We all have Stories to tell but how you tell stories matter.

   As people get hooked on to Soap Operas, my daughter is hooked onto me telling her Stories in spoken words , moving gestures and voice modulations.

   

  A good storyteller takes the listener to a journey and mostly ,have the  eyes glued, mouth open and minds tingling with imagination. Stories without props or pictures are the keys to making characters ,settings ,situations ,actions and everything else come alive .

 A story has immense power in overall development of a child .It develops  the mental faculty of thinking, can tackle serious behaviourial concerns . It is inclusive brings in community, experiences to handle adverse situations and inspiring.

        I have been telling tales to my daughter from the time she turned 6 months. At that time, it was generally during sleep hours and mostly, about stars and moons .Then, as she grew older, bought fairies, frogs, creatures and live sounds  to my  tales   . .Then when, she turned 2 it was the Grimm’s Fairy tales and the other classics  . Some days, bring stories to work on Challenging behaviors.

        Once, she turned 5 plus We , further twisted Grimm’s Fairy tales from the original middle and Ending.  Stories to resonate in the living situation like in, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. We twisted the tale by telling Snow white is wise to not accept apples from strangers or the Stepmom accepted that Snow white was the fairest of all. We , relive movies and stretch it for weeks.  Once continued   ''My Childhood Tales" for a month then, a month on "how her father and I met". Also, use the nightly story session to make sense of things that happen at school, or keep alive family memories, things that happened to us and to other people.
       
        After she turned 7, I started telling stories of bravery and courage then bringing  in more challenges, also my Secret Passages that change each time to have special experiences. Recent practices are  stories on Saints, Mythology, Fables, and folklores. Our True Stories are Biographies of people in our family and people we know .Some stories that gives meaning to life on knowing the self. 

           Now, it has become a daily ritual ,we sit cushioned in our special corner  , light a candle and the story unfolds .This is the time we connect ,we meditate ,we are surrounded by  a ray of hope, belief, truth and love through stories .Thus ,raising happier ,healthier and wiser child.

For learning the Oral art of storytelling and kinds of stories to make an impact/an overview on childrens genres and trends/carve the storyteller in you

Register for our ongoing workshops on Storytelling for DIY mums

contact Geetanjali: 09665036987

https://www.facebook.com/Secret-Passages-workshop-for-mums-dads-teachers-therapists-105685223108188/#

Immerse in NAture and see the magic happen

          Are children loosing out their time with nature ?

Ringing tingling dingling

calls the nature

fresh flowers give their fragrance away

 Leaves make rustling sounds when the wind blows

Day , catching light in the same way 

As the darkness leaves  stars twinkiling in the night.

I rest on the bed of grass 

under the moonlit sky.

- Geetanjali Shetty kaul

                   What would be our lives like if our days and nights be immersed in nature as immersed in technology.Unlike the tab apps, TV and cell phone games, where you can only hear and see. Being in nature, can give real life magical experience where you can feel, smell, see, hear and taste. Jump in the streams, play in the mud, climb trees, catch crabs ,hold twinkling fireflies and drink waterfalls.

    To mention , even great authors inspired us to transform power of dreams and listening to our  hearts by being in nature  .Be it " The Alchemist '' by Paulo Coelho or Be it " The Pearl in the Storm " by Tori Mc Clure , nature played an important role in discovering hidden treasures that lie within us.

Where do children spend their leisurely hours or holidays ?

   Instead of passing summer months hiking, swimming and telling stories around the campfire, children these days are more likely to stay indoors or join run on the mill Summer Camps .

As Louvrightly points out  in his book  'The last child in the woods " that , children have come to think of nature as more of an abstraction than a reality. Indeed, a 2002 British study reported that eight-year-olds could identify Pokémon characters far more easily than they could name "otter, beetle, and oak tree." Gathering thoughts from parents, teachers, researchers, environmentalists and other concerned parties, Louv argues for a return to an awareness of and appreciation for the natural world. Not only can nature teach kids science and nurture their creativity, he says, nature needs its children:

 Where else will its future stewards come from? 

