Sukkot Emerges in Kitah Alef

Just as we say goodbye to Rosh Hashana we get ready to welcome another holiday - Sukkot! The two main mitzvot of Sukkot are building a sukkah and shaking a lulav and etrog. Here's how we prepared for Sukkot in Kitah Alef:

The first thing we made available was a plush lulav and etrog set. The children had the chance to explore the different aspects and practice shaking them together during free play and circle time.

(Tune of: "The More We Get Together")

"Did you ever shake a lulav,

a lulav, a lulav?

Did you ever shake a lulav

and an etrog too?

Shake it upwards and downwards

and forwards and backwards.

Did you ever shake a lulav

and an etrog too?"

There was building going on in our classroom as well! An upside-down basket topped with real leaves served as our "sukkah-under-construction" as the children banged on its top with wooden hammers. This was a positive outlet for them to feel the sensations of banging toys together in a safe way, and they reveled in the opportunity.

We made our version of "schach", the branches that lie on top of the sukkah as the roof. First we pressed our hands into a green ink pad and then pat-patted them onto white paper for a sensory and artistic experience.

When it was dry we brought the paper outside so we could make use of the natural materials around us. The morahs poured glue all over and then the children were able to sprinkle wood chips and leaves that they found on the ground. 

A beekeeper came to visit us this week! She brought a travel-friendly beehive for us to examine and told us all about the important roles of bees in our environment. We watched the swarm busily building their honeycomb and looked at the close-up pictures of individual bees. Then the beekeeper handed out construction hats for us to borrow as we flew around like worker bees from flower to flower. We thanked the bees for their hard work in making sweet honey for us to enjoy from Rosh Hashana through Sukkot.

 Immediately following Sukkot is another chag called Simchat Torah! On Simchat Torah we celebrate the fact that we are so happy to have the Torah and dance with flags to show it. We decorated our Simchat Torah flags by squirting paint on paper, covering them with sheets of bubble wrap and pressing down on top in any way we could! Some stepped carefully on the bubble wrap, some jumped and some chose to pop the bubbles with their fingers. The result of this stimulating sensory experience is a blend of colors under that spreads on the paper. We can't wait to show you the final result!

Chag Sameach!

Kitah Alef Prepares for Sukkot and Simchat Torah

In the short time we had between Rosh Hashana and Sukkot, we packed in multi-sensory experiences to introduce the children to the themes of Sukkot and Simchat Torah.

Using the color green like schach and popsicle sticks like the natural walls of the sukkah, we engaged in an open-ended painting process. Some children scraped the paint on their papers like Riva while others explored the feeling of the paint with their hands. Another time we used a box to shake the paint and sticks together to see what resulted.

Some people hang decorations in their sukkah so we transferred this idea to our classroom space. Together we can make our room even more beautiful. 

Another day we decorated CD's by gluing on colorful sequins with toddler-friendly glue brushes. Some children were kept busy just by brushing on the glue like Oliver and Leo, while others liked to sprinkle the sequins on and see them stick.

Busy workers used tools to build a small sukkah in our classroom. In doing so we learned the names of various tools as well as their differing uses. Hudson chose to bang the sukkah with a hammer and Eric moved the saw up and down, feeling the bumpy effect made by the ridges.

Hendrix made a connection between the tools and the screws in the furniture around the room. He looked all around, turning his screwdriver wherever he found a screw.

We explored the mitzvah of shaking a lulav and etrog with a plush play set. One day we brought in real lemons to feel and smell since they are similar to an etrog.

Rabbi Sollish presented an interesting demonstration of a real lulav and etrog. He showed us each part of the lulav branches and then brought the etrog around to see. 

Thanks to Kitah Bet, we had a small-scale sukkah on the playground to use! We stood inside, sat inside, and sometimes pretended to have a meal inside too.

 Immediately following Sukkot is the holiday of Simchat Torah. This is where we rejoice in having the Torah by finishing reading through it and starting all over again. It's customary to take all of the Torahs out of the ark to dance with them!

We made flags for the children to wave as they dance with the Torahs on Simchat Torah. To make them we pressed paint under bubble wrap to blend the colors. The bubbles were fun to pop too!

When our flags were finished, we brought them to circle time to dance together with our Torahs! 

Chag Sukkot and Simchat Torah Sameach!

The 5 senses of the High Holidays in Kitah Bet 5

While the high holidays are behind us, the experiences we had and the many things we learned, are all still fresh in our minds. 

Learning new things at this age is all about being immersed and surrounded by the information and experiencing it using the five senses. Our classroom, circle times, books, toys, sensory table, and manipulatives were all infused with Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot, and the many different things we learned in connection to them. 

Here is one last look at the High Holidays in Kitah Bet, through our five senses.

Zoey and Yaakov Meir intently look at and sort apple colors for Rosh Hashanah

                       

Sylvia and Maddy play with and smell the apple scented playdoh for Rosh Hashanah 

Avraham Chaim and Eli Solish taste sweet honey for Rosh Hashanah

                              Emmett, Levi, and Menny hear the Shofar for Rosh Hashanah

                            Eli Lipsker and Rafi feel and shake the Lulav and Etrog for Sukkot

Gabi and Logan touch and hug the Torah for Simchat Torah