HariOm,

We have completed all eight qualities of Hanumanji. After that we made back bone project

Children had lot of fun making the project which will make them physically and mentally strong.We reviewed all eight qualities while doing project.

Sri Hanuman

We have started Gita chanting chapter 14.Children can start practicing at home.

Children are writing in their likhita japa books ‘SHREE RAMA JAYA RAMA JAYA JAYA RAMA..

Our last session was very exiting, we made ‘Japa Malas ‘in our class. We made these with the help of parents who came to help us. Kids were very happy doing project with the parents. We are really thankful to all the parents for making this possible.

Japa Mala

We have now started chanting Hanuman Chalisa..

Madhuri aunty

Savita  aunty

Nov 10 update

Hari OM

We reassembled after 2 weeks to an exciting project. We worked on a backbone with Hanumanji's siddhis listed on each bone which when together, gives us the strength to stand tall and face whatever comes in life. Some of our friends will get their supplies next time. Aunty and didi thank our friends who shared and are waiting patiently.

The class had fun learning and recording Veera Maruthi and the Dhyana shloka. These are included for all of you to enjoy.

After recapping the story of Tulsidasji's life, we started learning the Hanuman Chaleesa. In a few months, we will be ready to chant and record that too. What a source of strength and inspiration the Chaleesa is!

Uma aunty and Pragna didi.

Hari OM from Prajna didi and Uma auntie

What fun it has been learning Hanumanji's ashta siddhis through the Dhyana shloka-
Buddhir balam yasho dhairyam nirbhayatvan arogata
ajadyam vaakpatutvam cha hanumath smaranath bhaveth

Using examples from History like Rosa Parks,Mahatma Gandhi, from recent news like Lance Armstrong, from the Ramayana where in Hanuman showcases these siddhis, the students have learned that thinking about these siddhis and steadily living these,will help us reveal our true inner Self-the source of all wisdom and joy.This week, the kids are practicing one siddhi every day- be sure to ask them which one and how they are practicing.

Note to parents- please have students use the bathroom before coming in to class to avoid disruption to the class.

________________________________________________

Madhuri Aunty and Shilpa Aunty:

Hari Om

Beginning Prayers:

• 'om' chanting - 3 times
• meditation
• shuklaambaradharam, saraswati namastubhyam, gururbrahma

gitaa chanting:

• 13th adhyaaya 1- 15 shlokas

hanumaan shlokas/bhajans:

• buddhirbalam
• hanumaan chaalIsa 40 chaupas

Brain Storming:

• What is 

Story time:

• Empty Pot

Activity:

• None

Ending Prayers:

• sarvebhavantu sukhinaH
• pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam
• aarati and pledge

Comments:

Rashmi Aunty and Prajna didi:

Hari Om

________________________________________________

Madhuri Aunty and Savita Aunty:

HariOm

Welcome to Balavihar 2^nd grade B division.

Our topic is Hanuman the Super Superman.

In our last few sessions we have learnt dhyana shloka.

We have covered few virtues of Hanumanji,

Budhir Balam, Yasas, Dhiryam, Nirbhayatvam and Arogata.

They have learnt these qualities by playing some games and stories also.

Children are also learning bhajans also,

Parijatha tharunivasa

Anjaneya pahimam

Veera Maruti Gambheera Maruti

Dheera Maruti ati dheera Maruti

In our coming sessions we will make Japa mallas

And we will start Geeta chanting shlokas as well.

We are sending the handouts with the kids,so they can

Memorize the bhajans and shlokas.

We hope children are enjoying there classes as we are.

Madhuri

Savita.

Welcome to Balavihar 2013-2014

Hari OM

Welcome to another exciting year of Balavihar! As you may know,this will be our last year in this location before we move to our very own ashram next fall.
Hanuman The Superman is our theme for this year. We will learn Hanumanji's eight attributes in the form of a beautiful shloka followed by an awesome art project . We will learn to recite Tulsidasji's famous Hanuman Chaleesa. It will soon become your child's favorite prayer.Side by side,we will visit many Hanuman stories showcasing his attributes.
   The Mission passionately believes that the teaching of the Bhagawad Geeta, especially at  young age purifies the mind, diction and prepares it to receive the wisdom in it. This year we will be learning to chant verses 1-15 of Chapter 14.
   In addition to chanting,stories,crafts,games, 2nd graders will learn to be good citizens of the world by sharing with those less fortunate. Over the holidays, we will participate in a  community service project.
 We have 2 sections in grade 2. One section has Madhuri aunty and Savita aunty and the other has Uma aunty and Prajna didi.
Parents,please register your children and support their regular, punctual attendance with all supplies needed for class.