How do we bring children back to nature ?

Nature Walks 

   Going for quiet  nature walks without speaking  can help children listen closely to the flowers, woods ,waves and the stones.Spending time here will help them calm down , find peace  and sense of belongingness.Naturally ,they will nurture the environment and take care of Mother Earth .Leaves on the path will soon become an object of inquiry ,where do they come from ? 

                                                                        Nature Table 

 A nature table or seasonal table can be whatever you want it to be.  Simple or elaborate.  It could be a collection of objects in nature like types of feathers ,stones,leaves ,twigs placed on the table in a creative way.

                                                                      Nature Projects 

 All things collected in your nature trails are highly resourceful and in reverence can be recreated to a piece of art ,history or a new story  . Creating ideas to fly like A dream catcher from feathers, A sailor boat from twigs , Stream Path from Stones where ever the mind and heart can explore.

                                                                     Nature Works 

Children love Gardening .Pulling out weeds, cleaning up the garden ,Sowing seeds ,Planting are all fun  as they make little hands work along the gardening tools .Making little spaces for keeping potted plants as long as they get enough light ,air and water the plant will grow well. Mint leaves ,Tulsi leaves ,lemon grass can be grown at home and making '' herb drink'' by boiling  them with little ginger and  a teaspoom jaggery can be refreshing .Help children make these drink and enjoy sipping together.

                                                               

                                                                       Nature Diaries 

 Maintaining a diary helps in uninterrupted writing skills .Watching the grass dance and sketching it .Writing down simple lines like," Green Grass glows in the Sun" .can be an article ready to be pinned.Watching birds fly ,sketching it and writing " Birds fly to make circles in the sky " allows daydreamers to pen their thoughts

                                                                         Nature Tales 

Tell children stories on "how Earthworms became Farmer's best friend ?", "How Dung beetles are loved in the cattle field ? " Begin Stories from the Valleys of kashmir to the Western Ghats of Maharashtra . Find stories  or create one , Make sounds and let images come alive..Get children interested in fascinating creatures that share this earth with us.

                                                                       Nature Games 

 Blindfold your child and make her listen carefully to the sound of leaves,make her touch the bark of the tree. Then ,take her far away from that tree and remove the blind fold. Then, give her time to identify that tree. MaKe Memories and often make such spontaneous moments ...simple activities such can create the connection between mom and the child.

   So much time with Nature will naturally nurture generation next to follow their dreams and finding enlightenment within . As they explore the natural world more deeply and family connectedness in the process ,Mother Earth will be happy to share her wealth with us. 

by Nature 

close to Nature

Geetanjali 

 Founder 

 Secret Passages

 workshops for Parents , teachers ,therapist and you

Walk towards this path for  holistic upbringing

www.facebook.com/secretpassages

Reinventing Childhood days

Reinventing Childhood days this Summer

At home, I am surrounded with myself .Sometimes with my toys,games and dreams.Sometimes, with mum,granny ,dad ,cousins,friends ,aunts and some more family members.Sometimes ,with color,sound  and work I like to do.Some days ,I cycle freely,sing loudly ,dance merrily and watch time stop
......would be words from a child's diary on how she/he spent her  Summer Holidays

   
Make the Most of this Summer Break by giving them that freedom they so long for.
The obvious questions are : What do I do with the kid ? How will my child not hook onto TV ? How do I let my child not demand my time?

For now, Handy tips on what you can do with your child to help him excel this Summer

( for children between 4.6  to 10 )–

1. Rhythm and Rituals :  Set up a flexible time table in Summer  and stay disciplined .Keep changing it time to time understanding what works and what does not.

Time table includes free play time /study time /art time/outdoors/stories/reading/Hand Writing/creative writing /clay /singing /lego/stitching/cooking/games/puzzle making and playing/cleaning up rooms/ T.V time / chat time / bird watching time / quiet walks / Math Rhythm /meditation/Experiments / home visits /Cooking and so on .Also, make it a habit to ask each other how was your day before sleeping.

