November 3rd Jersey City Balavihar Class Journal

K Blog

Om 3 times
Shanti Paath Sahanavavatu
Bhagvan Ganeshji’s prayer : Vakratunda Mahakaya
Guruvandanam: Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu
Daily prayers Pg 15 My Prayer Book) : Since students did well in recalling verses of  Karagre Vasate prayer,Saraswati Namastubhyam prayer and need very little prompt, we are moving to Brahmapanam prayer before lunch next time.
Yoga and Meditation: Students are learning how to breathe while doing yoga poses.
Sanskrit (Latika book): Students identified body parts (vadanam, Netrah, Karnas, Naasika, Hastah.Padau) learning to name them. They named the colors of each other shirts, parts of body ( teeth are Shwetah etc) and colors they see in nature( sky is neelah etc) in Sanskrit.
SaskritWriting: A, AA, Ee, EEE. They read the letters shown to them.
D for Dad: We learned why Daddy is respected as God (Pitrudeo Bhav). Important virtues we benefit by are kindness, wisdom, strength, love. Next class we will learn how differently girls and boys bow dad.
Activities:
Reading Interview answers: Hats off to Suraj, Surya and Satwik! They were very bold and brave in their presentation before class. They read their answers! Suraj even read questions! Great reading skills of all.
Coloring Page: D for Dad.Next class we will glue the summary.

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1st Grade

The past Balavihar session was a special one as we celebrated Deepavali. All the kids were dressed up in traditional clothes and were in high spirits!

We began our class with the Dhyaana Shloka - Om Sahanavavatu (pg 9) followed by attendance and the daily prayers (Karaagre Vasate, Vakratunda, Saraswati Namastubhyam, Bramhaarpanam, Shubham Karoti, Kara Charana - pages 14-17 of the My Prayer Book). We also revised the Gruru Sthothram till verse 8 (pg 85-86). We ended the first part of the session with singing Atmanivasi Ram – we are just left with the last verse in this bhajan, which we will learn after we finish the Ramayana story.

Please ensure that the kids practice all their prayers at home. Some of the kids are not at the same level as the rest of the class. Daily practice will help us proceed with the rest of the curriculum for the year.

Instead of carrying on with the chapter wise story telling of Ramayana, we skipped lessons and covered the story of Lord Rama’s return to Ayodhya as we wanted to discuss the reason for celebrating Deepavali. We learnt that Deepavali means “Row of Lights” and that the people of Ayodhya lit lamps and were celebrating on the streets as they were happy about Lord Rama returning to the kingdom after completing an exhile of 14 years and defeating Ravana. The sparkling lights helped Lord Rama’s group to see the way and know where to land their Pushpavimaan as it was very dark.

The kids described how they celebrate Diwali at home – getting up at the crack of dawn, taking a shower and wearing new clothes, lighting lamps, candles and fairy lights at home, bursting crackers, eating lots of sweets and other homemade goodies as well as visiting friends and family. We also touched upon the fact that in some places Diwali is celebrated over a period of 4-5 days and includes Dhanteras, Lakshmi Puja and Bhai Dooj/ Bhau Beej.

For their activities, I gave out earthen diyas to the kids and they decorated it with sparkling stones and rainbow stickers. Then each of them placed a candle in the diya, which they said they would be lighting in the evening.

We concluded the class with the closing prayer - Om Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinaha (pg-19). The kids are now familiar with the prayer as well as its meaning.

For their homework, please make sure the kids revise their vowels and prayers. I will be testing them in this upcoming class.

See you at the next class. Please be sure to bring you folders.







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2nd and 3rd Grade: Lord Hanuman

Teachers: Vani Aunty; Anisha Aunty

Hari OM All,

Below is the class review until now for Hanuman section (2nd and 3rd graders). It is important reminder for parents that children should carry Balavihar Folders and their My Prayers books to each class. The teachers mark up the prayers that they have to learn and practice at home. Parental co-operation is much appreciated.

Who is Lord Hanuman?

Hanuman is son of King Kesari (king of monkeys) and Princess Anjani and incarnate of Lord Shiva.

Why was Lord Hanuman born?