Beginning Prayers:

• 'om' chanting - 3 times
• meditation
• shuklaambaradharam, saraswati namastubhyam, gururbrahma

gitaa chanting:

• 13th adhyaaya 1- 15 shlokas

hanumaan shlokas/bhajans:

• buddhirbalam
• hanumaan chaalIsa 40 chaupas

Brain Storming:

• What is 

Story time:

• Empty Pot

Activity:

• None

Ending Prayers:

• sarvebhavantu sukhinaH
• pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam
• aarati and pledge

Comments:

Rashmi Aunty and Prajna didi:

Hari Om

________________________________________________

Madhuri Aunty and Shilpa Aunty:

Hari Om

June 2th Class

Beginning Prayers:

• 'om' chanting - 3 times
• meditation
• shuklaambaradharam, saraswati namastubhyam, gururbrahma

gitaa chanting:

• 13th adhyaaya 1- 18 shlokas

hanumaan shlokas/bhajans:

• buddhirbalam
• hanumaan chaalIsa 40 chaupas

Brain Storming:

• None

Story time:

• None

Activity:

• ½  a Party :)

Ending Prayers:

• sarvebhavantu sukhinaH
• pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam
• aarati and pledge

Comments:

Rashmi Aunty and Prajna didi:

Hari Om Parents!

Can you believe that the year’s over already? It seemed to fly by so quickly.

Anyways, we had a wonderful last day of Balavihar this past Sunday. After we finished the beginning prayers and meditation, the children chanted the Bhagavad Geeta and sang the Hanuman Chalisa. Of course, although this may have been their last Balavihar day as Second Graders, they can definitely continue the chanting and meditation at home. They all got to keep their japa malas, as well as their laminated copies of the Hanuman Chalisa, so they sure can continue their prayers!

Also, on Sunday, we learnt a new Hanuman Bhajan! It’s a very upbeat bhajan, and Swami Siddhanandaji, from the Kedar in Pennsylvania, sings it a lot. Here are the words:

Veera Hanumana, Athi Balawana,
Rama Nama Rasiya Re, Ohohoh-hoi!
Prabhu Mana Basiya Re
Rama Lakshmana Janaki… Jai Bolo Hanumana Ki
Sita Ram Jai Sita Ram… Bhaja Pyare Tu Sita Ram
Raghupathi Raghava Raja Ram… Patita Paavana Sita Ram

The children enjoyed the Bhajan very much… Ask them to sing it for you!

Finally, as the class came to an end, we went and joined the other Second Grade class as they went outside and had their end of the year party. So, you could say, the children had two parties this year! Or, maybe 1 ½ :).

It has been an amazing year, and we can’t believe that the children have already completed Second Grade and will be moving on to Third Grade next year! From what we’ve seen of them, we know that they will be successful in everything they do, and we wish them all the best. And to the parents, we congratulate you for making the wonderful choice of placing your children in the Balavihar classes, and we hope you can continue through Balavihar and we can continue to see the children grow for years to come.

Until then, have a wonderful Summer! 

________________________________________________

Madhuri Aunty and Shilpa Aunty:

Hari Om

May 19th Class

Beginning Prayers:

• 'om' chanting - 3 times
• meditation
• shuklaambaradharam, saraswati namastubhyam, gururbrahma

gitaa chanting:

• 13th adhyaaya 1- 20 shlokas

hanumaan shlokas/bhajans:

• buddhirbalam
• hanumaan chaalIsa 

Brain Storming:

• What happens when we recite hanumaan chaalIsaa
• What is the benefit of keeping hanumaan in our hearts

Story time:

• Why does perfection matter
• Would the Lord camp in my heart

Activity:

• sanctified and laminated hanumaan chaalIsaa sheet hand outs
• YEAR END PARTY TIME! :)

Ending Prayers:

• sarvebhavantu sukhinaH
• pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam
• aarati and pledge

Comments:

Rashmi Aunty and Prajna didi:

We were all in an excited frenzy as we walked into class today!  We were all in celebration mood. After a brief class and finishing up our year's portions, we were all going to party!!  After a whole long year of fun and learning, we surely need to celebrate!

We did our gItaa chanting and hanumaan chaalIsaa, as usual.  We have done these as a part of our routine from day one.  The kids did so well on both of them.  We have to share this with you.  We have heard many positive comments regarding their hanumaan chaalIsaa performance on stage during annual day.  Today, we had Ameet-ji come to our class and tell all the kids how wonderful they were on stage.  He said that they all looked good, presented good and sounded good!  So hip hip hurray to you all!!

We listened to the story about our gurudev Swami Chinmayananda-ji and his perfection in anything he did.  We saw how he even put a rubber band around a bundle of envelops without any twists!  He took interest and put an effort to keep such minute details in mind and follow them through, every single time!  A similar attitude in life will raise all of us to something bigger than we are today.  Our hanumaan is just like that.  He did everything perfectly.  By praying to Him, we can become like Him.

With that, we concluded learning hanumaan chaalIsaa - chanting, as well as understanding the meanings.  It was a wonderful year of learning, discussing, chanting and sharing laughs!  Couldn't have asked for more really.

