How Kids Learn Understanding How Children Learn In Balagokulams, children should learn good values and leadership

skills along with knowledge about Hindu culture. Shikshaks make the Balagokulam a place where children enjoy coming to or a boring place. It is important that Shikshaks understand how children learn and how learning can be made enjoyable to the children as well as for Shikshaks. Learning through Role models Children are influenced by the people in their lives - especially the adults who are important to them, such as parents, other relatives, and teachers. Children learn values and habits mostly by imitating their role models. These things cannot be 'taught'. Shikshaks should be like role models in all aspects. If we sing shlokas and bhajans with devotion and shraddhaa, children will also do. If we are punctual, children will be. Children select those people as role models whom they like, whom they respect, admire and adore. We should mold our personalities so that we are 'likeable', we are 'affectionate' and 'friendly' with children while setting up examples. A smiling face and affectionate way of talking to them helps. Playing with them informally after the Balagokulam session brings the Shikshaks closer to the children. Sampark - visiting their houses make the children feel that you are part of his family. Learning and having fun Children should have both. They should enjoy leaning as well as the group. More friendship they develop with other children, more they feel like coming back. Games play a very important role in building that friendship and bonding. Keep it simple and yet challenging Children enjoy activities that are within their ability to master. Try to simplify, maintain or expand your activities in response to the level of understanding the children demonstrate. A healthy competitive spirit and a sense of achievement are good to cultivate for faster learning. Each child is different Each child has different learning ability in different areas. We should recognize the strength of each child and make them feel that they can achieve. Do not compare children. Children's learning proceeds in predictable directions.

Simple ----------> Complex Known ---------> Unknown Self -------------> Other Concrete -------> Abstract Exploratory -----> Goal Directed Inaccurate ------> More accurate Impulsive -------> Self-controlled Children of different age groups are different. These are some general observations on different age groups. Each child is different. These are only some general observations. Early Elementary (Age 6 to 8) More story telling and visual aids make it interesting to children of this age. They enjoy affectionate Shikshaks. Simple crafts can work but difficult ones can get messy. Rhythm and repetition are two techniques that work for this group. Teaching shlokas, simple songs should follow these two techniques. Thinking is very concrete at this time. If they have never seen it, heard it, felt it, tasted it, or smelled it, they have a hard time thinking of it. So more visual descriptions in stories should be used. While telling the story of Puranas, AmarChitra-Katha books can be used to make them imagine who a 'rishi' is. Ideas of palace, king, queen, rakshasa, throne, chariot, etc. needs a visual aid in the beginning. While teaching Yogasanas or conducting games, rather than simply giving instructions verbally, Shikshaks should demonstrate the activity. Doing is important for both the children and the Shikshak. Children are just learning how to be friends and may have several "best friends" at a time. Fights, although occurring often, seldom have lasting effects. Children at this stage like to play games. Rules and rituals become fascinating, but the children are not yet ready to accept losing. Cooperative games in which every child wins can be especially enjoyable at this age. Failures should be minimized, and some measure of success should be found in every experience to ease the blows to young egos. Too much of competition with others is inappropriate at this age. Middle School (Age 9 to 11)

Activities for the middle school-age children should encourage physical involvement. Children at this stage are beginning to think logically. They still think in terms of concrete objects and can handle ideas better if they are related to some thing they can do or experience with their senses, but they are moving toward understanding abstract ideas. As they begin to deal with ideas, they think of things as black or white. Something is either right or wrong, fabulous or disgusting, fun or boring. There is very little middle ground. Although middle school-age children still have difficulty understanding another person's thinking, the 9- to 11-year-olds are beginning to discover the benefits of making other people happy. Near the end of this age range they begin to realize the joy of helping others and start looking for some idealism. Middle-school-age children have a strong need to feel accepted and worthwhile. School becomes increasingly difficult and demanding for these children. Other pressures are added, too. Successes, even small ones, should continue to be emphasized. Failures should be minimized. (All people learn better and try harder if they believe in themselves and think they can succeed!) Comparison with the success of others is difficult for children at this age. It tends to erode self-confidence. In addition, it can cause problems in dealing with peers at a time when they are trying to understand and build friendships. Instead of comparing children with each other, build positive self-concepts by comparing present to past performance for the individual. Young Teens (Age 12 to 14) This is the age where idealism and activism enters the minds of children. Many young teens turn in to animal rights activists, environmental activists, etc. Stories of great people like Swami Vivekananda and Bhagini Nivedita can provide the right idealism for children at this age. Young teens enjoy playing with ideas as much as playing sports. Young teens move from concrete to more abstract thinking during this time. If a subject is of interest, it will be intensely explored. Ready-made solutions from adults often are rejected in favor of the young teens finding solutions on their own. In Balagokulam have more group discussions where they are made to think and share their opinions. Give them projects of their interest where they can explore and create their own. They can be made to understand the complexities in judging and making the right decisions. Develop leadership skills in this age group. They should be encouraged to tell stories to small children, co-ordinate a skit, write the script for the skit, conduct games, organize a picnic, a program, etc.

