Pesach

Dear Parents,
  This week in the Blue room we continued our Pesach with an Afikoman search.  We cleaned our classroom, made our own grape juice, and had our own Seder meal.

Afikoman
Our friends took turns hiding the afikoman while the rest of us searched the classroom until we found it.  We learned the Afikoman is kind of like a dessert after the Seder meal.

 Cleaning
This week to prepare for Pesach we scrubbed our classroom sparkling clean  getting rid of the dirt and chametz in our room. This was great gross motor activity along with building self care and care for the environment.

 Grape Juice

This week our friends turned grapes into grape juice. The first  step was to smash the grapes.  Using zip-loc bags we put grapes inside then used cylinder blocks to smooth and squeeze all the juice from the grapes out.  We then poured our juice thrrough a sifter to separate the grape pulp from the juice. Lastly we made a bracha hagafan on our juice and drank it, yummy!  Jemma said the grape juice tasted like Paw Patrol Mina said the juice tasted like candy and Saya said her juice tasted like grapes.

Circle Time

During morning circle Morah Kayla retells the story of Pesach using a felt board and puppets.  Moshe went to King Pharoah demanding to let the Jewish people free.  King Pharoah refused to listen so Hasham sent the Ten Makot.  Finally King Pharoah set the Jewish people free but they had to leave so quickly.  As they traveled through the desert in the blistering hot sun the dough they had made, baked on their backs and turned into Matzah.   This is why we eat only Matzah during Pesach.  When the Jewish people came to the Sea, Moshe took his staff and parted the ocean so his people could pass, what a miracle! When they made it across the Sea everyone celebrated with singing and dancing.  Hashem said it was time to bring the Torah to the world. The Jews had to be freed so they could receive the Torah and have the freedom to do Mitzvot.

Our friends also had the opportunity to explore Hagadahs in circle time.  As we flipped through the pages they excitedly pointed out familiar pictures they saw like pictures of matzah and karpas.

 Seder meal
This week our friends set the table for Pesach.  We asked everyone a few questions, what do we have on our Passover table? We have candles and wine. How many cups do we have for wine/grape juice? 4 cups for wine.  Then we asked do we have challah on passover? Our friends replied, "noooooooo!". What do we on Pesach, everyone said to together "matzah". We counted 6 compartments on the Seder plate we took this opportunity to go over the special foods and why we eat them. Our friends also practiced reclining on comfy pillows so we were comfortable and cozy at our meal

Below is a link for the Mah-Nishtanah song we've been learning for Pesach we invite you to practice this song along with your children.  Have a restful Shabbos!  Morah Felicia and Morah Kayla.

https://www.chabad.org/multimedia/media_cdo/aid/662797/jewish/Mah-Nishtanah.htm

Pesach Introduction

Dear Parents,
   This week in the Blue Room we began our Pesach unit with some hands on sensory experiences.  Our friends tasted Matzah, Karpas, and made Kiddush on grape juice.  We also had some fun making our own sand playdoh to build pyramids like in ancient Egypt.   This week we also celebrated Mina's 3rd Birthday!

Baby Moshe

In the beginning of this week we set baby Moshe in a basket.  We used some blue fabric, blankets, plants, a baby and a basket.  Morah Kayla tells us the story about long ago when baby Moshe's mommy was protecting him from King Pharaoh and the only way to keep him safe was to float him down the river.  We asked our friends what are some things babies need to feel safe?  One friend shouted, " A bottle!"  another friend added, " A paci!"  Setting up a provocation is an invitation to play and explore.  This provocation invites the children to role play and imagine what it was like for baby Moshe to be in the basket.  Through this platform we reinforce and learn vital skills such as empathy, sharing, turn taking, and problem solving. 

Set the Seder table

Our friends were invited to take turns setting the Seder table.  This was a great activity to introduce some new Pesach vocabulary.  Morah Felicia started off by pointing to each food on the seder plate while Morah Kayla told us what each food was and the meaning behind special foods. Then we asked our friends to repeat.  Zeroa or shankbone symbolizes the sacrifice of the lamb the night before the Exodus.  Beitzah or egg represents a pre-holiday offering.  Maror or bitter herbs reminds us to the bitterness the Jewish people were faced with in Egypt.  Charoset symbolizes the mortar and brick made by the Jewish people.  Karpas are the vegetables dipped in salt water reminding us of the salty tears cried while in Egypt.  After we went over these new vocabulary words our friends were invited to match each item to the big Seder plate.  Matching with a negative space image requires visual motor skills and spatial awareness. This activity also promotes early matching skills.  We invite you to go over these new terms with your children at home with a fun game of your own! 

