Solo Play

There were all kinds of opportunities for creative play this morning.  You'll see that each of the kids shown in the photo has found materials to create something new: a tower, a road, and a garage.  Imaginations are hard at work in the Keshet classroom.

The Ice Cream Truck: Part I

On Monday, the Adom children found a brand new toy....it was a big cardboard box!  All the kids enjoyed being picked up and placed inside the box, and then being "package deliveries" when the flaps were closed up.  The children enjoyed playing inside of the box, pretending it was a spaceship and/or an ice cream truck.

Josh G, Ben M, and Noah S hide in the corner

Happy boys!

How many children can fit inside the box?

Noah says, "Shalom!"

Not a Box

The creative exploration continued with the house that several children imagined today.  They closed up the doors and giggled quietly inside.  They took in some magna-tiles to add to their fun.  What will they come up with next?

 

                                                                           

Using play dough to tell the story of Passover!

Hannah and I were playing with the play dough and she became very excited and said, "Lauri I have a great idea! I will be right back!" Hannah came back with the plastic people and told me were to place them. Then she rolled the play dough back and said, "This is how the slaves escaped Egypt! This is the path they took to get away from the Pharaoh."

The Tunnel Show

Why are we eating snack on the floor?Well, first you take a group of creative children who, with borrowed tunnels from the Levana classroom, built a long road...

A road long enough to attract the attention of the other children, who pulled up chairs to watch "The Tunnel Show!"

Since we've cleared such a big space, let's use it to draw

and have an indoor picnic on a rainy day!

Let's put on a Purim Play!

Eliza and Hannah joined us for Lunch Bunch today! The entire group asked if we could put on a play. I suggested we make costumes for the play. Then Rachel chimed in with, "Let's put on a Purim play!" Everyone liked that idea! I asked the children "What character do you want to be?" Hannah, Alana, Molly, and Avery wanted to be Queen Esther. Rachel wanted to be Haman and Eliza asked if she and her American Girl doll Julie could be the audience. So I had to be Mordechai, Haman and King Ahashuerus(nothing I could not handle).

We made the costumes, picked out some music and signed in for the big show! What a show it was! We all had so much fun! The day just flew right by!

All Aboard!

As teachers, we always put thought into the activities and materials that we make available to the children. But things don't always work out just the way we expect. Some of the most wonderful things that happen in the classroom are inspired and created by the children themselves in very spontaneous fashion. The train that a group chose to build on the rug today is a fine example of the ways in which the kids' interests shape their play.

I believe that I moved one or two trains onto the rug. The kids began carrying more chairs over and voila - they created a train! As the kids settled into their seats, Josh asked "Are you going to give us tickets?" The children used small, square bristle blocks for tickets. They also discussed the destination of the train. It wasn't Boston, New York, Baltimore, or Washington, D.C. I'm not quite sure where they traveled. The arrangement of the seats was fluid, with different kids acting as the engineer. I'm not quite sure how Ilan avoided being in any of these photos, as he played a very active role in the train play. The five kids played together as a group and really enjoyed their imagined trip!

Jacob's Robots!

Jacob likes to draw many things but today he decided to draw robots all over the black top...A baby robot, a crying robot, a tired robot, and a robot named Jacob!

Check out Jacob's robots!!!!!!

Morning science experiments with The Scientists!

This morning the Scientists enjoyed free play in the block room and in the hallway. Many Scientist enjoyed building and creating with the blocks and the vehicles in the room, but a few Scientists began to explore the momentum created when the cars were going down the ramp. Daniel and Matthew were exploring the different speeds and different directions the cars were taking when they were allowed to roll at their own pace.

The Three Billy Goats Gruff-Starring The Tel Aviv All Stars!

Today we acted out the story of The Three Billy Goats Gruff. The children took turns acting out the four main characters, the three goats and the troll. Who ever was not acting out a main part on the stage, was in charge of the sound effects. Those children sat around the perimeter of the rug, and held two wooden blocks in their hands. Every time a goat walked across the bridge, they clapped their blocks together like cymbals; which were used to create the sound effect of the goats hooves.

We asked the children, "What should we use to make a bridge?" Ruby responded, "Blocks would be a great idea for a bridge." Everyone else liked that idea. We acted the story out on our mini stage three times. The trolls were Mia, Isaiah and Teddy F. Everyone else took turns playing one of the goats. We are looking forward to acting out the story again tomorrow!

Puppet Stages!

Julia and the children put their creative minds together and created a Puppet Stage. Puppet stages can take many forms, from simple to sophisticated. Regardless of the type of stage children are using, puppet play gives them rich opportunities to retell published stories or tell their own stories.

Guess Who? ...Why we Love Dramatic Play!

I confess. The dramatic-play area is my favorite area in the classroom! There are few other places where children can be as creative and explore so many new ideas. They can spend time as parents taking care of their babies and chefs preparing food in a restaurant.

Of course, dramatic play shouldn't happened only in a designated area. The block area often contains an elaborate highway system, and the children are engaged in different roles such as architects, designing, buildings, temples, delivery people dropping off materials, and construction workers maintaining the highway/temple. The playground's sandbox might be a great place for a sandcastle- the base for Judah and the Maccabees to set out to "stand up" for their right to be free.

Beyond being fun, dramatic play serves young children in other important ways. It allows them to experiment with roles that are familiar to them, experiment with roles that are unfamiliar to them, work through issues that are troubling them, and explore concepts to make them their own.

entrepreneurs

In the spirit of Hanukkah, Noah, Jake, Lucas and Jonathan decided to set up a dreidel store. Signs were designed and dreidels of all sizes and colors were displayed for the children to "buy." "Money" was exchanged and many games of dreidel were played.

Food Offered with Loving Care

Today, Sam C. introduced me to his baby. Sam carefully sat the baby up in the high chair in the class kitchen. He examined the array of foods on the table and thought about which foods the baby would like. He chose plates for each offering, and supported the baby's head as he offered a tasty ear of corn. Next, he offered grapes. Sam then took a call from his grandpa. It was a busy day for a proud papa in the Rainbow classroom today.