Hari Om Parents!
Today was the tenth class of Balavihar!! Here is the summary of what we covered in class today:
After everyone joined the Zoom session:
1. Started the class with Opening prayers by chanting Om three times and then we all together chanted Sahana vavatu with one of the kids leading.
2. We explained why we chant Om three times and say Shanthi Shanthi Shanthi three times.
3. Then we practiced the Ganesh Bhajan and Krishna Bhajan, some of the kids chanted individually. And then we introduced the Rama bhajan and explained the meaning and repeated it word by word.
4.For Yoga time, we did Jumping Jacks, forward walking pose, tree pose, and lion pose.
5. Then we did the alphabet chant until letter 'H' with one of the kids leading it.
6. Next, we introduced the next letter 'I' - stands for Intelligence and that Intelligence is the mental ability of understanding and learning new facts.
7. For Brainstorming session - kids were asked questions on what mind is? what is Intellect? and explained that Intellect helps us decide what is right and what is wrong, our Mind helps us recognize specific object or situation. And that our intellect gives us good advice; but, to become a good person, we must also learn to listen to our intellect, just as we listen to our parents.
8. During Exploration time, we learnt the difference between humans and animals is that humans possess a well-developed mind and an intellect, while animals do not. And that we need to use our Intellect wisely by making right choices. And we discussed why an Elephant is considered as very intelligent.
9. During Story time, one of kids told the story of the Celestial Fruit, through which we learnt that you use your intellect, to become victorious.
10. Then 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.
11. During Brainstorming session, 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, it strengthens our mind and improves our concentration.
12. For Activity time, we shared a Picture on the screen containing many objects for few mins and then asked each kid what they remember from it to test their concentration skills. Some of the kids were able to remember and say some of the objects from the picture shared.
13. And then we discussed, why do we need to learn to concentrate and pay attention? By concentrating on a task and paying attention, we can succeed.
14. Then we learnt the song 'Khate Bhi Ram Kaho' by playing a video of this song sung by our Balavihar kids from youtube. Kids learnt the song and were chanting along. Also, we asked the kids to chant it with their favorite God's name.
15. Then, 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.
16. We made each kid say Om 3 times, while their Attendance was taken.
17. For Exit ticket, we told the kids to do Nama japa along with their family for some time and to chant God's name during the week while doing their activities
18. Lastly, we said the closing prayers and concluded the session.
Another exciting session with our wonderful kids. Kids were participating and sharing their views. The Geeta chanting videos have been shared please make kids practice. For today's class we covered 2 letters I and J.
Have a wonderful week ahead!!
Pranams
Selvi and Mahalaxmi