SM's holistic approach to learning and life cannot be complete without our parents. But what is the role of parents at Sparkling Mindz? How do we continue to keep child in the centre, keeping the caregivers in mind? What are the expectations from our parents? 

Let's listen to our founder, Ms. Sreeja Iyer, give us a sneak peak into our culture. 

We at Sparkling Mindz handle children's issues in different ways. One way is to model their behavior back to them, asking them to reflect, take perspective and empathize on how/what they are doing or how others feel as a result of their behavior.

Another way is through role plays and this time, the facilitators at preschool decided to role play as children. They chose three scenarios to role play:
a) taking every communication with peers as an attack and being rude in response to attack,
b) self victimizing by saying they have no friends, and
c) wanting to look like the others and not satisfied with how they already look (especially the skin color).

Each scenario explains what the facilitators role played and what children reflected after each of the scenes.

Scenario 1

Friend 1 makes fun of friend 2's drawing that leads friend 2 to be upset and get into a mode of rejecting the other's friendship and her opinion by telling herself things that are not productive.

Reflections
 
An, "The house can be drawn however we want it to be."
Em, "We should not be rude at other's work."
An, "Friend 1 did not care about what the other child said." 
An, "Yes, she cared only about herself."
Sh, "She was hurt!"
Aad "Friend 2 was upset and was telling herself that she wants to be on her own."
Anya " Yes, she kept telling bad things to herself like, I don't like other people and they are rude to me!"

At this point the facilitator asked them, "Did friend 2 telling herself bad things help her?"

All, "Nooo!!!"

Facilitator (F), "What could she tell herself instead?"

Various responses such as, "I like mine, but I don't know why she did not like mine...", "I like mine but maybe she likes the way she draws...", "We should like what others do...", etc., came out.

F, "Are we expecting others to tell good things about us?"
An, without a blink, "Yes!"

F, "Is it ok when somebody doesn't like what we do?"
An, "It's okay I'll like it anyway."
F, "Okay. You can also tell them politely , "I like the way I have painted.""
F2, "So what did we learn from this?"
An, "To be kind to others and ourselves."

And the facilitator added, "Saying good things to ourselves and what we choose to do is not for other people's approval."

Scenario 2

Facilitators role played 2 kids playing and talking about their interests. Another child who wanted to join them did not want to join them as he did not get invited, and how the child 3 feels sad.

​Reflections

"Hurray! It's our Sports Day!", screamed the children and facilitators alike. To us at SM, sports day is a celebration.

Celebrate what, you may ask? Well, we want to celebrate our growth, our togetherness, our hard work with respect to the trainings, learnings, pushing ourselves beyond our usual 'workout' days. 

And this year, the preschoolers of SM were introduced to a new team game. They took it with open arms, learning about what it's like to work with a team, be part of a team, resilience, focus, etc. They learned so much in the field…what more? They learned to take all this learning back to their classes too. 

Sports is not a goal or the finish line for us at SM, but an integral part of the classroom too, and this begins with our wide and deep disconnections on what sports means to them, what does it mean to fall, what can we do when we feel like giving up, and so on. These learnings they apply to their overall life too. Well, to get a glimpse on what Sports Day is to us and how the Sports Day of the academic year 2019 - '20 went, watch this video. We would like to extend our gratitude to Ajit Sivaram for capturing this culture beautifully.

​

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#21stcenturylearning
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#emergentlearning
#sportsday2019

​Times have been unpredictable, with the COVID-19 spreading, driving the world to take refuge in a dark shell of uncertainty. First, the schools were shut, then we were to keep our distance from each other and then, a complete lock down extending for over a month. Does this mean we shut everything down? Should children's learning stop? How are parents going to keep them engaged? These are some of the questions we asked ourselves.

We, at Sparkling Mindz value and nurture growth mindset. We believe that there is always a way, even in the face of adversities. We took to technology and reconnected with our children over video calls. Our children too vibed with our mindset, that NO Virus Can Stop Our LEARNING! 

We have been connecting with our children ranging from 7year Olds to 14 year Olds, reiterating to them about the importance of managing themselves mentally, emotionally and physically, and being able to create a routine that involves productive engagement. Oh! trust me, our children can create amazing schedules for themselves. 

On the last video call with our youngest group of children (the 7 to 8 year Olds), we presented a variety of activities that they could add to their schedules, which included different kinds of chores, workouts, experiments, skill building activities etc. Our children were  more than delighted to accept the repertoire of  options to choose from. 

