And So It Begins . . .The Fun of Getting Ready for Purim

Be Happy, It's Adar  . . .

   
     It's a fact.  The children in Extended Day regularly integrate their morning Core Day experiences into the afternoon.  And so just around the time of Rosh Chodesh Adar, the beginning of the new month, the children were already thinking and talking about . . . masks and costumes! We know that the joy of Purim is just around the corner.

     

     On a rainy afternoon when we needed to stay inside, we found plenty to do.  We took plain paper, markers, sequins, feathers--and voila--masks! 

     We've had sunny days, too.  Thursday was too beautiful for words, so we stayed outside for most of the afternoon.  We went to our wooden fence (below), picking at some of the loose pieces of yarn.  We love to weave, but it's a lot of fun to "unweave" too!  We used the strands of yarn to make belts and bracelets.  Then we decided that we needed costumes, to use with our belts.

      Morah Jessica was quick to respond to our need.  She knew where we had a fine stash of fabric.  The children went with the morah to get the basket of fabric--and then went to work, draping the cloth and tying with the belts.

                  
      We continued to play outside, fancy-schmancy costumes don't get in our way!  After we were finished, we stored our costumes away in individually labeled bags--so we can take off where we left off with our costumes on another day!

Oh, the fun of costumes--hooray, Purim is on it's way!

From The Extended Day Morahs . . .(what masks or costumes will they wear?)

KDH visits the Delta Museum

Thank you to Mr. Katz for creating a wonderful field trip to the Delta Museum incorporating our interest in maps. The children started the trip by receiving a map of the museum and then used the map to navigate through the museum for the entire trip. We learned about how pilots fly and move a plane. We even got to take turns moving a plane! Mr. Katz explained to us the travel maps airlines use to get to their destinations. The children looked at different airplane maps. We used different color Lego to symbolize the passengers going to different cities. Each child was a city and found all of their passengers by working together to sort the different color Legos Some cities the children said they were are Los Angles California, Charlotte North Carolina, Miami Florida, Orlando Florida, Barcelona Spain. The children observed Delta model airplanes and helped put together a seating map for a Delta airplane while they were sitting on it.  We ate snack under the Boeing 747 and even looked at a globe while we were there.

We’re all buckled, safe and ready for an exciting day! It’s so fun to ride with our friends!

 

ARRIVAL! 

Patiently waiting for all our friends to arrive and park. 

Mr. Katz explained to us the travel maps airlines use to get to their destinations. We used different color Legos to symbolize the passengers.

We learned about how pilots fly and move a plane. And even got to take turns moving a plane! 

Observing Delta model airplanes and helping put together a seating map for Delta airplane.

Eating snack under aircraft 747

Our favorite parts of the trip:

Lily “doing the starship”

Eli “the airplane we went in”

Adom “everything. The planes”

Sam “pilot bed and cockpit”

Squirrel “the wings were so long”

Erez “the plane we sat in and the pretend plane”

Amiel “controlling the plane”

Parker “I got to see the cockpit”

Abraham Chaim “getting to play my favorite color passengers”

Leora “doing the airplane and seeing Sylvia’s dad”

Sela “the pilot bed”

Orli “going in planes and Sylvia’s dad”

Yonah “going on the whole plane”

Liav “the planes all of them”

Asher “controlling the plane to Chile”

Mason “I loved doing the pretend airplane and watching the videos of older planes”

Margot -(video message from class when she missed the trip) “ I love school”

Leah “the plane trip was the day of my trip (to Florida)”

KDH Haetz Market

Our Tu Bi Shevat discussion began with the children creating trees with sticks and clay, using branches to “plant” trees on the playground, learning about the seven species, and thinking about why we celebrate the tree’s birthday -“they are getting older”, “they are alive” Then thinking about how we can celebrate their birthday - “give them water and sun”. We then thought about what trees and plants give us -“oxygen”, “homes”, “wood”, “woodchips”, “paper”, “food”.

