June 09, 2024 - Kindergarten (Sunday AM)

Hari Om Parents,

Today was the 28th class of Balavihar!! And our last class for this year!

Opening Prayers:  We together chanted three OMs and then chanted the Opening Prayers - Sahana Vavatu. All the kids chanted together. 

Recap: We did a recap of all the Alphabets we learnt in the Vedantic Safari Journey. And all the kids said out loud what each of the letter(s) stands for in the Vedantic way. And then we discussed the last letter Q.

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Introduced the next Letter:Letter Q - Quiet.  - i.e being quiet and still, with a calm mind.

Attendance: was taken by each kid saying 'Hari Om'.

Brainstorming: We discussed what is quietness and Why we need to be quiet? And benefits of maintaining silence. 

Exploration: We did a couple of small activities which needed each one of us to be quiet and still. By this, we learnt that we can focus, concentrate better and excel in our task.

Story time : Through the story of the Crane and Turtle moving from one Lake to another Lake, highlighted the importance of being silent when important tasks are being done, thereby helping us concentrate and perform our task excellently.

Then we decided the positions of each kid in the class for the class play and continued the Annual Day Practice. 

After this, we went to the Assembly, and participated in Aarthi and Pledge.

Today's class marks the end of Balavihar classes for this year! We had a wonderful and memorable time with your kids. Each one of them is unique and talented and very special in their own way! 

Wishing all a wonderful summer break and expecting to see you all again in September!

Have a wonderful week ahead!! 

Pranams

Mahalakshmi & Chandarani.

June 2, 2024 - Kindergarten (Sunday AM)

Hari Om Parents,

Today was the  27th class of Balavihar!! 

Opening Prayers:  We together chanted three OMs and then chanted the Opening Prayers - Sahana Vavatu. All the kids chanted together. 

Class outdoors in the Ashram campus:

Due to the beautiful Spring weather, we planned to have class outdoors in the Ashram campus. And we all had a wonderful time with the outdoor class today with a mix of dance practice, games and food. Thankfully, the weather was sunny and beautiful. Kids had fun staying outdoors and enjoyed playing together in the open air.

Special thanks and sincere appreciation to parents who stayed back and helped us organize and help with kids during food and dance  practice, for the picnic mats and bubbles (kids had fun trying to catch it)

Attendance: was taken by each kid saying 'Hari Om'.

It was a good practice session today.Kids happily participated and picked up the dance steps. We will continue to practice more in the upcoming class and in the practice sessions planned.

Have a wonderful week ahead!! 

Note:  Next class is on June 9th, 2024(or last class for this season). We will meet in the classroom at regular time.

Pranams

Mahalakshmi & Chandarani.

May 19, 2024 - Kindergarten (Sunday AM)

Hari Om Parents,

Today was the  26th class of Balavihar!!  

Opening Prayers:  We together chanted three OMs and then chanted the Opening Prayers - Sahana Vavatu. All the kids chanted together. And then some kids wanted to lead and chanted it again. It was wonderful to hear quiet kids lead.

Introduced the next Letter:the next letter 'P' - Prayer - Is a means to thank God for everything he has given us and we come closer to God when we pray. And a means of having a conversation with God considering God as our friend!

 Brainstorming: we discussed how we can pray to God- by chanting verses, shlokas, singing bhajans, japa, meditation, going to temples etc. By doing this we can get closer to God, feel his love, care and kindness. And we can emulate the qualities of God in our day to day life by being helpful, compassionate, being thankful, kind and helpful to all.

Exploration: We learnt that God loves us a lot to give us blue sky, sunshine, mountains, rivers, birds, flowers, fruits etc. And we should always be thankful and bow to the Supreme Lord.

Story Time: Through the story of Gajendra Moksha, we learnt that sincere prayers are always answered and we need to completely surrender to God and God will definitely help us get through our challenges.

Attendance: was taken by each kid saying 'Hari Om' when their name was called out. 

And then we practiced for the Annual Day performance. It was a good practice session today.Kids happily participated and picked up the dance steps. We will continue to practice more in the upcoming classes.

After this, we went to the Assembly, and watched 5th grade and 8th grade play.