Shikshak should be more like a friend to these children. Activities for 90 minutes Cheerful, enthusiastic and cordial atmosphere is at the heart of a successful Balagokulam. Physical fitness, knowledge and pride of Hindu Dharma, ability to work together in team and social awareness are being inculcated through various programs. The activities can be broadly classified as 'Sharirik' and 'Baudhik' - the physical and intellectual activities. The programs depend on the available floor space and number of children. Following is a suggestion for 90 minutes session. You may change the order of programs. Assembly Exercises Games 5 min 5 min 30 min 5 min 20 min 20 min

Surya Namaskar Shloka, Bhajans Story/Discussion Prarthana 5 min

It is better conduct the activities in different groups based on their age. Other Events There can be a variety of activities to bring out the creative power within the children and Shikshaks and also to make them good team players. Here are some ideas that have been found successful. Please experiment and come out with new activities and share with us so that other Balagokulams can benefit from your experiments. Clay Modeling - Especially for Ganesh pooja, children can make murti of Ganesh themselves. Rangoli - Demonstration and some hands on training. Projects on modeling temples with cardboard, foam, sticks, etc. Teerth Yatra or Pilgrimage (Visit to temples in your town). Sahal (Picnic) with all the families to build family level bonding.

Seva: Visit to convalescent hospitals, children's wards in hospitals, soup kitchens, etc. A presentation by social workers group or teenage counselors about challenges facing American society today. Sports Day Competitions in chanting shlokas, singing songs, speaking, etc. Art of Skit writing and acting Hindu Jeopardy/Quiz Dialogue between parents and children (For teenagers) Celebrating Hindu festivals in schools. Teaching how to read and write Devnagari script Preparing posters on different topics: Can be group projects If you have the desire and the inclination to conduct one such Balagokulam in your town, there is a strong team of dedicated and experienced people in HSS, who are always there to provide training, material and any support necessary. Steps to start a Balagokulam The Hindu population in each town is different. Hence, you will have to figure out the best way for your town. Here are some of the standard things that have worked. For few days, keep discussing this idea of Balagokulam with your friends and find out who is more interested and committed. Make a flier for Balagokulam. A sample flier is attached here. Soft copy is available and you can make changes to it. Keep these fliers in Indian grocery stores, Hindu mandirs, or any other place where Hindus meet. Make use of special events like Diwali, Janmashtami, etc. to reach out to more people at one time. When people call for details, take down their phone numbers, email, etc. and also check out if they are interested in volunteering. Once you have a team of 2 or more people, you are ready to start. Contact one of our coordinators and schedule a training session for volunteers and meeting with the parents. Find a place to start and get going Duration, Frequency and Time

Balagokulam duration can be from 75 minutes to 90 minutes. To have the expected impact, it should be held at least once in a week. Majorities of Balagokulams are held on Saturday or Sunday. However, depending on the convenience of children and parents, they can be conducted at any time and any day of the week. Click here for "Time table for 90 minutes" Support System for Balagokulam Shikshaks: People, who have been successfully conducting Balagokulams for many years, will be available to conduct training sessions for volunteers or to provide any other assistance required. Annual training camp for children and youth volunteers. Pravasi Karyakartas will be visiting various places and their trip can be made use of for improving the caliber of Shikshaks. Join bala_shikshaks at egroups.com. The purpose of this list is to exchange ideas, experiments, experiences and material related to conducting Balagokulams. Art of Story Telling

Story telling is the most important element in public speaking. Like any skill, practice is the best way to improve. Here are some tips to keep in mind while you practice.

Read the story and understand the message you want to convey through this story. Story telling should revolve around that theme. We need not have to tell at the end of story 'the moral of this story is ...'

Do not read, but tell the story. We will miss eye contact when we are looking at the book. Reading a story is useful with small group of 2-3 children at home.

Modulations in the voice. Vary the volume and tone with the story.

