October 31st 2010:  Having discussed the reason about celebrating Deepavali in the previous week, this week, children were taught rituals that we do on the day of  Deepavali.

Early morning on Deepavali day, we apply oil (sesame oil ) before sunrise and take bath. The reason is that oil helps in absorbing sunlight and promote Vitamin D synthesis which gives bone health and prevent many diseases including cancer. Only on the day of  Deepavali, we apply oil before sunrise, because on that day we can absorb special cosmic rays that is good for our health.

Therefore the night  before Deepavali we keep sesame oil in prayer room and worship Lord Dhanwanthri to give us good health. We also pray Lord Yama to give us a complete and a fulfilled life.

October 25th 2010:  Today CCC class is about Deepavali. All forms in this Universe is fundamentally made up of Light. Modern physics uses this fact in all technologies. To self realize that everything is only Light, in the form of happiness, we celebrate that as Deepavali. Deepavali means "Display of Light or to unfold Light". (Row of light is not the correct translation).  All beings display or unfold the same Light. We bring into our Awareness that all beings are only fundamentally light and we can experience that light as happiness through the five senses. We experience that joy through the sense of sight by lighting crackers and the sense of hearing  by the sound of blasting crackers. We enjoy the sense of  taste by eating sweets and the sense of smell  from the aroma of food and the sense of touch by wearing new dress. So we greet everyone "Ananda Deepavali".

October 17th 2010:  

Today we had the CCC class celebrating Vijaya Dasami, the success of our life. We reiterated the information that we will have success only when we overcome Tamas (laziness) by being invoking inspiring Energy  (Durga) and be aware of duties as a family member, a community member, a  citizen and finally a Human being. This will bring forth unconditional love (Lakshmi) and Knowledge (Saraswathi). One baby had the rice feeding or first solid eating ceremony giving all five taste of Sweet, Salt, Bitter/astringent, Sour and Spice.  A two year old child had the first writing ceremony on Rice and Aum written with a golden ring dipped in Honey. All the children chanted Saraswathy slokas.

 October 3rd 2010: 26th Today was also the Ganesha Theme. children were asked to color specific parts of Ganesha know what it means. For learning, , first we need to listen well, symbolized by huge ears of Ganesha. Next we have to pay attention or focus on the work we do, shown by small eyes and also talk less shown by small mouth. At the same time we should be very versatile in doing things, like the proboscis, or trunk of Ganesha (fusion of the nose and upper lip). An elephant can pick up a huge log of wood or even one single blade of grass. We have to think big like the big head of Ganesha.

The children learn the next mantra, of touching the ground before getting out of bed. We ask for pardon of mother earth. We should step only on Earth and not on anything else.

Samudhra vasane Devi, 
Parvatha sthana mandithe,
Vishnu pathni namasthubhyam 
Paada sparsam kshamasva Mae. 

Salutations to you consort of Lord Vishnu,
Who is clothed by oceans (71% is ocean)
And is adorned prettily by the mountains (29% land),
Pardon me mother, for setting my foot on you.

Foot symbolize Ego.  We dont touch the feet of elders while prostrating at their feet (Namaskaaram). We should only bow down to the great personality of the person. We look at their feet with an understanding that we will follow their principle in our life. 

Stepping or leaping over things means  touching them with our "Ego". We should treat all "things" as the manifestation of the divine.  We  have no choice but to step on Mother Earth and so we ask for pardon. 

September 2010: 26th September 2010 was the first CCC class. We learned the Waking up prayer . "Karaagre Vasate Lakshmeeh" The children were asked, what they do as soon as they get up. They said "brush teeth and take shower". "What organ was used mostly?". They said "Hands". Therefore hands are the important organ of Karma and looking at the hands every morning and chanting the prayer means to  focus on doing  every action with beauty (lakshmi), with the understanding logic of doing  it (Saraswathi) and with the Awareness of the "Self" (Govindah). The children were asked why it is called prabhate (morning prayer). Prabha means light and sun light comes first in morning.

The children also coloring of Ganesha's huge ear, understanding that we need to listen to good things and pay attention in class to grow wise like Ganesha's big head.  Not the whole picture was asked to color, but only the ear organ and so focus of each organ of Ganesha and connecting to our own attributes of Ganesha to us.  

Earlier class we studied about why we insist children to use  of right hand to recieve or give things.