Scrub-A-Dub-Dub...

With the Shabbat shindig coming, the children got out the sponges and got cleaning! They used shaving cream to scrub the tables and then wiped them down with water and sponges. At the easel the children used spray bottles and sponges to polish the easel. Washing the easel and tables are one way the children help to take care of our environment. We can't wait for our Kohavim families to come visit tomorrow and see our sparkling classroom!

It's all about Chester!

 Last week Micah took Chester home for the weekend AGAIN!  Chester had a ball celebrating Hanukkah with Micah and his family!

This week Adam's stick was pulled out of the cup.  Adam can't wait to bring Chester home AGAIN!

Being the leader of the week is always so much fun...Line leader, Havdallah helper, Shabbat helper and clean up noise maker. 

Shmirat Ha Teva

Hannah came to us and announced that there was 'litter' in the playground.  There were two cups of empty coffee cups on the ground. Thank you Hannah for taking caring of our environment by picking up the cups and putting them in our recycling bin.

We take care of.... Core Judaic Values

We welcomed our parents with a Dvar Torah, words of teaching inspired by the Torah, below...

"Let me be ready this day to hear the need beneath the surface of the people who address me; let me listen with special attention to the words of old people, for they have seen much, and to the words of the young for they see with new eyes what I may have taken for granted. Their words, too, may be Torah." -Rabbi Chaim Stern 

The idea that our actions matter and that, through how we live, we have the opportunity – the responsibility – to positively impact the way that others live is one of Judaism’s core values.

In the Kohavim class, along with developing the curriculum around the children's emerging interests,  we will be focusing through out the year on ways we can
take care of ourselves ~ Shmirat Ha Guf, 
each other ~ G'Milut Chasadim ~
and our environment~ Shmirat Ha Teva.

Toothbrushing Routines

After we eat we take care of our bodies by brushing our teeth. Noah volunteered to assume the responsibility of being the hygienist. This is a big responsibility as there are many steps involved. First we need to count how many boys and girls there are, put out a cup for each child to rinse his or her toothbrush, call each child up when it is their turn, show them the steps, dip the brush into your cup, brush, throw out the water that is left over in your cup, then put you cup in the basket with the dirty dishes to be sanitized in the dishwasher. Whew... all done... cross his or her name off the list and on to the next one. Thank you Noah for being such a good peer teacher.

gimme a beat!

On Friday, Noah Sussman could not contain his excitment about the upcoming weekend.  Noah was going to visit his Grandma and she was taking him to get an IPOD!!!  He loves music and dancing and could not wait for Saturday to come.

Today, with IPOD in hand, Noah arrived full of pride and excitement to share his newest treasure.  Noah was generous about letting his friends listen to his music and it was obvious that he had already learned how to turn it on and off and how to take care of such a special item.  Each time Noah stopped using it, he would turn it to the off switch and then put it carefully in his bag.  Great job with your new responsibility, Noah!!

Taking Care of our Classroom

Today while we were using liquid watercolors one of the cups spilled all over the floor and chair. Rachel said "Oops! Now I can't sit in the chair"  I asked her what would happen is she did and she laughed and explained that paint would get all over her bottom. She decided she didn't want paint on her paints so she was just going to stand and continue to work. I asked her how the paint was going to get off of the chair and suddenly a light bulb went off, "OH! We need to get paper towels NOW so the chair doesn't get blue like my pants would!" She then rushed to go get paper towels to clean up the spill. I was pleased that Rachel was able to come up with the idea to clean the spill on her own, she felt very empowered to take care of the chair and for doing the right thing.  Helping students arrive at the conclusion on their own gives them ownership and pride for everyday tasks.  It helps them show that being part of a community is being responsible for it. Rachel was so enthusiastic that Lily and Molly saw her cleaning and decided it would be a good idea to help her. Thanks Tel Aviv friends for keeping our classroom clean!

