Hope you are all doing well and had a wonderful summer! We had a bunch of enthusiastic and happy kids to start our first class. It was fun & interactive and we learned a bit about each other today during introduction. Here is the brief summary of our class -
1. We chanted 3 OM's and said our beginning prayers - Om sahna bhavtu then a shlok for Lord Ganesha ( Vakratunda Mahakaya), Devi Saraswati ( Saraswati Namastubhyam) and one for our Guru( Guru Bramha) respectively. The kids knew all of these by heart.
2. Kids introduced themselves by stating their name, age, favorite god and their favorite thing to do. In the process we knew we have lots of artists and sport players.
3. Then came a brief video on the hero of our class - guess who? Of course the super Superman Lord Hanuman ji!!
4. Brainstorming: Vertebrates versus Invertebrates. In that we learned today about visible backbone( our spine) and the invisible backbone( our mental strength).
5. Story : The Empty Pot.
Once there was a king with no heir to the throne. One day, he devised a clever plan to select the right person as the successor to the throne. The king of flower seeds to all subjects in the kingdom and announced, "you have six months to grow the healthiest plants you can. I shall choose the future king based on the growth of your plant."
Six months passed. All the subjects with that healthy plants in their hands proceeded towards the palace. A young boy also rushed towards the palace but his pot was empty. Nothing had grown! All the people laughed at him. The young boy said nothing and only smiled in response. When the king looked at the boy's empty pot and asked what happened ? The boy replied, "your majesty, I watered.I fertilized. I took care of it, but nothing grew. I am sorry, but I have tried my best."
The king then shocked the crowd by proclaiming the boy as the future king. " You have all proven unworthy. I gave you roasted seats that would never sprout. Each of you lied, because of the greed to gain the kingdom, but only this young boy despite all your jeers and taunts spoke the truth. Thus, he is the only one among you who is fit to be the future king."
Ask the kids why they think the boy became the king? The boy was sure of his efforts he knew he had worked hard and was very careful and yet his seeds just did not sprout. He had a choice. He could have cheated and replaced those seeds just as everyone else in town. Instead he was able to stand firm & he refused to lie. Because he had a strong invisible back bone that allowed him to stand up for what is right and uphold his virtues and beliefs.
6. Discussed a few stories about Lord Hanuman.
7. Closing prayers
We will be posting about the book we need for Chalisa on WhatsApp group. Today's was a fantastic class. See you all again next Sunday @9:15am.
Regards,
Chitra & Rupa.
