The Novel “Diwali-Fun-for-Kids” Online Show: The Unique, Live, Educational, Fun Program for Parents & Kids!

So, hot on the heels of our hugely popular “Diwali Fun for Kids!” program at the Fremont Main Library on Nov. 17th, we organized a program that, we believe, was truly unique: an on-line version of our “Diwali Fun for Kids!” held Nov. 24th, Saturday morning, at 10 am Pacific and open to parents and kids everywhere (I’ll explain more in a minute). Our 25 spots filled-up fast; we had to close registrations the evening before, since we were still getting parents signing up as late as 11pm!

“Rakhi…Incredible job by you, Urvi and all the kids who performed in today’s program. Myself and my daughter Ananya enjoyed it thoroughly. I appreciate you for starting Cheeni for Tots, Cards for Tots and through them such fun and productive events in which you are showcasing the young budding talents and encouraging the kids. Keep up the good work and wishing growth and success for you.”  ~Geeta Bheemanapalli

An on-line version of “Diwali Fun for Kids”, you might ask?

Whatever does that mean? And, you wouldn’t be alone. We wondered that ourselves! In reality although it’s a really simple concept, given the technology at our disposal today, it is one that we believe is very powerful! (Also, one that takes quite a bit of work to organize and execute smoothly, I might add!) Let me explain …

You see at Cheeni-for-Tots, we are all about strengthening the parent-child bond, developing a love of learning in our kids, and helping them be enlightened, confident citizens of tomorrow. Above all, we are about doing this in a fun, carefree way! So, we spend a lot of time thinking: how we can take this to parents near and far? How can we touch more lives, and make a bigger impact?

With my volunteering at the Alameda County Library and the hit Diwali show last year, we knew that the idea was definitely appealing to parents – whetted again, by the turnout and response we received to our Diwali show this year – which was even bigger (50% bigger) than last year’s. Our challenge was to address the needs of those parents, who, for example, lived too far to make it to the library and, eventually, the needs of those living in a different part of the country or the world.

“Wonderfully planned, organized, co-ordinated and anchored! It was a nice touch to start off with a historical story and a simple poem that encourages kids to want to know more… It’s a very  good thought and platform that not only gives the kids an opportunity, but also engages them to know others and removes their stage fear building a laying the foundation for a good confidence and team activity for them.” ~Padmaja M S

After pondering on this for a while, it hit me. Of course! We would do the show on-line and live, using webinar and video-conferencing technology!

Now there’s nothing new about using webinar software today. What is unique, however, is having a live, on-line, educational and fun program for kids that is geared to bringing parents and children together in a collaborative environment. A program designed to help kids support each other, and showcase their talents before a live audience, while learning self-confidence and mutual respect; a program that stimulates learning about art and culture in a supervised environment, with the involvement and active encouragement of parents. Honestly, I couldn’t think of a better activity that would exemplify the Cheeni for Tots’ spirit of encouraging parents and kids to learn, enjoy and have fun together – and that too, right from the comfort of their own homes!

What’s Unique about the Show?

Indeed there are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of sites today that will provide videos for kids to view, or sites that will host videos of kids performing, or those that will enable registrations for a live audition for talent shows, and all variants in between. But, nowhere (so far anyway) have we seen an online program or show designed to bring both parents and kids together, or one that will put them in the company of other like-minded parents and kids live, and let them have loads of fun in a planned way (without making it seem as such!). Plus, create a way for the kids to showcase their talents and develop their skills all at the same time! Well, our online program did just that!

The day dawned with a couple phone calls coming in until the last minute, and some eager parents emailing audio files of their children, either playing an instrument, reciting, or singing. Based on the email communication we had with each parent prior to the event (everyone had to register to get the free pass for the event, and was therefore kept updated on the goings-on), everyone logged in a few minutes early to learn the ropes of the web conferencing system – how to use the buttons, raise their hand, show their video feed, and so on, and then we were off! We made sure we shared the official “rules” of the show – sing along, clap, keep a smile, laught a lot, encourage others, keep background noise to a minimum, mute yourself if you need to talk amongst yourselves, make sure you stay until the end, and not leave right after your performance is over – simple!