Matzah and Karpas 

In circle time this week our friends tasted karpas and matzah.  We smelled, tasted, and touched.  We compared the Matzah to Challah that we eat every Shabbat. Some questions that we asked our friends were How is the matzah different than the challah?  Our friends discovered that matzah is flat and challah is fluffy.  Matzah is hard and crunchy and challah is soft and chewy.  Do they taste the same?  Our friends all agreed they like the matzah better than the karpas

Sand playdoh 

This week we made sand playdoh!  This was enjoyed by everyone. We first took turns measuring out our ingrediants and pouring them into a bowl.   This particular playdoh call for sand, flour, and cooking oil.  When all mixed together the consistency waas like a moonsand.  Even the children who are more sensitive to sticky gooey textures really enjoyed this.  Our friends were invited to construct their own pyramids.  What shape do the pyramids look like?  "A triangle"  

 This week we celebrated Mina's third Birthday! 

 Next week we will continue to our Pesach unit, thanks for a great week have a restful Shabbos.  Morah Felicia and Morah Kayla

  

Dear Parents, 

        Here are some highlights of our week:

Number Counting 

In the block Center a group of friends play the counting game with morah Felicia using wood slates, tiles,unit blocks, and numbers.  Morah Felicia started off by laying the wood slates down as a platform then in numerical order placed the numbers on top of the slates. Each child took a turn tracing the numbers with the their fingers before laying we counted out each time and placed it on the slates to match the corresponding number. Our friends counted to number seven at this point they were ready to move on to something else.

Nuts and Bolts Tinkering 

Our friends were invited to explore and tinker with nuts and bolts. The nuts and bolts ranged in size. the children experimented  as they tested the nuts with bolts they discovered which nuts we're too small or too big for the bolts. They also discovered pieces could twist and swivel when put together which provided endless fun

Pyramid Provocation

This week our friends were invited to create pyramids using blocks and clay. Some friends created pyramids alternating the clay and the block using the the clay as a "cement" while  others chose just to use the blocks to construct.  

Squeegee Paint

This week the children were invited to paint with ketchup bottles and a squeegee. They had control over how much paint they wanted to squeeze and where and how messy they wanted to get.  This provided great sensory as well as gross motor opportunities while instilling positive empowerment by limiting their restrictions on the paint as long as it stayed on the paper.

  Next week we will be starting our Pesach unit.  Have a restful weekend and Shabbat Shalom from Morah Felicia and Morah Kayla

Purim Day!

Dear Parents,
    This week in the Blue room we wrapped up our Purim unit with making homemade Hamantaschen, we discussed the last 2 mitzvos of Purim, and discovered all four mitzvos start with the Hebrew letter "Mem!" We also celebrated with our Annual school Purim party and our friend Lovely Buttons, the clown.  Here are some highlights of our week:

Making Hamantaschen 

As a class our friends made homemade Hamantaschen for their Mishloach Manot baskets.  Morah Kayla made sure we followed the recipe precisely.  Our friends took turns mixing in all the ingredients.  This was a multi-step and time consuming process that each child enjoyed and engaged in from start to finish.  Once all of the ingredients were mixed we saw the consistency change from liquid to a solid dough ball that each of us could manipulate and knead into their best triangle shape.  As we pinched our cookies Morah Kayla taught us a song, "Nosh nosh a hamantash let's a make a Hamantash now."  

Dramatic Play

Our friends get ready to celebrate as they paint each other's nails and get their hair done in our Queen Esther's Salon.  We used watercolors for fingernail polish and got fancy braids.

 Clay

This week our friends were invited to make pretend Hamantachen out of clay.  They had something else in mind. Mina constructed a huge "blue dragon and a cave he lived in" and Hana made a handful of miniature"chocolate chip cookies."  Other friends sculpted T-Rex dinosaurs and butterflies.  

 Megillah 

Reading the Megillah is another mitvah of Purim.  Queen Esther saved the Jewish people from Haman.  Our friends had the opportunity to make their own Megillah scroll and write with a"quill"and"ink."

We hope you all have a peaceful Shabbos.
Shabat Shalom from Morah Felicia and Morah Kayla