuff." And what will be revealed after all that cleaning and polishing is God. Lots of 'good old elbow grease' was being done in the classroom today — and in the end every child got to put a beautiful image of a God or Goddess in their backpack to take home and cherish. So kids, remember that all this hard work will always be worth it! Click here to view our activity project.
Today's class was abbreviated because we went to the auditorium to see the Sixth Grade's presentation on Diwali. The kids gave a great performance and our kindergartners sat very nicely and attentively throughout the show! Nice job guys ....
Recap: "A is for Aspiration," "B is for Brotherhood," and "C is for cleanliness." Please have your child give some thought to next week's class: "D is for ______." Here's a hint: it's not "dog" or "doughnut." :-)
Comments: Today was "C is for Cleanliness." We talked about how we all understand that we must keep things clean – like our rooms, our bodies, our clothes, etc. But what about keeping our "inside" clean? What does that mean? Everybody raised their hands to share some ideas about what these unclean feelings and behaviours might be. Jealousy, fibbing and teasing were top on the lists ...
After our story and discussion we did an activity to help us understand that with constant work and diligence, we can take away all of our "gunky stuff." And what will be revealed after all that cleaning and polishing is God. Lots of 'good old elbow grease' was being done in the classroom today — and in the end every child got to put a beautiful image of a God or Goddess in their backpack to take home and cherish. So kids, remember that all this hard work will always be worth it! Click here to view our activity project.
Today's class was abbreviated because we went to the auditorium to see the Sixth Grade's presentation on Diwali. The kids gave a great performance and our kindergartners sat very nicely and attentively throughout the show! Nice job guys ....
Recap: "A is for Aspiration," "B is for Brotherhood," and "C is for cleanliness." Please have your child give some thought to next week's class: "D is for ______." Here's a hint: it's not "dog" or "doughnut." :-)
We wish you and your family much joy and love during this special holiday. We look forward to seeing everyone next week for our weekly party with God!
October 11, 2009
Oct 11 Class: Section 1
Sevikas: Nanda and Jacqueline
Prayers:
Quiet Time: Wow — these kids are doing great! We accomplished one whole minute of absolute silence (with very little to no movement.) Afterwards the children played the focus game. Many of them got the correct number of shells that we dropped into the bowl. Very impressive! We're thinking that at this rate, we're going to be able to sit for 1 minute and 30 seconds by November.
Bhajans: none
Geeta Chanting: Chapter 10, Shloka 1
Art Activity/Games: "We Belong to One Family" Mobile (click here to view.)
Likhita Japa: Wrote राम 21 times (click here to view.)
End of Class Prayers: OM Poornamadah
Homework: None
Videos to watch with Mom and Dad: Sufficiency Children (click here to view), Chanda Mama (click here to view) and Stone Soup (click here for a fun version from Between the Lions on PBS.)
Comments: Today was "B for Brotherhood." Auntie told us a wonderful story about how a magic stone boiling in a pot of water brought an entire community (who had been hoarding vegetables) together to make a fabulous pot of soup — and enough for everyone to enjoy and warm their hearts with! Once auntie jots this story down for us, we will post it in the blog to read whenever we want. It really is one of our favorites ...
Comments: Today was "B for Brotherhood." Auntie told us a wonderful story about how a magic stone boiling in a pot of water brought an entire community (who had been hoarding vegetables) together to make a fabulous pot of soup — and enough for everyone to enjoy and warm their hearts with! Once auntie jots this story down for us, we will post it in the blog to read whenever we want. It really is one of our favorites ...
After the story we worked on a class project. Today we made a mobile of the world with three children holding hands. The only problem was that when we handed out the class kits, we realized that some of the kits had all the dark brown dolls, some had all the light colored dolls, and some had all the medium brown dolls. What to do??!!! We each needed one dark brown, medium brown and light colored paper doll to complete our project. The children helped us to realize that each one of us needed to share some of our pieces with everyone else in the group — this way we would all end up with the same number of pieces to make our mobiles. Nice work kids — the mobiles turned out great!! (Click here to view the mobile.)
Sooo kindergarten friends, "A is for Aspiration," and "B is for Brotherhood" Next week we learn what C stands for ... any ideas?
Have a wonderful Deepavali! We wish you and your family much joy and love during this special holiday. Oh yeah, and don't eat too many sweets ... we certainly don't want you to suffer from a tummy ache and miss next week's fun :-)
Oct 11 Class: Section 2
Sevikas: Kalpana and Indira
Prayers:
Quiet Time: 1 minute of silence (the kids did great!)
Geeta Chanting: Chapter 10, Shloka 1
Story: We had two today — both related to Deepavali: 1) When Lord Ram returns to Ayodhya after spending 14 years in the forest and 2) the fight between the asuras and devas where they churned the milky ocean and Goddess Lakshmi gives wealth and amrit to all.
Art Activity/Games: The children colored and decorated Deepavali cards and made a diya out of playdough.
Likhita Japa: none
End of Class Prayers: Aarthi, Chinmaya Pledge and OM Poornamadah
Comments: Today was definitely a busy day! We reviewed the two Safari letters we have learned so far. "A is for Ambition" and "B is for Brotherhood."We also talked about Deepavali and what it means to us. The children made beautiful Deepavali cards and diyas from playdough.