The rakshasas were wrecking havoc on earth. The Rakhsasa king Ravana had obtained boon from Lord Shiva that he may not be killed by any other rakhshsa, deva or any other divine being. The only exceptions to this boon were human beings, monkeys and bears. The Devas (and King Indra who is the king of devas) approached Lord Vishnu to seek his help. Lord Vishnu decided to be born as Rama , son of Dasratha.

Lord Shiva, upon hearing this decides to be born as Hanuman, to serve and assit Lord Vishnu in his Rama Avatara (meaning to Avatara to be explained as incarnate, another form of, taking birth as….)

What is the story behind Lord Hanuman's birth?

Indra is threatened by a rishi performing penance. He sends a courtesan/dancer named Punji-Kasthala from his court to distract the rishi. PK succeeds but gets cursed by the rishi that she will be born as a monkey. She begs for forgiveness so curse gets changed. She will be born as monkey but can assume human form. She gets born as princess Anjani.

Princess Anjani gets married to King Kesari. She prays to Lord Shiva daily. One day wind God Pawan appears to her and informs her that she will give birth to a son and he will be a great man with many qualities. That son is Lord Hanuman.

What are the qualities of Lord Hanuman?

Children drew pictures of what qualities they remembered of Lord Hanuman. Some observations made by the children:

He has a Gada (given by indra- watch movie to know complete story)

He lifted a mountain

His tail can become really long and was on fire. (one of his boons from the fire god is that fire will never harm him)

He can become really big and really small

Why are we studying Lord Hanuman?

He was the ideal son, ideal friend, ideal devotee, and could accomplish any task that was given to him, but he was never arrogant and always remained humble. We want to know more about how and why he became that way so that we can be more like him (not monkey faced!) but by absorbing his qualities inside and becoming perfect!

Activities so far:

Children need to know the names of all persons in the narration above and how they link together. FLOWCHART/FAMILY TREE of how these persons link together.

Hanuman Mask

Hanuman Qualities Spine

Shlokas known so far (some need practice):

Om Sahanavavatu (Prayer for Peace)

Vakratunda Mahakaya (Invocation of Lord Ganesha)

Saraswati Namastubhyam (Invocation of Goddess Sarawati)

Buddhir Balam (Enunciation of Qualities of Lord Hanuman)

Oct 27th, 2013 Jersey City Balavihar Class Journal

K Blog 

Because of Indian Halloween Parade ,classroom time was limited.

Om
Shanti path Sahanavavtu
Bhagvan Ganeshji’s Prayer : Vakratunda Mahakaya
Daily Prayer : Students are doing well on recalling Karagre Vasate Prayes
Yoga : This is a popular demand!
Sanskrit : Students are enjoying participation in the games for learning body parts and Sanskrit colors.
Lesson letter D :  We could only partially cover the lesson because of Diwali –Halloween Parade. Students received homework page of interviewing their Dad. Moms will help to read the questionnaire prior to interview. Please encourage them to be professional, bold while interviewing. Do not make fun if children make mistakes. Please be serious when you answer as students are learning Pitrudeo Bhav ! Students will be given opportunity to present before class and discuss answers.

Happy Diwali to all !

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1st Grade 

It was wonderful to see the kids all dressed up for the Indian fancy dress this past weekend. Here is the update for the previous balavihar session.

We did a quick run through of the Dhyaana Shloka - Om Sahanavavatu (pg 9) followed by attendance and the daily prayers (Karaagre Vasate, Vakratunda, Saraswati Namastubhyam, Bramhaarpanam, Shubham Karoti, Kara Charana - pages 14-17 of the My Prayer Book).
We also revised the Gruru Sthothram till verse 8 (pg 85-86). Please be sure to practice the verses at home as some kids are having trouble saying them with the rest of the class.

In Ramayana, we discussed the story of how Janaka, the king of Mithila, found Sita while ploughing the fields for a yagya and accepted her as a gift from Bhumadevi, took her home and brought her up as his own daughter. The kids also learnt about Valmiki reaching Mithila along with Rama and Lakshmana and how Rama took up the challenge of breaking Rudra’s bow to marry Sita. Everyone in class was in a festive mood as they were dressed up as the characters at the wedding.