Have a wonderful week ahead!! 

Note:  Next class is on June 2nd, 2024. We will meet in the classroom at regular time.

Pranams

Mahalakshmi & Chandarani.

May 12, 2024 - Kindergarten (Sunday AM)

Hari Om Parents,

Today was the  25th class of Balavihar!!  

We met at the stage for practice for the Annual Day performance. A few parents stayed back to help kids practice.It was a good practice session today.

Attendance: was taken by each kid saying 'Hari Om' when their name was called out. 

After this, we went to the Assembly, participated in the Gurudev Jayanthi pooja by doing the Padhuka pooja and Adi Shankara Jayanthi pooja.

Kids happily participated and picked up the dance steps. We will continue to practice more in the upcoming classes.

Have a wonderful week ahead!!  Thank you parents for coming early and bringing kids early today for practice.

Note:  Next class is on May 19th, 2024. We will meet in the classroom at regular time.

Pranams

Mahalakshmi & Chandarani.

May 5, 2024 - Kindergarten (Sunday AM)

Hari Om Parents,

Today was the  24th class of Balavihar!!  Here is the summary of what we covered in the class today:

Opening Prayers:  We together chanted three OMs and then chanted the Opening Prayers - Sahana Vavatu. All the kids chanted together. And then some kids wanted to lead and chanted it again. It was wonderful to hear quiet kids lead.

Closing Prayers - We learnt the Closing prayers and repeated it a couple of times.

Discussion: We discussed the kids from our class who performed in Bhajanotsav and how wonderfully they performed. And then discussed our class Annual day performance(dance).

After this, we practiced our dance steps, repeated a few times and the kids learnt it well and tried their best to keep up with the music.

Attendance: was taken by each kid saying 'Hari Om' when their name was called out. As 14 kids from our class of 22 participated in Bhajanotsav, we had less attendance today.

After this, we went to the Assembly and watched the 7th grade play and repeated the Pledge.

It was another very collaborative session with kids. Kids happily participated and picked up the dance steps. We will continue to practice more in the upcoming classes.

Have a wonderful week ahead!! 

Note:  Next class is on May 12th, 2024.  Please bring kids near Stage for practice. We will be doing the Guru Paduka pooja.

Pranams

Mahalakshmi & Chandarani.

Apr 28, 2024 - Kindergarten (Sunday AM)

Hari Om Parents,

Today was the  23rd class of Balavihar!!  Here is the summary of what we covered in the class today:

Opening Prayers:  We together chanted three OMs and then chanted the Opening Prayers - Sahana Vavatu. All the kids chanted together.

Recap:  We did the Alphabet chant together until the Letter 'X'.

Introduced the next Letter:Letter Y - Yajna is a fire ritual performed to please God. And Yajna Spirit is to work towards a common cause with dedication, sacrifice and service.

 

Brainstorming: We discussed what Yajna is - a fire ritual performed by the priests with Vedic chanting and special offerings in order to appease Gods and bring about auspiciousness and good for all. 

And we discussed Yajna Spirit - is the work done by many people together for a common goal, examples like people who do volunteer work in terms of food drive, blood drive, toy drive, helping in temples etc. And discussed how all the scientists and doctors worked hard and created the vaccine for Coronavirus to help mankind.

Exploration: We discussed a couple of scenarios which shows Yajna Spirit how everyone got together to do the Akhand Ram Charit Manas in the ashram this week, how firefighters get together and help the family from fire.And how many organizations get together to help for a noble cause.

Then we showed them via youtube video how a real Yajna ( homam) is performed by priests sitting around the holy fire, and special mantras are chanted, while special offerings are offered in the holy fire. And we discussed this as one way to please God.

Introduced the next Letter 'Z-Zeal is doing things with great passion, enthusiasm, fervor, and eagerness'

Exploration: We discussed a couple of scenarios and home projects which each of us perform with passion and eagerness. And we explained to kids, small projects like this help us build our passion and enthusiasm. And for the Alphabet chant we chanted 'Bal Vihar Zindabad'.

Attendance: was taken by each kid saying 'Hari Om' when their name was called out.

