Sevikas: Nanda and Jacqueline
Morning Prayers:
• OM Saha Naavavatu (click here for text)
• Vakratunda Mahakaya (click here for text)
• Sarasvati Namastubhyam (click here for text)
• Shree KrishnaH (click here for text)
Quiet time: 1 minute of silence — with excellent accuracy in the focus game. We had about 6 children who did not budge at all ... complete stillness. Whoaa —way to go, kids!!!
Geeta Chanting: Shlokas 1, 2, and 3 (click here for audio and text)
Bhajan: None
Letter of the Week: "K is for Kindness" and "L is for Love"
Story time: Androcles and the Lion (click here to see a short animation)
Activity: Heart Pop-Up Card (click here to view)
Likhita Japa: none
Sanskrit Words of the Week: हृदय (hRdaya, heart) (click here to view word list)
End of Class Prayers: Aarti and prayers were performed in the auditorium.
Comments: We were able to jump right back into the groove after our mini-break. The aunties are very pleased with our young friends' ability to say the morning prayers ... as well as tell us what each prayer means. We will continue with the prayers listed above for the remainder of this month. However, we are probably ready to move on and learn some new ones starting February :-) The children also led us through our Vedantic Alphabet. They didn't miss a beat ... and eagerly shouted out what each word meant, to boot!
After our story, we spent some circle time discussing ways we can show kindness and love towards others. The children shared different examples where an act of kindness can make all the difference in the world for someone else. One example that everyone related to was "being a new kid in school and not knowing anyone." We all agreed that an act of kindness in saying "hello" to a newcomer can make that person feel welcomed and less afraid.
It's clear that many of the children are practicing their Geeta chanting at home — which is great ... we definitely want them to keep it up! Because we've had a sporadic schedule this month, we will plan to work on Shlokas 1, 2 and 3 again next week. However, starting in February, we will begin learning Shloka 4. Registration for the Geeta Chanting Competition is now available on-line. Click here to register your child. The aunties are looking forward to seeing all the kindergartners at the ashram on the big day!! We know they are going to chant beautifully!
We were reminded today that the annual end of the year program is rapidly approaching. Four months may sound like a long way off, but June will be here before we know it. Our two sections will be presenting a combined program at the annual event, so you should expect some emails from the sevikas coming your way soon. We believe this year's performance is going to be lots of fun for everyone — the kids, sevikas, and audience! Once we have the details worked out, we will be sure to let all of you know about rehearsal schedules, etc. So be sure to check your in-boxes over the next few weeks. Starting February, we will be combining the latter part of our classes so that we can begin rehearsals. We are hoping to get the core rehearsals done during balavihar. Once practice begins, we will be keeping an ongoing status report posted on the blog, so you will be able to keep track of our progress, etc.
Well kids, we learned that "K is for Kindness" and "L is for Love." Next week we're going to discuss "M is for _________." Bet you won't have to think hard to figure this one out. Here's a hint: M is a partner to D :-)
Have a great week everyone — and we look forward to seeing you all next Sunday!
Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda
