Some things have changed!

(But most haven't!)

In this post a few years ago we described his second ever session of his first ever basketball class.

Today, I was reminded of that post because I am sitting in the exact same spot where I wrote that post.

Some things have changed:
1. On an individual level he is actually one of the better students in his group.
2. He is one of the quicker runners in this group (and in his school too!)
3. There is now WiFi in this facility:)
4. This is not a basketball class... it is a local youth basketball league.
5. Aditya participated last year in this league too.  He got to play games as part of his team.  He made no baskets although he tried hard and made several attempts at it!  Woo Hoo!
6. This year he has already played 2 games, and made 3 baskets.  And that's HUGE!
7.  In his first game, he looked like he would only shoot when the ball was passed to him.  In his second game he actually made an effort to STEAL the ball, and almost succeeded in one attempt!  (And that is HYUUUGE.)

Basketball FEVER!

Before you read on, it is a good time to revisit this post and this post.
_________________

A few conversations around our house.

1.
He says,  "I know what you are going to say to this but let me just get this out of my system.  Can you buy me some Warriors clothes?"
I am at a loss of words, but it doesn't matter... because I am in splits!
(By the way he is talking about using the money he has earned through chores, by winning a Math olympiad contest prize, etc.)

2.
Aditya: "Baba, do you want tea?"
I love tea, but I just had my tea, so I say no.
Aditya asks, "Do you want something else?"  with a MISCHIEVOUS look on his face.
I say: "No, but thanks for asking, Aditya.  Do you want something?"

He did.  He wanted to watch a basketball game recording.
(Apparently he had used up his screen time for the day, and was trying to BRIBE me.  This is huge... reminds me of our celebrations when he told his first lie:)

3.
He is telling us about his day at school.  He has been playing basketball everyday now, and regularly making significant contributions for his team, either in the form of "assists" or by scoring points (usually "layups").  He almost blushes as he shares how one of his teammates called him a "layup master" today.

4.
He is telling us about his day at school.  The ONLY thing he talks about today is how he played basketball with the other boys.

5.
He is telling us about his day at school.  He thinks he has been improving a lot AFTER the basketball games (in which he played for the B team for his school).  Today, one of the A team boys remarked, "Dude your speed of improvement is unnatural!"

6.
It is 10AM on a weekend.  We have just had breakfast. Aditya asks, "Can I go play basketball?" and expresses disappointment when we say no (it's going to be a hot day).

7.
Aditya:
"Shreya, can we go play basketball?"
Shreya:
No!  I need to do my homework.

8.  We have to repeatedly remind Aditya not to play basketball in the backyard as it destroys our newly planted vegetables!

9.
Aditya, Aai, and Baba are watching NBA finals
He and Baba are rooting for the "Golden Gate Warriors" team.  Aai decides to be playful and root for the opposite team, the Cavs.
"Warriors" clinch a dramatic win in the final moments of the game.
Aditya shows Aai a "thumbs down" and makes a face!   This is a first... for Aditya:)
He also asks Baba for a "chest bump" to celebrate the Warriors' victory!  This is a first... for Aditya and Baba:)

________________

And now... to put this in perspective... read this post from January 2010

Math Olympiad 2017

It was a weekend, and like last year I was dropping off Aditya and Shreya at their Math Olympiad class contest.  This was a contest available to all (hundreds of... although I don't know the exact number) students... who attend Mr. G's Math Olympiad classes in our city. 

Mr G is a fantastic teacher who loves Math and loves kids.  He also loves coming up with outlandish math problems (e.g. My grandma bikes at 800 mph so how long will it take her to bike from San Francisco to New York... which by the way is an over-simplification of one of his incredibly funny word problems.)

Each of the students (ranging from grade 4 to 8) could take any one of 4 levels of tests, progressively increasing in difficulty from level 1 to 4..

Aditya had taken level#2 last year and placed 3rd along with his friend N.

This year, both Aditya and Shreya were appearing for level#2.  Aditya was anxious about keeping his "rank" from last year, if not improving it.  Shreya was anxious because her brother is known as the "Math wizard" and she hates being compared to him. 

