magic of one word

We had session on "humor in classroom" and we explored we take life tooooooooooo seriously.

Use humour - one does not need to think BIG to be humours - look around kids are full of laughter  - here is one such experience - "magic of one word".

We have  a child in Aarohi - sometimes she decides to answer one word - no matter what you ask her
Are you mad - disgusting
Do you want to eat  - disgusting
Do you want to go for KAA - disgusting

And the whole car/ session is full of laughter - people will talk more and laugh more with her. She too rolls with laughter.

Try this ONE WORD magic in your session or at home.

Use one word and see the magic -I want to go for go for snacks and then come back from snacks and then think of snacks and then talk about snacks and then imagine snacks and then work on snacks and then smile with snacks....................I am working snacks, I am listening snacks.

What a 2yrs will not fail to do

No two year will disappoint you with what a two year old can do. Here is my experience with Samarth (2yrs) at Aaorhi

1. Take water in mug and throw on the floor and explore the flow, reactions and joy.
2. Wear someone else’s footwear and move with dignity.
3. Come back to mother when hungry or sleepy.
4. Wants to apply cream by self.
5. Wear ma’s chappals and even climb a rock or go for shopping.
6. Play with you from a distance, dare to touch, or lift or shower your love!
7. Hide behind ma’s legs just when you think you are friends now.
8. Say NO clearly when does not want anything.
9. Reason out why wants sugar NOW.
10. Play silently for hours with things he is not suppose to mix – stationery, face cream, curd, dal, fevicol or gum, potty and so on.
11. Use smile effectively and appropriately.
12. Talk to you and amuse you.
13. Establish fundamental right on parents – at my service as and when I need.
14. I can decide to play alone, with anyone, at any time but parents cannot leave as and when they want.
15. Remember and refer you in their conversation with parents, but not with you.
16. Play in the bed in the night with joy.
17. Express expressions

Train to fail

I loved this thought “are you training yourself to fail”

Well, an important training I believe,

Earlier every mistake used to be guilt, and awkward - Now every mistake is learning.

I enjoy mixing and matching and playing around with design of my clothes – earlier any mistake used to be waste of money – now it is learning.

What happens when one fails?

What beliefs we carry about failure?

What makes us not fail?

I have done many mistakes ever since I started Geniekids. I have learnt much more ever since I stated Geniekids.

I have done many mistakes every since I envisaged Aarohi – I continue to do so. I am able to live my dream with my mistakes.

I have done many mistakes ever since the thoughts of “learning community” came in my mind.

I have done many mistakes ever since I dreamt of Amable.

What does theses failures have done to me?

It has made me a person who can make mistake, reflect, and leaner from it – No cursing self, no depression, no blaming others.

It has made me a person who is able to DREAM

Even now when I make mistake  - it takes me few hours, days to come out of it and at the end I smile on my learning and move ahead. I am still learning.

I was not like that

But I am like this now

What has made difference?

I guess “the capability to make mistakes”.

Allow your child to make mistakes
Allow your child to dream
Allow your child to explore
Celebrate the mistakes
Enjoy the failure.

trust is biggest

Today I went for shopping.

As a person I have stopped checking the bills and change one gives me back. In case of doubt I ask the person, have you checked?

While I was shopping he was pushing me with few things - I said leave me alone and do not push me or market his things.

At the end he gave me Rs 100/- less

As I was going, he asked me “you do not want your money?”

I said “I trusted you and you have given me change back”.

He said “trust is the biggest thing”

He gave me Rs 100/-

When I go shopping – if there is any ambiguity in bill and delivery I consider it as a human mistake not cheating.

If someone does not deliver the work I consider it lack of understanding not the cheating of work.

I do still demand quality work

I want to continue to do so.

Is play responsibilty?

 Have you ever looked at responsibility from a play perspective?

During thought club, I was exploring "responsibility" with kids at O-campus  - we did an activity and were reflecting.

Few kids expressed “I think playing is also my responsibility, clean up is also my responsibility……....when I have to do both at the same time, I do not which one to do first?”

I shared “I have always looked at responsibility in terms of work, I will look from different perspective “I am also responsible for my health, thoughts, feelings, work and joy”.

I thought I knew everything about responsibility – after this session I realized I know so little, I have to explore so much.

Thank you kids for broadening my perspective of responsibility.

Smile thru the pain

Today my dance teacher told me “when you do Sadhana, you smile thru the pain, You do not only smile when you go on to the stage and smile for audience, you smile because you have learnt to enjoy thru the pain, you smile when you practice, you enjoy when you are in pain. And then this becomes a life skill for you to be able to smile thru the pain”.

Today we went to indo-German exhibition. We lost our way, we were hungry, the exhibition was disappointment for kids,  kids did not get balloon, icecream……..we did not know our way back, we did not get food of our choice, we got terribly late to reach back home………….”.

One child said “I am never going to go for such exhibitions”. Another said “its was good, we will get used of such situations, anyway you do not get what you want all the time, we should go more…….we had fun”.

I have seen kids fighting and smiling next moment

I have seen kids crying and smiling next moment

I have seen kids getting disappointed and excited next moment

What happens as they grow up?

Where does this skill of “smile thru the pain” diminish?

Tool ?

Last week in training circle we had session on “tools”

We all spoke about the topic for 5 minutes and we grilled for 5 minutes by the audience.

Few points

What is effectiveness of tools?

Are tool meant to correct behaviour?

Do tools need to be tactile?

What is diff in tool and an activity

If tools are the way to correct behaviour – why adults are not using it?

……….the session was enriching…….left us with many thought provoking thoughts , we did not conclude the session with any thought…………..we only left thinking.

Next day in Aarohi, at O-campus introduced a process tool in the session last week

All get 3 tokens to scream, not listen to other”

Every time you speak/ respond gently, or listen to others – you earn one token

Every time to scream, not listen and ignore – you loose one token.

You decide when you loose and when you earn

Others can appeal if they think you loose one token, but final decision is yours

You keep track of your tokens

Kids used it

Kids earned, they lost and immediately earned

Kids spoke gently purposefully and earned 9 token sin 2 min (they informed, I spoke purposefully)

Kids kept record and any time no one was in negative counting – no one checked who has how many or how is one doing accounting

At the end of the day “kids were screaming”

After appeal of token they were speaking softly and again speak…….

By the end of the day I WAS SPEAKING GENTLY :)

I spoke thru out the day gently

I was aware of how I was speaking

I am still aware

It worked on me :)

I realise there is beauty in speaking gently and still convey the same message

So what is tool?

Did I want to correct the behaviour of class – then it did not serve the purpose, kids were still screaming

Did I introduce for me?

Kids were no so called honest – any time they had some token………they did not keep track of how many lost………not fair follow up of the counting…………..did this tool raised another issue of honesty?

Kids were happily loosing and earning tokens – so you may ask “what’s the use of this?”.

Will I all my life speak gently?
Will I all my life need the tool to speak gently?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm as a faculty in the class I know what it did to the group and me - I am not sharing that with you………..leaving you with your own exploration of “yeh tool kya hai and yeh kyon hai”.

We will continue the tool next week too.