Here, we have V trying to pick ice cubes with a piece of string as part of his play and learn experiment. The joy on his face shows us his engagement and wonder. Knowing V, we can imagine the curious wonder questions and observations he must have made while he experimented. 

Here is our Advika, doing the same challenge, inspiring all of us in the process, in her own creative way!

We viewed this adversity not as a hindrance but rather as an opportunity that presented itself to help our children and us learn and grow through it. 

Children, need to be encouraged to deal with adversities with a growth mindset. Why? So they become individuals who can deal with their circumstances without giving up on themselves or their dreams.


Contributed by Disha HK, Learning Facilitator at Sparkling Mindz Global School.

#sparklingmindzglobalschool
#sparklingmindzglobalpreschool
#youngachieversacademy
#inspiringconfidentlearners
#everychildcan
#covid19
#gamebasedlearning
#challengingourselves

On a gloomy Monday afternoon, the facilitators at SM were busy preparing for their classes next day when T (a 5 year old pre-schooler) walked in and sat on a facilitator's chair.
F: Do you want to be a facilitator?
T: I want to be a scientist! 
F: What does it mean to be a scientist?
T: (now in thoughts and guestured to not know) What does a scientist even do?
F: But you wanted to be one? 
T: Maybe I want to be a doctor or a librarian. I have not decided yet, when I become fifteen I'll get to choose.
(Something strikes her and she continues) Ah! I know! I want to explore space, I want to learn about the universe, I wish to be the first kid on space. Hmmm... What's a space ship driver called?
F: You mean an astronaut?
T: Yes! I want to be an astronaut.
T: (still thinking) Maybe I want to be a writer! 
F: What would you write then?
T: When somebody goes missing, I 'll write missing on a paper and put it up so that they can find them.
T: (continued with her eyes sparkling as bright as the sun compensating for the gloom outside) maybe I'll write stories!
T: Hmmm... Maybe I'll be a zookeeper, I love animals specially dinosaurs.
F: Do we have dinosaurs in the zoos now?
T: No, they died 15 million years ago, but I'll draw them... I'll become a zookeeper!
T: (seeming confused) they are all so cool, I'm unable to decide!

By then, her Mom arrived to pick her and she leaves. as she left, she screamed out loud from the door, "Ma'am! I want to be a tooth fairy"

If we can sustain this unique and imaginative thinking through their schooling years we would have succeeded in creating individuals that will carve their own unique paths and become changemakers in their own right!

#reggioemiliainspiredlearning
#sparklingmindzglobalpreschool
​#inspiringconfidentlearners

​Contributed by Yashika CG, Learning Facilitator at Sparkling Mindz Global Preschool.

​For a very long time I only thought the world was doomed (in an environmental way, and maybe some other ways) but I only voiced it out I never really took much action. That was until I was able to be involved in a journey that I’d always wanted to be part of.  Here’s the journey…

HOW IT STARTED?
At Sparkling Mindz we aim to change the world, to be changemakers and what I soon learnt was we can’t wait for the opportunity of change to be given to us. No! We had to grab it.
With the help of our facilitators grab we did. Our mission this time was about looking at our world, the one we live in, and turn it into the best world it can be. To bring it back to the once  sustainable, original and “green” form. We tried empathising with the land in which we live in and we figured out if kept at the rate at which we were going (which is carelessness of our natural resources and abundance of harmful litter) we weren’t going to go far. So that’s how we started TRUI.

OK, WHAT’S TRUI?
Tinker, 2Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle), Upcycle and Innovate. TRUI, simple, right? Wrong.

TRUI was a mission that needed blueprints, stepping into it just like that wouldn’t necessarily be an ideal plan. The process involved using waste materials and turning it into something useful, TRUI made You the magician. It was one of the centres of our learning this year, making all out learning areas revolve around it. How? Well, taking a pieces of junk and recreating which connects to so much that we have learnt in our learning areas (in other words, all the subjects we learn).  And it reflected in our output.

OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
So as said before our learning areas really helped in the ideation process of using TRUI. And here’s our  output. We were able to come up with  a set of ideas which involved making coasters, wind chimes, lamp shades and dust bins. Each learning area helped us in the process of getting here. We’ve already started attempting these and so far it has been fun and we still have so much more to do.