After we completed our activities, we reviewed the bhajans we have been learning. All the lyrics are posted in the blog (click on the links above.) Please have your child practice with you at home. They can show you how beautifully they've been doing in class!
And speaking of practice ... we are working on learning the Geeta Chapter 10 shlokas in class. At this point, we are nearly complete with Shloka 1. Our kindergartners will be responsible for memorizing Shlokas 1-7. Please work with your child at home — it only takes a few minutes every day. We know everyone is very busy these days, so to make things a little more convenient we have posted the audio and text on the blog.
We'd like to remind you to please send your child to class with a box of crayons, a binder, a pencil, and copy of "My Prayers." We would also really appreciate it if you could make a stop at the restroom before class begins :-)
And speaking of practice ... we are working on learning the Geeta Chapter 10 shlokas in class. At this point, we are nearly complete with Shloka 1. Our kindergartners will be responsible for memorizing Shlokas 1-7. Please work with your child at home — it only takes a few minutes every day. We know everyone is very busy these days, so to make things a little more convenient we have posted the audio and text on the blog.
We'd like to remind you to please send your child to class with a box of crayons, a binder, a pencil, and copy of "My Prayers." We would also really appreciate it if you could make a stop at the restroom before class begins :-)
We really love spending every Sunday with your children — and hope they are having as much fun as we are.
Have a very Happy Deepavali!"
Have a very Happy Deepavali!"
October 4, 2009
Oct 04 Class: Section 1
Sevikas: Nanda and Jacqueline
Prayers:
Quiet Time: We did much better with our 1 minute of silence today. The kids were able to sit, motionless, for nearly 40 seconds. We then completed our silence with a focus game where everyone had to count shells as they were dropped into a glass bowl — all with their eyes closed. Most of the class got the count correct. We're thinking that we are going to have to make this game a bit more complicated for the children next week ;-)
Bhajans: none
Story: We had two today: 1) Washington Roebling and the Brooklyn Bridge and 2) The Thirsty Black Crow.
Activity/Games: "Try to Touch the Balloon"
Art Project: None
End of Class Prayers: OM Poornamadah
Homework: The Thirsty Black Crow (click here for assembly instructions) and visit the Brooklyn Bridge.
Comments: We began our Vedantic Alphabet today: A is for Aspiration. Auntie told a wonderful story about how the Brooklyn Bridge got built — and how difficult it was for Washington Roebling to pursue his aspiration. But, through hard work, perserverance and creative thinking, he attained his goal. She then showed us some nice pictures on the computer of the Brooklyn Bridge and gave everyone a homework assignment to do with Mom and Dad: Walk or drive across the Brooklyn Bridge. Oh yeah, don't forget to have a slice of pizza and some delicious ice cream once you get to the other side!
After the story we pulled out some balloons (tied to a stick) and had the children line up to play a game. We held the balloon up high and had the children jump to try and touch it. After a few tries (and some serious jumping), each of the kids were able to see their hard work pay off — they were finally able to give the balloon a "swat."
The children were then told another story, "The Thirsty Black Crow." It is this story that their homework art project is based on. Once they have assembled their paper toy, have them tell you the story.
And to further illustrate "A is for Aspiration" we recommend these two fun, short animations to watch at home: The Thirsty Crow (click here to view) and Kiwi (click here to view.)
Also, please note that we have posted the audio of our Geeta Chanting (Chapter 10, Shlokas 1-7.) We have already begun working with the children in learning their assigned shlokas for the Geeta Competition in Spring 2010. You will be pleased to know that your children already have the first half of shloka 1 practically memorized! Please continue to work with them at home on a regular basis — in fact, make it become part of their daily homework. It would truly be a wonderful sight to see all of the kindergartners lined up at the ashram, waiting to chant.
We thank all the parents who came to our brief meeting this morning. We realize that it was a little noisy towards the end and we appreciate your focus amidst all the activity :-) Definitely take some time to explore this blog. In addition to our class reviews, we will be constantly updating with fun things to see and do with your children at home.
We cannot express enough the importance of arriving to class on time. As we indicated in the meeting, our fun begins precisely at 10:00. If the classroom lights are off, then please wait with your child in the hallway until our "Quiet Time and Focus Game" is over. We also ask that you take your child to the restroom in the morning right before class. It is difficult for us to break during class to take the children to the restroom. If one has to go .... well, you know, then the whole class has to go ;-)
We hope that your child had fun today — we know that we did! Have a great week and enjoy this fabulous weather ... we look forward to seeing you again on Sunday.
September 20, 2009
Sept 20 Class
Section 1
Sevikas: Nanda and Jacqueline
Prayers:
Quiet Time: 1 minute of silence. We then played a concentration game where the children had to sit focused, with their eyes closed, and listen to how many shells were dropped into a bowl. For our first attempt at this exercise, they did great! This is not an easy game ... By the end of the year, these kindergartners will probably be able to sit quietly longer than the big kids!
