Resilient Keralites Across All Economic Strata, Even Though In
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We did discover our strength during these past few months, overcoming many things we thought we could not do. Through the pandemic teachers have stepped up fighting all odds, working all hours and learning new skills to honour their commitment to students and parents. August has always been a month of celebrations and this year too we did have a grand celebration in the Zoom room. Kerala and Keralites have braved extraordinary distress caused by floods the past two years followed by the COVID pandemic this year. Resilient Keralites across all economic strata, even though in reduced measure, still made sure Onam was celebrated in the confines of their homes bowing to covid regulations. Families met virtually keeping up with the spirit of Onam. And now we are into the much-awaited months of September and October, the months of Star Search at Kinderland, to identify budding talents amongst the kindergarteners. “Every child is a different kind of a flower. All together they make this world a beautiful garden.” STAR SEARCH ‘Star search’, our talent hunt is conducted every year to discover the hidden talents in our children and help us nurture it. This year too we will not break the tradition, just that it will be a virtual one. The Performing Arts which includes music, dance, drama, story narration etc. is an integral part of our curriculum along with academics and ensures the holistic development of every child . ‘Star search’ gives our children the opportunity to discover what they are good at and supporting them shows them that their best interests are at heart. Offering this as a creative outlet for our students gives them something to look forward to during these trying times. It’s a great reminder that even though we can’t be together, we’re never really apart.” As with remote learning, conducting talent shows online has its own challenges. With careful planning and with your support we are sure that we will overcome any hurdles and successfully conduct the virtual talent show in the following months. We know the children are buzzing with excitement and have been practicing at home. Awaiting your child’s participation eagerly!!!!!!!! Kinderarkers were introduced to the state of Kerala. They went on an adventure to discover the spices, cuisine, flora and fauna of Kerala and most importantly the festival of Onam. They indulged in the art and music of Kerala bringing joy and gaiety into the little Kinderark Zoom rooms. Children joyfully engaged in creating Pulikali masks for their forthcoming Pulikali dance. Children participated with great enthusiasm and aplomb in Kathakali, Kaikottikali, Vallamkali and Pulikali, the traditional art forms of Kerala. Amidst expressions of happiness and excitement, children learnt the importance of these very special days and imbibed pride and a sense of cultural oneness. Online Onam was not a deterrent to the little children who celebrated it in style and with sheer delight. A wonderful description of ‘Onam Sadhya” was Renowned Kathakali artist S Sasikala done by Dr Sasanga Prabhu, grandfather was kind and gracious enough to present of Trishika. He explained the various the ‘Bhavaas ‘of Kathakali to the little ones. traditional dishes that form part of the Onam Children were enthralled to watch the different Sadhya to the children. emotions and expressions by Ms.Sasikala Vallamkali, complete with turbans, moustaches and wooden spoon oars, Kinderarkers enthusiastically rowed their boats into the sunset singing Dhithi thara dhithi thai…. Grandmas, Grandpas, Mommies and Daddies came with their little ones dressed in the traditional Kerala attire,. They displayed their creative and vibrant Pookalams bringing in laughter, excitement and brought in all the elements of Onam into our Kinderark Zoom Rooms and made it very special indeed!! IDENTIFYING THE AROMATIC SPICES OF KERALA The children engaged in tiny gastronomic adventures by bringing in a variety of healthy Kerala breakfast items. They prepared their own Kerala snack,and indulged in their favourite Payasams and Pappadams. SPREADING TEACHER’S DAY CHEER... IN THE FAMILY!!!!! Kinderarkers dressed up as teachers and expressed gratitude with lovely handmade cards. Children made teachers feel very special with their lovely songs and loving words. As part of learning about our country we took our children around different states in India. We travelled all around our beautiful country virtually!!!!! One of the states visited was GOA. Children came dressed in casuals with coolers and hats for this Virtual tour to the land of palm trees and beaches. All we need is a splash of colors and smiles of glee!!!! I MADE A TALL TOWER…. PLAYING HIDE AND Children learnt the concept of tall and short by building tall SEEK TO FIND YELLOW and short towers using plastic cups, containers and building COLOURED OBJECTS