We wanted to celebrate all the goodness with a little year end party.  All the parents had brought so many goodies and treats.  We went to the cafeteria (instead of outside, as it was raining).  The weather was droopy outside, but none of it affected our cheerful and enthusiastic group of parents or kids!  We had an amazing party and enjoyed the time thoroughly.  Thank you parents for being so supportive through out the year.  We could always count on you for anything.  You have been so supportive and encouraging through out the year.  That is what makes this group so special!  Keep up the spirits.
________________________________________________

Madhuri Aunty and Shilpa Aunty:

Hari Om

May 12th Class

Beginning Prayers:

• 'om' chanting - 3 times
• meditation
• shuklaambaradharam, saraswati namastubhyam, gururbrahma

gitaa chanting:

• 13th adhyaaya 1- 20 shlokas

hanumaan shlokas/bhajans:

• buddhirbalam
• hanumaan chaalIsa 1- 40 chaupas

Brain Storming:

• What happens when one remembers brave hanumaan
• What is the meaning of gosia
• What is the result of chanting hanumaan chaalIsaa 100 times 

Story time:

• The Miracle
• The magic carpet

Activity:

• None

Ending Prayers:

• sarvebhavantu sukhinaH
• pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam
• aarati and pledge - in auditorium

Comments:

Rashmi Aunty and Prajna didi:

Happy Mother's day to all the wonderful moms out there!  Hope your day is as special as you are.

We are having so much fun discussing life issues in class that the time we are allotted is just not enough :).  Time and again, we are amazed at the type of topics and discussions we have in class!!  We sure have a bunch of extremely smart kids!

We have continued learning bhagavadgItaa beyond the competition.  We had learnt 15 verses before.  We now have learnt up to verse 20.  The children have promised to do their best and want to go all the way to the end of the chapter!  See, don't we have a bunch of enthusiastic kids who are willing to learn!!  Of course, we grooved along singing the whole hanumaan chaalIsaa!

We learnt about Miracles through the true story of a girl who had so much faith that a miracle HAD to come her way!  Truly, her undaunted faith was what saved her brother's life!

We also saw how being thoughtless and giving the reigns to our sense can be dangerous through the story of the magic carpet acquired by a thoughtless man.

Our discussions on these stories led to so many big thoughts that to establish those, we had to hear 2 - 3 extra stories :).  Isn't this a fun, fun class?!

Time is running out and our end of the year is fast approaching.  We are almost wrapping up our curriculum.  In fact, we will be finishing up before the last day itself!  Then, how about we have some fun party time!!  Will be emailing regarding more details of the party that we can have Next Sunday.  Do watch out for our emails.

Happy Mother's day again to all the hard working moms who do so much for their children constantly!  Enjoy your day and the rest of the year ahead.

________________________________________________

Madhuri Aunty and Shilpa Aunty:

opeing prayers
Japa mala
Hanuman Chalisa Chanting
Bhajan:
Veera Maaruti
Brainstorming
Hanuman chalisa caupai 27 to 30
Discussion: Who is a Tapasvi?
Meaning of our Parama Guru's , name Tapovan Maharaja.
Tale:
Take a vows for greater gains
You get What you Want...God's shop.
The Nature of Saints
Game: Sadhu Musical Chair
Children had fun playing this game .
Children learned that sharing, accommodating each other can also be fun.
Discussion:
How Does One Become Famous?
Closing prayers

May 5th - Annual day celebration

Comments:

Rashmi Aunty and Prajna didi:

Madhuri Aunty and Shilpa Aunty:

Wow!  What a wonderful group of 2nd grade children and parents we have!!  Due to all your hard work and co-operation, we were able to pull off a wonderful hanumaan chaalIsaa presentation today!  Children, you did very well!  You kept the beat and tempo though out the chanting.  Heard some nice comments from a few people too, during dinner later on :).   Looks like you rocked the show!  Keep up the good work and the team spirit kids!

Here's the link for reminiscing the show again!

Enjoy!  See you all next Sunday at balavihar.

April 21st Class

Beginning Prayers:

• 'om' chanting - 3 times
• meditation
• shuklaambaradharam, saraswati namastubhyam, gururbrahma

gitaa chanting:

• 13th adhyaaya 1- 18 shlokas

hanumaan shlokas/bhajans:

• buddhirbalam
• hanumaan chaalIsa 

Brain Storming:

• None

Story time:

• None

Activity:

• Rehearsal

Ending Prayers:

• sarvebhavantu sukhinaH
• pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam
• aarati and pledge

Comments:

Rashmi Aunty and Prajna didi:

Awesome kids!  We did it!!  We went in the true 'yagna' spirit to the 'gItaa chanting yagna' and made it an awesome, memorable event!  We were the group with the highest registrants and.... we won ourselves an ice-cream party for the Summer :)).  Oooo!  We sure can't wait for that day, right?!

We did better than that!  We have always been talking about how we are not learning for the sake of competing alone.  We are learning to chant due to our love for gItaa and the values it gives us to lead meaningful lives.  To uphold that, we continued our learning today, beyond the 15 verses cap that we had for our grade!!  Infact, the children want to learn ALL 35 verses in the chapter!  So, we learnt 16 - 18 today and will continue to add to it through the rest of the year.