For the activity we continued to trace Lord Rama’s journey on the map of India. All the kids are requested to please bring this map to every class along with their folders. Also, since we were attending a wedding, we discussed what gift we should give. For this, each kid got a sheet of paper on which they were asked to write down whatever bad habits they wanted to get rid of. They folded the sheets and put it in a gift bag that I assured would reach Lord Rama. The idea is that God will accept these bad habits and convert them into good ones for the kids. That would be the best gift we could give!

We concluded the class with the closing prayer - Om Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinaha (pg-19). We also revised the meaning of this prayer.

For their homework, please make sure the kids revise their vowels and the Gurusthothram upto verse 8. Also, color the picture of Sita Swayamvar that has been sent home.

See you at the next class. Please dress up in traditional clothes as we will be celebrating the festival of Deepavali.

Class Review for 2nd and 3rd Grade: Lord Hanuman
Teachers: Vani Aunty & Anisha Aunty


Hari OM All,

Below is the class review until now for Hanuman section (2nd and 3rd graders). It is important reminder for parents that children should carry Balavihar Folders and their My Prayers books to each class. The teachers mark up the prayers that they have to learn and practice at home. Parental co-operation is much appreciated.

Who is Lord Hanuman?

Hanuman is son of King Kesari (king of monkeys) and Princess Anjani and incarnate of Lord Shiva.

Why was Lord Hanuman born?

The rakshasas were wrecking havoc on earth. The Rakhsasa king Ravana had obtained boon from Lord Shiva that he may not be killed by any other rakhshsa, deva or any other divine being. The only exceptions to this boon were human beings, monkeys and bears. The Devas (and King Indra who is the king of devas) approached Lord Vishnu to seek his help. Lord Vishnu decided to be born as Rama , son of Dasratha.

Lord Shiva, upon hearing this decides to be born as Hanuman, to serve and assit Lord Vishnu in his Rama Avatara (meaning to Avatara to be explained as incarnate, another form of, taking birth as….)

What is the story behind Lord Hanuman's birth?

Indra is threatened by a rishi performing penance. He sends a courtesan/dancer named Punji-Kasthala from his court to distract the rishi. PK succeeds but gets cursed by the rishi that she will be born as a monkey. She begs for forgiveness so curse gets changed. She will be born as monkey but can assume human form. She gets born as princess Anjani.

Princess Anjani gets married to King Kesari. She prays to Lord Shiva daily. One day wind God Pawan appears to her and informs her that she will give birth to a son and he will be a great man with many qualities. That son is Lord Hanuman.

What are the qualities of Lord Hanuman? 

Children drew pictures of what qualities they remembered of Lord Hanuman. Some observations made by the children:

He has a Gada (given by indra- watch movie to know complete story)

He lifted a mountain

His tail can become really long and was on fire. (one of his boons from the fire god is that fire will never harm him)

He can become really big and really small

Why are we studying Lord Hanuman?

He was the ideal son, ideal friend, ideal devotee, and could accomplish any task that was given to him, but he was never arrogant and always remained humble. We want to know more about how and why he became that way so that we can be more like him (not monkey faced!) but by absorbing his qualities inside and becoming perfect!

Activities so far:
Children need to know the names of all persons in the narration above and how they link together. FLOWCHART/FAMILY TREE of how these persons link together. 

Hanuman Mask

Hanuman Qualities Spine

Shlokas known so far (some need practice):

Om Sahanavavatu (Prayer for Peace)

Vakratunda Mahakaya (Invocation of Lord Ganesha)

Saraswati Namastubhyam (Invocation of Goddess Sarawati)

Buddhir Balam (Enunciation of Qualities of Lord Hanuman)

Oct 20th, 2013 Jersey City Balavihar Class Journal

Next Class: 10/27/2013 @ 10am


Pre K

We started with covering the basic slokams:
Sahana Vavatu
Karagre Vasethe Lakshmi

Then we read from the CM Publications bool Little Yash is Happy Right Now. The kids learnt about how you can choose to be happy whether you are alone or with friends, at work or in play, etc. The book is a pop-up book and the younger students (age 2-3) especially enjoyed being able to participate by pointing out things they recognized (magician, slide, birthday cake, etc)

We did our set of yoga poses (tree, mouse, candle, lion, windmill)

Then we re-enacted our version of the Ramayana - complete with toy bow/arrow and gada! The kids are learning to say "Rama with the crown, Rama with the bow, Rama with the arrow" to help identify Lord Rama. If parents can point these characteristics out in pictures at home, this will help reinforce the message.

