Hari OM Parents
Hope this finds you all well. Before the class started we did some jumping jacks for warm up. After some warm up exercises, we started class with 3 OMs, Sahana Vavatu.
The children took turns to recite the Vakratunda, Saraswathi namasthubyam and Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu shlokas. We chanted the Guru Stotram going all the way till Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu
We continued to sing Atma Rama and then we learned a new Bhajan today - Manasa Bhajare Guru Charanam(page 73).
We also learnt colors in Sanskrit.
Pink - Patalaha
Blue - Neelaha
Black - Krishnaha
Red - Rakthaha
Yellow - Pithaha
Orange - Naaringaha
White -Svethaha
Grey - Dhoomraha
Purple - Dhoomlaha
Green - Harithaha
After which we did attendance. Since there was a cricket match going on between India and Australia, the admin came over and said they had it projected finals game in the prayer hall. We wanted to cover the story prior to watching the match.
We straight went into the Ramayana story. We did a quick recap of the royal wedding with Rama getting married to Sita, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrguna married as well. The wedding was celebrated with pomp and splendor.All the Gurus were present, King Dasharatha was ecstatic with all his sons getting married on the same day. They all returned back to Ayodhya. King Dasharatha ruled Ayodhya for twelve more years.
One day King Dasharatha thought to himself, I am getting old and I should arrange for a Yuvaraj to take over Kingdom of Ayodhya. He arranged for a quick meeting with all his ministers. They all thought Rama would be a good fit for the Prince, as he was calm, composed and always righteous. The people of Ayodhya loved him. With this King Dasharatha consulted his Guru Vashishta and they arranged for the coronation the next day. Bharata and Shatrughna were away at Kaikeya. King Dasharatha summoned to have grand preparations done for the ceremony. Queen Kaikeya was in her room when her maid Mantara came to her and told her about King Dasaratha;'s decision to crown Rama as the Yuvaraj of Ayodhya. Queen Kaikeyi first jumped in joy as she considered Rama as her oldest son. Mantara, the old hunch-back maid was a poison seed. She was conniving, she put this poison thought in Kaikei mind that Bharata is her son and he should be made as Yuvaraja. She reminded about the two boons that King Dasharatha had given long time back when she saved his life. Mantara reminded Kaikeyi about it .
Kaikeyi first hesitated then decided to ask the two boons to King Dasaratha as man Bharata as the Yuvaraja and to send Rama away to the forest for 14 years. With this in mind Kaikeyi was determined to ask the king. King Dasaratha when he came to visit Kaikeiyi in her room saw that room was a mess, Kaikeyi was rolling on the floor and crying. He asked her what the reason was and she reminded him of the two boons he had given her. King Dasratha almost fainted when Kaikeyi asked him the two boons to crown Bharata and send Rama away. Rama was summoned and informed of the decision, and Rama calmly accepted to go to the forest. Lakshmana and Sita were also going to go with them. The whole town of Ayodhya was in tears when they heard the news that Rama will not be crowned the next morning. Rama, Lakshmana and Sita all adorned orange clothes like sanyasi and prepared to leave Ayodhya.
After the story time, We lined up to go to the prayer hall. As always we pick a line leader, a door holder and caboose when we leave the classroom. Each week different child is picked for these responsibilities and they take pride in doing this for the class.
Please ensure they do the coloring book pages that has the hunch-back Mantara talking to Kaikeyi.
See you all soon
Hari OM
Yamuna and Subha
Showing posts with label Gr 1 - Sunday AM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gr 1 - Sunday AM. Show all posts
Nov 5, 2023 - Grade 1(Sunday AM)
Hari OM Parents
Hope this finds you all well. Today we had the children dress up for a special occasion in our class. They were all excited for the special event. Before the class started we did some Yoga poses for warm up. The Tree pose, the warrior, the frog pose, the pigeon pose. After some warm up exercises, we started class with 3 OMs, Sahana Vavatu.
The children took turns to recite the Vakratunda, Saraswathi namasthubyam and Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu shlokas. It was so nice to see that most of them have it memorized.