Activity: Kids were provided color papers , were asked to draw anything they wanted and Color it. Some kids did some amazing drawings and colored beautifully.

After this, we went to the Assembly for aarthi and the Pledge.

It was another very collaborative session with kids. Kids happily participated and shared their ideas and views. We completed letters Y, and Z.

Have a wonderful week ahead!! 

Note:  Next class is on May5th, 2024.  

Pranams

Mahalakshmi & Chandarani.

Apr 21, 2024 - Kindergarten (Sunday AM)

Hari Om Parents, 

Today was the 22nd class of Balavihar!!  Here is the summary of what we covered in the class today:

Opening Prayers:  We together chanted three OMs and then chanted the Opening Prayers - Sahana Vavatu. All the kids joined in and chanted well.

Sloka learning: We learnt the Closing prayers and practiced multiple times:

Om Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah, 

Sarve Santu Niraamayaaha, 

Sarve Bhadrani Pashyantu, 

Maa kaschid dukh bhaag Bhavet 

Om PoorNamadaH PoorNamidaM, 

PoorNaath PoorNamudachayate

PoorNasya Poor Namaadaaya, 

PoorNamevaavashishhyate 

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Om  

Brainstorming :  We continued discussing Letter W is for Work.

We discussed a few day-to-day scenarios where hard work helps and gets us what we want. And if you want something, you have to make the effort. No one else can do it for you.

Storytime 1 : Through the story of The Ant and The Grasshopper - we learnt that we must work hard in order to play and enjoy.

Storytime 2 : Through of the story of the villager, we learnt that its important to work towards our goal and not just day dream, which leads to no action and no results.

Introduction of the Next Letter: Introduced the next letter of the day X is for Excellence-is to do something outstandingly well'. Practice makes us excel.

Brainstorming: Through the story of Thomas Alva Edison, we learnt how Edison built the light bulb and how he was wrong 1000 times and succeeded the 1001th time which shows 'Perseverance succeeds'. And when asked about his failures, he said with a positive attitude and conviction that he knew he would succeed, and said he now knows a thousand ways of how not to make an electric light bulb.

Exploration:  We discussed that to achieve excellence we need plenty of practice, dedication, and perseverance. We discussed Swimming, cycling, chess, hockey ,drawing, and painting, these are activities which take time to learn, but we can excel with practice.

Storytime 1:   Arjuna and His Archery Expertise : We learnt that Arjuna practiced archery even at night, and became an expert at it, and got the right aim just by listening to sound and identifying the object's location.' Practice makes us excel'.

Attendance: was taken by each kid saying 'Hari Om' when their name was called out.

Hanuman Jayanthi: As this week April 23rd is Hanuman Jayanthi, we discussed about Veera Hanuman and watched a Hanuman saves Lakshmana video and learnt all the amazing Hanuman can do.

At 10:20, the Bhajanotvsav mentors came and made the kids practice, they had a good practice session. 

And other kids not in Bhajanotsav learnt the Kathe Bhi Ram Kaho song. 

After this, we went to the Assembly to watch Grade 3 Play and joined in for the Pledge.

It was another very collaborative session with kids. Kids happily participated and shared their ideas and views. We completed letter W, and letter X.

Have a wonderful week ahead!! 

Note:  Next class is on April 28th, 2024.  

Pranams

Mahalakshmi & Chandarani.

Apr 14, 2024 - Kindergarten (Sunday AM)

Hari Om Parents, 

Today was the 21st class of Balavihar!!  Here is the summary of what we covered in the class today:

Opening Prayers:  We together chanted three OMs and then chanted the Opening Prayers - Sahana Vavatu. All the kids joined in and chanted well.

Introduction of the Next Letter: Introduced the next letter of the day V is for Victory- is when you attain your goal. To be victorious, work hard and always speak the truth. And we discussed small and big goals and how kids can be victorious. 

And also, introduced the next letter W - Work is effort directed to produce or accomplish something. And that Dreaming about something will not get us what we want. We have to work hard to be rewarded.