After that, we had a combined class.  The 2nd graders have been rehearsing for a presentation on the Annual Day, on May 5th.  Please make sure the children practice their 'hanumaan chaalIsaa' chanting well by then.  The program starts at 3 p.m.  Will be posting on the blog, as well as sending emails regarding the time they need to assemble in the cafeteria on the day of the performance.  They can come in Indian clothes, please NO jeans/shorts/casuals.  Look out to hear from us.  If we don't see them in the cafeteria, they will not be able to go on stage.  So, please be there on time.

See you all soon.  Until then, happy practicing.

________________________________________________

Madhuri Aunty and Shilpa Aunty:

Hari Om

April 14th class

Beginning Prayers:

• 'om' chanting - 3 times
• meditation
• shuklaambaradharam, saraswati namastubhyam, gururbrahma

gitaa chanting:

• 13th adhyaaya 1- 15 shlokas

hanumaan shlokas/bhajans:

• buddhirbalam
• hanumaan chaalIsa 1- 40 chaupas

Brain Storming:

• What is the cause of our unhappiness

Story time:

• Ask and you shall receive

Activity:

• Practice for Annual day performance

Ending Prayers:

• sarvebhavantu sukhinaH
• pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam
• aarati and pledge

Comments:

Rashmi Aunty and Prajna didi:

Good going everyone!  Most of you have registered for the gItaa chanting!!  A very handful few of you who did not register have requested to be registered as late registrants as well!!  That has officially made us the class with most registrants!!  Hurray!  Keep it up kids!  We are so proud of you.  You are all doing the chanting so beautifully.  Keep up the practice and arrive on time on the day of the competition, which is this coming Saturday 20th April.  Participate with all your effort and attention.  That itself makes all of you WINNERS!  That calls for an ice-cream party in the summer!! Yay :).

Today is special for another reason!  We finished learning all the chaupa-s of the hanumaan chaalIsa!!  We see that most of you are learning by heart, as we are adding new chaupa-s.  Now, you can finish learning all of them.

We then learnt about the story of the child who was building a sand castle.  He hit a rock midway of his building.  He tried with all his might, all possible ways to move it.  When he couldn't, he was disappointed.  His father asked him the reason for his droopy face and he explained that he had tried all possible ways.  The father said, you apparently didn't try one - asking me!  Similarly, when we hit a wall in our life circumstance, we struggle all we can, but forget one thing, asking for the Lord's help.  When we seek Him, he instantly comes to our rescue and we will be rid of all obstacles, just as the little boy's father helped him move the rock!

After that, we had a combined class for the last half hour and we familiarized ourselves with our presentation.  We will be practicing more next week as well.  Keep up the good work everyone. 

Until next week, practice all your chanting!

________________________________________________

Madhuri Aunty and Shilpa Aunty:

Hari Om

April 7th Class

Beginning Prayers:

• 'om' chanting - 3 times
• meditation
• shuklaambaradharam, saraswati namastubhyam, gururbrahma

gitaa chanting:

• 13th adhyaaya 1- 15 shlokas

hanumaan shlokas/bhajans:

• buddhirbalam
• hanumaan chaalIsa 1- 33 chaupas

Brain Storming:

• What is the magic cure of all the problems
• What was the boon mother sItaa gave to hanumaan
• How are our miseries relieved
• What happens when we worship hanumaan

Story time:

• Learn about aShTa siddhi-s
• Who is a haribhakta
• The difference
• The desire
• Don’t blame the Lord

Activity:

• Our class presentation for the annual day

Ending Prayers:

• sarvebhavantu sukhinaH
• pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam
• aarati and pledge

Comments:

Rashmi Aunty and Prajna didi:

It was nice seeing all the smiling faces after such a long break.  We sure missed you.  Hope you all had a great spring break.

It is nice to see that many of you are registered for the gItaa chanting competition.  We strongly encourage ALL of you to register and participate.  They have really worked hard through out the year and it will be a very rewarding experience for them.

Also, our class will be performing on the stage for the annual day program on May 5th.  We will be talking more about it in the next couple of classes.  Since we will have only 2 more classes, it is crucial that they attend regularly.  Parents please make sure they are prepared.

In the story time today, we have discussed many big words like- aShTa-siddhi's namely - aNimaa (becoming as small as an atom), mahimaa (becoming as big as a mountain), garimaa (being heavy as a mountain), laghimaa (being light as a feather), praaptiH (attaining everything), pratyakSha (self illuminating), Ishitva (lordship of oneself), vashitva (controlling everything, including oneself) - these are the aShTa-siddhi-s that sItaa maata granted to hanumaan, and also the power to bestow it upon anyone he pleases!!  So, let's get praying to hanumaan for the attainment of the aShTa-siddhi-s as well all the nava-nidhi-s (9 treasures of wealth).

We also listened to 3 different stories to see what makes a true devotee, different from anyone else!  

So, let's get praying, without being attached to any material returns or blaming the Lord for any disappointments.

See you all next week.  Until then, remember to practice your chanting.  Let's win that ice-cream party for the highest participation for any class! :).