You should enjoy the story, so the expressions come out on your face and in your voice. Drop all the inhibitions about acting.

Eye contact: Move your eyes so that you can see every one.

Slow down the pace. During normal conversation, most of us speak fast and without much modulation. Children should be able to follow you. So, don't rush. By looking into their eyes, you can see whether they are enjoying it or not.

The pace should vary with the meaning of the sentence. When you say, "The lion came slow..ly", slow down the speed. When you say, "She started running fast without looking at the back", speed up your telling also.

Before or after you make a strong point, pause for a while. That gives some time for them to feel the story.

You can make it gently interactive, Ask questions in between. Questions which require them to say 'YES' or 'NO'. Don't end up in a discussion!

Have a smiling face.

Body language: Make use of your hands to bring in the expression needed at places.

Use examples from their day-to-day life to make it more interesting.

You can use some pictures to show them. Every one of us have our own strengths. Use all your creativity and come up with a style that suits you best.

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Conducting Discussions

In a group discussion, initial presentation by the moderator should be brief, to the point and make them think on the subjects. The introduction should not have any pre-judgements and opinions. Throw the topic open for them to think.

Make sure every one participates. Many a times it would end up in 2-4 children arguing back and forth.

Do not discourage any opinion.

When the discussion is digressing from the main topic, bring it back on track without wasting much time.

Be prepared for powerful concluding comments that will have an impact.

Teaching Shlokas

The Shikshak should have 'shraddhaa' in chanting religious shlokas. If the Shikshak is very casual about it, children will not have seriousness about it.

The pronunciation of the Shikshak should be clear and the voice loud. Better they hear it, louder they say it. Louder they say it, quicker they get it.

First time, say it slow and make children repeat one word at a time.

Second time, say two words at a time and make them repeat twice.

Third time, say half line at a time and make them repeat twice.

Provoke the competitive spirit in the children by asking "who can say the first line now?"

Generally children say with low volume, because of lack of confidence and comfort level in saying. Often, prompt them to say it loud without bothering about the mistakes.

Appreciate when they say it loud. Make them enjoy a sense of achievement when they get it.

Explain the meaning of the shloka. Let 3-4 of them read the meaning from the book.

Every week, revise the previous 3 shlokas and practice the current Shloka.

2 Shlokas can be comfortably taught in a month. More can be done depending on the interest of the children and the Shikshaks.

Parents should also be taught the shlokas we are practicing with the children. Parents can practice them at home.

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Teaching Songs

Select simple songs with simple and appealing tunes for children.

Once, sing the song completely and let them enjoy it.

Practice the tune for the first two lines (pallavi)

Make them repeat one word at a time for the first two lines

Sing one line at a time and let children repeat. Here again, prompt them to sing loud.

Whatever song they practice for 1 or 2 months, you can have them sing in the next utsav (we celebrate at least 6 utsavs in all the Balagokulams)

Conducting Games

Have an idea about the number of children in your gana.

Select more games than what is needed for 30 minutes.

Maintain enthusiasm in the gana with slogans like 'sanghatan me, shakti hai', 'hara hara - mahadeva', etc.

Give clear instructions for the game.

Demonstrate once.

Make sure all the rules are followed.

Give chance to all the children.

Have control over the gana.

For smaller children, games should be simple with simple rules.

Remember that the purpose of games is to develop friendship. No hard feelings about winners and losers should be cultivated.

Keep in mind the constraints of the place while planning the games.

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Effective Shikshak

Becoming an effective Shikshak is a process. It is a combination of the knowledge, skills, competence and capacity and some thing more than all of these. Ultimately it is our personality that makes us an effective Shikshak. Like in any 'Saadhanaa', we have to put in continuous effort at it till it becomes effortless and enjoyable.

Swaadhyaya (Self-Study) and mananm (contemplation) are important to enhance our knowledge and we will not run out of stock.

More a Shikshak thinks about the Balagokulam activities and visualizes how things will flow, easier it will be to plan. One can plan the minute details also. Confusion can be avoided. Plan for every activity -- games, shlokas, songs, stories, skits, etc.

Friendly personality: Make an effort at becoming more approachable and likeable person by children. By talking to new families, new children, we can enhance our social skills.

Becoming a good team player. Cultivate the habit of making decisions in a team in the planning baitaks. While participating in such baitaks, detach yourself from your opinions. 'My opinion is just one of the opinion'. Whatever we decide together is every one's decision.

