A Peek into Kitah Alef

Welcome to Kitah Alef! We'd like to invite you to take a peek into the activities occurring in our beautiful indoor and outdoor spaces. 

In the classroom we have areas and materials conducive for open-ended play and skill building. Table toys promote hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills and concentration.  

Sensory bags and bottles provide stimulating tactile feedback and are one way to bring nature into the classroom. They can be filled with just about anything and give insight into scientific properties like sinking or floating, color mixing, or sound. Mirrors add light and dimension to materials (and children love to look at themselves!).

The library is a cozy spot for looking at books or just "chilling out." Book familiarity fosters literacy and helps children learn about the world around them.

Art is a time for experimentation with different mediums, textures and effects. It is best as a process, allowing the children to interpret the matter as they see fit.

Throughout the day we practice self-help and responsibility routines, such as clearing away our own snack plates and pushing in our chairs. This encourages independence and the gratification of a job well done. 

Outdoors is an extension of our classroom where the children can run, jump and exercise their gross motor muscles. Our beautiful, organic playground offers plenty of opportunities for observation and interaction with nature.

Stay tuned for more windows into the learning and growing occurring each day at school.

The Power of our Parent Volunteers--Thank You!

     Last week, we headed outside to make a plan for our yard.  We knew that Yard Day was right around the corner.  What improvements could we recommend?
     Evan said, "We can paint this ladder on the big ship!"  Yannai agreed, "We can paint the big ship."  Then Yannai added, "We can paint the wood chips!"
This got us started talking about a major painting project!
  Sammy:  "We can paint he slide!"
  Evan:  "Let's paint the kitchen!"

  We came up with other ideas as well:
  Becker:  "Let's fix the pots and pans on the wall."
  Ezra;  "We can add some baseballs."
  We wanted our trikes track repainted, too.

  Even before the improvements, we always found something fun to do on the playground.  There are swings, a sandbox, the Big Ship and so much more.  (Below, Yinon and Ezra on the "little" boat.)

      As an added plus, we're a family-oriented school.  Siblings have the opportunity to hang out together on the playground.   (Below: siblings Reed and Anslee, Zoey and Lily.)

 

     We fell in love with the new equipment.  Maddy told us that she enjoyed the balance beam.  What did Caleb like?  "There's the bus!" he told us.  Annika told us that her daddy was on the yard yesterday, helping to prepare some of the new structures.     

 

     Becker shared some info about the new slate boards.  "I was doing an experiment with the chalk and water.  Then I wiped the brush and pushed it up, and then it floated!" (Above, Becker and Ezra try out the new slate boards.)

 

     Yinon tried out the beanbags, above.  Ezra explained how to play with this equipment:  "The beanbags--you throw them in!"  Maddy gave it a try, too.

     The bus was very exciting for all of us.  We took a "trip."  

  Becker:  Oh, oh, The bus got a scratch!  (He leaves the bus to check the "fender.")

  Maddy:  We need seat belts!

  Anslee:  I don't have a seat belt!

 ( Becker leaves the bus and checks for scratches again.)

  Lily:  I'll stand right here.

  Becker:  Where do you guys want to go?

  Morah:  Didn't we want to go to Paris?

  Maddy:  Let's go to London!

      Lily called out, "The bus!  The school bus!"

      So, it's a grand adventure . . . whether we investigate the "old" stations on the playground, or we try out all the new equipment that our parents built for us on Yard Day, we are busy, active and having a good time.   We are grateful to everyone who made it possible for us to have this engaging playground . . .thank you, thank you!

Morah Susan, Morah India and the children from Kitah Gimmel

      

    

Indoor Spaces, Outdoor Spaces

    Last week, the children made a big change by returning to school.  Over the summer, the Morahs made a big change too.  We boxed up our belongings and moved to the Third Building.  Before school opened, we looked around and made a plan for our new space.

     The room facing Monroe Drive would be perfect for our painting easel.  It's all windows, light and airy, reminding  the Morahs of a Parisian atelier, an art studio. We decided to call it the Painters' Porch.

     What else could we do on the Painters' Porch?  We could enjoy our snack!  Sammy wondered if the flowers were real.  Evan feels the petals while Lily looks on. 

     We eat our fresh veggies.  We pour our own water. We're in Kitah Gimmel now, we can be responsible with our small glass pitchers.  We're developing the skill of holding the cup with one hand while we rest it on the table, and tilting the pitcher with our other hand.

     The joy of urban life means there's always some street activity going on.  Last week, at the end of the day, Morah India chatted with us about the Monroe Drive view.

     Our Sensory Table is in the Painters' Porch, too.  Sometimes it's opened (above), with different items for us to touch and experience.  At other times, it's closed (below) and we use the table-top for building with manipulatives.

     So we're becoming comfortable in the new indoor space.  We also enjoy investigating our outdoor space, the playground.  We visit our "old" favorite areas: the sandbox, bikes and the swings.  They're fun and familiar.

 

 

 

      The excitement of the Third Building location means that the Big Boat is just outside our room.  We climb, tell stories, and slide down the slide.  It's our first stop during recess--what fun!

     We're enjoying our classroom, and the playground.  Both places offer us opportunities to investigate, socialize, and have a good time.

Morah Susan and Morah India, with the children of Kitah Gimmel

Kitah Alef Explores Leaves

This week in Kita Alef we did an outdoor sensory activity. The children played with the leaves that fell from the trees, and the Morah and children  filled the sensory bin with real leaves and Morah also added silk leaves. They really enjoyed throwing the leaves  into the air and crunching them with their feet and hands.  The children were able to tell the difference between real and pretend leaves.   We loved having the chance to immerse ourselves in this activity. The children were able to use 3 of their five senses. The had a chance to feel the leaves, see their beautiful colors, as well as hear the lovely crunching of the leaves as well! The smiles on their faces indicated to the Morahs that they really enjoyed this activity!  And we also went up to the ship area, a part of the yard we don't usually visit.  We are getting so big. 

Outdoor Action

KDH along with the other children enjoyed the warm weather outdoors. The improvements added to the yard this past Sunday at Yard Day are enjoyed by all!. 

KDH actors and actresses did their acts on stage.

KDH planted the pansies in the front of the school as well as in the new flower bed box.

It felt like summer. We would have loved to go swimming, we did have the foam noodles. The children set up a game of limbo and  also played telephone with them.

Did you know that the foam noodle amplifies your voice. The vibrations from your voice can also be felt on the outside of the noodles as you speak. 

Thank you KDH families for all you have added to our yard and making KDH a fun and exciting place!

Morah Ruth

Movin' On Up (On the Playground)

As the year progresses, the children in Kitah Alef Bet are becoming older, gaining new skills, and growing in all areas.

More and more, we see the children venturing to the higher sections of the playground. They are curious about the monkey bars and eager to use the double swings with their friends.

We visited the large ship at the top of the playground together as a class earlier in the year. As the year goes on, and the children continue to grow, we will climb on that structure more and more.

One of our favorite spots on the playground... the very new ship!

On the New Ship the children…

…Pretend they are captains

!

…Slide!  And Climb!  Using their gross motor skills and of course their imaginations. We will keep you posted about new adventures and games.