Bhajans: none
Geeta Chanting: Practiced "श्री भगवानुवच" (shree bhagavaanuvaca) See comment section below for more details.
Story: God is Everywhere.
Activity/Games: Used a magnifying glass to find a very tiny picture inside a bigger picture.
Craft Project: none.
Likhita Japa: Practiced writing राम 21 times. (click here to view.)
End of Class Prayers: OM Poornamadah and the Chinmaya Pledge.
End of Class Prayers: OM Poornamadah and the Chinmaya Pledge.
Comments: Wow — what a great group of students we have! The aunties are definitely going to be challenged throughout the year :-)
Parents: You will notice that your child has a feather in his/her backpack. Be sure and ask them to show you how they should practice with it. We will be using feathers throughout the year to emphasize proper pronunciation with our Geeta Chanting practice and shlokas. With this feather your child will be able to see the difference between a "b" (alpapraaNa – unaspirated) and "bh" (mahaapraaNa – aspirated) sound. It was quite exciting to see all the kids reciting "bh" "bh" "bh" this morning, as they watched their feathers ripple with each utterance!
Today our lesson was "Where is God?" We asked the children where they thought God was – and lots of answers were given ... in heaven, in outer space, in a pooja room, etc. Some of the children shouted out that God was everywhere. But when asked if they could see God, everyone agreed that they could not see Him. We then did an activity involving magnifying glasses and tiny pictures to help us make the analogy that in order to see God we needed a special tool like a magnifying glass. Our special tool, however, is a pure mind. And that is what Balavihar is for – all of our classes will help refine our "special tool" so that we can see God – all the time, everytime!
Auntie then told a beautiful little story about a teacher who gave every student an apple and told them to find a place where God was not and then eat the apple. Every child hid somewhere where they thought God could not see them and ate their fruit. Everyone, except one little girl ... who could not find any place. When the teacher asked why she did not eat her apple, the little girl answered "because God is everywhere." "Very good!" said the teacher. "You are absolutely correct!"
We sure enjoyed spending the morning with your children — and anticipate a wonderful year together! Enjoy this beautiful weather ... we look forward to seeing you again on October 4th.
p.s. Please don't forget that we will have a short parent/sevika meeting at 11:30 after our next class.
***************************************************************
Parents: You will notice that your child has a feather in his/her backpack. Be sure and ask them to show you how they should practice with it. We will be using feathers throughout the year to emphasize proper pronunciation with our Geeta Chanting practice and shlokas. With this feather your child will be able to see the difference between a "b" (alpapraaNa – unaspirated) and "bh" (mahaapraaNa – aspirated) sound. It was quite exciting to see all the kids reciting "bh" "bh" "bh" this morning, as they watched their feathers ripple with each utterance!
Today our lesson was "Where is God?" We asked the children where they thought God was – and lots of answers were given ... in heaven, in outer space, in a pooja room, etc. Some of the children shouted out that God was everywhere. But when asked if they could see God, everyone agreed that they could not see Him. We then did an activity involving magnifying glasses and tiny pictures to help us make the analogy that in order to see God we needed a special tool like a magnifying glass. Our special tool, however, is a pure mind. And that is what Balavihar is for – all of our classes will help refine our "special tool" so that we can see God – all the time, everytime!
Auntie then told a beautiful little story about a teacher who gave every student an apple and told them to find a place where God was not and then eat the apple. Every child hid somewhere where they thought God could not see them and ate their fruit. Everyone, except one little girl ... who could not find any place. When the teacher asked why she did not eat her apple, the little girl answered "because God is everywhere." "Very good!" said the teacher. "You are absolutely correct!"
We sure enjoyed spending the morning with your children — and anticipate a wonderful year together! Enjoy this beautiful weather ... we look forward to seeing you again on October 4th.
p.s. Please don't forget that we will have a short parent/sevika meeting at 11:30 after our next class.
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Section 2
Sevikas: Kalpana and Indira
Prayers:
Quiet Time: none
Story: Talked about the word "Ambition" and its definition. We asked the children what their different ambitions were — and we got a variety of answers! Tanvi and Aditya even said they want to be scooba divers ...
Activity/Games: Played a name game.
Craft Project: Colored a picture of "A is for Ambition."
Comments: We are very excited to have your child join the Kindergarten class — we will be having a year of fun activities and learning!
We began our Alphabet Safar1 today — starting with "A is for Ambition." It was fun having the children share all their ideas and ambitions. We also played a Name Game to help all the children learn each other's names. Afterwards, se spent some time doing likhita japa. This sheet is in the blog. (click here to view and print) Feel free to print it out at home and have your child practice their japa on a regular basis. We are extremely delighted with how well the children did — we know you will be, too!
In order to make your child's experience in class a positive one, we ask that you please remember to send in the following items:
• a box of crayons
• a copy of "My Prayers"
• a folder binder
It's also probably a good idea to send the above school supplies in a back pack ... that way everything will make it home nice and safely :-)
We will be having a parent/sevika meeting sometime in October. A notice will be sent to you before class so that you can make sure to put it on your calendar.
Have a great break! Look forward to seeing you on October 4.
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