Feb 21, 2010

Next class : Feb 28, 2010;

Aarthi in the classroom. We would like to invite all the parents to come inside the class at 11.30am for a quick 5 minute meeting.

Announcements:

Swami Shantanandaji's Geeta Gnana Yagna on Bhagavat Geeta Chapter 13 starts on Monday Feb 22 and ends on Feb 27 at the Vrindavan Ashram in Cranbury. Weekdays it is from 7.30-9pm and on Saturday 4.30-6pm. Free babysitting service available.

Feb 21, 2010:

Beginning Prayers:

• Om Saha navavathu
• Early morning prayer - Karaagre Vasathe Lakshmi
• Prayer for Lord Ganesha - Vakratunda Mahakaaya
• Prayer for Goddess Saraswathi - Saraswathi Namastubhyam
• Prayer after lighting the lamp - Shubham Karothi Kalyanam
• Gurur Brahma Gurur Vishnu
• Sarva Mangala Mangalye
• Prayer before eating - Brahmaarpanam

Story:

• The story of Samudra Manthan - how Shiva's neck turned blue.
  

Craft:

• Shiva coloring page
  

Games:

• None
  

Ending Prayers:

• Asatho maa sath gamaya


• Om Poornamadah Poornamidam

Bhajans:

• Great God Ganapathy (click here for audio)


• My God is so Great (click here for audio)


• Ekadantaya Vakratundaya

Bhagavad Geeta:

• Chapter X Shloka 1, 2, 3 and 4

Comments:

• Meeting as we did, after a long break, the children pleasantly surprised us by remembering and doing almost all the beginning prayers on their own. Many of them have been practising at home we can see. Way to go!
  

• They did both the old bhajans on their own and also sang very well the new one. Since the speaker was not working, we just sang on our own and some of the girls danced :-)
  
• We then heard the story of the Devas and Asuras churning the ocean, and how the poison came up first and Shiva drank the poison and to keep him awake the whole night, the devas and asuras sang and danced - Shiva's neck turned blue because of the poison and hence His name Neelakanta. We also sang a Bhajan - Bholo natha Umapathe.
  
• We learned a few more names of Shiva too. But the children were not content with ending the story there and so we heard more about what happened later, and how the Amrith that came up was distributed by Mohini. Please ask them about the story.
• Mamata Aunty then quizzed them about it and their homework for this week is to find out the name of the mountain that was used to churn the ocean.
• We then had a small discussion about their ideas of good and bad - what good people did and did not do and what bad people did. It was very revealing :-)
  
• It is really amazing how some of our little friends have memorized until Shloka 5 of the Geeta!! Wow! Many of them have memorized until Shloka 3. We practised until 3 again and started the 4th Shloka. We only have 3 more to go. It will be very good if we can get the entire class to register for the Geeta competition.
• To encourage the children to practise all the Shlokas and Bhajans at home and memorize, we are planning to come up with an individual chart for each child listing all the shlokas, and as and when they can recite it on their own, they could come up and put a sticker against it. And it will be handed out along with a Certificate at the end of the year. With enthusiastic support and encouragement from the parents, we are sure all the children will be able to do it.
  
• They colored a picture of Shiva remembering to color the neck blue :-)
• They all received a prize today for saying the Shlokas on their own! More new prizes are waiting to be given out!!
  

Reminders:

• Please remember to take the kids to the bathroom before class.