blocks. Sorting activities to sharpen the brain. I SPY A HEALTHY SNACK IN MY KITCHEN!! LEARNING ALL ABOUT EATING HEALTHY CHILDREN ENJOYED THEIR WEEK LONG ONAM CELEBRATION WITH DIFFERENT ART ACTIVITIES All of us are artists.! Look what a line curve and dot can make. Pookalams, Puli Masks and our beautiful Kerala. Onam was celebrated by welcoming the legendary King Mahabali into our Zoom classes. Children came in the traditional attire. Teachers all geared up for Vallamkalli… A Virtual Fashion Show was the highlight of our Onam celebration. Parents and grandparents came in traditional Kerala attire with their child and walked the ramp. Parents and grandparents shared their childhood experiences, sang Onam songs and even demonstrated how to make payasam. ZOOM ONAM CELEBRATION WITH FAMILY – A NEW NORMAL Celebrations and cultures around the world has always been a favourite topic for all and we would all agree India is a land of astonishing diversity in both. Together we unravelled the myriad cultures and communities of India and discovered new horizons. From learning about the Siddhi community in Gujarat to the fierce Jarrawa tribe of Andaman Islands, children were absolutely fascinated with the stories of Indian culture. ‘Tales & Trails Tuesday‘ took the children on an All ready to take off ... adventure to different states not only to discover The Preppers came dressed the beauty of these forgotten places but to also as tacky tourists for BHARAT spot some endangered species and hear some DARSHAN!! INCREDIBLE INDIA wonderful tales… was explored virtually!! ‘What’s cooking Wednesday?’ saw the Nationalist fervour continue with the special ‘Tiranga sandwich’ that the children made. PARENTS AND CHILDREN WERE ASKED TO COME ONLINE IN TRADITIONAL WEAR OF ANY STATE ON ‘FOLKSY FRIDAY’. From Coorgi costumes, Sardarji’s in turbans to Bengali sarees, we enjoyed watching the excited moms and Dads along with children. The teachers too were dressed in different traditional wear each day to showcase our rich and varied culture. Each class had a parent who dressed up in the traditional wear of an Indian state and spoke about it’s language, clothes, food and culture. They prepared delicacies of that state and performed a traditional dance along with family members. This was indeed a wonderful experience for all of us. We signed off the last week of the term celebrating ‘God’s Own Country- Kerala’. Online classes have helped us introduce the children to the cultural heritage and history of Kerala in a deeper and meaningful way. This year we celebrated Onam in the ‘new normal’ way. Children were prepared with speeches and poems in Malayalam on ‘Malayalam Monday’. Together we discovered the backwaters and paddy fields, hill stations and monuments of Kerala. This virtual travelogue has certainly lit the spark of travel in all of us. It is indeed a tricky challenge to make an Onasadhya Ella Card using materials from around the house. Children took on this challenge head on and voila… a mouth Little farmer girls of Kerala all watering ella with all the traditional curries on it dressed for harvesting. just for you! Mmmm…this is definitely for keeps. With low key celebrations this year due to the pandemic, we decided to pep up the festive spirit of Onam for our parents and children,. We asked all members of the family to join us online and showcase their talents to make our celebration a special one . On ‘Wistful Wednesday’ we had a few parents and grandparents sharing their Onam memories and reminiscing past celebrations . We had a grandparent who showed us how to make Onathappans and a parent who showed us how to make toys using ‘Olaa’. Traditional Thursday had everyone come online dressed in traditional wear. We had mums showing us how to make a Sadhya and children who showed how to make an instant Payasam. Kaikottikalli, Thiruvathira dances and onapattu were performed live by grandmothers and mothers. We even had a ‘virtual fashion show’ of traditional clothes. Many fun games and activities were conducted for the whole family including a vadamvalli and vallomkalli This was indeed a special virtual Onam for King Mahabali on Zoom! A virtual ‘Teachers Day’ celebration brought mixed emotions for us. Though we missed seeing them at school with flowers and cards the children more than made up for it by making beautiful handmade cards and showing it online. They paid their tributes through songs to thank their teachers and spoke about why they love their teachers. Teachers were surprised and moved to tears by the incredible display of love showered on them by their students ! 2020 HASDISCOVERIES INDEED BEEN AND A ACHIEVEMENTS.! YEAR OF CHALLENGES PARENTS ARE OUR PARTNERS ABCs of screen-free time at home Draw your favourite book, Draw toy or stuffed animal Explore the kitchen pantry and find things Last month Explore to sieve and sort or just make a simple snack Build a fort Fort building using blankets and sheets.