Taking Care of Ourselves

Today during our circle time, the Shamayim children learned the importance of taking care of ourselves.  We learned that brushing our teeth, combing our hair and helping to get dressed are all really good ways of taking care of ourselves.  The children loved sharing what they do at home to help take care of themselves.  On Friday, we will discuss the importance of taking care of each other.  Stay tuned!!

Sit-upons for Adamah

Now that we've had two full mornings in the Adamah class, we are settling into our daytime routine.  Every morning we get together for circle time.  At circle, we sing our welcome song and pass the Torah, sing songs, listen to stories, and learn lots of new things.  The only problem so far, is that we don't have a convenient round space to sit yet.  So, while we wait for our new rug to arrive, we have decided to create our own sit-upons!  We'll set them up in the round and have nice spots to sit on!

Ben, Samantha L., and Isabella use bingo markers to decorate their sit-upons.

Ally hugs the Torah as we pass it around the circle.

Everyone sitting in a circle, eager to use our new sit-upons!

Oh dear, we need some honey!

This morning the Levana children were downstairs and the Keshet children invited them to join our circle time.  Both groups were happy with the impromptu arrangement as we settled ourselves on the rug.  We shared the morning songs of both classes and talked a little bit about the Keshet shabbat Thursday celebrations.  Mary Ann brought out a wonderful book and puppets that represented the characters in the story.  The story revolves around the ingredients for Bubbe's noodle kugel.  Perhaps your child will explain to you that "Bears don't live in Brooklyn!"...

A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words

Throughout the year, there have been children that are very intrigued with Sauci's hair color. Why is it white? Was it always white? These are questions she receives on an almost daily basis. On this cold snowy morning, the Haifa class took a break from its conversation about Martin Luther King Jr and Rosa Parks to talk about Sauci as a child.

Sauci brought in two photographs of herself when she was younger, the above being her high school graduation, as well as a wedding photo. As you can see the children are completely in awe that Sauci not only had dark hair, but that it was also long! How crazy!

The children seemed to love the idea of looking at old photos and hearing the story of them. I wonder if there are photos at home that they would love to hear about...

-Alison and Sauci

We're Going on a Trip...

This week the Haifa class talked a lot about winter. We started the week by trying to figure out exactly what we would need if we were going on a trip to somewhere cold (Boston perhaps?). Sauci brought in a suitcase, and invited each of the children to offer ideas of what we would need. Instead of just offering ideas, they then went to their cubbies and grabbed what it was they had mentioned. We ended up with about eight hats, six pairs of gloves, three sets of boots, and a few pairs of snowpants. If each child needs all of that to go outside, I think we may have a problem!! This was a great activity because it allowed the students to think, come up with ideas, and then actually add something physical to the discussion!

-Alison and Sauci

We Made New Situpons!

This week we announced to the Tel Aviv class that we were making brand new situpons! In the Tel Aviv class we have situpons for circle time that show us where we are sitting for that days circle. The old situpons were created the first week of school. They were made with markers and stickers and each one had the child’s picture on it. These new situpons were made with a very popular medium in the Tel Aviv class: watercolor! The group was so excited that they could paint new situpons and they had become well aware that the old one’s were getting a bit worn. It was great to see the buzz surrounding the art table that day because each child knew that they were making something that had a purpose; we use situpons everyday! While I was sitting with them, Micah Rosin turned to me and said, “You know how I put all these colors in? I stayed here for awhile!” The focus was amazing, and it shows in the product! We can already see beautiful development in each child’s art since the beginning of the year!

Lauri and I added the pictures and laminated the designs later in the week, and the lunch bunch group was SO excited to see the final product. They dug through the pile to find their picture and quickly found a space on the rug to give them a test run! We loved creating a practical product together and are looking forward to all the circles we will enjoy while sitting upon our new situpons : )

 

Circle in the Sukkah!

The Tel Aviv class had a lovely outdoor circle time today! We asked the question, "What is a sukkah?" It was great to be able to describe the structure we were in! We discovered that sukkot (the plural of sukkah) have wood, branches and doors and it’s kind of like a house or a building. Great observation, Tel Aviv class! After we discussed sukkot we looked at pictures of sukkot from all over the world. We noticed that some looked like the one we have at the Children’s Center but some are very different. However we all noticed that they had walls, a door and a roof- often made from branches. We also noticed that many had tables and chairs inside which made us want to have snack in the sukkah, which is now on our agenda for tomorrow. After we sang our welcome song with Torah, we headed inside ready to create our own class sukkah! It was so much fun dwelling together in the sukkah, I'm excited that we can do it again tomorrow!

Circle Time Fun

We got on our feet during circle time today.  Everyone joined in today as we pretended to be apple trees.  We shook the trees until the apples fell, "Mmm Mmm they were good!"

