To transfer values to the next generation we need to imbibe them ourselves. The best preaching is in your own perfect action.
- Swami Chinmayananda
The Curriculum for Chinmaya Bala Vihar® has been refined over the last 50 years. It is structured and based on our scriptures, with a focus on how scriptures apply to our daily lives.
GRADE PRE-KINDERGARTEN - Prayers, Rhymes & Fun
This precious age is one where children are innocent and full of life.While they start out anxious of the new surroundings, they quickly latch on to our caring teachers who instill in them the love of God. Even at this tender age, the teachers help to inculcate reverence for our culture through coloring, simple prayers, and fun songs and dances.Through creative means, the children readily identify our Gods and the qualities they represent. At the end of the year, both teachers and students have tears borne out of the bond that was created between them.
GRADE KINDERGARTEN - Alphabet Safari
We all know that ‘A is for Apple’ and ‘B is for Boy,’ but in Balavihar, the children learn that “A is for Aspiration, B is for Brotherhood, C is for Cleanliness,” and so on. Simple, but fundamental values are taught and emphasized through stories and coloring. Children are introduced to the wonder of Vedanta in an age- appropriate manner through hands-on activities and demonstrations. They learn that just because something is not seen does not mean that it is not there. Therefore, our minds need to be focused to see the beauty within all of us.
GRADE 1 - Bala Ramayanam
Through the Ramayana, the world’s oldest epic, Lord Rama teaches us the values of the perfect person. The children track the path of Lord Rama from childhood to marriage to exile to the war with Ravana, culminating in his crowning as King. Embedded in the story is so much symbolism. How are the 3 pairs of brothers in the Ramayana different? What attracts Vibhishana, to Lord Rama? Why is HanumanJi the greatest devotee, and how can we be like him? The children will amaze you with their deep appreciation of the glories of Lord Rama.
GRADE 2 AND 3 - Bala Bhagavatam
Thousands of years ago, King Parikshit heard Srimad Bhagavatham from Shri Shuka. The Bhagavath Mahapurana is considered to be among the purest of our scriptures since it invokes devotion to Lord Vishnu, through His incarnations. Bala Bhagavatam guides young minds through the stories of Lord Vishnu. They learn to own up to their actions and to ask for what they need and not what they always want. Even at this young age, the content from this class teaches the children what is meant by Dharma and how we can all live responsibly and meet our potential.
GRADE 4 AND 5 - Symbolism in Hinduism
What is a symbol and why have them? Why does Lord Ganesh have big ears and why does He travel on a mouse? Why does Lord Shiva have Mother Ganga flowing from His hair? Our scriptures are filled with hidden gems of knowledge, and these treasures are unlocked as children explore the deeper meaning behind all that they see in Hinduism. All these symbols are of the One Lord who pervades all and teaches us to live a life of harmony, fulfillment, and happiness. The children will be able to actually teach their parents about the meaning of our religion.
GRADE 6 AND 7 - Sampoorna Ramayanam
Maryada Purushotam Ram, the hero of Ramayana, is referred to as the ideal man in our scriptures. The story may appear seemingly simple, but it is a storehouse of numerous values, replete with symbolism. Children in this class, will not only go through the awesome story of Ramayana, but will also learn timeless values and virtues which can be incorporated in their lives in this day & age. They will also hear about side-texts like Vibhishina-Gita, Rama-Gita and the beautiful Sundarakand.
GRADE 8 - Sampoorna Mahabharatha
Mahabharata is an epic narrative of the Kurukshetra war and the fates of 2 sets of cousins, who enter into the battlefield. This is a Dharma-Yudha or the war for Dharma. It is full of various characters from warriors, to devotees, from ruthless kings and princes, to brave women. It offers so many valuable life lessons, as Lord Krishna, a key character in the epic, goes about guiding everyone on the path of Dharma. The Gita class being the next year, the children will get a good understanding of the entire story and its characters and the deeper symbolism.
GRADE 9 AND ABOVE - Hindu Culture - An Introduction
"Hindu Culture - An Introduction" - an amazingly simple yet deeply informative book by Swami Tejomayananda, explains various concepts from the ancient, time tested and still relevant culture and philosophy of our Vedas. Swami Tejomayananda gives us a deep and sensitive insight into Hindu Culture using simple words and analogies that appeal to the head and heart of the modern reader. It deals with topics like the basis of cultures, fundamentals of scriptures, symbolism of deities, significance of festival, role of temples, indicators of Dharma, understanding of the caste system, analyzing the characters of the Mahabharata & much, much more.
LANGUAGES
Mark Twain once said, "India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grandmother of tradition." Few countries can boast of the diversity in array of languages, and through our many sevaks/volunteers, we offer instruction in several of them. Our language options for this year include: Sanskrit, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, and Marathi.
SAT
We offer SAT preparation, aimed primarily towards students in Grades 6-9. Through this instruction, we begin to introduce concepts covered in the SAT to students beginning at an early age so that they can become familiar with the test and concepts covered.