________________________________________________

Madhuri Aunty and Shilpa Aunty:

Hari Om

March 17th Class

Beginning Prayers:

• 'om' chanting - 3 times
• meditation
• shuklaambaradharam, saraswati namastubhyam, gururbrahma

gitaa chanting:

• 13th adhyaaya 1- 15 shlokas

hanumaan shlokas/bhajans:

• buddhirbalam
• hanumaan chaalIsa 1- 28 chaupas

Brain Storming:

• Why hanumaan is large hearted
• Does God always give us what we want
• When does hanumaan’s glory radiate (all 4 yugas)
• How did hanumaan use his might

Story time:

• You get what you want
• Man, the glory of creation
• Nature of saints

Activity:

• How many apples in a seed?
• God’s gift or my gift
• How does one become famous

Ending Prayers:

• sarvebhavantu sukhinaH
• pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam
• aarati and pledge

Comments:

Rashmi Aunty and Prajna didi:

Our chanting sessions are coming along very well.  On the other hand, the discussions in class are getting very intense!!  We are talking about concepts like birth, re-birth, mokSha, karma...  Are we sure we have a bunch of 2nd graders at hand :).  They just wanted to continue the discussions on and on...  We had to put a hold on it due to lack of time...  The contemplation and churning of these ideas are happening rapidly in their little minds and they sure are THINKING!!  We spoke about how our actions affect us before they affect those around us!  We discussed about the need to do rightful actions whether we are being watched or not.  We spoke about how we cannot take a notebook with bullet points written down, into our next birth and it is only our good/bad actions that get carried over along with us!  

Even before we realized, it was dismissal time.  We finished the class with the ending prayers and pledge.  We will see you all in two weeks.  Until then, have a fun filled spring break and keep thinking :).
________________________________________________

Madhuri Aunty and Shilpa Aunty:

Hari Om

March 10th Class

Beginning Prayers:

• 'om' chanting - 3 times
• meditation
• shuklaambaradharam, saraswati namastubhyam, gururbrahma

gitaa chanting:

• 13th adhyaaya 1- 15 shlokas

hanumaan shlokas/bhajans:

• buddhirbalam
• hanumaan chaalIsa 1- 26 chaupas

Brain Storming:

• What is the true pooja for the Lord
• Where does God reside 
• When does hanumaan help us in overcoming difficulties
• Who is a tapasvI; what is the benefit of being a tapasvI
• What is the meaning of our guru, tapovan mahaaraj’s name

Story time:

• God dwells in all beings
• God is everywhere
• It is the Lord’s wish
• Take vows for greater gains

Activity:

• None

Ending Prayers:

• sarvebhavantu sukhinaH
• pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam
• aarati and pledge - in the auditorium

Comments:

Rashmi Aunty and Prajna didi:

In today's class, we had wonderful discussions about God, God's presence, God's part in our lives, our awareness of His presence!  Gosh, are we striding BIG steps or what!!  We heard interesting stories regarding this topic.  We then wanted to relate to some other story we'd heard a while ago.  Instead of hearing from Aunty, the children themselves finished the story, one sentence at a time!!  We are so impressed at the attentive group of children we have in class!  The chanting is coming along beautifully as well.  Parents, if you have not already done so, please register you children for the competition.  They are all very enthusiastic about it.  We then went to the auditorium to watch a play, followed by  aarti and pledge. 

________________________________________________

Madhuri Aunty and Shilpa Aunty:

Hari Om

March 3rd Class

Beginning Prayers:

• 'om' chanting - 3 times
• meditation
• shuklaambaradharam, saraswati namastubhyam, gururbrahma

gitaa chanting:

• 13th adhyaaya 1- 15 shlokas

hanumaan shlokas/bhajans:

• buddhirbalam
• hanumaan chaalIsa 1- 27 chaupas
• khaate bhI raam kaho...

Brain Storming:

• Why seek refuge in hanumaan
• Why shouldn't we complain about things going wrong
• Why the 3 worlds tremble when hanumaan roars
• What is the advantage of chanting raama's name

Story time:

• Saint malidaasa
• Grandma and the cake
• Have faith and heal yourself

Activity:

• None

Ending Prayers:

• sarvebhavantu sukhinaH
• pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam
• aarati and pledge

Comments:

Rashmi Aunty and Prajna didi:

We are just grooving and grooving!  The discussions and participation in class by all the children is on a tremendous up turn!  We are having one blast learning the chanting of gItaa, hanumaan chaalIsa, shlokas and bhajans.

Today's stories were interesting and we had avenues to discuss many values that make our lives better and make us better people in turn.  We spoke about how faith is an essential ingredient to achieve anything in life.  We know that we trust our parents.  Similarly, if we learn to trust in God, after doing the needful duty, we have nothing to fear!

Please talk to your children what they enjoy most in class.  Also, encourage them to do their gItaa chanting practice.  They are doing awesome so far!  We are doing very well till verse 12.  We've finished learning till 15th verse today.  We shall continue our practice and by the time of the competition, each of them will be so comfortable chanting it with ease!

We finished off with our finishing prayers and pledge.  See you all next week.

