Dear Parents,

        Happy Chanukah!  This week we continued with our Chanukah unit.  As promised we took the time to get super messy with fingerpaints and our friends loved it!  We made chanukah cards, created a beautiful resistant art piece, explored olives and olive oil, polished silver, sorted dreidels and built Menorahs.  Here are some highlights of our week:

Discovery

 This week we greeted our friends with olives and olive oil.  Our friends were invited to touch, smash, and even taste the olives.  The Morahs talked about how olives were so special because they make oil.  Like the oil the Maccabees found in the temple.  They experimented with the olives by squeezing and observing the drips of oil or the effects of their actions.  The children were fascinated by the texture of the olive; it's slippery property and how that made it difficult to hold and squeeze.  Later we asked the children, "do you think we can make oil out of the olives?"  and we tried by smashing them in a jar.  Then we extended our exploration into the art center and painted with oil.  The children were encouraged to stick their brushes though the olive and dip their paintbrush into the olive oil to begin an open-ended art exploration.  Having the olive on the brush reminded them that it comes from or is a derivative of olives!

In connection with our Chanukah unit the children created beautiful Star of David relief painting.  Canvases, finger paints, driedels, and candles were all set up on  our table inviting our friends to explore.  They were encouraged to use what they were comfortable painting with.  Some friends used their hands to smear and mix colors together on the paper and even on their bodies!  Others were more reserved and chose to experiment by dipping only one finger in the paint and then paint with an object they saw on the table. After the paint dried, the children peeled the tape from the canvas to reveal a beautiful Star of David.  Through this part of the activity our friends strengthened two motor skills: hand-eye coordination and fine motor as they ripped the tape and put it on the table.  Then we practiced our counting skills by tallying up all the points on the stars.  Finally, we explored the artistic technique known as negative space as we removed the tape. 

Gross Motor

This week our friends played driedel hopscotch in our room.  The morahs printed dreidels and taped them to the floor with the number 1-8.  Our friends were invited to follow a variety of instructions to make it across to the other side.   They had fun skipping numbers and colors along with practicing waiting their turn, balance, agility.

Thanks for another great week.  Make sure to check our group FB page for pictures of all our invitations to play and provocations. 

Have a restful Shabbos.  Morah Felicia and Morah Menucha