The Show Began…

I began the show with a short welcome message for all the kids and parents who had taken the time to attend, and acknowledged (as I always do) the parents for being determined and conscientious enough to invest time in giving their kids this opportunity.

We then gave an introduction to Cheeni for Tots – who we are, our mission, and our latest programs, including our ever popular “Let’s Learn Hindi in Just 13-min a Day!” on-line immersion program, and our brand new “Learn with Fun” show, debuting later this month for audiences nationwide (and, indeed, worldwide)! This is always helpful for new parents to get a glimpse into what we’re all about, and appreciate the subsequent program structure.

“Thanks for organizing the event. We really had a good time.”   ~Richa Sharma

We then had a great time listening to a kids’ version of the Ramayana (narrated by yours truly!) – a chance for kids to get exposure to a culturally-enriching story, which, of course, is always a goal of ours at Cheeni for Tots. The kids could see the images on their screen as I narrated the story, asked them questions, and interacted with them to make sure they were with me. Stories such as this serve a broader purpose …

We strive to give kids an exposure to different cultures, customs, and nations to prepare them to develop an understanding and appreciation of both the diversity as well as the similarity of thoughts and ideas between different regions of the globe. (What excites us is that the success of this model of on-line programs allows us to extend this to bring together kids and parents from vastly different cultures and countries to interact in this way, without having to leave their homes – which would be an impossibility any other way!). So, imagine a scenario where kids in an online session get to hear the folklore of the Vikings from a family in Sweden, the story of the Buddha from a kid in Japan, or Aborigine legends from a family in Australia, all of whom are participating in our on-line show because we made the effort to bring them together.

The Excitement & the Anticipation of Both Parents and Kids!

It was great to see the energy of over two dozen people on our session, and over a dozen kids participating, the atmosphere was filled with enthusiasm and a sense of confidence! Kids were eager to participate, to perform, with no hint of being self-conscious or hesitant. And, boy! What a day of performances it was!

The Talent Show segment of the program kicked-off with Cards by Tots’ Designer-in-Chief, Urvi reciting a shloka dedicated to Lord Ganesha. Thereafter, we were held spellbound by the performances the kids came up with. Kids who ranged in age from little Khushee, who at just 2 years and 10 months old was surely the youngest celebrity on the program, to those who were 10 years old, such as Shreya and Ananya. The interesting part was that all of the kids were energized and looking forward to showcase their talents, because they felt comfortable and welcome, a key to building self-confidence and overcoming the proverbial stage fright.

The Variety of Performances & Ages!

The variety of performances was also as varied as the kids’ ages! On the one hand was a rendition of the “A B C D” Alphabet song by little Khushee (aged just 2 yrs 10 months), while on the other we had Shreya belting out the lyrics of “Disturbia”, keeping everyone swaying to its beat. Little Ahilan kept us all tapping our feet as he karaoked to the beats of the international hit “Kolaveri D”, which no one could resist.

The best part was that when a child was performing, the parent would make their video feed available on the program, thus allowing everyone else to see them live! It was like having one’s own stage show, but without the overwhelm that comes from standing in front of a large audience. Rather, in this case, the children performed from the comfort of their own homes, in the presence of their parents, and so felt very comfortable showcasing their talent. Yet, when a performance was followed by applause from over two dozen people, the children realized they’d

There was the brother-sister duo of Hanaa and Purav, with Hanaa reciting a shloka and Purav keeping everyone engaged with an excellent guitar performance. So, from songs to dance, from shlokas to poems, and from Telugu to Hindi, we had it all! Each child was warmly encouraged by everyone, which motivated them to do their best, and every single one received a great applause from the audience, thus boosting their self- confidence. There was exquisite artwork by Ananya, and clever Diwali designs galore.

And, Of Course the Certificates!

And so it went, and before long an hour had whizzed by! It was time to announce the winners of several certificates. We announced the winner of the completion certificate of our “Let’s Enjoy Hindi in Just 13-min a Day” program, Shreya Vashistha, and promised certificates to each of the kids that had performed, making themselves and their parents proud! It was time to say goodbye, but no one really wanted to – it almost seemed as if an hour was far from enough!

Given this, we took the decision to make such an online show a regular part of our activities at Cheeni for Tots, and are currently busy planning one for New Year 2013!