This week in the Blue Room we began our Pesach unit with some hands on sensory experiences.  Our friends tasted Matzah, Karpas, and made grape juice out of grapes.  We also had some fun making our own sand playdoh to build pyramids like in ancient Egypt. 

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. Our friends really love playing in the loft so we took an opportunity to utilize this space for the provocation. Morah Felicia 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. Moshe is very special when he grows up he will protect and save all the Jewish people from the mean King Pharaoh who made the Jewish people work and work and work.  Moshe will take them to the promise land.  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.  Ronan and Gavin took turns trying to safely send baby Moshe down the "river" (slide).

Matzah  

This week our friends tasted 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?  The Matzah was set out all week for all of our friends to taste.  Our friends Leah and Davis enjoyed it so much they ate it every day this week!

Set the Seder table

The children 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 Menucha 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!

Sand playdoh 

This week we made sand playdoh!  This was enjoyed by everyone. We first took turns measuring out our ingredients and pouring them into a bowl.   This particular playdoh call for sand, flour, and cooking oil.  When all mixed together the consistency was 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"

Have a great weekend and we will be continuing to learn about Pesach next week.
Don't forget to stop by the book fair and purchase some Jewish books for your home library!

Shabbat Shalom, Morah Felicia and Morah Menucha