We continued to sing Atma Rama and then chanted Guru Stotram going all the way till Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu. As we talked about the prayers for when we start the day with Karagre vasate, we talked about the prayer to say after Karagre and before stepping foot on Mother Earth. Mother Earth has been so patient with us, for all the stomping, destroying, drilling, tunneling the earth for all our benefits. We chanted samudravasane Devi two times and this was a nice segway into our Ramayana story talking about Sita being the daughter of Mother Earth.
We introduced King Janaka in Mithila who has this beautiful daughter Sita, who is beautiful, pure . She used to play with the Rudra bow when she was a child, and looking at which King Janaka decided that whoever is able to break the bow will marry his daughter Sita. Viswamitra was taking Rama and Lakshmana to Mithila. Once they reached Mithila King Janaka treated them with love and respect. He announced that he is looking for a suitable groom for his lovely daughter Sita and that whoever is able to break the bow will be her husband. Lot of kings and princes were assembled at the palace to try to lift their bow, but none came close to even moving the bow. Rama's eyes shone with excitement to see the big beautiful Rudra bow. He looked at his Guru Visvamitra and he nodded for him to go ahead. Rama lifted the bow with so much ease string it and broke it in no time. The earth shuddered hearing the bow brake. King Janaka was pleased to see a match for his daughter. He sent forth soldiers to bring King Dasaratha and all the people of Ayodhya. Everyone was so happy to hear about Rama's wedding. Entire Mithila was decorated so beautifully. Sita was dressed in silk and Gold for the wedding. Wedding was most beautiful thing the whole palace, people of Mithila and Ayodhya saw. We talked about giving gifts for the wedding.
What do we give Rama and Sita for their wedding,. Rama had everything, as a prince. So we talked to the kids about giving something that Rama does not have. How about we give our bad habits to Rama, so he will take them and convert into positive things for us. We asked each of the children to write on a piece of paper what they thought was a bad habit they had. Everyone wrote it and they dropped into a box that was going to be gift for the wedding.
We distributed candy as celebration for the wedding. The kids also have a craft they got to make at home. A Japamala/bracelet that they can make to chant Rama Nama. Please feel free to add more beads and send the bracelet with them for next class.
We did our meditation saying Rama's name silently in our head. After which we did attendance. We had little time for a quick quiz from the previous chapters. The children were asked of charecters/events that took place till what they had learned. They did fantastic job remembering names and stories.
We took attendance with stickers and some transformers tattoos but only after they said Hari OM. After attendance, we lined up to go to the prayer hall. As always we pick a line leader, a door holder and caboose when we leave the classroom. Each week different child is picked for these responsibilities and they take pride in doing this for the class.
We wished Happy Diwali to each other!
Have a happy and safe Diwali. There will be no Balavihar next weekend.
See you all soon
Hari OM
Yamuna and Subha
Hope this finds you all well. Today we had the children dress up for a special occasion in our class. They were all excited for the special event. Before the class started we did some Yoga poses for warm up. The Tree pose, the warrior, the frog pose, the pigeon pose. After some warm up exercises, we started class with 3 OMs, Sahana Vavatu.
The children took turns to recite the Vakratunda, Saraswathi namasthubyam and Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu shlokas. It was so nice to see that most of them have it memorized.
We continued to sing Atma Rama and then chanted Guru Stotram going all the way till Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu. As we talked about the prayers for when we start the day with Karagre vasate, we talked about the prayer to say after Karagre and before stepping foot on Mother Earth. Mother Earth has been so patient with us, for all the stomping, destroying, drilling, tunneling the earth for all our benefits. We chanted samudravasane Devi two times and this was a nice segway into our Ramayana story talking about Sita being the daughter of Mother Earth.
We introduced King Janaka in Mithila who has this beautiful daughter Sita, who is beautiful, pure . She used to play with the Rudra bow when she was a child, and looking at which King Janaka decided that whoever is able to break the bow will marry his daughter Sita. Viswamitra was taking Rama and Lakshmana to Mithila. Once they reached Mithila King Janaka treated them with love and respect. He announced that he is looking for a suitable groom for his lovely daughter Sita and that whoever is able to break the bow will be her husband. Lot of kings and princes were assembled at the palace to try to lift their bow, but none came close to even moving the bow. Rama's eyes shone with excitement to see the big beautiful Rudra bow. He looked at his Guru Visvamitra and he nodded for him to go ahead. Rama lifted the bow with so much ease string it and broke it in no time. The earth shuddered hearing the bow brake. King Janaka was pleased to see a match for his daughter. He sent forth soldiers to bring King Dasaratha and all the people of Ayodhya. Everyone was so happy to hear about Rama's wedding. Entire Mithila was decorated so beautifully. Sita was dressed in silk and Gold for the wedding. Wedding was most beautiful thing the whole palace, people of Mithila and Ayodhya saw. We talked about giving gifts for the wedding.