The children’s appetites were whet by the idea that trees give us food. They were already really interested in the pecans from the pecan tree on the playground so our Tu Bi Shevat explorations sprouted from there. The children used nutcrackers to crack pecans for their haetez market for the holiday. After preparing pecans, we listed other fruits we would sell including apricots, figs, and raisins.

The children immediately realized we need money for the market and were excited to make money. They began coloring and cutting American money observing the green colors and rectangle shape. Some children created rainbow money. The children decided the mail center would become the spot to create money. They then put the money in the mailbox to mail to the market. We didn’t stop with American money. The children looked at shekels and money from other countries then cut out and created these currencies. We observed the colors and letters on each currency and marked the coun- tries on our world map to tie in our interest in maps.

The children created their own sign for their haetez market. One child wrote the words “haetez store” on a piece of paper while another child glued it on a larger piece of paper the children decorated together. Children drew an apple tree complete with “a ripe apple and this apple is not ripe it is brown and me holding an apple” sunflowers, the sun, rain cloud, flowers, “me looking at the sun and holding a sunflower” and hearts. While the children created the store sign, they discussed the jobs they would have “I am going to pass out the money” Once the market was ready, KDH took turns shopping, scooping, bagging, and running the register for each other. The market was so successful that we invited Kitah Bet and Kitah Gimmel to shop. Once child from Kitah Bet asked it shop again when he came to school the following day. Great customer service KDH!

Pecans are not the only seed we explored. The children dissected lima beans and examined the little plants inside observing “the bean looks like a bald eagle in there” “it’s like an egg hatching” “the seed coat protects it so the inside doesn’t get dirty.” The children looked at magnetic pictures of the life cycle of a lima bean and put them in order. After seeing these pictures, the children naturally brought them over to our bean sensory tray to compare and to our sprouts as they planted. They children planted lima beans in wet cotton balls and observed them. One child said “the pom poms are to keep the seed clean.” When the beans sprouted, they observed the sprouts and roots and planted them in cups of soil. Excited by their plants many children made signs asking how to spell lima bean and sounding it out. This began our letter l and letter b week. After planting our lima beans, the children noticed plants sprouting in the woodchips on the playground. “What’s that?” Asked one child which lead to a discussion between the children. Once they decided it was a plant sprouting from a pecan on the ground in the recent rain, a child said “so throwing seeds on the ground is not littering. It is planting.” The very next day there was a lot of rain, lightening, thunder and wind. When we got back on the playground the following day the children discovered many big and small branches that has fallen in the stormy weather. The children immediately decided the branches looked like trees and picked up their shovels. “We are planting trees for Tu Bi Shevat!” they declared as they worked together to plant in the sand and the woodchips. They discovered planting involves many jobs … “someone needs to hold the tree” “I will dig the hole” “I am covering the tree with sand” “get water to pour on the tree” Once the children completed planting their trees for Tu Bi Shevat, they decided together how to take care of the trees. “water the trees” “give them sun” and placed cones near them so other people would know to be careful around the trees.

Tu B'Shvat in PKA

 Tu B'Shvat is a holiday that falls on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shvat, celebrating the trees and specifically the special 7 species of foods that grow in Israel. Why are we talking about germinating seeds and growing trees in the middle of the winter?! Because it is during this time that the trees begin waking up from their long winter sleep, even though on the outside they seem quite dead. The sap in the trees is beginning to move and the potential for growth has begun.

We've prepared for Tu B'Shvat by planting our own seeds in flower pots. First we scooped soil into our pots with a spoon.

Next, we exercised our fine motor skills by picking up a few tiny seeds and placing them in the soil.

Finally, we watered them with spray bottles! We continued to water them daily and observe their growth.

The 7 special foods of Israel are wheat, barley, grapes, dates, figs, pomegranates and olives. On Monday we tasted some of these foods during snack! We said the bracha of Mezonot on our tea biscuits and Haeitz on the fruit. 

Here's the Tu B'Shvat song we've been singing in English and Hebrew:

Hashkediyah porachat

Veshemesh paz zorachat,

Tziporim merosh kol gag

Mevasrot et bo hachag.

