This Ganpati festival, I conducted a workshop for kindergarten kids on how to make eco-friendly Ganesha at home. I used the ingredients available in the kitchen to make these idols.
Ganpati Festival in Indian, specially in Maharashtra is very popular among kids as well as adults. People bring Ganpati idols to their homes and offer Him prayers everyday for 10 days before visarjan into the water. Now a days with the environmental crisis all over the world, it is necessary to be more aware of what we put into our water bodies.
You can check out this video on how to make your own eco-friendly Ganesha & do not forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel!
Here are some lovely moments that were captured during the workshop that I took. Kids loved this sensory experience!
There were kids from Nursery, Junior and Senior KG and I loved how they enjoyed and chatted all the way making their own Ganeshas.
Here I am giving finishing touches to all the idols.
Check out all the 18 imperfect yet beautiful Ganeshas!
After few days, these kids did the visarjan of these chemical free Ganeshas by putting the idol in a tub of water and then using the water for plants. Absolutely sustainable, right?
Hope you like this version of the beloved Lord Ganesha. Do share how you made your eco-friendly Ganesha. I would love to see the pics!
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As most of you know, I have been associated with Babychakra for quite some time now! I have been contributing articles on early learning, parenting & Montessori to this awesome portal for parents that has evolved so fast & beautifully in the last few months.
About Babychakra
BabyChakra is the most trusted platform for parents in India. Whether you are looking to connect with other mothers, experts or childcare services, BabyChakra guarantees happier, healthier mothers and kids. BabyChakra is an award winning venture that revolutionizes how parents discover healthcare and education for their families. They are the one platform that brings all the help and support a new parents needs to have in one place:
They have the largest, most active community of young parents in India.
They have the top Experts in India on BabyChakra.
The largest base of maternity & childcare services & reviews on them are on BabyChakra.
They have the most comprehensive base of articles with DIY tips, recipes and developmental milestones.
Babychakra has its presence in various cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore but Pune (where I am based) is still on their cards to spread its wings. But luckily I got this opportunity to meet Babychakra team with whom I have been working online in this great event that they organized in association with Johnson & Johnson, a brand that has been in the child care arena since ages! When I got a call from Babychakra that they are going to have an event in Pune & I am the first person (a mommy blogger) that came to their mind to invite, it just made my day :) I counted days literally to be a part of the event because I knew if Babychakra is organizing something, it has to be a fun-filled event.
Little did I know that Johnson & Johnson as well, will leave a significant mark on me as a mother & an individual after the event. We did not know the agenda of this event beforehand but we knew it is going to be a moms & kids meet.
About The Event
The event started in the morning at 10 AM with the registrations. I was so excited to meet the Babychakra team in person, including the CEO & Founder Naiyya Saggi. What a lovely lady she is - elegant, soft spoken & down to earth. The hall was gradually full with moms like me, moms of infants, toddlers & some moms of elder kids too. It was such a warm ambiance that all of us moms connected to each other so quickly, many of the moms were totally stranger to me but the motherhood instinct in all of us made us connect beautifully while we had a nice cup of tea/coffee together outside the hall.
The best part of the event was there was a play area set up for toddlers right in the hall itself where our little ones were so busy playing & we moms could actually pay attention to what the event was all about :)
The event began with the introduction of Deepali Agarwal, the marketing manager at Johnson & Johnson. She is a brilliant speaker & kept us all awake & alive with her witty remarks amidst serious discussions. The agenda of the event became clearer as we moved ahead. Deepali helped us understand a lot of myths that exist around baby care products, we saw a couple of videos by experts explaining important gyaan, there were some quizzes too around Johnson & Johnson products and parenting in general.
Then some real fun part started, we were divided into teams & were given some DIY experiments to do that actually demonstrated us how Johnson & Johnson products fare as compared to other brands.
Wipes experiment - We were asked to squeeze out water through a syringe in a test tube from a baby wipe and compare it with another brand.
Testing Brand New Launched Baby Detergent - This event also marked a launch of Johnson's baby detergent & we used couple of sauces & colors to spoil a cloth & then wash it using this new detergent.
At the end, surprisingly our team won the contest, which means we were able to complete the experiments ahead in time!!! We got a gift hamper from Neutrogena - a beautiful one, yayyy!
Then the session was open for Q&A. Deepali was kind enough to take each & every question in a very mature & convincing way. The best part was that her answers had a scientific reason behind & the facts were not at all misguiding! The most crucial questions were around the lawsuit that was filed against Johnson brand about baby powder causing ovarian cancer. Deepali threw light on how & why the brand lost that case but won similar cases three times too. We all got to know how the products of Johnson are still #bestforbaby & how the brand has gotten over the controversy. Many moms, including me, who were skeptical about the brand products are now assured that Johnson is still as pure as it was when we were kids!