Afterwards, we talked a little bit about Diwali and its link to Rama's homecoming.

Next week will be "Fancy Indian Dress" day, but the week after we will be doing a sponge art activity with the kids. If any parents are interested in helping out the day of or by buying art supplies ahead of time, please reach out to Sandhya at jcbalavihar@gmail.com.

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K

Shanti Paath
Bhagvan Ganesha Prayer : Vakratunda Mahakaya
Saraswati Namstubhyam
Guru Prayer : Gururbrahma Grururvishnu
Daily Prayer : Karagre Vasate
Bhajan : Shree Ganaraya
Lesson : C for cleanliness: We learned why it is important to keep mind clean,how mind
                Gets dirty, how to clean it.
Sanskrit :  Color words रक्तः नीलः पीतः हरितःश्वेतः
                 Body parts  Netram ( eyes), Vadan ( mouth), Naasika ( nose)
                 Writing a.aa
                     
Yoga postures : Tree , windmill, bird, candle, mouse, lion, butterfly,
Activity : Coloring worksheet for the letter c
Home work : worksheet : Draw pictures or write how to keep surrounding ,body, mind clean.
Please buy Purple book : ABC balavihar Alphabets: So summary of the lesson can be glued.

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1st Grade

The update for the blog:
Our session covered the Dhyaana Shloka - Om Sahanavavatu (pg 9) followed by attendance and the daily prayers (Karaagre Vasate, Vakratunda, Saraswati Namastubhyam, Bramhaarpanam, Shubham Karoti, Kara Charana - pages 14-17 of the My Prayer Book). We had a new student Sai in our class. We also had Varun from the higher grade as a guest in our class and he assisted me with the activities.

We practiced the bhajan Rama Naama Thaarakam (pg 211). We also revised the Gruru Sthothram till verse 7 and learnt verse 8 (pg 85-86).

In Ramayana, we covered the chapters involving the great sage Valmiki coming to Ayodhya for help against the asuras disturbing his yagya. We discussed how Rama and his brothers were excellent sons and students. We learnt about how Rama and Lakshmana travelled with Valmiki through the Dandaka forest to the ashram of Valmiki and how the asuras Maricha (who will play an important role later) and Subahu were defeated. We also learnt about Ahalya. That led us to the next verse of the bhajan  Atma Nivasi Ram – Ahalyodharaka Ram (pg 209-210).
As a part of the day’s activity, we traced the footsteps of Valmiki, Rama and Lakshmana from Ayodhya to Valmiki’s Ashrama. Please bring this map of India to every class as we will continue to mark Lord Rama’s journey right upto the defeat of Ravana. We also discussed the story of Vamana Avatara. The significance here is that the place where Mahabali got immortality from Vamana is where Valmiki’s ashram was situated.
Varun helped answer some of the questions the kids had regarding these chapters. Next week, we will cover the chapter of Rama’s wedding to Sita. As this coincides with the fancy dress day, we decided to dress up as characters for the wedding. Varun made chits and the kids picked the characters from the chits. For those not present in the previous session, please pick any character from the Rama-Sita wedding excluding Rama, Lakshmana, Bharat, Shatrughna, Sita, Urmila, Kauhsalya, Kaikeyi and Dasharatha as these characters have all already been picked. It would be nice to see the kids from first grade be a part of the Ramayana J
I know this is short notice, so if you don’t find any appropriate costume/prop, please come dressed in traditional Indian wear.
We concluded the class with meditation followed by the closing prayer - Om Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinaha (pg-19). We also learnt the meaning of this prayer.
Thank you Varun for helping out.
For their homework, please make sure the kids revise their vowels and the Gurusthothram upto verse 8. After the Diwali class, I plan to take a test of the vowels so that we can proceed with Sanskrit writing.

See you at the next class. Please remember to bring you folders.

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Oct 6th, 2013 Jersey City Balavihar Class Journal

1st grade

The last class followed the usual routine of the Dhyaana Shloka - Om Sahanavavatu (pg 9) followed by attendance and a quick revision of the daily prayers (Karaagre Vasate, Vakratunda, Saraswati Namastubhyam, Bramhaarpanam, Shubham Karoti, Kara Charana - pages 14-17 of the My Prayer Book).

