हरी ॐ Dear Parents & Our adorable class (Aarna, Arjun, Brahmani, Dhriti, Nikhil, Siya, Vishnu & Dhillan),
Here's a brief summary of the previous 3 classes (Jan. 29th / Feb. 5th / Feb. 19th):
1.) Started with chanting "OM" three times
2.) Opening Prayer:
OM saha naavavathu
saha nau bhunakthu,
saha veeryam karavaavahai,
tejasvinaavadheetamasthu
Here's a brief summary of the previous 3 classes (Jan. 29th / Feb. 5th / Feb. 19th):
1.) Started with chanting "OM" three times
2.) Opening Prayer:
OM saha naavavathu
saha nau bhunakthu,
saha veeryam karavaavahai,
tejasvinaavadheetamasthu
maa vidhvishavahai
OM shanthi shanthi shanthi
"B" for Brotherhood
"C" for Cleanliness
OM shanthi shanthi shanthi
3.) Recap of Alphabet Safari:
"A" for Aspiration"B" for Brotherhood
"C" for Cleanliness
"D" for Daddy
"E" for Enthusiasm
"F" for Friendship
"G" for GOD
"H" for Happiness
"I" for Intelligence
"J" for Japa
"K" for Kindness
4.) Lesson on Alphabet , "L" for Love, "M" for Mother & "N" for Nobility
--- "Love" is fondness and warm affection...i.e, when you really care about someone or something.....
You try very hard to take care of them and keep them safe, just like how mom & dad take care of their children and keep them safe.
Children had an exciting brainstorming session on 'Love' and understood how :
-We all cannot live without love.
-Love can be expressed through good behavior & through serving others.
-Love is so powerful that it can even change a bad person into a good person.
---"Mother" one who loves, cares, nurtures and protects us.... "Matrudevo Bhava"
We had a very involved and interactive session...
It is a favorite and most loved topic for the kids and we teachers, as well.
Children were excited to share about their mom & their love for mom.
We also learnt to worship "Mother Earth, Mother India, Mother Nature etc.
---"Nobility" is living a good life, pure life, following all values taught in Bal Vihar.
Children learnt about our beloved Pujya Swami Chimayanandaji as he was a great and noble soul, who wanted to share his knowledge about God with everyone.
We talked about how Gurudev was the pioneer to start our Balavihar Classes and also about his love & affection for kids.
5.) Short Story -
On letter "L" we did the story of "Shabari - A Great Devotee's Love".
The story of Shabari is a perfect example of love between the Lord & His Bhaktas.
This story is also a perfect example of all the values that we have learnt through our Alphabet Safari so far...
Though born as a tribal woman - with her sheer aspiration, discipline, hard work, enthusiasm, perseverance, love & devotion she became a disciple of Sage Matanga
and was meritorious enough to see & serve Lord Rama.
Lord Rama said, "Whoever offers a fruit, a leaf, a flower or water with LOVE, I take it with great joy".
Moral: LOVE... is GOD...
On letter "M" we did the story of "P.S. I Love You, Mom".
This story is about a little boy named Rudra. How he realized that all the things his mother did for him went unnoticed and unappreciated.
As the story progresses, Rudra understands how much his mom loves and takes care of him in every possible way and never complains or expects anything in return.
Rudra feels ashamed of his mistake and decides to express his love for all that his mother does - by giving her a hug, helping, respecting & listening to her.
Moral: When you love, you do not demand anything in return.
On letter "N" we did the story of "The Other Shoe".
This story is about "Mahatma Gandhi", Father of the Nation (India)
One day Gandhiji got into a train and one of his shoes slipped and fell on the train tracks below. As he figured out that he cannot retrieve it, he quietly took off his other shoe and threw it back
along the tracks so it landed close to the first one. When a fellow passenger asked why he did so, Gandhiji smiled and said, "The poor man who finds the shoe will now have a pair he can use."
Moral: Let anything you do, be of some use to some one.
6.) Shloka:
(a.) We did the following "Shree Rama Sloka" while doing letter "L" for Love and the story of Shabari & her love for Lord Rama:
Shree Rama Rama Ramethi,
Rame Raame Manorame;
Sahasranama Tattulyam,
Rama Nama Varanane.
(b.) We also did the following "Saraswathi Sloka" - talked about why we pray to the goddess, her form and the significance.
Sarasvathi Namastubhyam,
varade kaamaroopini;
Vidyaarambham karishyaami,
siddhirbhavatu me sadaa.
(c.) Completed learning (Gita Chapter 2) - Prelude, Verse 1 to Verse 7
7.) Activities / Games / Bhajans:
Kavita & Pranjali
Friday, Grade KG Sevikas
Please refer to Balavihar Handbook Page 18
Please make children practice with the audio file sent out through our WhatsApp group.
We are extremely pleased seeing our kids interest in learning & their superb grasping power.
Keep up the good work 👏👏👏
7.) Activities / Games / Bhajans:
(a.). Children always enjoy Videos on relevant themes as it's a visual representation of the lesson(value) of the day.
(b.). Yoga - Tree pose, drawing alphabet with feet etc.
(c.). "I Love You Mom Picture" - kids were eager to put their imagination on paper with various colors to draw a picture for their loving mom
(d.). Kids showed their "True Spirit" by enthusiastically participating in the Spirit Day Activities on Feb.19th
Looking forward to seeing you all this Friday, Feb. 26th at 7pm sharp.
Sincerely,
Kavita & Pranjali