________________________________________________

Madhuri Aunty and Shilpa Aunty:

Hari Om

February 24th Class

Beginning Prayers:

• 'om' chanting - 3 times
• meditation
• shuklaambaradharam, saraswati namastubhyam, gururbrahma

gitaa chanting:

• 13th adhyaaya 1- 14 shlokas

hanumaan shlokas/bhajans:

• buddhirbalam
• hanumaan chaalIsa 1- 26 chaupas

Brain Storming:

• 2 things that we need to be victorious (God's grace and hard work)
• Whom does God help (Those that help themselves)
• How can we reach raama (Through hanumaan)
• Qualities raama and hanumaan admire in each other - boldness, nobleness, fearlessness, humbleness, righteousness, loyalty

Story time:

• Everything is possible (Wrestler boy and his grandma)
• God helps those who help themselves (Man with his bullock cart)

Activity:

• 'Survival kit' items and their meaning
• 'By your grace' - puzzle 
• Qualities of hanumaan and raama - fill in the blanks

Ending Prayers:

• sarvebhavantu sukhinaH
• pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam
• aarati and pledge

Comments:

Rashmi Aunty and Prajna didi:

The class began with our regular prayer, meditation, gItaa chanting, and hanumaan chaalIsa.  Even before we started with the stories for the day, we had a wonderful discussion regarding how many 'hindu Gods' are there!  We discussed our opinions regarding the topic.  Then, the conclusion was - just like the Sun can be called with many names in many different languages, but it refers to the SAME SUN, so are all the Gods!! In however many names we call the Lord, he is one universal driving force behind all existence, working in different forms.  It is the same Supreme power working as Wind or Sun.  But one cannot and should not do the job of the other, else, we will have a shiny Wind and a breezy Sun :).  It is truly impressive how wonderfully these children can think, comprehend and understand such high level discussions in class!!  Do you wonder why we love this class so much now :).

We the heard stories about how 'Self help is the best help' and 'God helps those that help themselves'.  We then discussed about our nature and attributes, how we can make ourselves pleasant and nice.  We discussed the 'Survival Kit' and the items we need in it.  A Survival Kit helps us survive under any circumstance.  Similarly, this kit helps us remember the most important attributes we need in ourselves -
Rubber band - reminds us to be flexible
Band aid - reminds us to heal ourselves from hurt feelings
Pencil - reminds us to jot down all the things that we are thankful for
Eraser - reminds us to erase, forget and forgive others' mistakes as well as our own
Candy Kiss - reminds us to hug and kiss our loved ones

We then solved some puzzles on the board.  But they were no puzzles for these smarty pants :).  They were solving it even as they were being written on the board!  We then had another round of solving with the clues, the attributes of raama and hanumaan.  It was a fun, fun class.

Until we meet again, be good and keep practicing your shlokas and chanting.

________________________________________________

Madhuri Aunty and Shilpa Aunty:

Opening prayers
Japa mala
Bhajans
Hanuman Chalisa Chanting and Learned chupais 14-16
Brainstorming
Tales:
How does one gain glory?
Man's greatness lies in his efforts
Sugriva meets Lord Rama
You become the company you keep
We had very interesting discussion today in the class, good  participation.
Enjoyed working with children.
Bhagavad Gita Chanting
Closing prayers

February 10th Class

Beginning Prayers:

• 'om' chanting - 3 times
• meditation
• shuklaambaradharam, saraswati namastubhyam, gururbrahma

gitaa chanting:

• 13th adhyaaya 1- 13 shlokas

hanumaan shlokas/bhajans:

• buddhirbalam
• hanumaan chaalIsa 1- 24 chaupas

Brain Storming:

• What does hanumaan teach us? (To be fearless)
• How did hanumaan succeed in his mission?  
• How did hanumaan cross the ocean?  (Keeping raama's name on his lips, literally, holding raama's ring in his mouth)

Story time:

• hanumaan trying to eat the sun
• Be fearless - Akbar Birbal story
• Fearless Edmund Hillary
• hanumaan flying to lanka, with raama's ring in his mouth
• Searching for sItaa
• Power of raama-naama - The story of the lady who made cow-dung cakes

Activity:

• raamaayaNa review - quiz

Ending Prayers:

• sarvebhavantu sukhinaH
• pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam
• aarati and pledge - in the auditorium

Comments:

Rashmi Aunty and Prajna didi:

Today was an awesome class!  The class did all the chanting exceptionally well!  Before we even began bhagavadgItaa, we discussed about why we need to learn and chant the gItaa.  We heard some nice stories of - the grandfather and the coal basket; why their younger siblings or cousins learn the alphabet; how the gItaa helped Gandhi-ji at every juncture in his life.

The children were so full of energy and they chanted up to verse 10 very nicely indeed!  We worked on verses till 13 now.  Parents please keep encouraging them to keep up the practice and make sure you register them (link given in the 'Announcements' section) for the April 20th competition.  Each one of them deserves to be there on that day!  

We heard many many stories regarding hanumaan and his fearlessness.  We all discussed our own ideas regarding this attribute and how we could adapt it in our daily lives.  Please talk to your children and see how they are relating to the topics and what part they enjoy.  Parent involvement sure encourages them to participate more in class :).