We practiced the bhajan Rama Naama Thaarakam (pg 211) and revised the first 3 verses of the bhajan - Atma Nivasi Ram (pg 209-210). We also revised the Gruru Sthothram till verse 7 (pg 85-86).

Since it was the class scheduled for celebrating Navaratri, we discussed the significance of the festival. We spoke about how the first three days are for worshipping Goddess Durga, the next three days for Goddess Lakshmi and the last three days for Goddess Sarasawati. The kids discussed how they celebrate Navaratri in their homes. All different aspects from fasting moms, to Dandiya Ras and Golu were shared. We also spoke about how kanchakas are worshipped and Prasad (halwa puris) are distributed in some homes while in others Sundals are distributed as prasadam and the women and girls are called for haldi kumkum and given gifts.

Then we related it to Ramayana by discussing how Ravana was killed on Vijaya Dashami. We got to know about Ram Leela and how processions and jhankis are carried out India comprised of characters from Ramayana and how someone dressed as Rama gets to shoot a fire arrow at the Ravana effigy which burns amidst much fanfare and fireworks depicting the end of war between Lord Rama and Ravana.

In keeping with the Navaratri theme, the kids drew, colored and decorated a picture of Goddess Durga. Finally, we concluded the class with meditation followed by the closing prayer - Om Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinaha (pg-19).

For their homework, please make sure the kids revise their vowels and the Gurusthothram upto verse 7.

See you at the next class. Please remember to bring you folders.

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2nd - 3rd Grade

We started the class with Lord Ganesha's prayer Vakratunda ( pg 37 my prayers book) and Godess Saraswathi's prayer Saraswathi namastubhyam ( pg 15 my prayers book). Following this we introduced ourselves as I was new to kids.
We revised the story behind Hanuman's birth. Who is Hanuman? Why was he born? What are the qualities of Hanuman and why are we studying Hanuman? After revision we continued Hanuman's story with his childhood anecdotes like the one where he tries to grabs the sun thinking it is a red fruit.We also learnt how Maruti got the name Hanuman and how he got various boons from the Devatas.I was impressed that the children knew most of the things and how they related some aspects of the story to their everyday life. For craft the kids colored a picture of Hanuman flying to get the Sanjeevani mountain.The kids also tried to draw Hanuman's family tree.We had some funny moments when the kids tried to discuss about their family tree.We ended the class with Dhyaana shloka Om Sahanvavatu (pg 9 my prayers book).

Sept 22, 2013 Jersey City Balavihar Class Journal

Next Class: Oct 6th, 2013

K Blog:
Sevika : Harshala Sarwadnya

Shanti Paath : Sahanavavatu (pg 9 My prayers book)
Bhagvan Ganeshji’s Prayer: Vakratunda (pg 37 my prayers book)
Bhagavati Saraswati’s prayer: Saraswati Namstubhyam (pg   15 my prayers book)
Yoga poses: tree, lion, mouse, candle, butterfly, mouse, and windmill
Sanskrit color words: (White- shwetah, black - Shamala Green – Haritah Red – Raktah yellow peetah). Students named colors of their shirt; body parts eg white Shweath- teeth
Story:  Best Archer: Guru Dronacharya testing students on Archery. Single pointed attention is needed for attaining aspiration.
Discussion:  Why sweet mind is important? What does word Aspiration means? What are the two important things needed to attain aspiration?
Activity: Coloring A for Aspiration page, identifying a hidden lady bug with a magnifier.

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1st Grade Class Blog
Sevika: Priya 

Our class began with the Dhyaana Shloka - Om Sahanavavatu (pg 9) followed by attendance. We had a new student in class today and when I asked the other kids to tell her about our attendance routine, we had some light moments when the a couple of kids ended up saying “Present/here” instead of “Hari Om” as we usually do J . Next we had a quick revision of the daily prayers (Karaagre Vasate, Vakratunda, Saraswati Namastubhyam, Bramhaarpanam, Shubham Karoti, Kara Charana - pages 14-17 of the My Prayer Book).

