Concentration and Coordination

The children experimented with rubber mallets today.  We had a fresh piece of styrofoam block to work with and a cup full of golf tee "nails".  As you can see below, the children had intense focus as they worked to line up a nail and to bring the mallet straight down on it.  Some kids were very determined to get the nails in straight and took a number of attempts to achieve success.  Others were fascinated with the job of removing the nails with a pair of pliers.  It took a lot of coordination to squeeze the handles together, aiming to get a grip on the head of the nail, and to pull upward while maintaining the pressure on the handles.  It was delightful to see the children sustain the concentration, energy, and determination to achieve success.  

Slaves in Egypt

With the holiday rapidly approaching, we began to tell the story of Passover in the Levana classroom.

The children were told that long ago an unkind Pharoah in Egypt made the Jewish people slaves and made them work all day and night building pyramids. Out came the hammers, golf tees and styrofoam to simulate the hard work of the Jews. Look at the concentration on their  faces as they  carefully hold the "nails" and pound those hammers