Snack Tree Cafe

Tall bamboo stalks and sprightly leafy greens stand elegantly in tall clear bottles to adorn the snack tables in Kitah Bet. 

After taking turns washing their hands, children select a pale turquoise bowl and find their seats for snack time in what we call the “Snack Tree Café.” One at a time, children serve themselves for snack, scooping cereal and fruit with a serving spoon into their bowls. 

 

Learning the brachas for our food enables children to learn some Hebrew vocabulary and learn about where the food grows. Apples, they learn, grown on the tree—the eitz.

We thought together and created agreements to keep our Snack Tree Café a pleasant place for everyone. The first agreement was to keep our voices at a nice indoor sound, saving our yelling voices for outside play. Secondly, we agreed to stay in our seats until a morah tells us it is time to clean up. Having a shared goal of creating a pleasant and safe environment enables all the children and morahs to work together cooperatively, and empowers the children to work toward a common purpose.

The Snack Tree Café is an enjoyable place for children in this environment. Children smile and laugh with their classmates as they eat. Then they eagerly listen as a morah reads a story regarding the theme we’re currently experiencing in our class.

After eating, children dispose of any waste, then place their bowls in the bucket to wash. This becomes a fun outdoor activity next, as children work together with sponges and lots of soapy water to clean our class bowls for the day. We’re learning to take care of our classroom and the earth!