I dropped them off, and returned about 1.5 hours later when the results were being announced.  Mr G shared that there were 12 problems on the 1 hour test, and the first 3 prize winners correctly responded to 8, 7, and 6 problems respectively.  Shreya got 5.  (Woo Hoo!  Her confidence has reached new highs!)

What about Aditya?  He too, had gotten 5 problems right and hence, not placed.

He looked unhappy... even distraught. 

He barely put together the energy to ask Mr G: "When is the next test going to begin?"

Here, by "next test", we do not mean the test that was going to happen next month or next year!  We are talking about level#3 test, which was going to be held in about 15 minutes! (He had already decided that he was going to take level#2 and if allowed, also level#3on the same day.  We knew that already.  But what we didn't know is he would want to take level#3 AFTER not having won a prize in level#2.)

"Are you sure you want to do this  Aditya?" asked Mr G lovingly and firmly.

Aditya replied affirmatively, shoved down the snack he had brought from home and then rushed inside for the test. 

As decided we came back 1.5 hours later.  We were thinking Aditya was going to be super exhausted from answering 24 increasingly challenging Math problems over 3 hours.  I looked at him as he was sitting next to his friend M.  He looked composed.

The results were announced.

And as you might have guessed it by now, Aditya placed 3rd.  This time, he got 7 out of 12 problems right!

His expression was priceless as he picked up his "prize" from Mr. G!

Kudos to our hero for his positive attitude, his perseverance, and his passion for Math!  (And kudos to Shreya too for doing so well on her test!)

You shouldn’t ground me because...

When I was in my teens, I sometimes wished that I had a twin sibling or in the least, a sister. Someone who I would not need to talk to. Someone who would just understand. Who I would share a room with, share secrets with, share my life with! I didn't realize how being so close meant we would be getting on each others nerves constantly! Little did I understand that this security in a relationship would also possibly lead to tensions, arguments and hurt feelings. I say this as I experience my kids going through everything I just mentioned above.

Last week, words led to bickering, teasing to annoying and finally, finger pointing to a punch. OUCH! The twins were let off with a stern warning. As the same sequence repeated itself the next day, Aditya was given a consequence: he would have to stay home from his (most anticipated) basketball game. I was at my wits end, stretched thin and not thinking straight. The kindness competition was not working any more! To cool myself down, I went out for a walk. When I got back, Aditya was in tears. He sheepishly said sorry and asked me to check my emails. Here is what I saw in my inbox:

As I have worked to improve at many things, you can see, I persevere. I take feedback and try to improve, even when sometimes I just don’t do it. I have gone through many stages, and I have came away with pride. I hope that you do not ground me because of yesterday and today, because when I tried yesterday, I improved today, and what pushes me forward is awful setbacks. But with too much punishment, I get angrier and this sometimes makes me do more, even though I remember that I could get punished. I love Shreya, am sincere, and try hard. Plus, there are other, less harsh, still effective punishments for this. So please, please, don’t punish me.

The first reason that you shouldn’t punish me this way is that I love Shreya. Me and Shreya have had hard times, but as you know, we are family. You can see the love between us when we lift each other up, say “mwaaaa” like babies, and how we made up with each other last night. Today she proposed to come up with alternative punishments, and I really love her because of that. When we punch each other, our judgement is clouded, and we are both sincere children and we always try hard. Maybe recently we have gone through phases, but one thing you should understand is that everyone, even you, have gone through phases. There are so many factors driving what we do, but we are all humans, and we two aren’t these psychos who should go to juvenile court, regular prison, Guantanamo Bay, or even be executed. I know that we are strict, but that doesn’t mean we punish in instigating ways. Be a good role model! I know I am being a hypocrite, but I work on what I need to work on, as you will see in the paragraph after the next paragraph.

The second reason that you shouldn’t ground me is that I am sincere. You personally say that. I have worked hard to get to where I am in math, and I work a lot to improve my basketball playing skills. I didn’t just quit basketball because I’m the worst basketball player of the 5th grade boys and I’m on the B Team. I won’t quit basketball after this season. Same applies here. Even though I punched Shreya, I didn’t give up trying to be nice. I shouldn’t have, but at least I am honest! I punched her at 5:00 today too, I know, and I condemn that. But it is the setbacks that push us forward if we think of the setbacks and correct the problems that caused them. For example, FDR, our 32nd president, made some changes to make sure that problems contributing to the Great Depression would be corrected. Since I am sincere, I am writing this.