2. Story Telling everyday: As Albert Einstein Rightly said, “If you want your child to be intelligent tell them stories and if you want your child to be more intelligent tell them more stories “. Stories develop attention span, vocabulary, moral science, problem solving , reasoning skill and  most importantly , the warmth and the healing it brings.

3. Reading: In order to improve your child’s academic standing, we need to jump start in this area. There are a wide variety of literature available .Other Reading include map directions, writing out road directions, You can write out simple task and let your child read like Grocery bill basket, Simple daily habits and so on. Finding Facts and information from books. Looking for advertisements  in the newspaper, Encourage reading an interesting article, Signboards and so on. Tell them to find numbers of friends  on the phone before handing over dictionary to help reading in alphabetical order .If children are already into the habit of reading ,plan to read one story this Summer and read it to live it the characters ,the setting ,the feeling and review it.Favourite quotes and lines can be written with beautiful handwriting.

4 .Free Chats: When the academic year is over ,it is time to look back  .Do not ask big questions like ;How was this  year ? Instead ask specific questions such as how many games you played this year? What were your best  moments with friends ? let us list down Your favourite stories  this year. Did you enjoy Play Practices ? What did  you enjoy ? And then ,soon  you will hear the heart pouring with different emotions and body moving with excitement of the year that passed by.Create a Mind Map and Scrap notes of the year.
  Also ,share things to do with your day. Some days ask children some questions just to come up with some ideas. What do you think the Giraffe eats for breakfast? What if fishes decide to make friends with the birds? Or what will happen if you leave your shoe lace open? And so on

5 Build vocabulary ; Scrabble is a must in every household .Reading extensively builds vocabulary and regular exercises like finding words that sound same  ( amazing,surprising,wonderful ) Playing word games and making word banks.Some days, build games around  feelings  words like hesitant,nostalgic,refreshed /magic words like astounded ,guided,miracles.

6  Uninterruped Writing:Make writing a habit throughout summer . Keeping a journal on dreams, on feelings, free writes,writing  songs and poems .Writing dialogues ,like writing down the way of telling the same thing in different way and acting out .And laughing over it :)

7. Cooking : Involve children in the kitchen and also in your visits to the Super Market Nothing can replace Experiential learning and what best than with Mom around.Play Pretend Plays on Designing a Restaurant in the house ,Name the restaurant ,make Menu Card ,Cook together ,Setting table and family eating with some invisible characters around .Make bill and share comments on the restaurant in a notepad with xyz names written.

8. Crafty time and Role playing: Always keep basket full of recyclable, organize stationary, and craft materials within the child’s reach .Also ,one basket full of dupattas, bags, binoculars, magnifying glass and creative stuff. Let children come up with their ideas and create machine , boxes , houses or any set up.

9 Nature Walks are integral part of childhood. Instead of malls, visit parks and beaches .During this time, you can play a lot of games and explore observation skills .Like asking the child: What do birds eat? child might say Birds eat berries then take walks to find out what they eat /watch birds and write ‘’The Bird landed on the tree ‘’.
Plan some Science Experiments on Humidity , Weather , Butterfly garden .Some Local geography on Routes around ,Treasure Hunt ,Maps

 Tell your child to feel a tree and then ,make a chalk mark . Afterwards,Blindfold him and ask to find the tree .Keep inventing games to bring children to nature .Exercises like Gardening will be fruitful too.Read Immerseinnature@reinventiningchildhood.blogspot

10 Last but not the least, Celebrate every moment of childhood as you will miss it soon .Find reasons to have a get together .Invite Grandparents, aunts and cousins on occasions for example,Family gathered to plant seeds orThe  last Mango MilkShake party .Involve Children in the planning like making list ,games ,chats,cooking

       With so many occupying and engaging events in the little time of childhood .Hopefully, we still have the power to reclaim childhood .Hope these practical ideas work in a healthy and wealthy way.

Secret Passages holds regular   workshops for Parents,teachers and therapist

Love and light on the Path of Secret passages

Geetanjali

9665036987