We learnt an interesting thing from two of the students – Shreya and Vedant, who taught us the significance of joining the hands in a “Namaste” pose for prayers. We join our hands and our thumb fingers point to our chest; this represents our praying for those who are dearest to us – our friends and family. The upright index fingers represent us praying for our teachers, the middle fingers, being the tallest, represent us praying for our leaders, the ring finger being the weakest, represents us praying for all those who are sick, poor and needy. Finally comes the tiny pinky finger, which represents us praying for ourselvesJ.

We practiced the bhajan Rama Naama Thaarakam (pg 211) and revised the first 3 verses of the bhajan - Atma Nivasi Ram (pg 209-210).We also learnt verse 7 from the Gruru Sthothram (pg 85-86).

From the Bala Ramayana we covered the yagna performed by King Dasharatha resulting in the birth of the 4 princes – Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna. The children learnt about sharing as the queens Kaushalya and Kaikeyi shared their kheer with Sumitra. The kids were very amused and excited by the knowledge that Lakshmana and Shatrughna were twins born to Sumitra as a result of her eating two portions of the kheer!

We practised writing "Ram" in Sanskrit. We also practiced our vowels in Sanskrit. The kids got to color a couple of pages from the Ramayana story. We practiced the colors in Sanskrit by locating them on the rug. Finally, we concluded the class with meditation followed by the closing prayer - Om Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinaha (pg-19).

For their homework, please make sure the kids revise their vowels and the Gurusthothram upto verse 7. Color the Ramayana sheet sent home, write your name and grade and insert the sheet into the folder.

See you at the next class. Please remember to bring you folders.

Have a good week! See you on at the next class.

Sept 15, 2013 Jersey City Balavihar Class Journal

K class ( Teacher - Harshala Sarwadnya)

Shanti Paath(Om Sahanavavatu)

Bhagavan Ganesha's prayer

Guru's prayer

Bhagavati Saraswati's prayer

Story of 3 questions

Sanskrit colors red ( Raktah) Green( Haritah)

Yoga poses ( tree , windmill, candle, butterfly, lion,mouse)

Activity: Find a lady bug

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1st Grade (Teacher - Priya Sahasranaman)

Our class started with the Dhyaana Shloka - Om Sahanavavatu (pg 9). This was followed by an attendance/introduction session. It was wonderful to see that the kids remembered their daily prayers (Om Sahana Vavatu, Karaagre Vasate, Vakratunda, Saraswati Namastubhyam, Bramhaarpanam, Shubham Karoti, Kara Charana - pages 14-17 of the My Prayer Book).

We sang  the first 3 verses of a new Bhajan - Atma Nivasi Ram (pg 209-210).We also learnt verse 6 from the Gruru Sthothram (pg 85-86); the first 5 verses were covered last year.

We had a "fun" first class. Amidst getting serious with the regular shlokas, bhajans and activities, the kids shared a few tidbits about their plans for the day and their thoughts on "Ramayana". We will be covering "Bala Ramayana" with the first graders this year - each one had their own input to give as they are all familiar with the story in general. We discussed the first chapter from the book which was an introduction to Ayodhya and King Dasharatha. The children then proceeded to make their name tag with "Ram" written on it and decorated it with the image of a bow and arrow. They also drew and colored a picture of what they thought Ayodhya looked like at the time of King Dasharatha.

We practised writing "Ram" in Sanskrit. Finally,we concluded the class with meditation followed by the closing prayer - Om Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinaha (pg-19).

As a part of their homework I would like the kids to revise their vowels in Sanskrit which they have already covered last year. We will be going over that in the next class before moving on to other things. Also, practice till verse 6 from the Guru Sthothram.

See you at the next class. Please remember to bring you folders.

Change in Location for Jersey City Balavihar classes

JCBV is now at
PS 16 Cornelia F Bradford Elementary School

96 Sussex Street, Jersey City 07302
Washington and Grand Street intersection.
Very close to EXCHANGE PLACE PATH station.

Please plan to arrive 30 minutes early to look for parking as we do not have a parking lot. Or feel free to take the PATH or LIGHT RAIL
10:00 AM -12:00 noon.

Bala Vihar Resumes - September 15th, 2013

 

Bala Vihar Resumes September 15th, 2013

Hope you all had a great summer! We are happy to welcome you to another year of Chinmaya Jersey City Balavihar in September. We have a fun year planned with lots of exciting activities, hindi language classes, talk on parenting, ashram visit and lots of festival fun and parties!

