Bringing Yom Kippur to life in our classroom!

One of the ways we empower children to learn appropriate behaviors is by giving them opportunities to role-play, and experience different situations in a make believe setting.

As a preparation for Yom Kippur, we set up a "synagogue Center" or as its traditionally called in yiddish a "Shul" (pronounced "shool").

In-case some of our children might attend a "shul" on the Holiday, we set up all sorts of items that might be found in a shul, along with chairs in a row.  So the children would be familiar and comfortable in the new setting.

 

 We practiced talking softly, and behaving as we would in a Synagogue!

Items for children to play with included: Torah, Siddur, Yad- pointer, Bima (table to read torah from),Kippot (head-coverings), Tallit (prayer shawl)

 

 

Ilani blowing the shofar like the Rabbi will do at the conclusion of Yom kippur!

After he blew the Shofar Ilani said "it sounds like crying" !

He remembered from Rosh Hashana circle time that the shofar sounds

like a baby cry, we are crying to Hashem.

Chani was watching her baby at shul!

 Trying on Slippers for Yom Kippur! The Yom Kippur Center included a shelf full of crocs and other non leather shoes- as is the custom of many to wear on Yom Kippur.

On the topic of Shoes and slippers....

Morah Lisa came up with a new game that the children LOVE called 'the shoe store' (which we've been doing each day at the end of outside time!)

  When playing outside, most of the children love to take off their shoes, enjoying the feeling of sand and grass in their toes...

This results in shoes being located all over the yard!

Morah Lisa puts all their shoes mix matched and each child gets to come up and sees how fast they can find their match!

 

 

All the Jr Rabbis reading from the Torah

Rachel, Mendel & Noach leading the congregation :)

 At the Audio center we set up a CD  with songs that might be heard in the Synagogue on Yom Kippur.