The last and foremost reason you shouldn’t ground me is because there are some effective, less harsh punishments. For example, I have no computer time left because I wrote this essay. For example, I am willing not to use the computer and have fun by taking advantage of the spring sun and what else there is in the house.

As you can see, I hope you don’t punish me this way because I love Shreya, am hardworking, and I am sincere. Also, there are some other punishments that I can remember, too but aren’t so harsh. I promise I will be nice to her and always think first. I hope you are fine with this essay’s content.

For the record, he gets 15 minutes of screen/ computer time daily, which he is free to use as he likes. He said that he couldn't edit it and make it more effective because his 15 minutes were up :)  Also, I couldn't stop myself from rolling in laughter after reading this 'essay' and we negotiated a consequence acceptable to everyone in the family.

For New Families looking into Son-Rise

We are introduced to a couple new autism families almost every month. Some have been in the boat for a while and heard of Son-Rise, while some are too overwhelmed with the diagnosis and are yet to start looking into treatment options. Most have heard of Aditya's recovery and we notice a pattern in the questions being asked. Most pertain to the Son-Rise intensive, Son-Rise advanced training programs, schooling and diet.

While the staff at SonRise might be able to help families with their unique situation, I would like to share my thoughts on why each is helpful, based on our experience.

• The Son-Rise startup was the most powerful program, that introduced us to the concepts of Son-Rise. It gave us the tools needed to get our home based program going. It covered the developmental model, basic techniques and attitude to get us started. We had breakout sessions depending on the level of functioning of the child, so each group could focus on issues pertaining to where our child was.  We also found it to be a wonderful opportunity to connect to other parents in similar situations.
• Maximum Impact and New Frontiers were both game changers for us. 
     After Baba got back from New Frontiers, we had a renewed understanding of how to use the developmental model, so our program got clear, specific goals. We started becoming more creative with designing games and activities for the playroom and introducing them so they had a higher probability of being accepted 😂 
     Maximum Impact took us way up ⏫ there, attitudinally! We became powerful forces of nature, ready to take on the world. We recruited volunteers fearlessly, gave effective feedback, ran more meaningful and fun team meetings. All of this translated to a child who grew by leaps and bounds and left us scrambling to re-evaluate our goals every month. 
• We had regular Feedback/ Video Feedback sessions with Son-Rise teachers. We got valuable feedback about our attitude and/or techniques in the playroom. These helped us get answers to specific questions. eg, in the initial days, despite knowing the basics and having the correct attitude and techniques, we felt that something was amiss. Turned out, we were not challenging him enough! These feedback sessions were a  tremendous help in keeping our program on track.
• The Son-Rise Intensive! This is the most asked about program, especially by new families. We would like to emphasise that it is not a pill that you/ your child take to recover. Far from that, it is just a window into the infinite opportunities you and your child have for fun, interaction and growth inside and outside the playroom. Most parents are eagerly looking forward to doing their intensive, soon after their startup. But our opinion: Please do NOT rush to do the intensive and here is why...
    The Intensive is a time for your child to enjoy and grow in the playroom for the entire week. It is also when both parents are stretched attitudinally. The intensive week is tailored to each family's need. The Son-Rise staff starts teaching you at the point you are at. So if they sense that you are not clear about the fundamentals, that is where they start! You do not want to spend all the money and go there to learn what you could learn at one of the advanced trainings, AKA, New Frontiers or Maximum Impact. We would recommend that both parents complete at least one of the advanced trainings and be comfortable with option process dialogues before their intensive, to get the most out of it. It is also a good idea to have some feedback sessions to understand what you could do better, as the teachers are so experienced that they can help without even seeing the child.
• Space your training programs, video feedback/dialog sessions, intensive program(s) in a way that you keep getting something new every time you take that program or get that session.  It is like making trips back to the attitudinal gas station (petrol pump, if you are in India) periodically. 
• How do I know that SRP will work for me? Try it out! Attend the startup, read Son-Rise books.  Some of the books we recommend reading:
1. Happiness is a choice, By Barry Neil Kaufman
2. What you can do right now to help your child with autism, By Jonathan Levy
3. Autism Breakthrough: The Groundbreaking Method That Has Helped Families All Over the World, By Raun Kaufman
  We shared the first two with all our volunteers. Raun's book was published towards the end of our program.
   NOTE: I have heard a parent get advice from another parent who is currently doing Son-Rise, to try it out by recruiting volunteers. I would say this is a big NO! Here is why: The volunteers in a Son-Rise Program  help facilitate the child, based on your training, your knowledge and your feedback. When you begin your program, you are still in the learning phase. When you attend the Son-Rise startup, you will learn how to recruit volunteers, train them and give them effective feedback, so that you don't end up  running your program with "Babysitters"!

