Guru Purnima was celebrated at Heartful Kids, BMA, on July 3, 2023. The dining area echoed with the giggles of the Upper and Lower Kindergarteners, dressed in traditional attire and eyes filled with excitement to witness the first celebration of the academic year.
The programme started with the lighting of the auspicious lamp, followed by an engrossing session of thanking parents, grandparents, and teachers who play the role of first gurus in our lives, moving on to Chariji, our Founder Guru. The children were enthralled with the bilingual story about a Rishi and his three disciples played by the teachers, which focused on the value ‘Unity is Strength’. In simpler terms, they understood ‘we should not fight’. No celebration is complete without music. The air was filled with the booming voices of the children singing along with the teachers it was a beautiful sight to see these young souls recognizing the importance of their gurus and expressing their gratitude wholeheartedly. The celebration concluded with a grand feast, where everyone relished delicious food.
Van Mahotsav, the festival of the forest, was celebrated at BMA on July 7, 2023. The students of the Lower and Upper Kindergartens were taken for a walk to see the different trees around the campus. It was interesting to hear the children talk about the benefits of trees. The little ones were fascinated by touching and feeling the different parts of the plants and trees. They later discovered the comfort of being in shade after a walk in the hot sun. They expressed their gratitude by hugging the tree and going around it, singing songs. Any activity is fun when it’s filled with colour. The fingerprints of the children were turned into leaves, while the teacher’s palm prints held them together as the trunk.
2023
X-Mas 2022:
Diwali: Diwali is the festival of lights and happiness. It symbolises the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness and new beginnings. A few days prior to Diwali, children were involved in a group class project, marking the start of the auspicious event. While highlighting the significance of the celebration, activities including thumb printing to explore patterns and colours, crushing paper and pasting it to create designs, and DIY toy cracker making were all explored.
Students were welcomed at Heartful Kids to a joyful environment filled with vibrant decorations, bright clothes, treats, and gifts.
Each classroom’s entryway was decorated with a rangoli design, and student-made items were displayed in the classrooms. Children gathered and performed a lovely Diwali dance, followed by teachers reiterating the safety precautions and safety guidelines on cracker bursting through a mime show.
Children carried home diyas specially designed and decorated by themselves with pride to spread joy and light.
Aksharabhyasam 2022: Aksharabhyasam is the combination of two words—”akshar” meaning letter and “abyasam” meaning practice. The day a child is given inintiation to education is known as’ Aksharabhyasam’. This tradition, also known as Vidyarambham, was held at Heartful Kids, BMA on October 5.
Children traced the “AUM” symbol with the assistance of teachers and parents.”AUM” the ‘Beejakshar’ in Sanskrit, which means the origin of everything.
As our little wonders started their beautiful journey of learning, our management team were present for the new beginning and extended their blessings.
It was remarkable!
Nature Walk: “Nobody sees a flower really…it is so small we haven’t time. And to see, takes time, like to have a friend takes time.”
-Georgia O’Keeffe
On September 12, we had the opportunity to take our children on a nature walk. To take a pause and connect mindfully to understand life around us. The Heartful Kids campus is blessed with a serene atmosphere despite all the hustle and bustle of the outside world. The LKG and UKG students had an immersive experience as they prepared their picnic baskets and set out on their stroll into the woods, donning their fashionable sunglasses and caps.
Our students greeted by a variety of lovely sights, such as big trees with majestic branches, soaring birds, flowers in varied shapes and colours, and lush meadows. Children and adults were awe-struck upon experiencing nature up close; it was a day that will be etched in our memories for life.
They documented the visuals through illustrations and shared their experiences with friends.
Onam: We at Heartful Kids, Omega celebrated the Onam festival on the BMA campus on September 7. It was breathtaking to see our children dressed in traditional attire. Teachers greeted the young children with a display of a magnificent pookolam at the entrance. Students, along with teachers, decorated their classrooms with bright flowers. The day was filled with activities to mark the significance of the festival. The day came to a close with a brief performance of the traditional Onam dance known as Thiruvathira Kali by our teachers.
Teacher’s Day: “If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher. – APJ Abdul Kalam.