Activity:  Goal is to Touch the wall and do it by any means (walk, run, hop): In this game, kids were divided into 3 groups, and were asked to reach the goal of touching the wall, and use any means (walk, run, hop) to do it, and each group was timed, through this Game, kids learnt that each one's path to success could be different, and sometimes hard, but that we should never give up. Kids discussed with each other why they should not give up.

Story Time: We discussed the story of the Hare and the Tortoise, and kids shared their opinions on how the tortoise never gave up.

Attendance: was taken by each kid saying 'Hari Om' when their name was called out.

And then kids got the opportunity to go to the Prayer Hall and offer flowers, pray and view  Sri Bala Rama kept on the stage, as part of Rama Navami celebrations.

It was another very collaborative and fun session with kids. Kids happily participated and shared their ideas and views. We completed letter V, and will continue with letter W in the next class too.

Have a wonderful week ahead!! 

Note:  Next class is on April 21st, 2024.  

Pranams

Mahalakshmi & Chandarani.

Apr 7, 2024 - Kindergarten (Sunday AM)

Hari Om Parents, 

Today was the 20th class of Balavihar!!  Here is the summary of what we covered in the class today:

Opening Prayers:  We together chanted three OMs and then chanted the Opening Prayers - Sahana Vavatu. All the kids joined in and chanted well.

Brainstorming: Recap: We discussed all of the Alphabets we learnt so far and we divided the kids into two groups and repeated the Alphabet chant a couple of times until letter S.

Introduction of the Next Letter: T is for Truth which means Integrity and Sincerity in words and actions. And that we need to be truthful by not being scared of the consequences and understanding that it is always better to tell the truth than lies. And Ultimately Truth alone always triumphs.

Exploration: We discussed various scenarios to discuss when we say the truth and when we tell lies. We lie when we feel that the truth will get us into trouble, but a lie will save us. We lie because we feel we will benefit by lying. And we lie because we forget: Ultimately, truth alone wins. Also, it takes a lot of effort to tell lies, whereas when we tell the truth, all facts can easily be remembered.

Storytime:  Through the story of the Boy who cried Wolf, we learnt that by lying, we can hurt ourselves and others around us. And kids were taught 'Satyam vada, Priyam vada'. Say the Truth and Be Loved.

Activity 1:  Lion Enters the center of the Human Knot game: In this game, kids held each other's hands and stood in a circle, and one kid, the Lion, was trying to enter the center trying to break the Human Knot.
Kids who participated as Lions learnt quick tricks to enter into the knot, and all kids had fun trying to keep the human knot intact and stayed strong, preventing the kid lion from entering into the circle. It was a fun activity.

Introduction of the next letter: 'U' is for Unity is to join hands and work together to help each other and achieve a common goal.

Exploration: We discussed Unity in Body, All body parts are different. They look different, they function differently. Yet, they all work together. This is called Unity in Diversity.

Brainstorming: We discussed what Unity means and discussed in detail Unity is Strength.

Storytime:  Through the story of the Four Cows, we learnt that  'We have a far better chance of protecting ourselves from an enemy if we stand together'. 

United we stand, Divided we fall.  And we also discussed how easy it is to break one toothpick, but difficult to break ten toothpicks which are tied together.

Activity 2: Four kids each were standing facing away from each like the Bulls in the Story and keeping an united front, and Kids enacting as Lion trying to attack them. Kids had fun imitating the Bulls with horns and staying strong in front of the Lion.

Attendance: was taken by each kid saying 'Hari Om' when their name was called out.

And then we went to the Prayer Hall for the Closing Prayers, Aarthi and Pledge.

It was another very collaborative and fun session with kids. Kids happily shared what they did during Spring Break and other activities they did. And we covered two more letters today: 'T' and 'U'.

Have a wonderful week ahead!! 

Note:  Next class is on April 14th, 2024.  

Pranams

Mahalakshmi & Chandarani.

Mar 24, 2024 - Kindergarten (Sunday AM)

Hari Om Parents, 

Today was the 19th class of Balavihar!!  Here is the summary of what we covered in the class today:

Opening Prayers:  We together chanted three OMs and then chanted the Opening Prayers - Sahana Vavatu. 

