Morning Prayers Recited:
• Om Saha naavatu (My Prayers, page 6)
• Karagre Vaasate (My Prayers, page 43)
• Sarasvati Namastubhyam (My Prayers, page 44)
• Guru Brahma (My Prayers, page 9, third shloka)
Vedic Chanting:
• Praarthanaa with Panditji. (Chinmaya Book of Vedic Chants, page 3)
• Medha Sukhtam with Panditji. (Chinmaya Book of Vedic Chants, page 35)
Bhajans: Ganesha Sharanam and Subramanyam (My Prayers)
Storytime with Swamiji: Today we continued our video on Prahlada and Lord Vishnu with Swamiji. We saw the episode where Prahlada sat on the lap of Holika in the fire.
Art Projects: We began our Toran projects. Grades 1-3 started to cut their mango shaped leaves out of felt. Grades 4-8 made their long strip out of macrame and beads.
Shaanti Circle Discussion: After our morning prayers, we played our usual "Time" Game. We sat silently for three minutes before dropping pebbles into the pan. Many of our minds were wandering outside (playing in the fields) during this game, so only a few were able to stay focused on the pebble count. We're going to try again tomorrow for more accuracy!!
Being the first day of the week, we were happy to meet some of our new campers. We spent a few minutes introducing everyone and finding out a little bit about each person (via our jelly bean game.) We also spent some time talking about the first two paragraphs of the Chinmaya Pledge. We plan to spend the rest of the week on the Pledge -- defining some of the words and sharing our thoughts about what these ideas mean.
End of Class Prayers: Poornamadah, Chinmaya Pledge
Photo Gallery: July 13 (click here to view)
Comments: Lots of fun was had today -- everybody was very industrious and busy at different activities! We brought out the PVC pipes for outdoor sculpture making. Some of the children tried creating echo pipes where someone would whisper into one end while someone at the other end would be the receiver. We're hoping that we will get a super hot day this week, where we can try and create a sprinkler sculpture.
Many of the children progressed very nicely with making their torans. The bases should be completed by tomorrow -- and then they will be able to decorate their leaves with gems, sequins, etc.
We do have to practice our Vedic Chanting a little, however ;-) Panditji thought we sounded a little sleepy this morning. We assured him that we would chant loudly and confidently tomorrow morning!
