Purim

This week in the Blue classroom we explored loose parts, and built towers and palaces with some loose parts, such as corks, dominoes, and buttons.  Loose parts are materials that can be moved, carried, combined, redesigned, lined up, and taken apart and put back together in multiple ways.  The children concentrated so hard as they manipulated these small objects into there own creations.  We talked about how King Achashverosh and Queen Esther lived in a Palace long ago.

Playdoh

Our friends molded and created fancy royal crowns with jewels and playdoh like kings and queens.  

Puzzles

Our friends were so interested in creating their own stories with our magnetic story board. 

Cork painting

Our friends explored with corks and paint and created dot paintings.

Thanks for a great week.  
Shabbat Shalom

Morah Felicia and Morah Courtney

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Reduce and Reuse

This week in the blue room we focused on recycling. Each day this week our friends reused bubble wrap, cardboard tubes, and aluminum foil as different tools to paint with. They experimented with different textures and found new techniques to get paint onto their canvas.  When we painted with bubble wrap one friend put paint on the bubble wrap first then put it down and start popping each bubble and watched the paints underneath splash and mix together onto his paper! These painting provocations lead to conversation on how we can reuse other things instead of throwing them out and that's part of recycling!

Ball maze

Using old cardboard tubes and boxes we built ball mazes.  Our friends had to balance and move a ball from side to side without letting the ball fall to the ground. This was a great challenge to practice coordination and gross motor skills.

Grass buckets

This week our friends also started to learn about the concept of planting by planting their own grass.  Our friends scooped some soil into a bucket sprinkled some grass seed on top and then watered them.  We are anxiously waiting to see the fruits of their labor.

Next week we will be introducing the Purim holiday. Thanks for a great week. Shabbat shalom.

Morah Felicia and Morah Courtney

Trees and Nature

Nature walk

This week in the blue room we took a nature walk out in our playground. Our friends each got a bag to put all of the items they collected from outside to make a  nature college.  We gathered different colored leaves, branches, and rocks.  We only took leaves that were on the ground, not on the plant, because if it is still on the plant that means it's alive.  We try to keep the plants safe because they are important to our environment.  Our friends found different textures like rough tree bark and smooth rocks.  After our walk our friends took their findings and in an attempt to preserve what they found, we made collages with contact paper.

In our block center we added recycled cardboard tubes, cans, and boxes our friends explored.  Some friends built towers they could knock down and others turned their boxes into drums and tubes into microphones and made music!

This week we also celebrated Mason's birthday.  Happy 3rd birthday, Mason

Our friends started a sports enrichment program, Jump Bunch, that will be every Wednesday.

Thanks for a great week. If you have any boxes any size you would like to donate for next week bring them at drop off. Happy grandparents day!

Shabbat shalom,
Morah Felicia and Morah Courtney

All about me

Self Portrait

This week in the blue room we learned All About Me. Our friends made self portraits out of play-do and paper.  Each friend had the opportunity to look in the mirror and create what they saw.  We talked about what color everyone's eyes are, some friends had brown eyes others had blue, and even green!

 

Sensory

The sensory table was full of coffee beans and hidden in the beans were objects our friends had to search for.

Textured paint

By adding different materials to paint such as sand, liquid starch, and spices we created different textures that our friends explored while painting the first letter of their name.  We used words such as slimy, scratchey and sticky to describe what we were feeling as we painted.

Next week we will be introducing the TU B' Shvat unit, a Jewish holiday about trees. For more pictures of our week, check out our parent Facebook group.

Have a great weekend!

Shabbat Shalom,

Morah Felicia and Morah Courtney