What do we give Rama and Sita for their wedding,. Rama had everything, as a prince. So we talked to the kids about giving something that Rama does not have. How about we give our bad habits to Rama, so he will take them and convert into positive things for us. We asked each of the children to write on a piece of paper what they thought was a bad habit they had. Everyone wrote it and they dropped into a box that was going to be gift for the wedding.
We distributed candy as celebration for the wedding. The kids also have a craft they got to make at home. A Japamala/bracelet that they can make to chant Rama Nama. Please feel free to add more beads and send the bracelet with them for next class.
We did our meditation saying Rama's name silently in our head. After which we did attendance. We had little time for a quick quiz from the previous chapters. The children were asked of charecters/events that took place till what they had learned. They did fantastic job remembering names and stories.
We took attendance with stickers and some transformers tattoos but only after they said Hari OM. After attendance, we lined up to go to the prayer hall. As always we pick a line leader, a door holder and caboose when we leave the classroom. Each week different child is picked for these responsibilities and they take pride in doing this for the class.
We wished Happy Diwali to each other!
Have a happy and safe Diwali. There will be no Balavihar next weekend.
See you all soon
Hari OM
Yamuna and Subha
Oct 29, 2023 - Grade 1 (Sunday AM)
Hari OM Parents
Hope you all had a splendid Navaratri.We were so excited to be back in class after two weeks. We asked them who are the 3 Devis being celebrated during Navaratri and significance of each Devi. They're so excited to do the Saraswati Puja today.
We quickly started our 3 OMs, followed by Sahana Vavatu.
We continued our slokas for today with Vakratunda , then Saraswathi Namasthubyam and Guru Brahma.
We then did Guru Stotram with repeating few times the Agana thimirandhasya sloka.
Today we also learnt a new Sloka - Samudravasane Devi. We asked them what shloka they say waking up (Karagre vasate )and this sloka needs to be said right before they put their feet on the floor. We talked about how Mother Earth is so patient with so many things going on, people stomping, drilling earth for minerals, oil , tunnel etc.
After which we sang the Atma Rama Bhajan.
After attendance we did meditation for 2 minutes, listening to the pebbles being dropped in the container. We guessed how many pebbles were being dropped and then counted them in Sanskrit
Since it was a short class today we went to the Story recap of Ramayana. We talked about Rama's journey through the forest and how Ahalya was returned to being a beautiful woman when Rama stepped foot on the rock. We quizzed the children on their recollection of who was Ahalya and why she turned into a stone. The children were able to recollect that it was due to a curse because of Lord Indra. Next we discussed where Rama, Lakshmana and Sage Viswamitra was heading. We discussed that Rama, Lakshmana were going to Mithila for a big event where there is a contest for who is bravest/strongest who can break the Rudra Bow.
We asked the children to do the coloring page with Sita on the Rudra bow.
Please continue to revise the slokas at home with them
Also please have them tell you the story of Ahalya.
Next Balvihar is on November 5th, please be on time so they dont miss the opening prayers.
See you soon.
Hari OM
Yamuna and Subha
Hope you all had a splendid Navaratri.We were so excited to be back in class after two weeks. We asked them who are the 3 Devis being celebrated during Navaratri and significance of each Devi. They're so excited to do the Saraswati Puja today.
We quickly started our 3 OMs, followed by Sahana Vavatu.
We continued our slokas for today with Vakratunda , then Saraswathi Namasthubyam and Guru Brahma.
We then did Guru Stotram with repeating few times the Agana thimirandhasya sloka.
Today we also learnt a new Sloka - Samudravasane Devi. We asked them what shloka they say waking up (Karagre vasate )and this sloka needs to be said right before they put their feet on the floor. We talked about how Mother Earth is so patient with so many things going on, people stomping, drilling earth for minerals, oil , tunnel etc.