Hope you all enjoy a nice long weekend and stay warm!

________________________________________________

Madhuri Aunty and Shilpa Aunty:

Opening prayers
Japa mala
Bhajans
Attendance
Bhagavad Gita Chanting also  learned13,14,15 Verses
Lesson and related Tale:
Hanuman chalisa Chanting and learned caupais 11-13
How is Hanuman a lifesaver of Laksmana? Why Lord Rama loved Hanumanji like a brother?
How does one become glorious? Why is Lord Rama indebted to Hanumanji?
Activity: May I?
Children had very good time in  this activity.
Closing  Prayer

February 3rd Class

Beginning Prayers:

• 'om' chanting - 3 times
• meditation
• shuklaambaradharam, saraswati namastubhyam, gururbrahma

gitaa chanting:

• 13th adhyaaya 1- 12 shlokas

hanumaan shlokas/bhajans:

• buddhirbalam
• hanumaan chaalIsa 1- 22 chaupas

Brain Storming:

• Why hanumaan a wise minister
• How is hanumaan a good adviser
• What is the glory and power of raama naama

Story time:

• sugrIva meets raama
• You become the company you keep
• hanumaan meets vibhIShaNa
• naarada's pride

Activity:

• Simon says

Ending Prayers:

• sarvebhavantu sukhinaH
• pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam
• aarati and pledge

Comments:

Rashmi Aunty and Prajna didi:

We are coming along nicely with the gItaa chanting as well as hanumaan chaalIsa.  Keep up the good works kids!  The registration for gItaa chanting competition is now open.  Click here or the link in the  Announcements section above.  We encourage each one of you to register, participate in the competition and do your best!  We shall continue to practice in class and you continue to practice the verses at home regularly.  Remember, the class with the most registrants wins an ice-cream party at the end of the year!  Let's make it the 2nd graders this year!!

We had some interesting discussions regarding hanumaan's efficiency as an adviser as well as a minister.  Do discuss with your children the conversations we had.  We refreshed our memories with the stories of hanumaan's encounter with vibhIShaNa and his timely wisdom to sugrIva.  We also heard 2 stories regarding naarada's pride about being the best devotee.  This reinforced to us the fact, we just need to focus on being 'OUR BEST' than being the 'WORLD BEST'.  When we have put in our best effort and keep trying to better ourselves, there is nothing that can beat that!  In the story of the 2 parrots, we saw how the company we keep affects us and we 'become' the company that we keep.  Hence it is very important to keep a check on our surroundings and especially our own thoughts and habits.

Until next class, keep practicing the chants and stay warm!
________________________________________________

Madhuri Aunty and Shilpa Aunty:

Hari Om

January 27th Class

Beginning Prayers:

• 'om' chanting - 3 times
• meditation
• shuklaambaradharam, saraswati namastubhyam, gururbrahma

gitaa chanting:

• 13th adhyaaya 1- 11 shlokas

hanumaan shlokas/bhajans:

• buddhirbalam
• hanumaan chaalIsa 1- 18 chaupas

Brain Storming:

• why is hanumaan the lifesaver of lakShmaNa
•  why raama loved hanumaan like a brother
• how does one become glorious
• why is raama indebted to hanumaan

Story time:

• lakShmaNa's revival - sanjeevinI mountain
• hanumaan is like bharata to raama 
• Finding faults is easier than praising others :(
• 1000 mouths of aadishesha not enough to sing hanumaan's praises
• Man's greatness lies in his efforts

Activity:

• Ready, set, go - Game
• Practice praising - Saying one nice thing to the person sitting closest!
• PS check

Ending Prayers:

• sarvebhavantu sukhinaH
• pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam
• aarati and pledge

Comments:

Rashmi Aunty and Prajna didi:

The gItaa chanting and hanumaan chaalIsa are coming along nicely.  For those of you interested in extra help with the gItaa chanting, there are gItaa chanting classes happening at the ashram on Thursdays between 8 pm and 9 pm (Rashmi Aunty).  Anyone interested is welcome to attend.

In our stories segment today, we saw how hanumaan was very alert and his timely thinking saved lakShmaNa's life.  This made raama very happy and indebted to hanumaan forever.  He even said to hanumaan that He was like a brother to Him, as dear as bharata too.  To be like hanumaan, ever ready to go on a mission for raama, we played a fun game - Ready, set, go.  We tried to trick the children giving complicated directions, but then... we could not succeed even once :).

To sing the glories of hanumaan, even aadishesha's 1000 mouths fall short!  Such are His qualities.  We heard a story about how people find it very easy to speak of others' faults whereas, look for words if they have to praise others!  But then, it is good things one is identified for that makes people happier and the world a better place to live!  We then practiced saying nice things to the children sitting next to each other.  

We then listened to the story regarding the importance of one's own efforts.  When a magic genie appeared, the boys wanted the genie to do their homework, clean their rooms for them, do their chores, etc.  But one smart boy wished that the genie should disappear before granting anyone's wishes!  He explained that he wanted so, because - 'A man's greatness lies in HIS OWN EFFORTS'.  He said that there would be nothing great or fun in their own lives, without putting in their own efforts.  Then all the boys agreed and were happy about his wish!