MY LEARNING
Through out this journey I have learnt many things, some I may have known and actually played out and some I found out on the way. There were many learnings that played a role in my learning areas and yet so many that I know I will use in the future for my academics. So other than learning how I can be an innovator, I learnt how being a part of a change that is going to impact the lives of so may people just makes me a better person along the way.

So there it is, a short yet fairly detailed glimpse of our TRUI journey and from the beginning till now I felt like magician, except that I knew the magic that was released was real.


Contributed by Maya Nair, Falcons (Grade 8), Sparkling Mindz Global School.

#reggioemiliainspiredlearning
#gamebasedlearning
#joyouslearning
#sparklingmindzglobalschool
​#inspiringconfidentlearners

 Our theme for this new academic year is 'Being Change Makers' and all of us facilitators are busy setting up for the year, making notes, brainstorming stories, finding connections, connecting with the children. To keep all of us inspired, we, the team, decided to take turns and do an activity everyday morning together. As we did a lot of games in the entirety of last week, we decided to read an article and reflect for our morning inspiration today.

The article was about a lot of starfishes that a little boy was throwing back into the ocean when an older adult walks over and asks him why he was doing that, as it didn't make much of a big difference. The boy then picks another one and says, "It makes a difference to this one", and throws it, out of the millions, back into the ocean.

After taking turns to read out loud, we all quietly sat, reflecting, wondering about the story and relating it back to our previous discussion on 'Being Change Makers' (what being a changemaker means, how we are already change makers, and why we need to be change makers) an overwhelming amount of inspiration took over. These are some of the things each of our facilitators said,

"I feel I am also doing my bit as a change maker. Whatever small thing I am doing is contributing to change. I considered it small or insignificant until now. But now that also makes a difference and I am contributing it in my own way- whatever I do at home- reject water not wasted, fixing leaking pipes, waste segregation etc. I ensure all my family members are also aware of it, and practice it. . Now that I am aware of the value of my contribution,  I feel good about it and want to spread the message to those close to me."- Jennifer 

""It made a difference to that starfish", he emphasized on value, the magnitude does not determine value. We find excuses that let us be ignorant. As humans, our natural instincts work best when we are faced with a stimuli that has a direct effect in us, which explains our slow response to climate change and fast response to a pandemic. 
The boy wasn't looking for attention, he didn't see himself as a hero. He had just one intention, saving a starfish's life, so it didn't matter to him how many he saved or if he was the only one. He had a clear purpose." - Tasha

"I always thought about environment from a very young age. Nature has its own way to bring all natural things into use. Being part of SM, part of an organization into change making., everyone's opinion matters. That's a door to change. Because I knew my voice will be heard, I proposed my opinion and it was applied. I'd proposed to remove the trash bags to reduce plastic and now, on a regular basis, at least 3 trash bags we have changed- as an organization, I am a part of change making. I always go to a shop with a cloth bag. I even educated my maid on burning plastic with wood - that isn't good for health, so educated her about how it affects health, she looped back to me saying how it has stopped. 
"There are people throwing so much. Will I  make a difference?" Yes!"- Neha

"I love the environment and I can't do anything consciously that will hurt the environment or the beings living in this environment. When I was in University, I used to use more organic products, use less plastic, and such. Slowly, I started to not do it as much thinking my contribution is not going to help, and those around me used to discourage me. Post our discussion on being change makers, I am a lot more aware of my thinking along the lines of the passion towards the environment and how my contribution, even if it is little, matters- like closing the tap, fixing leaks, and such. I know it's just one person but I don’t ever want to back down on what I believe in, which is my love for this planet and the beings living in it. It is my home, our home and I want to do what I can, no matter how little, to take care of it." - Sruthy

""Change starts with us", and also if everyone could think like the boy rather than the man... Collectively we could have saved the star fishes. Starfish is a "metaphor" for so many things that requires change. I can equate it to corona too...if one person follows social distancing well and seeing that another person too supports and practices the same and so on and so forth we could have brought it down and eventually have it not affect us for this long. This story helps me see how we can make a difference in the bigger scheme of things and we need to become these change makers in the world to truly bring about shifts in things we think need to change to better the world we live in, not only for us but for the sustainability of all kinds of living beings on this planet for generations to come." - Kruthika

"Most of the time when people want to do things, they don't get the right kind of motivation and they end up not trying anything new. The right kind of motivation and inspiration, or sometimes nothing said in response also help people to move forward. For me, trying new things is important and when the progress I see on it, however little, is satisfying. And that is my first step towards success." - Sheela

The said article started with a quote, "A single, ordinary person still can make a difference- and single, ordinary people are doing precisely that every day." - Chris Bohjalian, Vermot- based author and speaker.