Class Play practice: We discussed with kids our plan for the ClassPlay and started the practice for the Class Play. Kids got an idea and participated in the practice.

Introduction of the Next Letter: Introduced the next letter 'S' the letter of the day as S for Smile - a facial expression of joy and happiness. We discussed that happy and funny things make us smile. And when we smile, people want to talk to us and make us happy.

Brainstorming: We discussed various scenarios which make us happy and smile. And to smile is easy and a simple thing to do to make everyone happy. When we smile, we stay healthy and a Smile is contagious, hence everyone around us also smiles and is happy as well.

Exploration: Kids were taught 'Wear a Smile and stay in Style' and spread happiness around.

Attendance: was taken, each kid responded by saying Hari Om with a sweet Smile on their face.

StoryTime:  Through the story of the Girl with the Million Dollar Smile, we learnt that a Smile can help solve all our problems and make everyone happy.

Holi - Festival of Colors: We told the story of Holikha and Hiranyakashipu, and discussed why Holi is celebrated.

It was another very interactive and lively session with kids.  Then we assembled in the prayer hall for aarti.

 Have a wonderful week ahead!! 

Note:  Next class is on April 7th, 2024.  Next week no class due to Spring Break!!

Pranams

Mahalakshmi & Chandarani.

Mar 17, 2024 - Kindergarten (Sunday AM)

Hari Om Parents,

Today was the 18th class of Balavihar!!  Here is the summary of what we covered in the class today:

Opening Prayers:  We together chanted three OMs and then chanted the Opening Prayers - Sahana Vavatu. 

Exploration: We discussed that though the next letter of the alphabet is P, it's not so in the Vedanta alphabet. In the Vedanta alphabet, the letter "R" comes after "O." Why? Because we first need to learn all the values of all the alphabets except "P" and "Q." After we learn all these values, we become fit to do prayers, and learn about the letter "P" which stands for prayer. When we offer prayers to the Lord, what is the result? The result is, we become quiet, and learn about the letter "Q."

Introduction of the Next Letter: Introduced the next letter 'R' - for Right-is that which is morally good, just, fair, or means correct action.

Brainstorming: We discussed what Doing the Right Thing means. 

We went over different scenarios to help kids reflect on the right thing to do in each scenario. And discussed that we need to do the right thing even if no one is watching and we ourselves know what the right thing is and that we ourselves know when we don't do the right thing.

Storytime: Through the story of 'The Rock on the Road' we learnt that we need to Do the right thing, even if nobody else is doing it. Doing the right thing always brings good rewards and happiness in the end. 

Attendance: was taken by each kid saying 'Hari Om' when their name was called out.

Then we went to the Assembly, to watch the 2nd grade Class Play after which we did the Pledge, and aarthi. 

It was another very interactive and lively session with kids. Some of the kids participated in the Slokhathon, Kudos to them for taking part and doing their best with Sloka chanting.

 Have a wonderful week ahead!! 

Pranams

Mahalakshmi & Chandarani.

Mar 3, 2024 - Kindergarten (Sunday AM)

Hari Om Parents,

Today was the 17th class of Balavihar!!  Here is the summary of what we covered in the class today:

Opening Prayers:  We together chanted three OMs and then chanted the Opening Prayers - Sahana Vavatu. 

Introduction of the Next Letter: We introduced the next letter "N"' - is for Nobility-upholding high moral standards and strong character. And that we can be noble by taking care of others and putting others needs first.

Brainstorming: We discussed noble deeds and how we can do simple deeds for others by putting others' needs first and helping others.  And we can develop noble qualities by learning from great people. We discussed Noble people like Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln etc. - who lived many years ago and did many Noble deeds and helped mankind. And we can develop noble qualities by learning from them.

Storytime: Noble Cow:  We learnt that being truthful and righteous is always rewarding, And we should show compassion towards all.

Yoga time: Jumping Jacks, Tree pose, snake pose, Lion pose, stretch exercises.

Introduction of the Next Letter: Introduced the next letter 'O' - is for Obedience which means dutifully doing what one is told to do without protesting. We discussed why we need to listen and obey our parents, elders and teachers and not argue, as they by their experience know what is good for us and will keep us safe and happy.