He is experienced at this craft!

Baba and Aditya are at the farmer's market.  We are buying oranges.  Baba is picking one orange at a time, carefully looking at it from all angles, then making a decision.

Aditya is watching.

For a minute.  No, must have been 10 seconds.

Then he says, "Let me do this."

In the next 1 minute, he has picked so many (good) oranges, Baba is stunned, and has no real motivation to keep doing his part.

"How come you are doing it so fast?" asks Baba.

"From experience!  I juice oranges everyday for Aai so I can tell which ones are good just from the touch."

WOW!

As someone has said:
"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."


Ohh, and those oranges we bought... here they are:

Simplifying it for you, Aai!

Basketball season is on! League practices, league games, school practices, school games, evening practices, weekend games... phew! We are all breathing and living basketball in the house. Both kids practice every evening at the neighborhood school and come home to tell me their stories. I have never been into basketball and didn't really get a lot of terms they used. But I was the most enthusiastic listener they could have. Since I asked some of the most basic questions over and over, they gave me a detailed drawing of the court and positions, asking me to study it.

Yesterday, Aditya was telling me how he wanted to get better by the next season so he could be the shooting guard.
Me: "Why don't you like being the post?"
A: "Too much work and no credit!"
Me: "What does that mean?"
A: "I don't think you really understand the positions, do you?"
Me: "Well, I studied the diagram!"
A: "That is not really understanding what happens on court! Let me explain in a way you can understand!
Do you remember how we went to your friend's house in India last year? Her maid did all the work chopping veggies, grinding masala, making rotis while your friend chatted with you. Then Aunty went inside, made the tadka, garnished food with coriander leaves and served lunch. She got the credit for the sumptuous lunch while the poor maid didn't get any credit.
Similarly, the post does all the work in basketball, but the Shooting guard gets all the credit!"

Hmmm!

Growing up to be a good and kind cook!

During part of our staycation, the kids asked me to take a vacation from cooking this winter break. Sister came up with the idea of cooking one meal daily so I can catch up with some half done projects around the house. Wanting to do his bit, Aditya decided to share the cooking with her. But they are at a stage where they can't go more than a few minutes without getting into arguments:) So it was decided that they would work alternate days.
Sister cooked a delicious lunch yesterday. Wanting to outdo her (his big motivation, of late), he cooked a lunch of daal and rice, with steamed green beans on the side. I really enjoyed this simple meal he planned and executed perfectly.
 And a big thanks for keeping the kitchen mess free and cleaning up after cooking! Rock on, Chef!

Taking care.. of me, you and us!

As we neared the winter break, our family began thinking of ways to spend our time doing what we loved.  Both kids unanimously voted to have a staycation. When further prodded, we realized that they just wanted to laze around and take it easy. They argued that it was the best way to take care of themselves! Aai and Baba love driving to So Cal this time of the year, as they miss warm weather. Over the years, we have visited most places between San Luis Obispo and San Diego multiple times. We needed to take care of ourselves too!
So we reached a compromise and decided to laze around for a few days and visit Santa Barbara for the rest. After all, the weather promised to be gorgeous!

As I excitedly told a friend about our vacation, she wondered how we had taken all these vacations, while still running the SonRise program. Wasn't it against the SonRise Principles to get the child out of the playroom? What we understand and believe is a little different, hence this post.