Our ego should be secondary to the interest of the Balagokulam. It is hard to detect the emergence of ego in our personality. Some signs are:

Feeling 'ignored'. 'I was not consulted'; 'I was not told'; type of small thinking coming in to our talk.

Getting hurt; getting upset at small things.

Frequent use of "I", "My" and "Me" in our conversation.

My name was not printed/announced.

Looking at some tasks as 'small tasks', 'task below my dignity'.

Vision of creating new Shikshaks from the children. When a child coming to our Balagokulam become a Shikshak in next few years, that is a mark of our success.

Harsh on oneself; Soft on others: We should be strict about all the rules, punctuality on ourselves. When mistakes happen from others, be soft on them.

Positive thinking. Belong to the winner's creed. Try new experiments without any inhibition and encourage others in the team to try new things. After we start a Balagokulam, certain systems help to work in an organized way and sustain the growth. Following are some such systems.

Sankhya Sheet

Recording Upasthiti (attendance) in the Balagokulam. Following is a suggested format:

Bala -- children; Tarun - 18+ men; Mahila - 18+ Women

Date Bala (5-9yr) Bala (10+yr) Tarun Mahila 10/07/2005 10 8 10 10 38

Total

Database

When a family calls the volunteers for details on Balagokulam, make sure that we collect the details of the family. Each week, we should collect the details of the new families attending Balagokulam and update in the database. Following is a form that can be used to collect details from each family.

Balagokulam

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh

Last Name: First Name: Spouse: Children

Name Date of Birth (mm/dd/yy) 1. 2. 3.

Phone: Email: Mailing Address:

After we collect the information, it should be maintained in an Excel spreadsheet or any database program. If you need a working MS-ACCESS program, please send an email to balagokulam at hssworld.org

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Volunteer Sheet

After few weeks, we can call for volunteers among the parents. Here is a sample form that you can make copies and give it to the parents. From the responses, you can expand your volunteer's team.

Balagokulam

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh - Volunteer Sheet

Volunteering at Balagokulam is a very fulfilling and rewarding experience. While we teach, there is so much to learn from the children. It's an opportunity to enhance our knowledge of Hindu Dharma, our communication skills and be part of a friendly team of volunteers.

Every one can contribute in this effort. Each one's talent is useful here. Please offer your talents and time to make Balagokulam a wonderful place for children to imbibe Hindu values of life. Here are some of the areas where we need volunteering. You don't have to have previous experience in performing these tasks. All the necessary training will be provided.

I would like to volunteer for:

Teaching Shlokas Teaching Bhajans And Songs Telling Stories Giving Brief Talks On Hindu Dharma Teaching Yogasans Conducting Games Arts And Crafts Library Project Seva: Community Service Activities For Children

Name: Phone: Email:

Dhanyavad - Thank You

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Planning Baitak

Once in a month, all the Shikshaks in the Balagokulam should meet for 1-1.5 hrs to plan for upcoming 5 weeks. For this baitak to be effective,

The time should be fixed. E.g: First Friday of every month 8-9:30pm. Following agendas should be covered in this baitak:

Quick review of previous month's activities. Feedback from children and parents. Plan for upcoming 4-5 weeks (make use of the planning chart in next page). Assign the Shikshaks for each item. Plan for any special event (festivals, etc.) Updates on projects (Library, etc.)

Activity Shlokas Bhajan/Geet

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Surya Namaskar

Surya Namaskar Games Story Prarthana

Depending on the number of ganas we have, more rows can be added to the above chart.

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Gata Paddhati

A Gata is a unit of 5-7 people. Gata-Nayak is the person in-charge of that Gata.

As the number of participants increase in Balagokulam, it is important to keep personal contact with every one. Sangh is built on familial relationships. Every one coming to Balagokulam is part of a Gata. Gata-Nayak keeps regular contact with the 5-7 people in his Gata.

Sampark

Sampark is a very unique tradition of Sangh, which literally means 'contact'. Shikshaks visit the families of children and build a very cordial relationship. Children also feel that the Shikshak is part of their family. Many a times when a Shikshak visit the families, parents seek clarifications to clear some doubts.

Sampark is also to bring new people to Balagokulam. We may visit friends of children coming to Balagokulam. Hindu Heritage Camp has been a very successful event across all the Balagokulams. It can be day camp or residential. Duration can vary from 1 to 7 days. A suggested month-to-month plan for one year is given here. For most of the topics here, detailed material is also given.

In a year, topics from the following categories should be covered.

