Tu B Shevat

Dear Parents,
    Here are some highlight of our week.  This week we introduced the upcoming holiday of Tu B Shevat.  We thank the trees for all that they have given us.  We learn what happens in this week's Parsha. Our friends also really enjoyed a fun activity called Mystery Box.

Parsha Beshalach
Morah Kayla explains this week's Parsha.  Moshe leads the Jewish people out of Egypt but they quickly were faced with another challenge, crossing the sea.  Hashem tells Moshe to use his staff and stick it in the water.  When Moshe did so another miracle happened, the sea parted!  The Jewish people were able to cross!  I invite you to ask your child what the parsha of the week is!

After crossing they all sang and danced to to celebrate.

      Sensory

This week to incorporate Tu B Shevat into our centers soil and grass seeds were in our sensory table to explore.  We also added some fun lizards, along with shovels, and pails to extend the play exploration.  The dirt and soil are home to many living breathing things, like creatures such and as lizards and many types of plants and trees.   We asked our friends a question, what do you think grows in soil? Our friends shouted out answers, "flowers" "carrots." Morah Felicia explained to her friends that another very special holiday was coming up called Tu B Shevat.  Just like Rosh Hashana is the the New Year for people, Tu B Shevat is the New Year for the trees.  On Tu B Shevat we celebrate the trees and thank them for everything they give us.  What are some gifts our trees give to us all year long?

Table Top
Clay, popsicle sticks, and wood chips were set out for our friends to sculpt their own tree.  Playing and molding clay can be extremely therapeutic for a child who needs to physically express their emotions.  In addition, their fingers are working to strengthen their fine motor skills and dexterity while their brain is working on their imagination and creativity.

As an introduction for this unit a nature tray was put out to explore with a magnifying glass bark and assorted seeds.  Our friends enjoyed exploring these various mediums using all their senses.

Block Center
In our Block center we created a tree maze using tape on the carpet.  We came up with a couple of different provocations.   One day we did a fruit match.   Morah Felicia asked Jemma, "What do you see, Jemma?"  Jemma: " I see food on the blocks."
Morah:  "What kind of food do you see?"
Jemma:  "I see strawberries, and bananas."
            Morah:  "Let's see if we can find all the Matches."

Jemma: "Okay"

What an amazing gift trees provide for us yummy food for us to eat that keeps us healthy and strong.  The trees give us food, and we get the trees from Hashem, Thank you Hashem for the trees and food!

 Another day this week we used our tape tree to balance pine cones on our heads as we tried to walk the maze.  This activity fosters postural control which is the ability to stabilize the trunk and neck while our friends work other limbs such as the legs. In addition the children had to work hard focusing on the tape as they walked along the tree.

 Group Project
This week we read a book called, 'Only One You.'  A great a book about important life lessons and to always be true to yourself because there is only one you.  After we read our story, our friends picked their own rock to create 'only one' rock just like them. 

Mystery Box

At the beginning of the week Morah Felicia introduced a mystery box to our friends.  We started with a song then Morah explained there was a surprise in the box and each friend would have a turn to guess what was inside just by listening to the sounds they heard once it was shaken.  Morah went first this time to demonstrate.  "Hmm, it sounds loud.  It sounds like there could be more than one surprise in there.  The surprise must be small if it fits in a box. I think there are balls inside!"  Morah passed the box on so another child could have a turn.  Zoe, Hammond, Yochai, Jemma, Tzippi, Hana, and Mina all took a turn shaking the box and making their own guess.  It was a unanimous decision, we all thought the surprise was balls.  We opened to revile the mystery, we discovered objects that all open and shut!  Our friends were all excited to see how these simple gadgets worked.

  First we take turns shaking and listening to the mystery objects inside.

Then we discover. It wasn't balls like we thought.

Finally we explore all the objects that open and shut.  The most popular was the hair curler.

Thanks for another great week.  Please remember to help your little ones with their Grandparents interview and we can't wait to celebrate them and their special friends next Wednesday morning.  Shabbat Shalom.  Morah Felicia and Morah Kayla
    

  

Shabbat Preparations and Shabbat Box!

Dear Parents,

   This week our friends continued to work hard on all of their Shabbat projects  creating one of kind pieces of work as we also prepare for our School Shabbat dinner this Friday. Morah Kayla continues to explain Parsha to us all.   Our friends really enjoyed the outdoor environment activities this week especially the lesson on gardening from a new visitor, Nina!  We planted some herbs and vegetables that we will take care as a school community as we learn about self sustainability.

Parsha Bo

In this week's Parsha Pharaoh finally let's the Jewish people free from Egypt. But the Jewish people must leave right away!

Sensory

  In our sensory table we used dish soap water, sponges, and dish towels, so our friends had the opportunity to wash dishes and get them clean for Shabbat. How do we prepare for Shabbat?  We wear nice clothes, we go grocery shopping, we cook a yummy meal, and we clean! 