Tu bishvat higiya

Chag la'ilanot.

Tu bish'vat higiya

Chag la'ilanot.

The sun is shining, the trees are growing,

The birds are singing to tell us the news.

Tu B'Shvat is here, it's the New Year for the trees,

Tu B'Shvat is here, it's the New Year for the trees!

Guys' Day!

Hooray! Hooray! Hooray! Three cheers for Guys' Day! Naturally, our Kitah Gimmel kiddos are happy, bouncy, caring and creative, so I'm sure you can imagine the excitement bubbling as we talked about and prepared for our special guests. 

"What does your dad do?" Morah Michelle asked the children. Here's what we got:

My daddy goes to work! He sits in a work house. - Emilia


He goes to work. He helps people. Daddy brings work pens from his house. He lets us draw with them - Liana


My daddy climbs trees and he gives shots at work. - Yael


He goes in physical perapies (therapy). He helps people walk! -Maya


My daddy plays with me and sometimes we play with the construction workers. - Hudson


My daddy works for Delta. - Leo


My daddy plays music -Hendrix
No, he MAKES music - Oliver
Actually, he fixes music - Hendrix


My daddy takes me to the new house. My daddy works! He wooorrks ... I don’t know. - Alex


My daddy works. - Gaia


Hey! I remember when me, mommy, and grandma went to visit daddy at his work building. He works on the top floor! - Sloane


He goes to the Chabad house! He works on the computer. -Riva


My daddy gives me lollipops - Raleigh


My daddy goes to a house and shoots (films). He sees the helicopter go up in the sky. - Oliver


He works on a 'puter. He brings his 'puter to his office so he can work. -Noam


My daddy has to do what he’s supposed to do at work. He gets messages from work. - Eric


He stays at work! He works on the computer with his friends - Basha

It's not every day our real life super heroes get to come for a visit, whether it be Dad, Mom, Grandparents or friends, KG yeledim are always thrilled to welcome new guests. Food is always a hit, and we chose to make opposite cupcakes: Vanilla with chocolate chips and chocolate chip with rainbow

Crack the eggs and check to see if they're kosher

Mix and mix and mix some more. 

Stir and wait, stir and wait.
The dragonflies made chocolate cupcakes

Patience and carefulness is my specialty!

We can take turns squeezing the batter into the tiny tins!

Yay for chocolate sprinkles!

Are they done yet?!

Check out our blog about building that highlights our Grandparent's Day Activity. Such complex structures arose, we just had to keep it going! For days, weeks and months we revisited the project, adding more to it, gluing them onto bigger boards and forming what we now call, The Busy City!!!
Here are some snapshots of the building that continued on from that day:

Basha glues and stacks!

Emilia adds more glue!

Maya likes to mix the glue
with the glitter!

Now it's time to show the guys to our classroom, we are ready to build and share snacks and time together! Show me the way!

Noam proudly leads his dad to the classroom.

We come together for circle time to talk about what makes
our children so special!

Hudson has the best convos with dad!

Hendrix adores his daddy, as you can see.

Riva's Bubby came from South Africa!

Riva's Tati also delighted her in a book!

Sloane and her daddy are adding green space!

 Noam describes the detail of his structure.

Alex named this place the Busy City?!

Leo and his dad, masterminds at work.

Liana, always focusing on the finer details while dad supports. 

Maya's deep thoughts. 

Eric and his mom cheerfully create together!

Gaia insists they make a little car!

Yaya's got her favorite color and guy by her side.

Oliver may or may not look just like his dad!

One of the best things we can give each other, our children especially, is connection. When we feel connected, we feel more willing and safe. Because we have this time together, our children are set up to know and feel that they are supported, heard, valued and loved.  Thank you, IJP Family, we are better together!

Coming Up: Trees for Tu B'shvat! (link coming soon)

"This is me and Micah, we play in the trees
and we live in this building.
I am on this side and he is on that side."