Taking care of a family with two little kids, having a job, volunteering at school, recruiting volunteers, giving them weekly feedback, doing dialogues, having a special diet is fun but exhausting. We realized early on that we were in this for the long haul. We had to be in the best of health, physical and mental, to go to the finish line. This meant making 'taking care of ourselves' our highest priority. When we were happy, rested and rejuvenated, we were better equipped to care for our kids and each other.

Some of the more important things we focussed on were:
1. Letting one spouse take some time off to do something they loved. Those few hours, would be free of autism worries, so research, talking to other parents about SonRise, diet, etc was off limits. This gave us a chance to connect to ourselves. Also, after a few hours away from the problem, we might just come back with a fresh perspective.

2. Couple time. We often paid our volunteers to babysit so we could go out for dinner and/or a movie. Though challenging initially, we were determined to talk to each other about anything but autism. The weeks when we did not go out, we caught up on movies at home after the kids went to bed.

3. We also did a lot of Option process dialogues with each other, to help us explore our mental blocks and fears. These were not always related to SonRise but to us, as individuals.

4. We did our best to do one-on-one time with our daughter every weekend. She either got 1:1 playtime from mom/dad or we went out to a place of her choice. It ranged from going to a bookstore or library to an ice cream shop or the park. The important part was that she got undivided attention from the parent she was with.  There were times both parents played with her while brother was in the playroom with a volunteer. She still fondly remembers these occasions when she felt like an only child... what a privilege! For the record, she still LOVES these "only child" times when she gets to walk to the nearby Trader Joe's with both parents giving her their undivided attention while brother takes his guitar lessons

5. Doing the SonRise program helped us understand the situations which were not conducive to Aditya's growth. So we avoided taking him to places that were not absolutely necessary, like grocery stores, malls, get-togethers, birthday parties and such social events.
BUT.. 
We took him outdoors, like biking, on walks, hikes, to the park or even the zoo! We found times when the places were almost empty, like the parks on Sunday mornings, the zoo on weekday afternoons, biking late in the afternoon. Our motivation in taking him out was to give him an opportunity to: enjoy the outdoors, appreciate the beauty of nature, exercise, acquaint himself with equipment we could not provide him at home (like the climbing wall, play structure). He also had the opportunity to interact with a couple kids who might be around and put to use the skills he learnt in the playroom, if he so wished! Doing these at times when these places (which are otherwise overwhelming) are calm, helped him feel more in control, as he had just one challenge to work on at a time. eg, there were just a few kids when we visited the zoo at 3pm. Most young families who come to the zoo in the morning are done by then. So we did not have to encounter screaming toddlers, kids who chased each other, yelling adults and a cacophony of sounds too overwhelming for him. Handling the smell in the zoo was a sensory challenge in itself. Trying out new equipment in the giant play structure nestled in the redwoods with slides, swings, ropes and climbing areas was a new experience. Once he started feeling successful, he showed more willingness to try other things. He also had an opportunity to practice some precious lessons in turn taking, since sister had her list of things to do. Where would I be without my best friend, the timer, on such occasions :)

6. Like I mentioned earlier, we took many family vacations. We would have loved to take vacations with family or friends, but that was not the right thing considering our family needs at the time.
 Our trips were always within driving distance and we carried/ made all our meals. We enjoyed listening to audio books together. These were the predictable parts of the vacation. To make it easier at the destination, we took vacations with a very flexible itinerary. Along with doing something unique to the place, we visited familiar locations like the beach, hiking trails, parks and oh yes, Zoos! (On these trips, we saw a much calmer and well adjusted boy because he had exercised those social muscles before!)
We wanted it to be a very positive experience for every member of the family, so

"I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— 
I took the one less traveled by, 
And that has made all the difference."

The leak!

As part of his fifth grade work, he wrote this narrative about an event from his life:)  Enjoy!

Yes, he chose to be "anonymous".  This is a big deal (and a sign of changing times:)  as no one else in his class made that choice.  Everyone published their narrartives on the same day as part of a "Publishing Party". 