START DATE: September 15th, 2013
10:00 AM -12:00 noon.
Please be on time.

 Essential Details

Address:
The Frank R. Conwell Elementary School
111 Bright St
Jersey City, NJ 07302

Parking:
School parking lot near Jersey Avenue & Bright Street OR Street parking

Public Transport:

Jersey Avenue HBLR Station (5 min)
Grove Street PATH train (15 min)

NJ transit to Hoboken & PATH to Grove Street

JC Balavihar Calendar 2013-2014

Here is the Balavihar calendar for this school year 2013-2014. If there are any changes to this, you will be notified via email.

9/15/2013 - First Day of Balavihar
9/22/2013
10/6/2013 - Navaratri Festival
10/20/2013
10/27/2013 - Indian Fancy Dress
11/3/2013  - Deepaavali
11/17/2013
11/24/2013 - Thanksgiving
12/8/2013
12/15/2013
1/5/2014
1/12/2014 - Sankranti
1/26/2014 - Republic Day
2/2/2014
2/9/2014
2/23/2014 - Maha Shivaratri
3/2/2014
3/9/2014
3/16/2014
4/6/2014 - Hanuman Jayanti Srirama Navami
4/27/2014
5/4/2014
5/11/2014 - Sri Gurudev Jayanti
5/18/2014
6/1/2014
6/8/2014 - Balavihar Annual Day

May 19th, 2013 - Jersey City Balavihar Swamiji Visit, Kids Performances

Hari OM everyone!

Thanks to everyone, the event well off very well. It was wonderful to see everyone looking and so enthusiastic despite the weather. It was also lovely to finally meet some of the spouses- who not only were enthusiastic, but also so very very helpful in getting things done! 

The event was very well orchestrated, beautiful and full of love and dedication. The children's performances were heart warming and brilliant and the parents performance was spectacular!

Thank you to Swamiji for coming to visit our Balavihar family, for changing his schedule and coming all the way to bless us, for his love and inspiration and for looking the other way when Uncle Siva signs big checks to pay for the BV! Thank you for your love Swamiji!

Since Food is the most important- Big thank you to the food committee led by Anjali Sharma & Veeresh Singh for the delicious and tasty food, the well defined menu for breakfast, and the great desserts. Thank you to everyone who cooked and for repeat of your trademark dishes! Everything was delicious and the empty trays are a testament to that. A special shout out to Shilpaji and family for providing all the eating utensils (plates, napkins, glasses, tablecloth, bags serving spoons etc) not only for this event but for the next 4 events! :)

Thank you to the teachers for coming together so well. The children looked fabulous and performed so wonderfully! The costumes were creative and so extraordinary and the timing and delivery of lines absolutely amazing. Special thanks to Ramya, Priya, Sandhya, Shwetha, Harshala Aunty & Deepa for teaching their kids so well and making sure they stayed mostly on track..and for the great digressions in an otherwise boring story! Thank you for their voices in chanting and in song, and their well managed enthusiasm!

Special thanks to Priya and Mira who not only looked amazing but gave an enthralling and inspirational performance - one to admire and inspire and learn from. Thank you both for your dedication, effort and work at the Balavihar and at this event!

Thank you to the dads who "got handy" in the morning and climbed on the ladders, stuck flowers, cut tape, stuck up banners, cleaned up and moved furniture around, did heavy lifting, operated cameras and recoding equipment and captured special moments during the course of the day, soothed crying babies, managed cranky children, changed soiled diapers, set up buffet tables, fetched and delivered stuff, set up books, took care of Swamiji and then cleaned everything up when the tasks were done. You all are invaluable to the Balavihar and your commitment and dedication to just amazing!! Thank you all! 

Thank you to all the moms and grandmas, who cooked, cleaned, came, dressed the kids in such spectacular costumes, managed kids, did the Purnakumbha and Aarti pooja, managed their classes, helped out with the buffet, served Swamiji, decorated and cleaned up stuff, took kids to bathroom, fed them snacks and food, cleaned up and kept cleaning up, made the special moments to be captured on film, dragged some unwilling spouses to BV and put them to work, carried things that others may need to BV, changed other people's kids and took care of them, managed "wardrobe malfunctions" and smiled and made it all look so easy. Thank you all!!

