Chanukah fun

Dear Parents,
 
     The last two weeks we have been exploring the holiday of Chanukah.. here are some of the activities we did:

                                                                    Fine Motor and Math
Over the weeks our friends were invited to do candle color sorting, dreidel color sorting, build their own "candles"  out of pasta, and even make their own olive oil
  Our friends were also invited to make their  own Menorah out of playdoh and candles .

                                                                     Block Center
In the block center, we took a kiddie pool and turned it into a giant frying pan where the children were invited to make their own "latkes". We used props such as sealed bottles of oil, spatulas, latke pictures and pans.  The children practiced flipping the latkes into pans they enjoyed making latkes together and even getting into the frying pans themselves!

Community

This week our friends started a great conversation about colors during lunch time! Elliot's favorite color is green, while Mila's favorite color is purple. Rivkale and Madison also like purple along with green and blue. Hailey answered, "Pink, purple and blue". Yehonatan said, "Morah Felicia, my favorite color is blue". Daniel said, "Black, I like black". It was nice seeing all of our friends share their different thoughts on colors.             

Science Discovery

Perhaps one of the most exciting activities was when our friends got the chance to melt crayons onto a poster board and watch the crayon drip and splat into different positions. Through this exploration, we got to see how wax melts just like a Chanukkah candle.

Sensory Table

The sensory table was a Chanukkah search filled with dreidels, gelt, candles, and much more.. all scattered throughout gems. Our friends had the option to use magnetic wands to grab some of the items in the bin. 

Gross Motor

We played a game of dreidel hopsctoch! Our friends jumped from dreidel to dreidel labeled with numbers 1-8.

Dramatic Play

Our friends were able to shape and cook "latkes" with play-doh using rolling pins and plastic utensils.

Art

We created resistant paintings with tape by having our friends tape down 8 different branches to represent the 8 candles on the menorah then painted it before taking the tape off, We also did resistant paintings with candles to explore the texture of wax. Finally, we topped it all off with making our own heirloom menorahs to take home with us! This year we used mirrors as our base... A mirror reflects light,  and on Chanukkah we are reminded of the message that wherever we go, we can spread light even in seemingly dark places! May your Chanukkah be filled with light that reflects into the world making it a brighter place... Happy Chanukkah!

Wishing a wonderful Shabbos and Chanukah holiday as always thanks for a great week!
Morah Felicia and Morah Briele

Dear Parents,
 
        This week we took the time to get re-acclimated to the classroom after a long weekend with friends and family.  This week our friends had fun making alphabet soup in our sensory table with letters, lentils, and ladles.  We also painted with corks and watercolors creating beautiful art works.  We also practiced our fine motor skills and did some water transfer work using eye drops.  As always we are working on using our words to identify big feelings, along with using our words with our friends when we want or need something.  We have been enjoying the great weather outside riding tricycles finally using the slides, and baking in the mud kitchen.

Next week we will start our Chanukah unit, thanks for a great week.  Wishing you a peaceful Shabbos
  Morah Felicia and Morah Briele