chanukah oh chanukah

Chanuka is right around the corner!

This week we made delicious latkas! 

Our friends were part of each process. 

Feeling independent. 

Continuing our Chanuka story by quite a site in the classroom, the Beis Hamikdash was a mess!

The King Antiyochus sent his Greek soldiers to desecrate the Holy Beis Hamikdash!

This was quite a shock for our friends since they have spent time at the center and knew how special each part really is!

"Who wants to be a brave Macabee and not feel discouraged but help clean it up?"

The whole class felt so excited to be empowered just like the real Macabees during the Chanuka story!

Finally we finished putting our Beis Hamikdash back together again but there was no oil!

Our friends searched everywhere!

After some time,Yocheved Sara checked under the Aron table and she found a tiny jug that was not touched by the Greeks!

Zalman, quickly used it to light the Menorah and we counted 8 days it miraculously lasted!

How is oil made?

Why did the Jewish people have to wait 8 days ?

We learned in a hands on way how long the process takes.

We crushed olives and of course tasted some!

We strained the olives with a cheese cloth and watched the oil slowly rise to the top!

How lucky we are to celebrate this miracle thousands of years later with our own Menorah!

Theo, working hard on his own unique Menorah to take home.

Working hard on our Chanuka costumes for our Chanuka party!

We want to wish a Happy 3rd birthday to Ariella!

Saying the  Passuk of Torah!

Good Shabbos! Lchaim!

What Chanukah is Oil About!

Getting ready for Chanukah!

We learned how the small amount of Macabees won against the large Greek army. They were greeted with a big mess in the Beis Hamikdash and after cleaning it they realized there was no oil to light the Menorah.  They searched everywhere and eventually found a small jug of oil. Hashem made a big miracle and the oil lasted for 8 night! Enough time to get new oil. Thank you Hashem!

Oil and water experiment. Our little scientists predicted that the little amount of oil was going to rise to the top of the full water cup without mixing! 

The oil, representing the Jewish people, floated on top of the water. Hashem tell us it doesn't matter how many you are you will always come up on top!

 Jug of oil scavenger hunt!

We used all of our senses with the fresh olive tree branches.

Nechama, noticed her olive looked like a dreidel and had fun watching it spin. 😊

Working on finishing our Chanukah projects!

Pre-K Kria 

Chanukah fun!

K Kria

Music nekudos game

We did it!

Aftercare

Working on lego Chanuka creations!

I am brave like a Macabee!

After learning all about Beis Hamikdash (the Holy Temple) last week, we dived deep into the Chanukah story!

Antiochus, was the king of the Greeks, he was not a kind king. He wanted all the Jewish people to follow him instead of Hashem, and he made 3 rules all Jews had to follow.

No Torah, no Shabbat and no Bris.

The Jewish people however, and especially the children, loved Hashem so much that they kept learning Torah, kept Shabbat and halacha. The babies had a bris. 

They had to secretly learning the Torah inside caves in the mountains. Yossi, helped us act out davening and learning torah in the cave, when Antiochus's guard came he pulled out the dreidel and hide the Torah! The guard saw nothing suspicious so he kept going and that's how they were all saved while learning Torah!

The Maccabies, were a small group of people that fought in the army of Hashem. They were very brave. They were a few but Hashem made a miracle and they won over the large Greek army. 

Shai, worked hard on his Macabee shield.

Marching like a Macabee!

Our friends were invited to write and illustrate how they are brave.

Avraham "I'm brave because I don't hit back."

Nechama H "I am brave when I go to the chicken coop because I'm scared of chickens."

Thank you Rabbi Weinbaum  from the head quarters of Tzivos Hashem for teaching us to be brave and listen to our good voice inside each of us.

Learned a new morning brocha - Zokef Kefufim. We compared our bodies to animals, we have the ability to stand up tall and use our head to think! 

Listening to our yetzer tov and being part of Hashem's army definitely requires us to stand tall and use our head, Thank you Hashem!

Practicing to write the Hebrew words of Chanukah!

Working on our Menorah, chanukia!

Working hard as Kohanim in the Beis Hamiksash.

Our beautiful Chanukah bulletin board with all the kids as brave Maccabees! 

Pre-K Kria

Learning the letter "Tes" this week!

K Kria

We introduced a new vowel this week ,Segul!

Our friends helped 'Sigi the Segul sheep' travel around the class by reading the new sound and earned a sweet treat.

Team work!

Academics

At Circle Time we identified common outside sounds by playing a listening bingo game.

Yossi & Mendy hard at work writing sentences!

Aftercare

We made calendars for the 8 nights of Chanukah with a surprise in each pocket!

Shabbat Shalom!