Circle Time Drawing

Today during circle we read a book that talked about all different kinds of lines. Straight lines, curvy lines, lines that wiggle, lines that zig-zag and lines that go around and around in a circle. After we finished our book we took out some clipboards and practiced drawing a variety of different lines. Drawing these lines are skills that these students have mastered but vary rarely have they been able to put words to the lines they are creating. This helped give them confidence in their drawing ability and allowed them to know that even though they are four there are things that they can draw and they look the same as in the book!

Since we are talking about writing and illustrating stories we also talked about drawing ants. Ants are three circles that touch and they have eyes and antennae. The group quickly became expert ant drawers. We made sure to emphasis to the class that there is no "right way" to draw an ant. You can look at pictures or other drawings to inspire you but your drawing is great even if it looks different from other student's art. Drawing from pictures and from stories allows students to really tune into their observation skills. Once they know to look for lines and shapes int he world around them they will be able to see these shapes everywhere and gain more confidence in independent drawing.

When a story draws one in...

Savita shared a classic story during circle time today. The kids requested "The Little Engine that Could". The story is quite long, but as you can tell by the rapt expressions on the faces of the kids, they were very interested in the plot! We were all so happy that the Little Blue Engine was kind enough to help others - in giving the broken down train a pull - and to be so very determined to make it up the very tall hill. "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!" That kind and determined little engine can be a wonderful role model for the Rainbow crew...

What to Pack for Winter

Today at circle, the Haifa class talked about winter! While there isn't snow on the ground, it is definitely cold. We brought in an empty suitcase and asked all of the children what we thought they should pack if they were going on a winter vacation. Each child took a turn saying what they should bring, and if they had it in their cubby, it went in the suitcase! We packed lots of jackets, hats, scarves, and mittens, so we are well prepared for the cold!!

-Alison and Sauci

Instrument fun

At the end of the day today we did a fun second circle activity where when the conductor lifted his or her arms everyone played their instrument and when his or her arms went down everyone ad to stop. It was a great opportunity for children to experiment with self-regulation while having a great time and getting to explore and play with different kinds of instruments. The conductor also had the option to point to certain kids to give them "solos" where everyone could hear what each interment sounded like. It was so fun to hear all the different sounds and we will have the interments in our room so that we can explore them for the rest of the week!

At circle time we...

At our morning circle we told the children as of Monday Avia will be joining the Haifa class. We will see her on the playground everyday and as usual she will join us for Lunch Bunch!

Aviva we look forward to seeing you on the playground and Lunch Bunch too!

At school we walk

Sometimes our morning meetings focus on a story or song. At other times we use them to focus on learning a school rule or routine. Today's topic was on the importance of walking at school. At school we take care of ourselves by walking.

Julia shared a poster as a reminder of this rule, and the children went around the circle sharing examples and stories of all they knew about the walking rule. Jacob pointed out that if you run in school you could fall down. Max remembered that if you run on the stairs you could get hurt.

Circle Time

Stop, Drop, and Roll!

Today at the Children's Center we had our first fire drill of the year. In an effort to prepare the kids for what was going to happen, Sauci and I thought it would be good to talk about fire drills and what to do if we are on fire. We started talking about what to do if the fire got on us, and instead of us teaching, the kids taught us!! We decided to practice what we knew, just like we were practicing to line up for the drill.

First you stop what you're doing:


Then you drop:

Then you roll!!

We practiced this a few times with the "fire" on different parts of our bodies!

-Alison and Sauci

Stop, Drop, and Roll!

Today at the Children's Center we had our first fire drill of the year. In an effort to prepare the kids for what was going to happen, Sauci and I thought it would be good to talk about fire drills and what to do if we are on fire. We started talking about what to do if the fire got on us, and instead of us teaching, the kids taught us!! We decided to practice what we knew, just like we were practicing to line up for the drill.

First you stop what you're doing:


Then you drop:

Then you roll!!

We practiced this a few times with the "fire" on different parts of our bodies!

-Alison and Sauci

Pumpkins to share

Today Grayden brought in some lovely mini pumpkins that he and his Grandma Mimi grew this summer. Grayden passed them out to his classmates during circle. Everyone was delighted to receive this gift in celebration of Sukkot. Thank you Grayden and Mimi!

Getting Ready for the World's Birthday!

Today the Tel Aviv class had a special visitor: Rabbi Todd! Together, we talked about how Rosh Hashanah is a holiday that celebrates the birthday of the world. This analogy was a fantastic way to make what can be an abstract holiday relatable to our Tel Aviv children. On our birthdays we eat special food and sing special songs and sometimes we even blow noisemakers. On Rosh Hashannah we eat special food, sing special songs and blow the shofar! Each child had the opportunity to touch the shofar and feel the smooth and the bumpy parts. We all practiced blowing the shofar so that we will be all ready next time Ellen visits our class. It was wonderful to see every child so actively engaged and it was a treat to have Rabbi Todd visit our Tel Aviv class. Thanks so much Rabbi Todd!

Welcome to our circle