Levana & Rainbows had a musical morning together!

This morning, the Rainbow class joined the Levana class for music with Josh. With more voices singing, more hands clapping, more feet stomping, and more friends dancing on the rug together, we had a very boisterous, energetic, and fun morning of singing!

We loved having a large group for circle time, too! We greeted each other and heard everyone's names, we sang our favorite classroom songs, and we even had individual students from each class perform solos or duets for our extra large audience.

We always enjoy having friends visit our classroom, so thanks to the Rainbows for joining us!

The Rainbows arrive

On Tuesday, the Rainbows first appeared at TBS Children's Center. The children had a grand time exploring their new classroom. The play dough table, the sand table and the train set were popular spots to meet. We had a chance to get to know each other a bit better, and enjoyed a few laughs at circle where we shared "Red Hat, Green Hat" by Sandra Boynton. What a wonderful start to our school year together!

A Project for the Rainbow Parents

The parents of the Rainbow class worked hard at describing their hopes and dreams for the future of their children, and naming some of the qualities that they hope to see in them as they grow. It was great to meet the parents and have a chance to discuss our goals for the first weeks at school. We're all looking forward to welcoming the children for orientation tomorrow morning.

Rainbow Faces

Say Hello to the Rainbow Class of 2011-2012!

A Rainbow Summer Birthday

The school year is coming to a close. Since Madison's birthday is coming up this summer, her mother came to join us to read and celebrate today! She read two stories that Madison brought from home which the Rainbows enjoyed. Look at the wonderful crowns that they decorated in honor of Madison.

Happy Birthday, Madison!

To Dye For

We always admire the willingness of the children to try new things. With a little support and encouragement, most of the Rainbows were willing to don a long-sleeved smock and some very large and strange looking gloves in order to tie-dye shirts for our upcoming Shalom Party. Madison was in the vanguard, stepping up with an "I want to do it!" We can't wait to snip the rubber bands and see our designs.

Happy Birthday, Abby and Sam

The Rainbows celebrated Abby's and Sam's birthdays this week with some wonderful books and a visit from their mom, Rachel. Sam chose a classic favorite, Corduroy. Abby chose Cupcakes, which gave all the Rainbows a chance to pick their favorite cupcake. Later Abby read Caillou; the Rainbows are always up for a good book! For snack we enjoyed two delicious breads, apple and banana, made by Rachel, Sam and Abby. Best of all, we shared the laughter and comraderie that always accompany our Rainbow birthday celebrations. Thank you, Rachel!

Sewing for Passover

As Rainbows, we are accustomed to creating our crafts by hand with simple materials and tools, so the children were thrilled when Nancy brought her sewing machine to school. This enabled us to quickly and securely attach the fronts and backs of our afikomen covers after the children had chosen, arranged and glued their decorations. They took turns sitting attentively to watch. Here, Sam and Max maintained a safe distance as the needle zipped through the fabric and the motor whirred.

Passover Puzzle

The Rainbow class has a number of Passover-themed puzzles that they work on individually and in groups. Sometimes we look at the item from the unpainted side and guess, "What is this?" This quiet activity opens up many conversations about the symbols of Passover. Maddie can fit the puzzle pieces into the base and can also name the seder plate, the wine and the matzah.

Rainbows on the Nile

The Rainbows love to sing "Where is Baby Moses?" and were surprised to find baskets with babies floating in their sensory table. The table contained both water and sand, and the river bank had some desert vegetation and camels. The children enjoyed floating the items down the river and creating river banks and sandbars. This visual and tactile exploration brought the song to life and introduced a few aspects of the geography of Egypt.

Where does the lettuce go?

It's fun to play a matching game, and today's game involved finding the spot on the seder plate for the chosen items. Where does the lettuce go? What about the charoset? Look, here's an egg! Lots of the kids had fun with two different versions of this game that we played today.

Bright Spots on a Grey Day

The Rainbows were very happy that the rain held off and that they had lots of time to play outside. The air was warm and the wind was gusty. The kids had a great time playing on the new red vehicle. Is it a tractor? Is it a fire truck? Is it a bike? There were lots of different ideas, and lots of fun playing, pretending and riding. The children are doing very well at taking turns. They have learned to be thoughtful of one another and to have patience while waiting for a turn. The Rainbows were the bright spots on this grey day!

A Rainbow Birthday Celebration

Happy Birthday, Lizzy!

Thursday we had the pleasure of a visit from Lizzy's parents. They brought two favorite stories from home to share as part of our celebration of Lizzy's 3rd Birthday. Everyone was surprised when Lizzy said that she would like to be the first to read to the class. She shared a story, then her Dad read to us, and her Mom wrapped up the reading. We sang Happy Birthday first in English, then in Hebrew. It was a wonderful morning and a special celebration.

A Celebration

Happy Birthday Jared!

On Tuesday, the Rainbows celebrated Jared's 3rd Birthday. His mother shared a favorite Curious George story with help from Jared who provided the end to many of the sentences. Jared's big sister Abby did a wonderful job reading us a counting story as well. It was fun to see a former Scientist back at the Children's Center.

The Rainbows Make Matzah

The Mobil Matzah Maker visited TBSCC today, and the Rainbows were first to try their hands at making matzah. We learned that matzah has only two ingredients, flour and water. After the two were mixed together, we worked quickly to knead, shape, roll and prick the dough before it could begin to rise. The sheets then went into a hot oven, and we were soon able to sample our matzah, warm and crunchy! This was our first experience with matzah this year, and a fitting introduction to the approaching Passover celebration.

Can you make an Echo?

After having listened to Frank Asch's Happy Birthday Moon many times, the Rainbows had a chance to create an echo of their own - just like the one that Bear hears in the story when he tries to talk to the moon. The laughter and delight were highly contagious!

Can you make an Echo?

After having listened to Frank Asch's Happy Birthday Moon many times, the Rainbows had a chance to create an echo of their own - just like the one that Bear hears in the story when he tries to talk to the moon. The laughter and delight were highly contagious!

Nurturing

Amidst all of the excitement of our celebration of Purim this morning, the Rainbows found time to lovingly tuck their babies and the people in under their blankets for a tender kiss good night.

Baking for Purim

The Rainbows joined in the holiday baking today, making hamantaschen together. Unlike the more traditional three-cornered versions, these were one-of-a-kind, as the children brought their individuality to the patting, filling and forming. Despite the irregular cookies, the children know that these represent the three cornered hat of Haman, that he is the villain of the the Purim story, and that we will boo heartily when we hear his name or see his image.

A Playful Purim

The Rainbows played a great Purim game called Pin the Jelly on the Hamentaschen this morning. It was fun to choose a favorite jelly flavor and spin around before trying to find the hamentaschen to attach it to! We also watched as the puppets told the story of Purim in our new puppet theater. Everyone had a chance to try out the puppets themselves. Our newly completed groggers made loud noises as we shook them on hearing Hamen's name throughout the story.