Fall has Fallen in Kitah Alef

 Though the thermometer may beg to differ, fall is finally here! Our playground is covered in crunchy brown leaves, providing an excellent source of natural, open-ended learning materials. The children have been exploring the properties of these fallen leaves in their own creative ways. The leaves have been examined, crunched, "cooked" and thrown into the air!

Happy fall!

A Day (or Two) in the Life of a Kitah Gimmel Child

     We love the holidays, yet we were also glad to return to the regular structure of our week.   Even though we had returned to a short three-day week, we found plenty of time to explore our classroom and our playground.

     We had a big collection of dried okra.  Morah Susan found it in a give-away pile on a lawn in East Atlanta.  "Please take whatever you'd like," the sign on the lawn said.  Morah Susan didn't know what to do with the okra, but she knew she wanted it.  She took most of it.

     We put the dried okra in our Sensory Table.  Then we used some of it for our Sukkah decorations.

     After the fall break, we opened up one piece of the okra.  We took turns guessing what could be inside.  Some of us chose real answers, some of us gave silly answers.  We like being real; we also like being silly.

 What do you think is inside?

Caleb:  a car!
Becker:  beads!
Lilly:  beans!
Evan:  seeds!
Annabelle:  raisins!
Anslee:  beads!
Sammy:  beans.
Ezra:  hot dogs!
Yannai: rocks!
Yinon:  gourds!
Maddy:  necklaces!
  Caleb:  Can we bring them home?
  Maddy:  Can we bring them to my home?
  Lilly:  We can put them in a jar!

     Later in the day, we went outside.  Ezra offered Morah India a "cookie."  Were there cookies on the playground?  Of course not!  Ezra had offered a pebble, or a piece of wood-chip.  Morah India graciously accepted his "cookie."

     Sammy chatted with Morah Chaya.  Maybe they were sharing info about the fall break, or maybe they were talking about the beautiful weather.   The Kitah Gimmel Morahs weren't listening in; it was a small, private conversation between Sammy and her "old" Kitah Bet Morah.

      And there was plenty of time to hang-out and be a buddy. (Sammy, Maddy and Annabelle get together for some fun.)

     (Below, Morning Arrival activities:  Maddy plays our Go-Together card game; Becker and Yinon play with trucks; Yannai paints; Anslee creates a fall pine-cone roll painting.)

   

                (Above) Annika is back, and she "signs in." She was out for a day or two, and we missed her! 
     (Below) At one point in our morning, we headed to the bigger room to share a story.  (The plot is about those teasing monkeys, a napping mama monkey and a crocodile.  Sounds stressful, but don't worry--they become friends and share food at their picnic supper!)

      Parents come to share stories, too.  Below, on Thursday Caleb's dad read a Pete the Cat book.  Lily's mom had come to share a different Pete the Cat book on Wednesday.  Anslee's mom came in on Friday and read a Curious George book to us.  Great classics!

      And sometimes we just "read" to ourselves.  (Below)  Chillin' on the rug. We're enjoying each others' company and some good literature.  Yep, we're glad to be back!

Fondly,

Morah Susan and Morah India

Little Builders

Extended day students are always busy building new structures, roads and bridges out of whatever materials they can find.  Working together is important when building and creating our projects and we love to see what each creative individual adds to the team.

This is our Princess Castle!

We up-cycled our pizza boxes and turned them into car ramps.

Our rubber ramp and tubular tunnels are always a big hit. Keeping the ball on the ramp is no simple task. From start to finish it needs to be just right. But what joy it brings to them when the ball makes it all the way to the end with no hiccups!!!

Remembering Rosh Hashannah . . .And What's Next?

      After every significant event, we like to sit down and have a chat.  What did we do?  Where did we go?  Who did we meet?  What did we eat?

      And after a major Jewish holiday--even more so!  We have so much information to share.

     The week before Rosh Hashannah, we set up a Rosh HaShannah table (above, Anslee adjusts the candles while Evan looks on.)  We heard the Shofar and we ate round challah.  On the Friday before the holiday, we cut-up a pomegranate to experience all the seeds and to give it a taste. We know that so many foods are "symbols" (our new word!) We want a good, sweet year full of mitzvot.

     So when we came back to school after Yom Tov, we spoke about our experiences.  What did we say?

Here are some of our thoughts:
Lily:  I heard my sister's Shofar.  I know the sounds!
Ezra:  I ate round challah.  My mommy made honey cake.
Yannai:  I dipped the apple in the honey.
Caleb:  I ate lots and lots and lots of plain challah!
       Lily:  pretend?
       Caleb:  No, real!
Anslee:  I like the challah.
Yinon:  Challah!
Evan:  I go to my Bubbie's house with my cousins, and when they were about to go, I leaved!
Sammy:  I heard the Shofar two times, and I had a blue bracelet and I was in the class with my sister.
Annabelle:  I go to my grandparents, and I gave tzedaka.  I gave poor people food and money.
Becker:  I heard a real Shofar!
Maddy:  I love that!  I liked the apples and challah.  I didn't like the honey.
Annika:  I heard the Shofar with my Mommy!

     And what's next?  We are learning about Yom Kippur and the Story of Jonah.  That story tells us that HaShem is everywhere!  

      We know that it is a big mitzvah to give Tzedaka, especially this time of year.  We prepare our own Tzedaka boxes.  (Above:  Annika and Sammy, painting.  Below:  Lily joins in.)

      We paint our cans with tempera paints.  Then, we decorate the tops.

     Above:  Becker decides he would prefer a different medium to decorate his can.  He chooses dot paint and chalk.

We are ready to take our Tzedaka cans home! 

G'mar Chatima Tova--May you be inscribed for a healthy and happy New Year!  

Fondly, Morah Susan and Morah India

     .

Which horned animal are you?

As part of the theme of Rosh Hashanah, we spent time learning about the Shofar- the horn that is blown on Rosh Hashanah. We learned that the Shofars come from the horns of animals, and we got to see and examine many different animals that have horns. We then gave the children two horns and posed the question: Which horned animal are you? Here are some of the imaginative answers we got:

A Ram!

An Elephant!

A Daddy Sheep!

A Rhino!

An Elephant!

A Giraffe!