Hindu Dharma History of Hindus and lives of Inspiring People Hindu Festivals Social Issues Sangh Ideology and Methodology

The plan is given for two age groups (5-9) and (10-15).

One weekend in every month is devoted to talk about and if possible collectively celebrate the festival of the month. The festivals should be covered in the weekend closest to the festival day. Lives of inspiring people can be covered closest to their birthdays.

Here is an approximate timing for the festivals:

Month Festival January February Makara Sankranti Shiva Ratri

March Yugadi April Ram Navami

June July

Hindu Sanghatan Diwas Guru Poornima Raksha Bandhan Janmashtami

August September

Ganesh Chaturthi October November December Vijayadashami Deepavali Geeta Jayanti

Six festivals that are in bold letters are to be observed in every Balagokulam of HSS.

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Suggested Plan for Group 1 (6-10 Yr.)

*One week every month is for a festival Month Suggested Topic 1st Month Purpose of Balagokulam

God in Hindu Dharma Bhagini Nivedita 2nd Month Raising Hindu Awareness in our Schools (Churcha)

What is Hindu Dharma Story of Hanumanta 3rd Month Meaning of Prarthanaa and abhyas1

Meaning of Prarthanaa and abhyas -2 Hindu Scriptures

4th Month

Meaning Behind Rituals ... (1)

Life of Doctorji Art of Story Telling 5th Month Reincarnation and Karma ; Hindu Dharma - Video games

Life of Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda's Speech competition 6th Month Qualities of a Swayamsevak/Sevika

Story of Ramayan 1 Story of Ramayan 2 7th Month Ashramas

Hindu's Contribution to the World of Sports and Games Prithviraj Chauhan 8th Month 10 Avatars of Vishnu - Part 1

10 Avatars of Vishnu - Part 2 Hindu Values 9th Month Meaning Behind Rituals ..(2)

Life of Moushiji Duties of a Hindu 10th Month Hindu Jeopardy / Quiz Durga-Lakshmi-Saraswati Jhansi Rani Lakshmi Bai 11th Month Hindus Contribution to the world of Mathematics Story of Rani Padmini; Sati system and Child marriage Poetry and essay writing skills 12th Month Perfection in God's Creation; Discussion on Sewa Hindu Family

Tanaji Malsure - Commander of Shivaji

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Suggested Plan for Group 2 (10-15 Yr.)

*One week every month is for a festival Month Suggested Topic 1st Month Heaven and Hell

Elder Brother One God, many forms 2nd Month Shibi, the compassionate

Story of Hanumanta - 1 Story of Hanumanta - 2 3rd Month Meaning of Prarthanaa and abhyas

Dhruva, the firm Panchatantra 4th Month Meaning Behind Rituals ... (1)

Overview of Hindu Deities Qualities of a Swayamsevak/Sevika 5th Month Panchatantra Stories

Life of Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda's Speech competition 6th Month Story of Ramayan 1

Story of Ramayan 2 Story of Ramayan 3 7th Month Panchatantra Stories

Markandeya Story Telling Competition 8th Month 10 Avatars of Vishnu - Part 1

10 Avatars of Vishnu - Part 2 10 Avatars of Vishnu - Part 3 9th Month Panchatantra Stories

Prithviraj Chauhan Story of Sudhama 10th Month Everything happens for Good Hindu Jeopardy/Quiz Durga-Lakshmi-Saraswati 11th Month Arts and Crafts Krishna's stories 1 Krishna's stories2 12th Month Story of Ranti Deva Story of Bhasmasura Tanaji Malsure - Commander of Shivaji There can be a variety of activities to bring out the creative power within the children and Shikshaks and also to make them good team players. Here are some ideas that have been found successful. Please experiment and come out with new activities and share with us so that other Balagokulams can benefit from your experiments.

Clay Modeling - Especially for Ganesh pooja, children can make murti of Ganesh themselves.

Rangoli - Demonstration and some hands on training. Projects on modeling temples with cardboard, foam, sticks, etc. Teerth Yatra or Pilgrimage (Visit to temples in your town). Sahal (Picnic) with all the families to build family level bonding. Seva: Visit to convalescent hospitals, children's wards in hospitals, soup kitchens, etc. A presentation by social workers group or teenage counselors about challenges facing American society today. Sports Day Competitions in chanting shlokas, singing songs, speaking, etc. Art of Skit writing and acting Hindu Jeopardy/Quiz Dialogue between parents and children (For teenagers) Celebrating Hindu festivals in schools. Teaching how to read and write Devnagari script Preparing posters on different topics: Can be group projects