We have spoken to the children about the likhita japa.  We all have a unique opportunity this year!  Since our ashram and temple are being built, we call can contribute our share.  We can write likhita japa in composition notebooks, exclusively, on regular basis.  At the end of the year, the children can bring in their books.  The books shall be kept under the respective deity idols before they are installed.  The naama smaraNam shall remain there forever!  Please encourage your children to do this regularly.  Do ask them for more details about this sacred work.

See you all soon.

________________________________________________

Madhuri Aunty and Shilpa Aunty:

Hari Om

January 13th Class

Beginning Prayers:

• 'om' chanting - 3 times
• meditation
• shuklaambaradharam, saraswati namastubhyam, gururbrahma

gitaa chanting:

• 13th adhyaaya 1- 10 shlokas

hanumaan shlokas/bhajans:

• buddhirbalam
• hanumaan chaalIsa 1-20 chaupas

Brain Storming:

• What is devotion
• What is resourcefulness

Story time:

• sItaa gives hanumaan a pearl necklace
• hanumaan's ability to be small as an atom or as giant as a mountain
• good wolf vs. bad wolf 
• raavaNa's penance for aatmalingam

Activity:

• None

Ending Prayers:

• sarvebhavantu sukhinaH
• pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam
• aarati and pledge

Comments:

Rashmi Aunty and Prajna didi:

In today's class, we discussed about hanumaan's devotion.  We spoke about the story of how mother sItaa presented him with a pearl necklace, but hanumaan broke each bead!  He said he was looking for raama's name in the beads, but could not find it.  Hence the necklace was of no use to him!  Such was his devotion to Lord raama.  He constantly thought of Him and every atom of his body sang His praises.    We spoke about dedication and heard a few other stories about dedication.  We had nice discussions and brainstorming session on a lot of topics.  We ended up listening to a couple other extra stories, as we were establishing our view point :).  Do talk to your children about all the stories that they have learnt today.

Please make sure the kids practice their gItaa chanting regularly.  We can see that some practice is making a nice difference in their pronunciations!

We wish you all a very happy sankraanti/pongal/lohri/new year.  May the harvest season bring health and cheers to one and all.

See you all in two weeks.

________________________________________________

Madhuri Aunty and Shilpa Aunty:

Opening Prayers
Meditation with Japa mala
Dhyana shloka
Bhajans:
Learned new bhajan: Duniya chale no shri ram ke bina
Hanuman Chalisa
Story:Indra's Vajra
The concept of Kumati and sumati
Discussion: Am I beautiful?
Different parts of our body and what makes them beautiful?
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 13th
Ending Prayers.

January 6th Class

Beginning Prayers:

• 'om' chanting - 3 times
• meditation
• shuklaambaradharam, saraswati namastubhyam, gururbrahma

gitaa chanting:

• 13th adhyaaya 1- 8 shlokas

hanumaan shlokas/bhajans:

• buddhirbalam
• hanumaan chaalIsa 1-16 chaupas

Brain Storming:

• What is makes one beautiful
• What is brilliance
• Why was hanumaan brilliant

Story time:

• Ramu and Kanu, two good friends
• hanumaan's flight

Activity:

• None

Ending Prayers:

• sarvebhavantu sukhinaH
• pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam
• aarati and pledge

Comments:

Rashmi Aunty and Prajna didi:

Happy New Year everyone!  Hope you all enjoyed a nice winter break.  Our first session of the year was very interesting!  We had a great brainstorming session of what makes us beautiful.  We spoke about how we can beautify our hands, lips, eyes, ears, etc.  We discussed how lipstick, makeup, ornaments that we think, beautify us, are temporary.  They wash off, fade off or lose their luster.  But what keeps them permanently beautiful are – good speech, charity, seeing good things, listening to good things, etc.   We discussed how hanumaan had barely any accessories, but He always looked attractive!  What gave him that luster was, his every readiness to serve the Lord.  His brilliance came from Him being constantly engaged in the Lord.  We discussed about how hanumaan was completely focused on his assignment, even during his flight to lankaa.  He did not let any of the hurdles deter his determination.

We are progressing well in all arenas!  The gItaa chanting, hanumaan chaalIsa, etc are coming well.  Please remember to keep up the practice.  We will see you all next Sunday. 

________________________________________________

Madhuri Aunty and Shilpa Aunty:

This week in class

We welcomed each other with new year greeting for 2013.

Began with the starting prayers.
Did meditation with Japa mala
Students who came on time got stickers!.

We chanted Dhyana sloka, Hanuman chalisa and Bhagavad Gita verses 1-10

We also are learning meaning of each chaupai in hanuman chalisa.

We have completed learning meanings with stories on Doha and first and second chaupais.

It was very good to see everyone comeback with lots of energy!.

Our humble thanks to all kids and parents who contributed towards the breakfast bags. The children at TASK we much appreciated it.

Will see you all in the next class.

Hari om