Audrey blesses the challah

Audrey helped out today as the Rainbows celebrated shabbat. She has had this responsibility before, and as you can see, she calmly carried out the series of blessings and led us as we welcomed the feeling of shabbat into our hearts and our bodies. Shabbat Shalom, everyone.

Cleaning Up

One of the most important parts of being at school is learning to take responsibility and contribute to the functioning of the entire class community. Nathan and Jared pitched right in to the greater good of the Unicorn class. After a very gluey project the table was filled with a sticky mess. Nathan and Jared jumped right in, using water to carefully pour on the especially sticky parts and their paper towels to scrub it clean. Way to go Jared and Nathan! You helped make our classroom neat and clean.

Shabbat Helper

Each Thursday a different child has a turn being the Shabbat helper. Sophie gently rested her hand on top of the challah as the class sang the blessing, thanking God for the challah.

Shabbat Helper

Each Thursday a different child has a turn being the Shabbat helper. Sophie gently rested her hand on top of the challah as the class sang the blessing, thanking God for the challah.

A labor of love

It was very heartening to see Mattie and Sam working hard to repair our sukkah which had ripped. Sometimes active children have accidents, and today was one of those days. What better way to cleanse the soul and make ammends than to fix what accidentally broke. Our sukkah has had a lot of meaning to us all, and it was clear that the children felt passionately about repairing it. We have held many activities within its confines, and at times things get tight. Building it and now taking care of it has been a labor of love.

Honey Cake

Today the Tel Aviv Class baked a honey cake! Children loved smelling the nutmeg and the cinnamon and everyone who wanted had the opportunity to contribute something to the baking process. Baking is such a fun way to provide children with opportunities where they can feel ownership over an activity, especially one that is delicious. I know our chefs can’t wait for us all to have our honey cake at snack tomorrow!

We know what plants need!

Watering the plants is a job that we take very seriously! Just look at how the plants are thriving! Maria will be so proud of us!

Homemade popsicles on a hot summer day!

Homemade 100% juice popsicles on a hot summer day, was welcomed by all! When Ellen brought them outside for us, she asked the children to please bring back their plastic stick when they were done... So we can make more popsicles next week. Each and every child brought back their plastic stick. Thank for remembering, next week I think grape pops are on the menu.

Pitching In

Clean up time began and all of the children moved into action, picking up scraps of paper, washing tables, organizing supplies, and putting toys away. The children work as a team, all pitching in to get the room clean, even if they themselves have not created the mess. Jeffrey invented a new clean up game to keep things interesting. He formed his hands into a crane, scooping blocks, and then releasing them into the box from high above. Even clean up time is a playful part of our days.

Pouring

"We're out of water!" noticed Becca at snack time. At age 5, these kids are super problem solvers. Becca knew where to find the large pitcher of water and how to unscrew the lid of the small pitcher. Carefully focused on the task, she refilled the water pitcher to just the right mark, then brought it back to share with her classmates.

Using jobs to build community

The Haifa kids are now experts at each of the various jobs on their job board. They can read their own names and the names of their classmates to determine who has been assigned to each of the various tasks. And most importantly, they work together as a kehillah, a community, to complete the jobs, embodying this Jewish value. Maria Montessori, namesake of today's Montessori schools and an innovative thinker in early childhood education in 19th century Italy, believed that children build who they become by using their hands, heart, and will. In the case of jobs, by doing the job, by wanting to do the job, and by wanting to do it well, children grow in their own personal understanding of what it means to be part of a community. As our Haifa kehillah grows, so does each child's skill and feeling of belonging.

Helpers

The willingness of young children to help seems to raise exponentially when real tools and real work are involved.  Moving some furniture, Noah noticed some sand and other debris in the corner.  "I'll sweep it!" he offered and excitedly went to ask Jose to borrow a broom and dust pan.  When Jeffrey saw the sweeping in action, he couldn't wait for a turn.  When Noah finished, Jeffrey took the broom, and with clear prior experience, swiftly swept the remaining debris into the dust pan.  Two helpful kids and the right tools make for a sparkling clean classroom!