A very Bzzzzy First Week At School!

After weeks of preparation for another fun filled, enriched year, it was so good to see those smiling faces walk in the first day of school!

"I am Big!"

We wanted to start the year with our class feeling and being aware of how much they have grown up since the last year. For them to visualize it we printed out pictures of them at this time last year! (For the new students- an old picture from home ;-).

Their reactions were priceless. They had so obviously physically grown up! As a group we discussed how many more things they now know how to do and the fact that we will be learning many new things this coming year!

 

 Muka (pointing to a picture of herself) "Thats Faiga!" (her younger sister:)

 

Now look what I can do!! 

Self - portraits

 

These simple drawings are an activity we do at several benchmarks in the year. It is an extraordinary window into how much the child has grown and developed over the year. We consider the growth in fine motor control, the ability to make specific shapes. (oval for the face...) 

By the end of the year when we do this again their growth is so apparent.

(we created a 'practice' for the children to understand the concept of looking in the mirror : an invitation to create on paper, what they see)

Muka and Dovi checking themselves out

Levi concentrating really hard on connecting his oval

On a four year old level the details will be more defined.

"May you have a SWEET NEW YEAR!"

The phrase we hear and say again and again in the weeks leading up to Rosh Hashanah- the Jewish New Year.

Here is how we made it meaningful and turned it into an empowering lesson for the children in our class.

 

  Step 1. Inspiring interest

By adding cinnamon to our play dough and smelling the sweet scent, it was an opening to spark discussions on what is so yummy and sweet.

 

 "What do you like that is SWEET?"

Max drew on our white board "chocolate"

 

Step 2. Our Sweet Board

After discussions all morning on what is sweet, it was now time to take it to a deeper level , allowing the children to understand the phrase "Have a SWEET new year!"

We created on our white board easel a yellow honey jar. 

By circle time we talked about what else can be sweet? MITZVAHS are sweet. 

Role playing:  "Max that was so SWEET that you helped your friend this morning with the cars" 

Each time a child did something SWEET they drew it on the board....

chanie drawing herself helping her brother

Step 3. Feeling how SWEET it is, to DO sweet things!

To make the connection even stronger, and help the children appreciate the value of "SWEET" actions, we gave the children a tiny taste of honey, immediately after noticing the "Sweet" mitzvah that was done. At this point we reminded the children why we wish each other a "sweet year"-- as we want the year to be filled with "sweet Mitzvah's"

 

being happy for the "sweet" things!

Bee Center

Bee hive ;)

Hanging from the roof was a make believe hive. The children were able to learn from this, the process of how bees make honey, bringing nectar to the hive- which then turns into honey. 

Flowers and Nectar

Egg cartons became bright fun flowers for the children to learn how a bee makes honey. 

Fun ways to play the role

The children used a bee puppet, bee hat or costume and were invited to use a tweezer to collect the little pieces of nectar out of the flower and carefully bring it to the bee hive.

It was hard work!

Having a multi-age classroom offers many benefits for each of the age groups. The more advanced students become filled with confidence and esteem when they are able to "model" more advanced skills, alongside the extra push for the younger ones, to strive to grow and move to the next step in their development. 

It was very apparent at this center with the opportunities presented to each age group

On a two year old level this would be using their fingers which is the beginning of fine motor skills.

Notice Dovi holding a tweezer in one hand, while using his fingers on the other! These are the first steps in him reaching that milestone.

We placed bottle caps in some of the holes to help out the younger ones since it required a little less balance.

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Contrasting different bugs: 

We found a wasp (it was dead and in a special tube) to compare and contrast with a bee

Bee hand prints!

Learning the process of honey through literature.

Thank you Morah Keren and her daughter Eden for making these precious bee puppet socks that came alive this week. Even during story time the bee joined us!

Yehudis "the play dough is sticky like honey"

Group sensory art!

Happy birthday to our dear Levi Abadi-Bergholtz who turned three!

We had a big birthday Fabrengen (click here to see how to celebrate a Jewish birthday) 

Since it was also the Bal Shem Tov and Alter Rebbe (the first Chabad Rebbe) Birthday! What a special day!

"We love you Levi!"