Rosh Hashana is near

Rosh Hashana

With Rosh Hashana around the corner, this week we introduced some concepts about the Holiday through our centers and morning circle times.   In morning circles we discussed how Rosh Hashana is the new year, a new beginning.  Just like we had a first day of school we have a first day of a new year. We ask Hashem for help to become our best self and for a sweet new year. We do this by blowing the shofar, eating sweet foods like apples dipped in honey, or sending cards to our family and friends, saying Shana Tova to wish them a sweet a new year too.  The Morahs explained the shofar comes from a Ram and when we blow the shofar we can think of a mitzvah that we can do to be a better friend and more helpful.  Rabbi T has made visits to our classroom to blow the shofar.  All of our friends giggled at the sound it makes.  They all agreed it sounds funny.   Our friends investigated the shofar in our classroom.  Some friends take turns trying so hard to blow and others feel the rough bumpy texture. 

Discovery table

We set up a discovery table with all things Rosh Hashana related such as apples, honey, shofars, and a variety of pictures.  Our friends were invited to explore the materials. The discovery table is one of the first things the children see when they come in in the morning.  Through exploring and investigating these authentic objects, our friends begin to build their own experiences with them.

Shana Tova Cards

 We started off by painting with honey on apple shaped cardstock.  We encouraged our friends to dip their paintbrushes into honey and then use it to paint the paper. The Morahs pointed out how the paintbrush and honey stuck to the paper.  We discovered the honey was so thick and not so easy to work with but very yummy to lick! Another group project this week was apple stamping.  Our friends created apple prints while following a two step direction and using eye/hand coordination.  Moving their hand from the paint plate onto their paper requires focus and coordinating their hand movement with their eye movement.  Lastly, this activity teaches cause and effect.  Demonstrating to our friends the plain apple and what happens after dipping it into paint to create a print on their paper.  The end product will be Shana Tova cards for our family and friends.  We are learning to say Shana Tova which is wishing someone a sweet new year in Hebrew.

Playdoh Provocations

This week our friends were invited to make their own apple creations out of honey scented playdoh and some natural loose parts such as sticks, leaves and wood pins.  The children enjoyed sticking as many pins as they could into the playdoh.

We also enjoyed some fine motor activities with transferring "nectar" from bowls to ice cube trays. We played in our apples and oats sensory table scooping and pouring.  The children really thought it was fun to pour the oats on the floor then get the little broom and dustpan to sweep up all the oats and put them in trash.  We also enjoyed doing shape and size it puzzles. They did puzzles matching the correct shape to the correct size.  When our friends were done the morah pointed out the smallest shape and the biggest shape. Our friends are learning to discern the similarities and differences in colors and shapes, they use those same skills to recognize the difference between letters and numbers.  In addition, early recognition of shapes is correlated with our friend's ability to recognize letters.

 Next week we will continue our Rosh Hashana unit.  Thank you for a great week.  We're wishing you a peaceful Shabbos.  Morah Felicia and Morah Ora