Growing up

I have been feeling strongly about writing a blog post since last week. But as I sit here, I am stumped. There is just too much going on. Where do I start? Let's see... We last updated the blog in summer. That leaves a lot to catch up with. Procrastination kills, so here I go...

The school year started in August, with the two kids at different schools. Aditya is now a 5th grader - his second year in his multi-age classroom, with the same teacher. As school tradition has it, he went on a 3 day overnight camping trip to the beach with his class in September. He thoroughly enjoyed boogie boarding and started creating some new bonds, making some new friendships. As he grows, he is more aware and wants to be friends with boys, not girls ;)

He decided to play flag football and is on the school team. That meant weekly practices and Friday games. We have been carpooling with another family whose children attend the same two schools as our kids. I drive the boys home after their practice. Both boys continuously chatter on their way home. Topics range from who did well (and not so well) on the field that day, how their dream team looks like, making fun of and mimicking their district music teacher, the district PE teacher, comparing the old teacher with the new, joking about things at school.... all things typical boys this age do. There are also a couple back row secrets that I am no longer privy to! Oh, and the sounds coming from the backseat.. beatboxing, burping contests ... How I wish I could wear earphones while driving :(

As the season comes to an end, the coaches asked players to make up their their own plays and bring them to practice this week. Aditya made up 5 plays and guess what, they picked one of HIS PLAYS! Not just that, their team also did its best on that play! Learning new games, getting the rules and making up plays based on those rules is something he does effortlessly. This is the boy that we once had to teach games using his motivations (like tic-tac-toe using tapes and CDs).

Aditya has been known to be a very sincere student, one who goes above and beyond his teachers' expectations. As I volunteered in class the last couple weeks, I have been noticing changes in his behavior. This week, after the hands on activity, kids were handed out Math worksheets. Even as the other students were getting settled, Aditya finished working on his. Then he proceeded to chat with others at his table. As another boy finished his sheet, they started telling a girl at the table to speed up. Having been really good friends for a few years now, she just smiled and asked them how they were so fast. Aditya said to her, "How about you practice at home, you will also be as fast as us." By then, everyone at the table became really interested in talking about holiday gifts, movies and how they plan to spend the holidays. The parent in charge of this group was stunned. What could have happened to his group of well behaved advanced Math learners? He asked Aditya (who started it all) if he had any unfinished work. No! Any challenge given by his teacher? No! Anything else he fancied working on? Not today! Dazed, he went to the teacher and asked her what Aditya was supposed to be doing. "Sweetie, How about some challenge work? If you are bored with the Olympiads, try your hand at CML or Logic Puzzles, maybe?" BIG eyeroll from Aditya. "Huh! ok! Thanks, but I will stick to the Olympiads"

This has always been the case with him and Math. His teacher has a lot of different kinds of challenge work at the back of the classroom for kids who need it. What was obviously different today was his attitude. When I mentioned the incident to him later that day, he said that it is strenuous to be "always perfect and appropriate". So he is now cutting himself a slack! Of late, I have seen him cut himself a lot of slack around the house too.

As put by one of the girls in his class (Shhh, don't tell him or ask me how I know) "Till last year, Aditya was the only sensible and well behaved boy. This year, the other boys have cast a bad influence on him, he is now like any other boy"

It is probably a sign of the times to come. And guess what, we are silently rejoicing :)

From playing "Biscuit the Dog" to...

As Aai and Baba sat down at the end of this long Thursday evening, Aai remembered her first ever scripted pretend play session with Aditya. They had just read together "Biscuit the Dog"-- an early reader book. Aditya would not read at all at this stage. Aai role played and then invited Aditya to enact Biscuit the Dog.

Tonight, we look back at those beautiful moments as we revel in where Aditya is now. He just played "Big Mowgli", the lead character in the play "JUNGLE BOOK" in CTC's Summer Theater Conservatory program. The character is a household name, and so Aditya was super excited he got to play this meaty role! He worked very hard, and put his heart out as he performed.

Shreya handled the "sound" for his play. She played Anansi's "Voice of Conscience" in "Anansi Stories" while he was the stage manager for her play.