Brainstorming: We discussed what will happen if the Sun does not set in the evening? What happens if mom does not cook food every day? What happens if no one will follow the road signs? Why is there a need to do everything in order? because otherwise there will be chaos. And when everyone and everything works in orderly fashion there will be 'harmony'.
To maintain this harmony, all things and beings have to obey the rules of nature. Through different scenarios, we went over why kids need to obey and explained that sometimes even if we do not like what we hear and what we have to do, as it is in our best interest to listen and obey.

Story of the Obedient Boy: We learnt that being Obedient has its rewards.

Attendance: was taken, each kid responded by saying Hari Om.

Shivratri: We discussed Shivaratri , and told the story of a hunter who offered Bilva patra to Shiva on the night of Shivaratri and became blessed by Shiva's darshan and got his blessings. We learnt and sang a small Shiv Bhajan and chanted Om Namah Shivaya a few times.

It was another very interactive and lively session with kids. We learnt 2 letters today 'N' and 'O'. And then we assembled in the prayer hall and watched the Grade 6 class performance and stated the pledge.

 Have a wonderful week ahead!! 

Pranams

Mahalakshmi & Chandarani.

Feb 25, 2024 - Kindergarten (Sunday AM)

Hari Om Parents,

Today was the 16th class of Balavihar!!  Here is the summary of what we covered in the class today:

Opening Prayers:  We together chanted three OMs and then chanted the Opening Prayers - Sahana Vavatu. 

Today was Spirit Day, so kids dressed up in Blue which is their House Color as we belong to Krishna's Cowboys. In the class, we had to do two activities for Spirit Day:

 

Activity 1: Shoot Ravana Head : In the classroom, the Spirit Day coordinators pasted on the wall, Ravana with 10 heads (each labeled) with different qualities. Each kid was given a bow and arrow, and was asked to shoot the head of Ravana. Kids had a lot of fun learning how to aim and shoot, some kids did an amazing job. In this way kids scored points for our House. Kids took multiple turns aiming at Ravana's head(s).

Activity 2: Knee Ball Game :The second activity was the ball game, we were provided with different color balls. Each kid had to place the ball between their knees and hop their way to the basket, and drop the ball in the basket to score points. Kids had a lot of fun playing this game and they played multiple rounds and scored House points.

Attendance: Everyone responded by saying Hari Om when their name was called.

And then we had to join everyone in the Assembly where they got to participate in the House game.

House Game: BlindFold-Pick Lego Block where a set of kids were blindfolded and the last kid in the same group, was asked to guide using hand signals the rest of the set of blindfolded kids to find the lego blocks on the floor and drop it in the basket. Each kid in each set was asked to propagate the hand signal to the first person in the group, who had to pick the lego block and ultimately drop it in the basket to score House points. Kids had a lot of fun and enjoyed co-ordinating ,guiding each other and gained points for the House.

After this, we all together said the Pledge and ended the session. 

Spirit Day was a fun-filled activity, kids actively participated and had a lot of fun, they were excited when they won House points, when they completed the tasks in both activities and in the House Game in the Assembly.

Sincere thanks to our Parent Volunteers who came to help with Spirit Day Activities in class, in the Assembly, and assisted Kids to complete their tasks and score House Points.

Special thanks and sincere appreciation for our Spirit Day Scorer, who apart from adding points, also played the dual role of helping our kids by coordinating the ball activity along with our parent volunteers. 

It was a fun filled, high energy day, kids, parents, teachers were engaged in the House Activities and all had a great time!! Special Thanks to all our parents for dressing kids in the House Color - Blue. 

 Have a wonderful week ahead!! 

Note:  Next class is on Mar 3rd 2024. 

Please register kids to the below competitions:

Shlokathon on March 9th - bit.ly/Shlokas24 (Any slokas including ones taught in class can be recited by kids)
Bhajanotsav on May 4th - bit.ly/bvbhajan24.

Pranams
Mahalakshmi & Chandarani.