Teacher’s Day is celebrated on 5 September, the birth anniversary of Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. He was a great scholar and a passionate teacher.
Teachers at Heartful Kids, BMA eagerly participated in games, competitions and cultural events to acknowledge their efforts and dedication in shaping the lives of students. The school management honoured the teachers for their outstanding work by awarding gifts and treating them to a delicious meal. The celebration of Teachers’ Day was joyful and heartfelt for teachers as students as well as parents enthusiastically recognised and respected the contributions of our teachers.
Festivals play a vital role in community celebrations. Ganesh Chathurti is one such festival welcomed by all. We at Heartful Kids, Omega celebrated the festival with our tiny tots. The celebrations commenced by invoking the blessings of Lord Ganesha with a prayer song. This was followed by Sloka chanting, storytelling, and a speech on the significance of this festival by the upper kindergarten children.
Children made gifts like the Paper cup Ganesha, stick puppet Ganesha, and Ganesha facemask and proudly carried it home. Overall, it was an exciting experience and enabled children to take back lovely memories of the celebration.
On August 18, we commemorated the birth of the vibrant Lord Krishna. The whole of KG school gathered in front of the Heartful Kids block. Ms. Rajalakshmi and Ms. Manju coordinated the event.
Children sang a bhajan they had learned a week earlier, “Gopala Gopala Devaki Nandana Gopala,” and they afterwards joined their teachers and friends in dancing to the uplifting hymn Jaya Janardana.
One of the spectacles of the celebration was Matka breaking/Uriadhi. For the UKG kids, this became the most enjoyable moment. Overall, everyone participated with great zeal and enthusiasm.
The pleasant humming of Gopala Gopala is frequently audible throughout the school’s dining hall, park, and classrooms.
On August 3, 2022, the Bunny Program was inaugurated at Heartful Kids, BMA. Mrs. Lakshmi Mazumdar, a former national commissioner, developed the Bunny programme. The Bunny programme aims to promote overall development in kids aged between 3 and 6.
About 120 students from lower kindergarten and upper kindergarten took part. The Bunny Aunties’ Prayer Song opened the programme, followed by the pledge and bunny salute.
It was adorable to see the little ones giving the bunny salute and reciting the bunny rule, “I shall be a good girl/boy,” dressed in their bunny aprons. Fortnightly, sessions comprising of songs, stories, and activities are conducted with the goal of instilling values in little bunnies.
We at Heartful Kids, KG convened on the auspicious festival of Guru Purnima to consciously recognise and express our gratitude to all the esteemed masters, parents, and teachers, the guiding sources of knowledge.
The day started with a special assembly led by the teachers; the tiny tots presented the event and elucidated the meaning of Guru. They enthusiastically participated in the Guru bhajan, “Jabse pyaara Ishwar aaya,” followed by a dance performance to the soul-stirring, “Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu…” Shloka.
Our COO, Mr. Kamalakannan, was present, adding to the significance of the occasion by interacting with the children and discussing the importance of Matha, Pitha, Guru, and Deivam. The atmosphere was serene and the children were full of joy. We culminated with the hope of crossing over the great ocean of ignorance.
On 07 May 2022, Lalaji Memorial Omega International School inaugurated “Heartful Kids” block at Babuji Memorial Ashram, Chennai.
Dr. K. R. Maalathi, CEO of Auuro Educational Services and President (TN) of the Association for Early Childhood Education, presided over the ceremony.
Heartful Kids is an extension of Lalaji Memorial Omega International School
(LMOIS), a flagship school of the Heartfulness Institute that provides holistic education to students with Heartfulness guiding principles. Heartful Kids will focus on the education of kindergarten children.
Speaking on the launch, Dr KR Maalathi said, “The inauguration of Heartful Kids is yet another milestone for Lalaji Memorial Omega International School because of the beauty of the concept. Little children are introduced early on not only to higher order thinking and quality academics, but also allowed to naturally blossom in a loving and compassionate learning environment through heart-based approaches, that can facilitate holistic growth and development. This is especially important in the current times when children are influenced by the digital world, and they must be enabled with strong minds and hearts to uphold human values and make right decisions and choices.