After that, there were Facebook Live sessions by we moms, Babychakra & Johnson guys! It was so much fun. You can go ahead & watch all the fun on Johnson Facebook Page HERE.
You can also check out my Instagram, Twitter & Facebook accounts where I posted about the event LIVE :)
The event was wrapped up by a wonderful lunch where we enjoyed networking with fellow moms & found ourselves feeding our kids some yummy kids friendly dishes too! The organizers had thought it off so well that they included special items for kids with very less spices.
We also got hampers & goodies from Babychakra & Johnson & Johnson at the end! My toddler was so eager to explore them & the nest day he demanded to use Johnson & Johnson shampoo, soap & oil for his bath :) And honestly I am loving their shampoo! It leaves my son's hair so soft & silky.
We also got gift voucher from Babychakra to shop from, if you do not know it yet, Babychakra now has an exclusive shop section that has some interesting items to pick. Since currently I am deep into parenting, early learning & Montessori (as you must have inferred by now from my blog), I ordered educational kit from their shop. It will reach me soon & my toddler is already questioning, what is coming in the parcel!!!
All in all, a brilliant day out for moms & kids, where I got to meet so many of my virtual friends in person for the first time, I got to meet the team of Babychakra, my son had a gala time in the play area & most importantly, we all got to know so much more about Johnson & Johnson brand & that it still is as pure & trustable as it was years ago, as they say, it is #bestforbaby !!!
I thank the entire team of Babychakra & Johnson for organizing such a memorable event for we moms & kids :)
As a Yoga practitioner, Reiki practitioner, Crystal healer, I was invited by World Of Moms, a venture by FirstCry.com, to talk about Energy Healing.
Here is my Facebook LIVE video replay on ENERGY HEALING, that I did on WorldOfMoms page. The Reiki & Yoga practitioner and Crystal Healer in me, spoke for an hour. It was a great experience.
I have talked about -
What is energy healing
What are 7 main chakras in our body
What are the physical & non-physical functions of these chakras
How you can balance/heal your chakras using different modalities
And then a whole bunch of answers to questions by the live viewers about their experiences, issues & ailments & how energy healing can benefit them & how to go about it.
I am sure you would find something beneficial for your case in this video. Please share if you think it will benefit your friends/family.
Babies are precious & so is their skin - fresh & delicate like a dew! As a mother, I always try to find out the best for my son's skin. Something which is free from chemicals as far as possible & which is dermatologically tested, specially for baby's skin. The concern is all the more justified because a baby's skin is 20% thinner than adult skin. The skin barrier is not fully developed & harmful bacteria can easily enter the skin if the barrier is damaged, which in turn can cause moisture loss, redness, rashes & itching.
When I was invited to the launch event of Baby Sebamed Sun Lotion on 19th March 2017, I was more than excited to be a part of it for the simple reason that I had heard some real good reviews about Sebamed products & lately I have been feeling the need of a sunscreen lotion for my two years old son & I thought this would be a good starting point to choose one for him! I must say, I was not disappointed at all with the product. And there cannot be a better way to welcome the summers with we moms being reassured that our babies' skin is safe when they go out in the sun :)
To start with, I must say that the event was a LOT of fun for moms as well as kids (0 to 6 years). There were presentations about Sebamed, their research, their findings, there was music, dance, games & small lovely gifts for the kids & the most important part of the event was the Yoga Session for moms & kids.
This event made an entry into the Indian Book Of Records for more than 50 kids & moms doing Yoga together, along with a trained Yoga instructor, under the sun!
I am so happy to be a part of this awesome record, along with my son!
About Sebamed
Sebamed is one of the world’s leading skincare brands from Germany, researched by a dermatologist, with over 50 years of rich experience. It has a presence in 85 countries worldwide & has over 120 products. Their philosophy is to use botanical ingredients & ensure stringent quality standards. Their products are recommended by dermatologists, Paediatricians & Gynaecologists in India & across the world.
Features Of All Sebamed Products
pH 5.5 - Alkali-free & soap free
High quality and high purity of ingredients
Developed and recommended by dermatologists
German engineered
Dermatologically and clinically tested
Biodegradable, no animal testing
Free from mineral oils and harsh chemicals.
Key USPs of Baby Sebamed Range
pH 5.5 helps in the development of acid mantle
High concentration of botanical extracts nourishes baby's skin
And now, about the brand new product that they launched - Baby Sebamed Sun Lotion
Instructions For Use
Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before exposure to the Sun.
Reapply frequently to maintain the protection, especially after bathing.
Avoid exposure to the Sun between 11 am and 3 pm.
Use hat, shirt, sunglasses and sunscreen suitable for child protection.
Can be used for babies of 6 months & above
Pros
pH 5.5
98% UVA protection
Skin protection with Vitamin E
Natural formula providing intense hydration
Oil-free, non-greasy, does not leave any residue, gets absorbed in the skin easily
Alcohol-free
Free from paraffin / parabens / PEG bonds
Water & sweat resistant - which means we can apply this when we go for swimming this summer!