After which we sang the Atma Rama Bhajan.
After attendance we did meditation for 2 minutes, listening to the pebbles being dropped in the container. We guessed how many pebbles were being dropped and then counted them in Sanskrit
Since it was a short class today we went to the Story recap of Ramayana. We talked about Rama's journey through the forest and how Ahalya was returned to being a beautiful woman when Rama stepped foot on the rock. We quizzed the children on their recollection of who was Ahalya and why she turned into a stone. The children were able to recollect that it was due to a curse because of Lord Indra. Next we discussed where Rama, Lakshmana and Sage Viswamitra was heading. We discussed that Rama, Lakshmana were going to Mithila for a big event where there is a contest for who is bravest/strongest who can break the Rudra Bow.
We asked the children to do the coloring page with Sita on the Rudra bow.
Please continue to revise the slokas at home with them
Also please have them tell you the story of Ahalya.
Next Balvihar is on November 5th, please be on time so they dont miss the opening prayers.
See you soon.
Hari OM
Yamuna and Subha
Oct 8, 2023 - Grade 1 (Sunday AM)
Hari OM Parents
Here is the summary of what we covered in class today:
1. We started the class with the Opening prayers. We chanted Om three times and then chanted "Sahana vavatu".
2. We chanted the Vakratunda Mahakaya shloka followed by Saraswathi Namasthubyam and Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu
3. We went to cover the Akhanda Mandalakaram shloka and then introduced the next Shloka - Agnana Thimirandhasya .
4. After attendance we did a quick recap of story where Rama and Lakshmana are still in the forest after fighting with Marica and Subahu. They went and asked their Guru where they were headed next and Sage Viswamithra answered Mithila. Now on their way to Mithila they came across an ashram. Viswamithra explained that it belonged to Sage Gautama. He had a beautiful wife Ahalya. Once when he was away , Lord Indra came in disguise and tempted Ahalya. When Sage Gautama found out about it he cursed both Ahalya and Indra. Because of the curse Ahalya had turned into a stone who would only be released from Rama' s purifying touch. When Rama was in the ashram and he stopped on the stone it turned into the beautiful Ahalya.
5. We also did the Atmarama Bhajan and Gita chanting verses.
6. We played the iSpy game which the kids enjoyed a lot, after which we lined up to go to the prayer hall to do Aarti
Please do have them practice the shlokas , Bhajan and Gita chanting.
See you all next class
Hari OM
Yamuna and Subha
Here is the summary of what we covered in class today:
1. We started the class with the Opening prayers. We chanted Om three times and then chanted "Sahana vavatu".
2. We chanted the Vakratunda Mahakaya shloka followed by Saraswathi Namasthubyam and Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu
3. We went to cover the Akhanda Mandalakaram shloka and then introduced the next Shloka - Agnana Thimirandhasya .
4. After attendance we did a quick recap of story where Rama and Lakshmana are still in the forest after fighting with Marica and Subahu. They went and asked their Guru where they were headed next and Sage Viswamithra answered Mithila. Now on their way to Mithila they came across an ashram. Viswamithra explained that it belonged to Sage Gautama. He had a beautiful wife Ahalya. Once when he was away , Lord Indra came in disguise and tempted Ahalya. When Sage Gautama found out about it he cursed both Ahalya and Indra. Because of the curse Ahalya had turned into a stone who would only be released from Rama' s purifying touch. When Rama was in the ashram and he stopped on the stone it turned into the beautiful Ahalya.
5. We also did the Atmarama Bhajan and Gita chanting verses.
6. We played the iSpy game which the kids enjoyed a lot, after which we lined up to go to the prayer hall to do Aarti
Please do have them practice the shlokas , Bhajan and Gita chanting.
See you all next class
Hari OM
Yamuna and Subha
Oct 1, 2023 - Grade 1(Sunday AM)
Hari OM Parents
Hope you all had a good week. Here is a summary of what we covered in class today
While we were waiting for the other children to join, we tried to do a tree pose with our eyes closed.Our class time is 9:15 AM , please try to drop off kids by 9:15 so they can participate in the Yoga.