Thank you to Vasava Uncle and Uncle Siva for bringing Swamji, delaying him just that little bit so that we all got our act together, carrying all the fundamentals that we needed for running the event and providing crucial guidance on how to manage what for the BV. We are truly grateful for your inspiring leadeership, seva and your dedication. Thank you very much!

Last but not the least, very special thanks to Harshala Aunty and Sandhya for designing, deliberation, managing and executing this entire event. Sandhya for her musical gift and providing entertainment, mentoring and on event- babysitting help when required. Harshala Aunty who not only single handedly managed the logistics of all the items but also was instrumental in the stage design and set up! Harshala Aunty's dedication for this effort and the Balavihar is unmatched and we are all truly grateful for that! 

Thank you all. Have a great memorial day weekend and see you all either at the Chinmaya Mission family camp or June 2nd. 

Love & OM!

May 12th, 2013 Balavihar Class Journal

This week, we did not have a regular class. All classes celebrated Gurudeo's Birthday which was on May 8th and also Mothers day. All of us chanted 108 names of Gurudeo, sang arti prayer. For Mother's day, we sang Matrustavanam and kids gave flowers to their mom and took blessings from their moms.

All classed then practiced their performances for Swamiji's visit.

Next class: May 19th, 2013
Swamiji will be visiting during this class. All classes will be performing for swamiji.

May 5th, 2013 Balavihar Class Journal

PreK  Class Journal - Teachers: Sandhya and Ramya

The class started with the prayers and shlokas.

Prayers/Shlokas

• OM (3 times)
• Om Sahanavavathu

Bhajans

Ganesha Sharanam (first god to pray)
• Saraswathi Namathubyam

Yoga

We did the following poses:

Tree pose, windmill, quiet mouse, llion pose, butterfly, bird, candle, 

Raas Leela

The kids attempted to dance to "Krishan" from the Arghya CD.

Three Gods

The kids reviewed the phrases about each god. Please use the linked video for practice:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEnEDoXGkyg&feature=player_embedded

Meditation

We practiced breathing deeply in and out with the proper posture and hand pose (three fingers straight and the thumb +forefinger in a circle).

Story Time

We told a few stories from Panchatantra (available at bookstore)

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K  Class Journal - Teachers: Harshala and Shweta

Shanti Paath

Meaning of one daily Prayer: Harinee did great on telling meaning of Karagre Vasate!

Gurustrotram

Bhajans

Lesson S is in smile: Students learned that smiling is important because it helps us to make friends; it keeps us healthy and requires less muscular effort (less muscle work) than frowning.

Story: Million dollar smile.

Activity: Find hidden smiley face worksheet.

Game: I love to smile Classroom made Vedanta smile finally when he was determined not to smile in the game!

 Lesson T is for truth Students leaned that truth always wins. Benefits of lying are temporary. Truth is sincerity in actions and words.

Story: A boy who cried a wolf.

Game: It is hard to tell a lie.

Practice of play

Meditation

Homework coloring pages for S and T. Review ABC purple K book for the summary.

Review meaning of daily prayers. Assigned students will take turn in telling the meaning of the daily prayers. 

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1st/2nd Grade Class Journal - Teachers: Deepa and Priya

Our class went as:

1. Om Sahanavavathu

2. Attendance

3. Daily Prayers (Karaagre Vasate, Vakratunda, Bramhaarpanam, Saraswati Namastubhyam, Shubham Karoti, Kara Charana)

4. GuruSthothram - 8 verses have been covered so far
5. Bhajans - We practiced Radhe Radhe and learnt Rama Naama Thaarakam as there are new kids who haven't learned these before

6. We covered the chapter of Surpanakha from Bala Ramayana

7. We went through the colors in Sanskrit in the form of a game

8. The entire Sanskrit vowel sequence was covered and the kids have been asked to write the series 2 times as a part of their homework.

9. The class was concluded with meditation followed by the closing prayer - Om Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinaha

All the kids have picked the characters they want to represent for Swamiji's visit and those who needed help with the lines to be recited have been told what to say as well. While coming for the next class please have the words and costume ready so we can rehearse. If the words have not been learnt, have them on a piece of paper to read out. See you at class next week.

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