Our Happy Hour CommUnity, consisting of elementary school students, is creating a cookbook with 30 simple (yet tasty) recipes for all of us to enjoy! To bring this dream to a reality, we need your help with reaching our fundraising goal of $4,000! With your support, all of our Happy Hour students will receive a copy of this cookbook during the first ever Happy Hour x Stepping Stones Retreat next summer at Life Gurukula!
We hope that you will support the culinary adventures of our elementary schoolers as they create our CommUnity’s newest publication!Support our project – The Happy Hour Recipe Book!
Please note: On the donation page, choose “Happy Hour Cookbook Fundraiser” in the Fund dropdown options.
Happy Hour is a profound yet engaging class designed especially for kids to explore the timeless wisdom of Hindu philosophy and the vibrant tapestry of Hindu culture.
This year, together we will journey through the timeless stories of the Bāla Bhāgavatam – a treasure of inspiring tales from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. Through the playful pranks of little Krishna, the devotion of Prahlāda, the wisdom of Dhruva, and many more, children will discover how these ancient stories carry practical lessons for living with love, courage, faith, and joy.
Our interactive classes bring the stories alive through discussions, creative activities, and reflective practices. The goal is to help children connect with the values of devotion (bhakti), gratitude, humility, and kindness, while also learning to see divinity in their own daily lives.
By the end of this class, children will not only delight in the stories of the Bāla Bhāgavatam but also uncover their deeper meanings and timeless relevance. They will carry with them a stronger sense of devotion, values rooted in the Bhāgavatam, and a deep pride in belonging to this living tradition.
Course Duration:
- 32 weeks (September 2025 – May 2026)
Seeker/Student profile (for whom this course is most suitable):
- All kids from 1st grade – 8th grade.
Weekly Commitment:
- Class takes place on Zoom every Wednesday from 7:45pm-9pm ET (holidays will be announced in class in advance).
- This course requires a commitment to regular weekly attendance, active listening and reflection.
- Engaging in the RAW (Reflection Adventure of the Week) given at the end of every class.
Learning Objectives (key outcomes that you can achieve by the end of the course):
- Discover timeless stories from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam that highlight devotion, faith, courage, and divine love.
- Recognize virtues in action by reflecting on the choices of characters like Prahlāda, Dhruva, and Krishna—and learn how to apply those virtues in their own lives.
- Build reflective thinking by asking “What would I do?” in story situations, nurturing empathy, moral reasoning, and mindfulness.
Class Notes
Class 24 – March 25 2026
Notes by Naami D Happy Hour/ stepping stones meet up TOPIC – CYBERBULLYING We talked about examples of Cyberbullying like… Emma posted something about her mom criticizing her food choices/weight and “people commented things like cry about it” or “just exercise bruh” Someone asked do you want to hang out and people said yes but…
Class 23 – March 18 2026
Notes by Sita SB Recap: In last week’s story, Brahma wanted to play a trick on Krishna. Krishna and his friends were playing on the riverbank, when the calves they were taking care of went missing. When Krishna went to look for them, his friends went missing! At this point, it was getting late. Krishna…
Class 21 – March 4 2026
Notes by Vaani M Shankar ji was here today and we learned about acceptance. We learned about acceptance through watching a video. What we learned: Worrying about what you cannot control is pointless. Think about what you can control and have a positive attitude. There’s always something to learn. Then Shankar ji gave us tasks…
Class 19 – Feb 18 2026
Notes by Naami D Review Last week we learned about aga asura and how krishna defeated him then learned the meanings of four sanskrit words: Tapa, Titiksha, Agha, and Satsanga. In class we talked about last week’s raw which was at the end of your shower you should turn the tap to really cold water…
Class 18 – Feb 11 2026
Notes by Sita SB Last Week’s Recap: Last week we saw two Asuras who tried to trick Krishna. First, Vastsa Asura, who came to Krishna disguised as a calf. He represents sneaky thoughts, like “Maybe it is ok to eat just one laffy taffy, even though Amma said not to.” Krishna recognized this bad thought…
Class 17 – Feb 4 2026
Notes by Veda H Last Week’s Recap: Story of Krishna and the fruit seller. How Krishna got excited seeing the fruit seller and ran to her with a handful of rice to get some fruits. As Krishna ran towards her, rice kept falling through his fingers and hardly anything was left when he reached her….