We started class with 3 OMs, Sahana Vavatu followed by Vakratunda, Saraswathi Namasthubyam and Guru Brahma.We asked the class today if they knew Karagre Vasathe Lakshmi. Immediately few children began reciting this shloka.We discussed how important it is to start day with the prayer, praying to Lakshmi, Vishnu, Saraswathi and seeing them right in our palm.
We moved on to sing Atma Rama and the children enjoyed singing this with the cymbals.We then chanted Akhanda Mandalakaram and had few who volunteered to chant with others repeat. Please encourage your children to chant them regularly.
We went straight to the story after this... continued with how Rama and Lakshmana went with Sage Viswamithra to protect the Yagna.They were at Siddhasrama where Lord Narayana performed tapas and was born as Vamana. King Mahabali was grandson of Bhakt Prahlad and he never refused anyone's request to him. He was very proud of this that he never turned away anyone's request. Lord Vishnu in order to teach him humility went in the form of Vamana. A short man with an umbrella in his hand if the children had seen Dashavatars. The short man Vamana went to the kingdom of Mahabali and asked him for 3 foot of land. King Mahabali thought after all its three paces, I can give him what he asked for. Suddenly Vamana (Lord Vishnu) took viswaroopam and grew tall that his first foot covered the entire earth. His second foot covered the entire sky and all of a sudden for the third step he had no space to cover. That's when King Mahabali realized who it was that it was none other than Lord Vishnu and he offered his head for Lord Vishnu(Vamana) to put his foot on. He was humbled by the Lord.
Now Rama and Lakshmana after reaching the ashrama, the rishis performing the Yagna welcome them and they prepared for the Yagna the next day. For 6 days the rishis performed the Yagna and till then Rama and Lakshmana were on vigil waiting to see any demons who were to destroy the Yagna. On the last day of the Yagna there were an army of rakshasas and rakshasis who surrounded the place and Rama and Lakshmana were busy defeating/killing them. Out of all the rakshasas, there were two who were very powerful, Mareecha and Subahu. Rama used Manavastra a special weapon to flung Mareecha as far far away like 500 miles into the ocean. Subahu was killed instantly with the Agneyastra. Thus the entire army of demons were destroyed. Sage viswamitra and other rishis completed the Yagna successfully.
After the story we played Four corners Game. Naming each corner with the characters they learned today.
We asked kids to use coloring book to color till chapters learnt so far.
We chanted Bhagavad Gita and then lined up to go to the prayer hall.
Please have them recite to you the story they learnt thus far.
See you all next class
Hari OM
Yamuna and Subha
Hope you all had a good week. Here is a summary of what we covered in class today
While we were waiting for the other children to join, we tried to do a tree pose with our eyes closed.Our class time is 9:15 AM , please try to drop off kids by 9:15 so they can participate in the Yoga.
We started class with 3 OMs, Sahana Vavatu followed by Vakratunda, Saraswathi Namasthubyam and Guru Brahma.We asked the class today if they knew Karagre Vasathe Lakshmi. Immediately few children began reciting this shloka.We discussed how important it is to start day with the prayer, praying to Lakshmi, Vishnu, Saraswathi and seeing them right in our palm.
We moved on to sing Atma Rama and the children enjoyed singing this with the cymbals.We then chanted Akhanda Mandalakaram and had few who volunteered to chant with others repeat. Please encourage your children to chant them regularly.
We went straight to the story after this... continued with how Rama and Lakshmana went with Sage Viswamithra to protect the Yagna.They were at Siddhasrama where Lord Narayana performed tapas and was born as Vamana. King Mahabali was grandson of Bhakt Prahlad and he never refused anyone's request to him. He was very proud of this that he never turned away anyone's request. Lord Vishnu in order to teach him humility went in the form of Vamana. A short man with an umbrella in his hand if the children had seen Dashavatars. The short man Vamana went to the kingdom of Mahabali and asked him for 3 foot of land. King Mahabali thought after all its three paces, I can give him what he asked for. Suddenly Vamana (Lord Vishnu) took viswaroopam and grew tall that his first foot covered the entire earth. His second foot covered the entire sky and all of a sudden for the third step he had no space to cover. That's when King Mahabali realized who it was that it was none other than Lord Vishnu and he offered his head for Lord Vishnu(Vamana) to put his foot on. He was humbled by the Lord.