Today's play is the culmination of a 3 week conservatory session. This was the second session the twins attended this summer. We love this process-based Conservatory, where the students also design and build all props, sets, costumes, tickets, and programs as they engage in and learn about every aspect of live theater!

The first session, which ended 3 weeks ago, had also concluded with two plays put up by the kids. Aditya played "Captain Hook, the prosecutor". He brought a case against B B Wolf (not to be confused with Big Bad Wolf). He handled the "sound" as well as "lights" for sister's play-- "Aesop's Funny Fables" in which sister played a crow who was fooled by two sly foxes into singing and dropping her piece of cheese. (She also handled the "sound" for Aditya's play.)

We are so proud of our twins.

But clearly, the overwhelming feeling right now is... is this the same little guy who was once learning to role play as "Biscuit"? WOW!!!

Guess why he was looking forward to Monday morning?

Just like last year, our twins are going to a 3 week long Theater Conservatory.  They love doing it!  There are lots of games through which the kids learn the fundamentals of theater, plus they play a part in a play.   They come home and recite their dialogues (and help each other with it too)!

They also put together their own props and costumes for the play.

So when Monday morning came (week 2 of the Conservatory) and Aditya (just like his sister) said, "I am so excited to go to CTC today" we thought he is talking about all of the above.   But then he added, "I get to meet my two new friends D and L there and play with them".

Priceless:)))))

He regularly plays some structured and (a lot of )made-up games, shares his snack and cracks some really silly jokes with them during break times.

A picture is worth a thousand blog posts!

He performed on stage! (And handled the "lights" for another)

When he woke up yesterday morning,  Aditya said, "I am so excited!  I am going to be performing in one play and doing the lights for the other play!"

Those are his words, and he said them with great energy, excitement, and enthusiasm!

Last night the twins performed in two seperate Russian plays.  Aditya played an imp,  an assistant to the villain who is funny, stupid, as well as evil!  Way to go:)  Sister was the narrator in the other play.

The twins have been learning the basics of acting, putting together props, as well as creating their own costumes at this amazing summer theater conservatory program called CTC!

After returning home at 9 pm last night,  they were up again, bright and early.   Today they will be performing one more time!  And finally they will do what is known as "strike" in theater parlance... take down the set, clean up the place, etc.

Aditya as usual was the first one to wake up and come out fully dressed, ready to go!

And then he said, "I am so excited!  I am going to be performing in one play and doing the lights in the other play!"

Like Aditya who played a support role (handling the lights) during Sister's play,  Sister was the greeter for his play.
All of the last 3 weeks, both of them got up, got ready, left for CTC at 7:50 AM, came home at 5pm (yes, that's more than 8 hours!).  The minute they came they wanted to tell us with great excitement how the day went, who among their friends is playing which role (a number of kids from each of their classes also went to CTC).

Last week, they also went door to door selling tickets!  Woo Hoo!  They sold 5 tickets, handled money... in one case... literally handled the 20 quarters they got instead of a $5 bill!

Yesterday they also enjoyed themselves at the cast party.  Aditya did not fuss about the fact that he was eating a super yummy but different looking wheat free pizza.  In fact he chatted up with two other little girls over food.  Wow!

All in all, a very growing and fun filled period of time!

And as far as we the grown ups are concerned ... we are SO INSPIRED by these kids.  The next time you feel nervous talking or doing anything else in front of people, remind yourselves of these amazing 10 year olds!

If they can do it, so can you!

Did you ask for a large size or a medium-large size?

Asks sister.

He says, "LARGE!"

"Really?  I asked for Medium-Large!" says she.

I ask, with great curiosity, "Are you talking about T shirts?"

"No, the size of roles."

What role?  They are going to play a part in a play.  Yup!  The twins will be on stage performing in a play!   And Aditya wants a LARGE role!

When can we go to Costco?

He asked me, out of the blue,  on a Saturday afternoon.

"Why?"  I was very very surprised.  Costco is not a fun place.  Even for us grown ups:)

"I want to see if the new Big Book has come out.  This is the time when it usually comes out every year." Aditya replied.    Now I notice he is actually reading this year's Big Book of Why's.

Aai and Baba smile.  Then they smile again.

