Music with Zalman's Mom

In honor of Chanukah, Chana Kaplan - Zalman's mother played music on her guitar for the Yeladim. She sang some of the Yeladim's favorite Chanukah songs

and played a dreidel game with us. The Yeladim danced around the dreidels and when the music stopped, everybody picked one up.

Thank you! The Yeladim had such a great time!

Menorahs, Menorahs

The Yeladim saw many menorahs on a walk around the school building. 

 There were menorahs on cars

and a big menorah in front of the school building. 

The Yeladim found a menorah in the window of the shul too!

Dreidle Cookies

The Yeladim made dreidle shaped cookies today.


They poured in the ingredients and mixed. 

They patted the cookie dough  to make it flat. 

The Yeladim used dreidle shaped cookie cutters to shape the cookies. 

Latkes

The process of latke making.

  The first step was peeling the potatoes. (The potatoes were pre-boiled and the 

children peeled off the soft peel with their fingers.)

Next, the Yeladim cut the potatoes into small pieces.

Eggs, salt and pepper were added to the potatoes for the latke batter. 

The latkes did not go in the oven. Lots of oil was poured into a frying pan and when it was hot the Morah fried the latkes. 

The Yeladim enjoyed the latkes which are fried with lots of oil to remember the miracle of the oil in the Beis Hamikdosh. 

Dreidle Painting

The Yeladim dipped dreidles in paint and then spun and stamped them. 

Menorah and Fire Safety

The Yeladim help set up the menorah for the first day of Chanukah with one candle and a shamash. When the menorah was lit, the Yeladim knew how to be very safe just like when the Shabbat candles are lit. The Yeladim know  that  matches are ONLY for grown ups - mommies, daddies, morahs and babysitters. They know to NOT TOUCH the fire because it's very hot. 
Fire Safety Song
Aish is fire 

Fire is hot

We don't go near a fire 

We do not!

The Yeladim are holding up one finger as we sang the following song:
Chanukah Song

How many candles, how many candles 

How many candles do we light

On our Chaunukiah, on our Chaunukiah

The first Chanukah night?

One, one, one, one, one

One little candle, one little candle

One little candle burning bright

On our Chanukiah, on our Chanukiah

The first Chanukah night. 

It's Chanukah!

Benjamin strung pasta. 

Hilary played with dreidles in the goup.

Zalman played at the Chanukah discovery table. 

Building and Bonding - Menorah Building with Dads

The  Yeladim were so excited for their fathers to come to school to build menorahs with them. As they spoke about their fathers coming, we noticed something - everybody has a different name for their father. Benjamin and Hilary call their fathers Daddy. Peretz calls his father Tatty and Zalman said he calls his father Tatty and also Papa.  

As the Yeladim prepared for their Dads, they proudly told their friends that this was for my Tatty/Daddy.

Benjamin packed cookies for his father. 

Zalman brought the materials to the table. 

The Dads finally arrive!

The Yeladim sang a Chanukah song with their Dads and

 then presented them with the treat they made for them. 

And then, off we go to build menorahs!|

The Yeladim were all so involved in the building process and their Dads!

Hilary's menorah is ready to go!

Thank you to all the fathers for joining us and getting down on their knees

to build menorahs with their children.  This surely was a memorable
experience for the Yeladim!

Chanukah Painting

The Yeladim used menorah and dreidle shaped sponges to paint today.

Refuah Shleima

So many of the children were not feeling well today.
It is a mitzvah to wish our friends a refuah shleima.




The Yeladim made a card for their friends. 

They called to wish a refuah shleima.

Hopefully, everybody will feel better real soon!

Cover Those Coughs!

As the weather gets colder, many of us are coughing and
sneezing more often. The Yeladim practiced covering their
 mouths and noses when they sneeze or cough. 

Lights and Candles

The Yeladim used tweezers to pick up candles from the holes of the
 fabric over the light table

and placed them in buckets

for some fun fine motor play

At Play Time Today

At play time today

Hilary did a Chanukah puzzle

Peretz painted a rock from the Nature Treasure Chest

Zalman fitted candles into a Menorah

Pasta Play

Hilary is threading pasta onto a pipe cleaner,
 using and refining  her fine motor skills.

Introducing The Light Table

The Yeladim were introduced to the light table today. Light is something you can touch and yet, not really touch. This and the power of illumination invite small hands, roomy imaginations, artists’ sensibilities, and scientists’ observations to engage in playful and serious explorations.
 

Peretz is exploring how the fabric is reacting to the light. 

Looking at the world through another perspective. 

Responsibility

 Being a part of caring for their classroom is a positive experience which benefits the Yeladim in many ways. 
It teaches them to be more responsible of their actions  and the environment.
It gives them ownership of their classroom and of their day at school.

The Yeladim experience  a real sense of accomplishment, building their
 self-esteem in a meaningful way. 

It's an opportunity to practice turn taking.

Peretz was watering the plant. Benjamin really wanted to water the 

plants too and is waiting for his turn. 

When Peretz is done, he passed the watering can to Benjamin.


Oops! The water spilled. Hilary brings a rag to wipe up the water.

 

Dreidle Dance

The Yeladim spun like dreidles and danced to a Chanukah song. 

Menorah Maipulative

Fitting candles into a  menorah and poking candles into play dough provides for great

opportunities for the Yeladim to practice their fine motor skills. 

Chanukah Cookies

The Yeladim were very excited about baking Chanukah cookies.

They poured and mixed the ingredients and shaped the cookies with 

Chanukah shaped cookie cutters. 

Chanukah Show and Share

The Yeladim brought in Chanukah items from home which served as a 

spring board to introduce the Chag of Chanukah. 

Peretz: " I have a dreidel."

Zalman: "Here's my menorah. It's for candles."

Benjamin: "My menorah has colors."

Thanksgiving

When we say the Modeh Ani each morning at Tefillah circle, we talk about what are thankful to Hashem for. For Thanksgiving, we continued the discussion of gratefulness. We discussed how we'll have a special dinner to say 

thank you to Hashem. 

We made pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. 

The Yeladim poured in the ingredients.

They mixed the batter and scooped it into their trays. 

The Yeladim carried their pies to the oven.