So now to our readers,
What comes to your mind when you hear  'changemaker'?
And moreover, do you think you can be a changemaker?
Do you know what change you want to make, that one (or many) cause(s) you are passionate about and feel it burning deep within you?

What contribution did you make today?


#sparklingmindzglobalpreschool
#sparklingmindzglobalschool
#reggioemiliainspired
#21stcenturylearning
#everychildcan
#inspirationstandup
#teamspiration

Contributed by Sruthy Krishna, Learning Facilitator at Sparkling Mindz Global Preschool.

T is visibly upset, screaming and crying, sitting on her pink mat, "I want H to sit next to me not Ash!!!!!!!"

Now both the classes, Cubs (4 - 5 y/o) and Joeys (5 - 6 y/o) were staring at the scene, wondering what was happening. 

T was then reminded to use her words and that we couldn't help her if we didn't understand why she was so upset. After a few seconds, when nothing seemed to help her calm down, the facilitator (F) stepped in, "Can T please come with me? Let's go to our calming corner."

This was done so that her emotions could be addressed with her calmly and to help her calm herself. 

T and the F then came to their class (Cubs' class) for further discussion,

F: What happened? 
T, still crying, at this point her words are not clear, murmurs something. 
F: You know I can't understand what you are trying to tell me. 
T, calms down and starts to talk after a few seconds: I wanted Ash to sit here (pointing to her left) and H there (pointing to her right). I didn't want Ash to sit here (pointing to her right). 
F: So what can you do about it?
T (now angry): I told her so many times. She didn't listen!
F: Okay, I hear you. 
T: NOOOOOOOO!!! (screaming and crying slightly) She made me upset. 
F: You're saying that she made you feel upset and cry? 
T: Yes.
F: What can T do about this now?
T, now calm: I can take a deep breath and go sit somewhere where there is space. I can make new friends also. I was upset because she made me. 
F: Hmm, so you are saying that somebody else has the power to upset you and make you cry?
T agrees. 
F: So you have given the power to make you feel angry or any other emotions, to people outside of you?
T: Yes. Only others can make me feel bad and happy. 
F: Interesting. So that's what you're choosing to tell yourself ?
T, now pondering, but also agreeing. 
F: Okay. Let's think about it this way, what does this power of yours look like? 
T: Like a mossy rock!
F: Awesome! And?
T: Yellow, bright like that sun (points at the ceiling, to show the sun in the sky). Oh, I don't need that sun, I can make a sun for myself!
F: WOW! And where is this power?
T points into the middle of her chest.
F: In your chest? Wow. So when you give your power away to others, when others have the power to upset you or make you happy, where does this bright mossy sun go? 
T, thinking. No response. 
F continues, "Next time you feel like others have upset you, can you look for that power within you and see where it is?"
T: Yes.
F: And if you that power is missing, what can you do?
T: Put it back in my chest! And I'll be powerful and bright like the sun! (does a little dance)
F: Awesome! Would you like to think about this and come back after a bit, so we can talk more about it?
T: Mm-hmm. 

And off she went hopping and skipping with the power of mossy sun within her! Who knows what hidden powers we carry when we don't stop to introspect or too easily hand over all our power to others to hurt, to anger us. What if, we chose to take back that power and work with it instead? What would your power look like? Have you wondered?

And off she went back to the class, happy as ever. Holding space for children to express their emotions give them the understanding that it's okay to feel what they are feeling without feeling judged. In this space, they feel safe to be themselves, and to be open to express and explore different parts of them.  

Now when T starts to get triggered, she can simply be reminded of the sun to shift it back to within herself and she's good to go. And that's all it takes, to emerge out as an empowered person, to realize and remember that we have the power within us to do whatever it is that we want to, that it is nobody but us who are responsible for our own lives. ​


#sparklingmindzglobalschool
#sparklingmindzglobalpreschool
#socialemotionallearning
#youngachieversacademy
#inspiringconfidentlearners
#everychildcan
#21stcenturylearning
​#powerwithinme

Contributed by Sruthy Krishna, Learning Facilitator at Sparkling Mindz Global Preschool