Lag B'omer Traditions from Israel!

Lag B'omer is celebrated in Israel with Bonfires, Outdoor camping and more!

The children enjoyed Morah Keren's tent in our classroom library on Thursday and Friday in that spirit...

 

On their own, they broke out one morning in dancing! It was the sweetest sight!

We also enjoyed a mock Bonfire celebration!

Caring for our new Pets!

Our 2 baby bearded dragons have added a new dimension to our classroom!

We are now enjoying to feed them carrots & Cucumbers in addition to worms and crickets!

 

We haven't yet decided what to name them...we want a little more time to get to know them, and then we will vote again!

Week of Kindness---to prepare for Lag B'omer!

We always look for ways to tell the story of Jewish Holidays to our students, that will be true to the story- yet at the same time carry a meaningful and relevant LIFE LESSON for our preschoolers!

This coming Sunday we will be celebrating Lag B'omer- It is the day that the famous sage Rabbi Akiva passed away.

 

We chose to tell the children a portion of the story of his life. How he went from not knowing much Torah as an adult, to becoming a most sought after Rabbi, in the hope they can learn from his good character, and implement in their own lives. 

For more on LagB'omer & Rabbi Akiva- Click here-

Using a puppet, I introduced the children to "Akiva."

Although Akiva was 42 years old, he was like a preschooler when it came to his knowledge of Alef Bet! He decided at 42, that he wanted to go back to school, and learn the Alef Bet and learn Torah! (When he was 3,4,5 his Mommy & Daddy didn't send him to Gan, like you lucky children ;)

It was hard for him, because he was SO MUCH older than the other children, and they knew so much more than him, but he was DETERMINED to learn, so he TRIED REALLY HARD! 

(We had a short discussion here listening to all the things that some of our friends can't do yet. Mendel said he couldn't button his shirt, Solomon said he can do a summersault now! 

When I see the children occasionally struggling with something, i now refer back to this story of Akiva, that if they keep trying, they will succeed.)

We pretended that the children in our class were helping him to learn!

Eventually he learned A LOT, and became such a good student, that he actually became a TEACHER himself! 

He became a "Rebbi" or "Moreh" (hebrew for teacher)

He was such a good "Moreh" that he started to have many students of his own! Every week more and more students came to learn from him, because he was so kind and taught so much Torah. The main thing that he taught his students was the verse, "Veahavta Lereiacha Kamocha" "To love your fellow as you love yourself!"

We had a group discussion on what that might mean for us in our classroom!

We Introduced a "kindness jar."

Any time we catch someone doing something kind--- we use a special heart spoon to place a spoonful of birdseed into the special heart jar!

 We were very intentional in choosing to use birdseed as the tool to recognize the acts of kindness, as well as to use a CLASSROOM jar, not individual jars. This gives over a powerful message to the children, that each of their actions, effect one another and benefit all those around them.

We decided that once we fill up the jar with seeds, the class will earn a TRIP to the park, to feed the seeds to the birds ! 

P.S. Doing this circle time outside, hearing all the birds chirping added A LOT of excitement to this activity!

The children have been SO enthusiastic in practicing KINDNESS to others throughout this entire week!

Here we capture some of the acts of sharing and thoughtfulness!

Trip to PetCo...and our 2 NEW Bearded Dragons!

Excitement built up ALL of last week in preparation for our trip to the Pet Store! We decided it would be a wonderful learning opportunity to actually TAKE the children with us to pick up the new pets. 

One of the goals we have at Gan, is to give the children as many "real life" opportunities as possible, preparing them for the future. 

Before the trip, we spoke about how we can prepare to CARE for the new pets. One way we did this was by looking at a book that we borrowed from the city library to learn more about what Bearded Dragons need!!!

 

We wrote down a list of questions that we had-- to ASK the worker at the Pet Store!

 (This activity is such a powerful lesson to the children that in life, its ok and GOOD to ask/search for answers! And if we don't find the answer in one place...we can look somewhere else!)

I'd like to give a big shout out to our very own PETCO here in Camarillo. The manager and staff were SO welcoming, and SO generous in donating food, supplies and other things to make our adoption of the bearded dragons so meaningful and exciting for the children.

 Being introduced to the baby Bearded Dragons!

He showed us how to hold him and how to 'relax' him when he gets scared. It was good for the children to see that animals have similiar feelings to us and we can be there to help them.

 

"Thank you Robert!"

 They were so excited to see manager Robert feed them and were eager to do it themselves! It was amazing reminder how Jackson our other bearded dragon helped them feel comfortable towards animals and want to care for them!

Back at Gan.........

 The aquarium was all cleaned out and ready for a new habitat for the 2 new pets!

The children helped to empty the mulch which will serve as the floor of the new home.

The strong children found and carried inside the special log that belongs inside the aquarium! 

 

Opening the box that helped us transport the baby bearded Dragon...

 Happy inside their new home!

 

Enjoying to pet one of the new baby Bearded Dragons!

Spring is Here!

This week we spruced up our classroom using different art that the children worked on throughout the week... in the theme of SPRING! 

 

Spring is a time for NEW BEGINNINGS!

The children enjoyed reading a bunch of NEW books on this theme...and talking about the NEW things they can SEE, HEAR, TOUCH and SMELL now that its SPRING!

 

New books to help us learn more about Spring!

Bug samples to help us identify the bugs we find outside!

The children enjoyed painting paper plates to create Turtles for our Spring Decor! They also took some rocks from our nature center/block center to add to the ambiance!

 

We looked at a branch from an Apple Tree! There were blossoms...

 As well as a TINY APPLE....getting ready to GROW!

 We created binoculars on Monday morning...and then used them throughout the week to help us FIND things around the school that are NEW or perhaps were not noticed during the winter!

Magnifying glasses, children made binoculars using toilet paper rolls.

Anything new in the sand?

Tending our Garden.... Fresh Parsley, Fennel, Lavender and more!

Watering and Weeding....

Reflecting on our Pet Jackson!

About a month ago our pet Bearded Dragon died. The children remember him and learned so much through having a pet in the classroom. There has definitely been a void in our classroom over the last month!

 

There is a saying by John Dewey, "We do not learn from our experiences, we learn from reflecting on our experiences."

Reflective practice is a big part of our mindset and curriculum here at Gan. 

 

Both on the level of with the children in the classroom, as well as on a professional level amongst our staff, in helping us plan future curriculum.

This week we made an "Experience Chart" with each child contributing how much they know and remember about our Bearded Dragon!

I wrote down each of their words and "knowledges" about Bearded Dragons.

 

 After the discussion, I  explained to the children that there was another Bearded Dragon in Camarillo, that just had 2 babies and that since they know how to care for them, we were considering to acquire them for our classroom!

 

 

 The manager at PetCo (near Target in Camarillo) was so excited to hear we were interested in adopting them! (See Blog Post of our trip to PetCo today!)

 After our discussion I gave the children crayons and paper, to allow them to express their memories and thoughts of Jackson onto paper!

 

The next day, we did a classroom VOTE as to WHAT WE WILL NAME the new pets! 

Lots of excitement and ideas.....

 

At the end, we decided it would be best to WAIT till we actually meet the new pets before we decide on names!