Does your child know what to do in an emergency?

Community Helpers unit

This week we focused on fire fighters, who do such amazing work for our community.

We also spoke a lot about the safety precautions we need to know in case of a fire.

Fire station center

The children had such a fun time getting dressed like fire fighters and pretending to put out fires.

Their imagination was at work as the red play dough turned into a big fire that they needed to extinguish !

Levi Yitzchak answering a 911 call from his truck.

 

The children were invited to sort out from many pictures what was hot and what was not. We spoke about the fact that some fires are okay, we just need to be really safe around them (Shabbos candles, flame on a stove top etc.  )

Fire inspired art

Bela Riva using q-tips to create flames.
Dovi and Elizabeth enjoyed sticking their whole hands in the "paint flames".

Red shaving cream as the fire and make believe  fire extinguishers.

 

Learning our shapes while making a fire truck!

Morah Rachel encouraging children to try to write their own names!

 

F is for Fire

 What to do when we see smoke?

We used a sheet to help us create 'smoke' in our dramatic play area. Menucha helped us demonstrate. smoke rises so its best to get low and crawl out to safety!

We learned to feel the door to see if its hot or not! If it's not hot then it is safe to proceed.

Fire fighters from Station #54 right near our school came to visit!

 Up and close to show the children not to be afraid of fire fighters and to know they are there to help!

Sweet rain moment

While it was lightly drizzling we had the children sit outside under the awning to draw. Menachem decided to document the rain and then placed it in the rain to get the drops onto his coloring!

It was so sweet to watch his creativity and see how other friends were learning from him! It also created a very neat look making the colors bleed into each other.

Happy 5th birthday to Yehudis!

We also want to welcome Morah Riva to our Gan family!

Chanuka is in the air!

This whole week we have been experiencing Chanuka on many levels!

Our dramatic play center came alive with  Chanuka tools, toys and props!

Learning how we set up and light the Menorah. The children are very excited to light their own handmade menorahs  (with parent help ;)

Dreidel fun

Morah Rachel's Abba (dad) made a big beautiful wooden dreidel!

Menucha using a lot of strength to spin it!

 During davening each letter on the dreidel represented a different song that we sing.

Dreidel spinning art

We placed the dreidel letters in big for the children to spin the dreidel and then write the letter in the salt.

 Dovi,  "Look I made a nun!"

Eddie experimenting with spinning the dreidel in the salt!

Decorating our dreidel costume for our chanuka party!

  Chanuka pasta and salt was a fun sensory experience.

Working hard on our menorahs!

Max "I am putting treasures on my menorah!"

 Ava helping make a big menorah out of blocks and magna tiles!

Menucha counting to make sure there are eight.

 Hannah "Morah I love playing with Menachem!"

Happy 5th birthday to Elizabeth!

Have a Happy Chanuka! May the light of the Menorah shine in your children and in your homes all year!

Chanuka story comes to life- in 2,000 year old "home!"

Before delving into the Chanuka miracle story, we re-live what life was like for the Jewish people in Israel BEFORE there was any problems.

What was it like to go into Hashem's holy home, the Beis Hamikdash (Temple)?

What WILL it be like when the third Beis Hamikdash will be revealed?

All these questions and answers were learned and experienced in our Beis Hamikdash center!

Hashem's Home

Our own Home is a comfortable place where we can be ourselves and connect with the people we love. The children were each invited  to draw what they love about their own home. This helped us understand how much Hashem loved "His home."

Max "I am making my garage and all my spooky toys!"

  Experiencing  life in the Beis Hamikdash.

    
Before the Kohen would do his service in the Beis Hamikdash they would wash their hands and feet by the Kiyor. (wash basin). A puppet helped the children learn how to use the different vessels.

There was a special Mitzvah called "Bikurim" that the Jewish people would observe during Temple times. They brought the first fruits from their trees, to give as a gift to the Kohanim.

Bela Riva picking the fruits and Dovi delivering it to the Beis Hamikdash.

After lighting the Menorah, Ava picking out a fruit treat that Elizabeth picked!

 

Kohanim lighting the Menorah!

Levi Yitzchak was thinking about the menorah in the magna tiles center and created flames with mini flashlights inside of them!

 

Lechem Hapanim

The 'show bread' was a stack of 12 challah's that miraculously stayed fresh all week long and the Kohanim would eat them on Shabbos.

Appreciating how the oil was made by taking a look at real olive branches and olives. It took eight days to make the special olive oil for the Menorah.

Olive oil painting!

Experimenting with water colors and oil and watching the results on their jug.

The Chanuka story

With all this love and excitement towards the Beis Hamikdash, it was now time to  introduce the Chanukah story. King Antiyochus came to our class and announced some very unkind rules about not thinking our Torah is so special, not keeping Shabbos or giving baby boys a bris.

The little children back then, came up with a creative idea to hide their Torahs and take out dreidels when the soldiers came to check on them! We acted this out in our class.

Dovi "We wont be scared! Hashem is with us!" Levi, proudly showing his dreidel.

Be Brave like a Macabee!

 If that wasn't enough, the King decided to defile and make a mess of the Holy Beis Hamikdash! The children were devastated. They now FULLY understood how horrible this was after being in the Beis Hamikdash center and learning how special it was to the Jewish people!

Yehuda, one of the special Jewish people during the Chanuka story quickly came out and told them we must stay BRAVE! We must all become Macabees and help fix and clean the Beis Hamikdash!

Each of the children got a special job to help put our Beis Hamikdash center back up and clean.

While cleaning up we noticed all the oil jugs sealed were broken! How will they light the Menorah?

They found one tiny jug and the children knew exactly how many days it lasted, 8 days! Enough time for them to make new olive oil for the Menorah!

The puppet giving them a pep talk before going in. "you are so

strong and brave...

Happy 4th Birthday Hannah!