Now Rama and Lakshmana after reaching the ashrama, the rishis performing the Yagna welcome them and they prepared for the Yagna the next day. For 6 days the rishis performed the Yagna and till then Rama and Lakshmana were on vigil waiting to see any demons who were to destroy the Yagna. On the last day of the Yagna there were an army of rakshasas and rakshasis who surrounded the place and Rama and Lakshmana were busy defeating/killing them. Out of all the rakshasas, there were two who were very powerful, Mareecha and Subahu. Rama used Manavastra a special weapon to flung Mareecha as far far away like 500 miles into the ocean. Subahu was killed instantly with the Agneyastra. Thus the entire army of demons were destroyed. Sage viswamitra and other rishis completed the Yagna successfully.
After the story we played Four corners Game. Naming each corner with the characters they learned today.
We asked kids to use coloring book to color till chapters learnt so far.
We chanted Bhagavad Gita and then lined up to go to the prayer hall.
Please have them recite to you the story they learnt thus far.
See you all next class
Hari OM
Yamuna and Subha
Sept 10, 2023 - Grade 1 (Sunday AM)
Hari OM Parents
Warm Welcome to all our Balavihar families both returning and new families. So happy to see all the children smiling and with excitement to begin this year,
We introduced ourselves and then had each of the children introduce themselves , their name, their favorite thing to do, and their favorite God/Goddess
After introducing ourselves, we did a short announcement to children on what this year will be about .Some of them already knew key characters of Ramayana. We went through some house rules as what they can do and what they cannot do in the class. Please talk to them about it.
We sang a short Bhajan - Atma Rama, which is in the my Prayers book.
We told them about the format of the class, with Shlokas, bhajans, story time, games, coloring and also marking the padukas on the India Map.
We straight went into the story to talk about who was King Dasharatha and how beautiful the placed they lived was. The placed was called Ayodhya which means no war. King Dasharatha had everything, he had three beautiful wives, a big kingdom, wonderful people in Ayodhya, but he was still very sad. The reason for that is he did not have any children. Sage Vashista is the Guru of King Dasaratha. Whenever we have a problem we reach to our Guru, and advised the children whenever they have a problem they should ask their Guru. So Guru Vasishta took him to sage Hrishyasrunga who advised them to perform the PutraKamesti Yagna.
With this we wrapped up the class to meet the parents.
Handbook was distributed , announcements about class timings, coloring book and Myprayers book for purchase were discussed. There is a WhatsApp group for this class as well. Hope all of the parents are in the group.
Looking forward to a great Balavihar year ahead.
Hari OM
Yamuna and Subha
Warm Welcome to all our Balavihar families both returning and new families. So happy to see all the children smiling and with excitement to begin this year,
We introduced ourselves and then had each of the children introduce themselves , their name, their favorite thing to do, and their favorite God/Goddess
After introducing ourselves, we did a short announcement to children on what this year will be about .Some of them already knew key characters of Ramayana. We went through some house rules as what they can do and what they cannot do in the class. Please talk to them about it.
We sang a short Bhajan - Atma Rama, which is in the my Prayers book.
We told them about the format of the class, with Shlokas, bhajans, story time, games, coloring and also marking the padukas on the India Map.
We straight went into the story to talk about who was King Dasharatha and how beautiful the placed they lived was. The placed was called Ayodhya which means no war. King Dasharatha had everything, he had three beautiful wives, a big kingdom, wonderful people in Ayodhya, but he was still very sad. The reason for that is he did not have any children. Sage Vashista is the Guru of King Dasaratha. Whenever we have a problem we reach to our Guru, and advised the children whenever they have a problem they should ask their Guru. So Guru Vasishta took him to sage Hrishyasrunga who advised them to perform the PutraKamesti Yagna.
With this we wrapped up the class to meet the parents.
Handbook was distributed , announcements about class timings, coloring book and Myprayers book for purchase were discussed. There is a WhatsApp group for this class as well. Hope all of the parents are in the group.
Looking forward to a great Balavihar year ahead.
Hari OM
Yamuna and Subha
Welcome to Gr 1 - Sunday AM Session
Please look out for regular updates from
the teachers
soon after the session starts.
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