"Two summers ago we were doing vision therapy, remember?"  says the look on Aai's face.
"Yeah.  We used to get books on topics he is interested in.  And he was still not reading them." says Baba's look.

Don't believe it?

Here is one post about our reading challenges and the fun we had when we worked on overcoming it:  http://adishallrise.blogspot.com/2013/06/puzzles-nerf-battles-and-reading.html

Leaps and bounds!

Third grade  comes to a close next week.

As we reflect on the last two months... here are some new "first"s.  This list never ceases to grow!

1.  Aditya went to Elkus ranch farm as part of his class field trip, and did community work (including but not limited to mucking animal stalls).  He also stayed away from home for 2 nights.  Although one parent (Aai) was on the trip,  she was not around him for the most part, probably an hour each day.  In related news, Aditya proposed stir fried vegetables as part of the dinner menu his group cooked.  Almost no other kid proposed vegetables :)
2.  Aditya asked to go out as a family.  No... there is more to this than meets the eye.  Sister didn't want to go.  Baba offered to stay home with her.  Aditya then said that he wouldn't go if she and Baba weren't coming.  He then cut a deal to give her an hour of playtime the next day if only she came!  He really wanted to go as a family and not otherwise.  Sweet!
3. Aditya researched Andrew Carnegie as part of his third grade curriculum which requires him to learn about an 18th century character.  In addition, as part of the hands-on curriculum in our school,  Aditya played the 18th century industrialist/philanthropist as he became part of the "Living History Museum".  He put on a black suit and... hold your breath.. a grey beard plus mustaches! (Last year sister similarly played the character of Laura Ingalls Wilder).  Plus, he prepared a speech in which he became Andrew Carnegie and described his life.  (All kids and adults at the school were encouraged to visit the Living History Museum and ask questions of the characters)
4.  Aditya now takes Gymnastics classes once a week!
5.  Aditya continues to play wall-ball at school during recess.  To know what a big deal this is,  please read blog posts from a year ago.
6.  Sister was part of the play "Beauty and the Beast Jr" which she rehearsed for weeks.  After the performance, when the kids were home... Aditya said the to her, "Wow!  You are really brave to go up on stage and do that".  During the performance(s) Aditya volunteered at the Concessions Stand.  He got to handle lots of money, which he did with great sincerity and integrity:)  He also demonstrated his lightening fast mathematical abilities which helped him earn people's complements. He loved doing it and hopes she does more theater so he can volunteer at the concessions :)

Expressive language-- can it get any better!

We have just had a "discussion".

I ask, "Why is your voice sounding that way?"

He says, "Because I am annoyed."

"And why is that?"

"I know you know. And you know I know."

Wow! 

There are miracles to be noticed in every single moment:)  Thank you again my little miracle!

After the guitar... it's the flute!

The post below sat in a "draft" status for 3+ months!  Do read the latest update in the end.

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Trust me.  This guy ROCKS at the guitar, and is gifted in his "understanding" of music.

But "flute" has been another game.  It has been hard because it takes lots of practice to form the embouchure. Yet he began doing it as he decided to be part of the school band.  

After weeks of blowing air and making a sound that resembled no particular note... Aditya just began to produce musical notes through his flute! 

He was elated and said he loves playing the flute now.  He also sheepishly admitted that earlier he was practicing the flute "just for the sake of it"!

Then he played 2 lines of a Hindi song on his own.  He then played Happy Birthday on his flute on demand!

That's the Aditya we know!  He may show no interest or energy in the beginning,  but when he does, he conquers whatever it is!

Aditya just had a performance on the school stage with the rest of the beginners' band.  This evening Aditya will begin taking classes in playing the flute.

Yet another exciting adventure begins!  

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Update:
Aditya has been taking flute lessons for 3 months.  His flute playing skills have improved dramatically.  (To my ears,  it sounds perfect:) 
His band teacher is very happy. 
Yet another example of what an amazing student he is,  in anything he undertakes! 
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What does this mean?

The fact is, we all are amazing students, in everything we set our eyes on.  But maybe sometimes we forget to set our eyes on things that matter.  It is like forgetting to enter your destination in your GPS! 

I am not saying this.  Aditya is. Through his actions!

--Baba