Feb 11, 2024 - Kindergarten (Sunday AM)

Hari Om Parents,

Today was the 15th class of Balavihar!!  Here is the summary of what we covered in the class today:

Opening Prayers:  We together chanted three OMs and then chanted the Opening Prayers - Sahana Vavatu. 

Introduction of the Next Letter: We introduced the next letter "L'' - stands for 'Love which means being affectionate. And we express our Love through good behavior and serving others.

Brainstorming: We discussed various ways we can express our Love for others. And that Love is a special feeling you have when you are around anyone who you like,have affection for and you are ready to do everything for them. And we all cannot live without love, and God loves us all the most.

Yoga time: Jumping Jacks.

Story Time 1: Gandhiji's Love - we learnt that Love could change a person to become good and we all need to have love for each other.

Story Time 2: The Best Gift - one can show Love by doing good things and behaving well with others and we can show our love through simple deeds every day.

Exploration: Who Loves Us The Most? We discussed all the gifts we have, and what is the best gift we have? Kids responded that their parents are the best gift that God gave to them and that God gave a lot of wonderful gifts in this whole universe and God loves us the most.

Introduction of the Next Letter: We introduced the next letter "M'' - is for Mother. Mother cares, nurtures, and protects us and Alphabet chant for letter M is - 'Mathru devo bhava'.

Brainstorming: We discussed the various ways we can express love to our Mother by helping her, respecting her, listening to her and respecting her.

Story Time 1: Mommy's Love - through the Panda story (Mummy Panda & Baby Panda) we learnt that Mom's Love is with us always and is very powerful.

Story Time 2: P.S. I love you Mom - When you love someone, you don't demand anything in return.

Exploration: We learnt that 'Mother Nature', 'Mother India, Mother USA', 'Mother Sruti', 'Mother Earth' and 'Mother Cow' are all symbols of Mother who we worship. They care for us, nourish us and sustain us.

Activity: Kids did a coloring activity - They made colorful Bouquet of Hearts, Balloons, Flowers and they wrote sweet notes to express their love for their loved ones on the cards.

It was another very interactive and lively session with kids.Kids enjoyed doing the activity time and got engrossed in making colorful and wonderful cards for their loved ones. We learnt 2 letters today 'L' and 'M'. And then we assembled in the prayer hall and watched the Grade 9 class performance and for aarti.

Please note: We will be practising class bhajan(s) with kids coming early(before class starts) - Today we continued learning Kathe bhi Ram Kaho bhajan - Kids were chanting along and learnt the first 2 verses.

 Have a wonderful week ahead!! 

Note:  Next class is on Feb 25th 2024. 

Please register kids to the below competitions:

Shlokathon on March 9th - bit.ly/Shlokas24 (Any slokas including ones taught in class can be recited by kids)
Bhajanotsav on May 4th - bit.ly/bvbhajan24.

Pranams
Mahalakshmi & Chandarani.

Feb 4, 2024 - Kindergarten (Sunday AM)

Hari Om Parents,

Today was the 14th class of Balavihar!!  Here is the summary of what we covered in the class today:

Opening Prayers:  We together chanted three OMs and then chanted the Opening Prayers - Sahana Vavatu. 

Sloka time: To help kids practice for the Slokhaton competition, we practiced all the slokas we learnt so far in class. And made kids repeat it a couple of times.

Yoga time: We did Jumping Jacks, Tree pose and Lion pose, Stretching exercises,Snake pose. Some of the kids took the lead and gave instructions on how to do each pose. And then we did the butterfly pose and kids shared interesting ideas of where they want to go.

Introduction of the Next Letter: We introduced the next letter "K'' - stands for 'Kindness which means being gentle, generous and good natured. And that we can be kind to others with our actions and be helpful. And when we are kind and helpful, God takes care of all our needs.

Brainstorming: We discussed various ways in which we can be kind and gentle with our day to day actions and be kind to all without expecting anything in return.

Attendance: Attendance was taken and each kid responded by saying Hari Om.

Story Time 1:  Through the story of Prince Siddhartha and the Swan, we learnt the kindness of Prince Siddhartha was towards the swan. And that we should be kind to all living beings.

