Indiyeah!

What a day! India are the winners of the Cricket world cup final..

For me this event, marks a time when belief in self is back in vogue! India to regain her glory needs her people to do this .. believe in themselves and stay true to their roots.. It is so easy to get swayed by stories of doom and gloom ...but , the minute we believe , we can, yes we can!

Go India Go!

Flash back to a time when we believed..the Story of our independence movement..

P has captured it so well in her social studies final exam paper..in this story board..The key events of the freedom movement and finally at the stroke of the midnight hour on 15th August 1947 we are a free nation.

I end this post with a video of D singing , Nanna Munna rahi hoon..The evergreen number of a young kids dream for the motherland and the promises he wants to keep for her..

Jai Hind!

Hungry Caterpillar and Spunky Snail

The second edition of the colour tree workshops drew to a close today..

The very hungry caterpillar by Eric Carle  follows the journey of a caterpillar from the time he is a tiny egg on a leaf.He is ravenous, as he breaks out of his egg, one fine Sunday morning.. eating up all that he can he can find.. He is doing fine till Friday...On Saturday, he gobbles up a whole of junk fund and gets ill with a stomach ache..gets better on Sunday , eating healthy stuff and slow he is not a little caterpillar any more.. He is big and fat and builds a house around himself.He Stays in his cocoon house for a couple of weeks, until he finally nibbles his way out of his house and he is beautiful butterfly!..

Then we went off one some wild trips with a spunky snail , who wants  to see the world! What can stop any one  from following their dreams? Not size! She hitches a ride with a friendly blue hump back whale and off they go!....past icebergs and volcanoes , storms and sharks..they run into trouble as the whale gets lost and beached..
Preview
Our spunky little friend to the rescue.. she gets help and the two friends are back on sea..!

An enduring tale about spunk,following dreams , thinking about of the box, small is big.. if you will, and  friendship through good and bad times..
Best friends forever.. Snail and the Whale...Go on guys!

Honesty and Hardwork-Revisted!

Honesty and Hard work- words that sound almost old- fashioned.. but are they not the cornerstones of character?
My young friends and I revisited honesty and hardwork, even as we continued our exploration into the animal kingdom...

"The little Red Hen"..a classic  English folk tale of a hard working hen and her lazy friends.. while the hen sows the grain, tends to her field,harvests the wheat, takes it to the miller, and finally bakes her bread  with the flour she pounded, her friends do not budge to help her.. They are too busy lying around under the sun..

Its time to eat the tasty bread and her friends come bounding to help her."This time is different!", says the hen as she tells tells them.." I will eat the bread all by myself"!Hard work is rewarding, for sure!!



Then we moved on to a swamp near Louisiana to  meet Ally, the Alligator..The young Alligator in " The Alligators' secret " finds out how lies can get you into a world of trouble.


He learns that when you commit a mistake, it is better to own up and ask for help, rather that cover up with lies and pretence.
Truth Triumphs..!!

Little Hen pen holder and an Ally the Alligator -puppet  added up to make the carft hour!

Holi Hai...

Its Holi..and theres' nothing Holy about it!

Its a time when you can show  your true colours!, quite literally..guards are down and and you get to connect with everyone from the heart, no holds barred!

I for one, Love Holi..

The colours, sweets, water play, music , dance and the drinks!

Bring it on, Holi hai..!

Lost and Found

Its the season 2 of the colour tree workshops and we are all set to journey into the animal kingdom..

First up, Lets ' save the animals and find them suitable homes. Noah tells us how! Noahs' Ark, A Mythical  tale, so deep with meaning.. brought alive by a lovely pop up book..

In the process, a naughty monkey is lost.. My young friends want to call him , naughty chickoo chuckles..All the animals and birds and fishes and creepy crawlies have found their home and living happily ever after , but chuckles, is lost.

"The Little Monkey gets lost"... as he roams about tired and sleepy , in search of his home..meets a wasp,an eagle, a tortoise,a catfish,a rabbit, a snake,a bat, an owl and finds out where and how they live..before finally coming home.

A wonderfully illustrated book , which introduces the concept of  "habitat"..  where animals live and what their  homes are  made of..

We made Pop cards and chickoo and friends face masks at art time..

Patch of Life..

A patch of wet earth..

Its  a place of creation..where you can sow any thing..and see it grow..
but yes, you can reap only what you have sown!!!!

Its like a blank canvas which allows the colours to take any form , shape and hue..

It is like a moms' bosom.. nurturing .. providing.. all that a new born needs..

Its truly a place of wonder..full of possibilities..full of LIFE..!!

Keeping it simple..!

Why is it that our mind avoids complications but creates it effortlessly ?!!

I wonder , if  branding something " difficult" is a clever ploy we employ to resist learning. Is learning not about roaming in the unknown and soaking it in? Can learning happen in comfort zone? can you reach for the stars without stepping out?

I was at a class today.. learning a skill..and i learnt a few things about learning..

• An empty cup helps.. when you are so full of yourself , there is no room for learning.. In a space of learning do i have the humility to be empty and absorb the lesson ? is a question well worth answering..
• Is your heart in it? When the heart is fueling the desire to learn , the fire to learn and absorb stays well stoked.
• There is nothing which is "difficult" .. its just a name to avoid the learning 
•  Rome was not built in a day.. One step at a time..and  keeping at it, until you get it truly helps!
• Fears  definitely do not help, especially the ones of judgement, failure..They need to be checked out..at the door..
• A Good teacher most truly is the best help, you can possibly get!

So when you teach keep it simple.... when you are learning do not be deterred by what does not seem simple!

No wonder , a wise one opined.. It is so simple to be easy but not easy to be simple!