Dad's Day, 2016--appreciating the interconnectness of all things in Kitah Gimmel . . .

Dad's Day, 2016

     We were happy to get together this past Monday to celebrate Dad's Day.   Because the day was also a holiday, a commemoration of  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday,  we considered both factors when planning our day.

     During the week, we prepared cards for our dads.  We illustrated the cards with our own drawings of our dads, and then we dictated a statement or two to the Morahs describing our pictures.  Here are some of our statements:

    

Shlomit:  It's a rainbow for daddy (and a moon.)

Mortimer:  My dad is a super-hero daddy!

Rami:  Everything is for Daddy! (including a boat.)

Sam:  Me and my Dad are super-heroes!

     And, because Tu B'Shvat is around the corner, we decided to make clay pots with our dads.  Before the big day, we stamped each pot with our green thumb in acrylic paint.  We learned that a "green thumb" means we are good gardeners!  Then we embellished our pots with stick-on jewels, sponge shapes and Sharpee markers.

      

     

     During the week previous to MLK Day, we created a jot-list about the various ways we can demonstrate respect and friendship.  We asked, "How can we be nice to people?"  Here are some of our ideas:

Noa:  Say hello, say good-bye.

Leiba:  Hug a person.

Ruthie:  Share toys.

Levi:  Share books.

Ari E:  Make a rainbow.

Henia:  Share tzedaka.

Hannah: Don't hit or bite.

Reed:  Share toys with friends.

Ari S:  Kiss!

Pearl:  Share toys.

Shaya:  Hug them!

     During Dad's Day, we sang two songs that reinforce the idea of being respectful to everyone.  One song was Don't Walk in Front of Me, V'ahavta L'recha.  The dads sang along with the Kitah Gimmel yeledim.  Then we sang one of Morah Susan's favorite songs, The World is a Rainbow.  We love the message, and it's a very appropriate way to honor the ideals of Dr. King.

Lyrics by Greg Scelsa
The world is a rainbow that's filled with many colors;
Yellow, black and white and brown,
You see them all around.

The world is a rainbow with many kinds of people.
It takes all kinds of people to make the world go round.

Now you be you and I'll be me.  That's the way we meant to be.
But the world is a mixing cup,
Just look what happens when you stir it up.

The world is a rainbow with many kinds of people.
And when we work together, it's such a sight to see.
The world is beautiful when we live in harmony.

P.S.  We are almost finished with our single B-I-G clay pot, below.  Again, we are thinking about Tu B'Shvat, as well as the respect and friendship we spoke about when learning about MLK.  Our completed pot, with an attractive live plant, will be donated next week to Rebecca's Tent, an intown women's shelter.  (If you are interested in contact info for Rebecca's Tent, feel free to contact us.)

 Fondly,

Morah Susan, Morah Yael and those wonderful Yeledim of Kitah Gimmel