Shabbat Projects

This week we worked on creating their challah covers and decorating their Shabbat box, a box that will hold all of their things in it.  For our Challah covers we used tie dye paint in spray bottles and each friend took turns spraying colors.  With our Shabbat boxes we made puffy paint using shaving cream and Elmer's glue.  We also used tape to spell out Shabbat in Hebrew on our boxes.  Our friends started out using paint brushes but quickly turned into finger painting galore. 

We hope to see all of our friends this evening for a fun school community gathering.  It will be one to remember.  Shabbat Shalom from Morah Felicia and Morah Kayla

Shabbat Shabbat!

Dear Parents,

This week we started focusing on Shabbos concepts.  What does Shabbos mean to you? What are some things we do on Shabbos? We kept these questions in mind as we set up our centers.  At the end of our Shabbat Unit our friends will take home their very own "Shabbat box"  with some essential pieces they can use each Shabbat, hopefully for years to come.  Our class will be making challah covers, candle stick holders, and Kiddush cups.

Parsha Va'eira

Morah Kayla explains this week's Parsha Using props such as puppets, people, and animals.  This really helps the story come to life making it more age appropriate and meaningful to our friends.  Morah Kayla picks up where she left off last week.  Moshe and Aaron went to King Pharaoh demanding to let the Jewish people go.  King Pharaoh refuses so Moshe warns Pharaoh and the Egyptian people that there will be consequences for their actions.  Consequences are things that happen after the choices we make.  They can be good or sometimes not so good.  For example if we chose to be hurtful to a friend, a consequence would be that friend decides to play with someone or something else.  Pharaoh's consequences for not letting the Jewish people go are G-d sending the 10 plagues.  In this Parsha we want to focus on how G-d was there to save the Jewish people from hardship and bring them home to the promise land, and this was the beginning of that.  He hears us when we ask him for help. We believe he is always with us. 

Dramatic Play

This week our friends worked together to set up for shabbat.  After they were done we all took turns pretending to pour grape juice in cups.  We also took turns "cutting" challah and serving to our friends.  On Shabbat we eat with our friends and family as we enjoy each others company.

  Here Yochai and Jemma start to set the table for the Shabbos dinner they made, and invited some of the Dinosaurs in the classroom as the guests of honor.  Then Yochai makes Kiddush.  Jemma shouts with excitement, "We're having Shabbat, Morah!"

Group Projects

This week our friends worked on their Kiddush cups.  We started with gluing tissue paper and gems to our cups.  We discovered that some of our stones were too heavy causing them to slide out of place.  When they dried we took Mod Podge and mixed liquid water color to add some color.  Our friends painted the cup creating stained glass effect.

Table Top

Shin for Shabbos what else starts with shin?
Our friends us gems to trace the letter shin.  All of our friends really enjoyed this activity especially Mina who repeated this activity throughout the week.

  

We also worked on building our candle stick holders and we incorporated some math skills.  Our friends were asked how high could they stack their tiles so we counted them after we were done.  As Saya was building her holder it fell down.  Morah asked "How can you fix it?"  Saya got her glue squeezed some on her tile and re-stacked the tiles.  Great problem solving, Saya.

Thanks for an awesome week.
Shabbat Shalom.
Morah Felicia and Morah Kayla

Welcome back

Dear Parents, 

    Welcome Back!  This week has been busy.  We all were eager to get back into the school routine.  This is what we did in the classroom this week:

Parsha Shemot 

All of our friends gather around Morah Kayla has she explains the story of the Parsha.  A long time ago, there was a king in Egypt named Pharaoh who was getting scared that too many babies were being born.  One mommy, Yocheved, wanted to keep her baby safe from Pharaoh and hid him in a basket in the river. This baby was very special, his name was Moshe (Moses)!  He grew up and Hashem gave him a message that he must save the Jewish People from Pharaoh.  We can't wait to hear what happens next week. 

Blocks

This week our whole blue room class worked together in the block center creating this structure.  It started out difficult because everyone had a different idea of where certain blocks should be but we problem solved and made compromises and worked together to make everyone's ideas count and important.   Saya added blocks near the Dinosaurs creating part of their shelter.  Tzippi, Jemma, Mina, Hana, and Hammond create a path leading to the shelter. Our friends discovered their bodies were too heavy for some of the blocks as they tried to walk on the path themselves. 

    

 This is our final product.

Table Top

This week we had a variety of invitations to discover and explore.  Our friends enjoyed some practical activites.  First we scrubbed with a brush to get the table clean then we wiped all the sudsy bubbles off the table and repeated.

 We read a book about colors and rainbows called, 'A Rainbow World'  then our friends were invited to create their rainbows using different shapes and beads. 

 Dramatic

Our friends took turns pretending to be a cashier at a store while others shopped around with shopping carts and babies. 

Group project

Our friends explored mixing primary colors  to create  secondary colors.  Tzippi and Zoe work together with yellow and red creating orange.  Hammond and Yochai had yellow and blue and made green.  Jemma and Mina used red and blue to make purple.

Thanks for a great week.  Next week we will focus on introducing Shabbat as we prepare for our school Shabbat dinner.  Shabbat Shalom.  Morah Felicia and Morah Kayla