Story Time 2:  Through the story of the Slave and the Lion, we learnt that Kindness helps and by doing kind deeds to all living beings without expecting anything in return, God takes care of all our needs.

Game time: Then we played "Don't let the Lion In" Kids had fun trying to block the Lion from entering inside the circle.

It was another very interactive session with kids. Kids happily shared their views and ideas in the class. Have a wonderful week ahead!!  

Note:  Next class is on Feb 11th 2024. 

Please register kids to the below competitions:

Shlokathon on March 9th - bit.ly/Shlokas24 (Any slokas including ones taught in class can be recited by kids)
Bhajanotsav on May 4th - bit.ly/bvbhajan24.

Pranams

Mahalakshmi & Chandarani.

Jan 28, 2024 - Kindergarten (Sunday AM)

Hari Om Parents, 

Today was the 13th class of Balavihar!! Here is the summary of what we covered in the class today:

Opening Prayers:  We together chanted three OMs and then chanted the Opening Prayers - Sahana Vavatu. 

Sloka time: Most kids chanted Ganesh Sloka-Ekadantam Mahakayam and chanted Krishna Sloka - Mukam Karoti Vachalam, Rama sloka  Apadamapa hataram , and Ramaya Rambhadraya.

Introduction of the Next Letter: We introduced the next letter 'J' - stands for 'Japa which means repeating God's name with devotion. This improves our concentration, helps our mind to focus better and makes it calm.

Brainstorming: We discussed: What is Japa? Japa is the repetition of the Lord's name. And explained that we can take the Lord's name while doing any activity and keep chanting. And by chanting God's name, strengthens our mind and improves our concentration.

Exploration:  We discussed - Why do we need to learn to concentrate and pay attention? By concentrating on a task and paying attention, we can succeed.  We explained that - Om represents all the words, and everything in the world. We explained how to chant 'Om' and explained that we need to chant it three times before starting any work to help us focus better.

Attendance: Attendance was taken and each kid responded by saying Hari Om.

Bhajan: We learnt the Kathe bhi Ram Kaho bhajan - by playing a video of this song sung by our Balavihar kids from youtube. Kids learnt the first verse of the song and were eager to sing the chorus Rama Rama Rama(3). 

Game: Memory Game: Kids were shown pictures of different objects for a couple of minutes and asked kids to tell from memory the different things they saw in the pictures. Kids keenly observed the objects and Kids had a fun time listing the different objects that they remembered. This was a good exercise to check their concentration skills.

Activity 1: Kids were asked to write their favorite God's name for Likitha Japa.  And Kids then wrote their favorite God's name and some drew their favorite God also.

Parent-Teacher Meet: We asked Parents to come to our class at 10:10am for providing details on the competitions, Class Play and for obtaining feedback for the classes taken so far. And while kids were writing the Likitha japa, we discussed details of the Bhajanotsav, Slokhaton competitions, and shared our plan for our ClassPlay and responded to parent's questions.

Activity 2: Kids were provided beads and color pipes to make their own Japa mala as a parent - kid activity. Kids enjoyed doing their own japa mala with their parents.

Bhajan recital: Kids then sang the first verse of Kathe Bhi Ram Kaho with actions for their parents. It was amazing that they learnt it so soon in the class and everyone sang with action(s).

Exit Ticket : We asked the kids to do Nama japa along with their family for some time and to chant God's name during the week while doing all their activities. The Kathe bhi Ram bhajan will be shared with kids to help them learn it.

It was another very interactive session with kids. Kids had fun today learning the new bhajan, doing the activity with their parent(s) and with the memory game.

We sincerely thank Parents for coming to our class and for providing positive feedback about our classes, and  for actively participating in the Parent-Kid Japa mala making Activity. Kids enjoyed parent's presence and participation.

Have a wonderful week ahead!!  

Note:  Next class is on Feb 4th 2024. 

Please register kids to the below competitions:

Shlokathon on March 9th - bit.ly/Shlokas24 (Any slokas including ones taught in class can be recited by kids)
Bhajanotsav on May 4th - bit.ly/bvbhajan24 (KG class)

Pranams

Mahalakshmi & Chandarani.