SPF 50 - which is pretty high & hence makes the effect of the sunscreen even better
Cons
No perfume - this looks like a limitation but actually it is good because there will be some chemicals going inside the product if an artificial perfume is introduced in it
Pricing - It is priced at 1400 INR for a bottle of 200ml, which is on a higher side but given the USPs, I think most parents would not mind going this extra mile when it is about the skin safety of their children
All Baby Sebamed products are available on major online stores like Amazon, FirstCry etc.
The Event
The description of this launch event cannot be complete without pictures, so here they are - an absolute fun filled beautiful Sunday morning at a venue that is one of the best in Mumbai - Radio Club, Colaba.
The view of the sea & tons of boats was one of the interesting elements for almost all the toddlers there. They were glued to the windows watching the boats & playing with the balloons, making friends with each other.
There was a quick presentation about the skin care & Sebamed brand from the experts.
Followed by the product launch, and that too by the children :) It is a kids' product at the end of the day!
We got to try the sun lotion too!
Kids were super happy with the games, music & dance session that followed.
Then we all headed out together in the sun to set out a unique record! Something that has not been done so far - 50+ kids & moms doing Yoga together under the sun with a certified Yoga instructor!
This has gone into the Indian Book Of Records, yayyy!
Some photo booth madness by my toddler ;) Yes, he is officially a record breaker now!
And a wonderful talk by the celebrity Dermatologist, Cosmetologist & Trichologist, Dr Simple Aher, on the importance of skin care.
All in all, a very well spent Sunday morning with lots of takeaways about skin care, information about the Sebamed product range & a sumptuous lunch to end with :)
Hope this review will help you in choosing the right skin care range for your child.
Toddler tantrums can be very hard to handle for parents! They start from sometime around 18 months or so & usually go on till 3-4 years of age. Also called as terrible 2's, these little beings are famous for doing random things at random times with no reasoning in most cases. They cry, complain, scream, hit, kick, throw stuff and what not, and we adults are sometimes clueless to what they are up to. We lose our calm sometimes, do something which we ourselves regret later. I have not seen any parent who has not had his/her big share of toddler tantrums!
The K Junction in association with Cedarwood Afterschool Program, recently conducted a workshop for parents on Handling Toddler Tantrums. It was very well received & the parents went back with lots of pointers & homework to do on how they can cope up with the situation in a better way.
Sharing some of the content of this workshop so that my readers here can also use it to their benefit. Of course there is nothing like discussing everything in person & elaborating the bullet points in details but still, this could be a starting point if you are looking for some answers in handling the situation at your end.
What Causes A Tantrum
Communication needs
Battle for control
They are having a hard time & seeking our help
To seek attention
Reflection of parents/caregivers
Incorrect expectation from parents
Toddler Brain Demystified
Toddler's Neocortex, thinking part of the brain, that does higher order thinking, is NOT developed fully & it's development continues through the mid 20s. Functions of Neocortex include
Self awarenessž
Logic & reasoning
Ability to control impulses
Understanding consequences
Problem solving
Empathy
Attention
žUnderstanding & interpreting emotions
Handling Tantrums – What Does Not Work
Leave them crying for some time
Ask them to stop crying/whining
Explain/criticize what wrong they did
Punishments
žTimeouts
Explaining consequences
Rewards
Ask them to apologize
Become embarrassed yourself
Handling Tantrums – What Works
Understand the reason
Acknowledge the big feeling & let them cry assuring you are there for them
Give a tight hug
Keep calm & use calm voice
Unconditional love
Talk It Out Gently!
To conclude let us understand that
žWhen they are throwing a tantrum, they are not giving us hard time, they are having a hard time!
žGive them appropriate control in daily lives, set a routine, understand their needs, avoid tantrum provoking situations & give unconditional love
Our kids require us most of all to love them for who they are, not to spend our whole time trying to correct them
And I end this article with some brilliant quotes that we parents need to be reminded frequently :)
The K Junction participated in this awesome kids carnival called Tooneycon in Seasons Mall, Pune on 12th & 13th Nov 2016 to celebrate children's day. I set up a ACTIVITY ZONE for kids of age 2 to 5 years. Here is a quick video of the material & supplies haul. You can use the ideas to set up activities on your own at home for your kids. They are super simple to create & very engaging. Most of the materials can be found at your home only. So what are you waiting for :)
Supplies Haul
It was a two day stall at the carnival. Kids & parents loved it. There was a constant rush on the stall. I am so thankful to my stars that I got this beautiful opportunity to make the kids happy with my small efforts. There is nothing more beautiful than this :)
Here is a quick review of the activities I had set up & few glimpse of the event!
Do subscribe to this blog & my Youtube channel for more such fun!
