Helping Hands

It's the beginning of the year which has us pondering, what do we want our class to be thinking about as they embark on a journey into a new classroom? How do we ensure a safe, happy, creative environment so everyone's language of expression is honored in a more soulful, natural way? By asking these questions, we are sure to set an intentional, mindful tone for our early learners.  Our goal is to provide a classroom environment that aids in learning, just as much as a Morah would. In other words, our classroom is also a teacher. So, our students should above all learn how to properly use materials, respect spaces and others in it, and be able to freely and openly express themselves through many ways of play and creation. How do we do this? Read on for heartwarming stories of how we blend rules/agreements and empathy.

During our meet the teacher sessions we had parents trace their child's hands, this was our segue into talking about what our hands can do to be helpful. Here, parents have a hand in our project, strengthening our school family as a whole.

 

We cut the hands out and allowed the children to paste and paint at free will. Once we were finished and the artwork was dry, we invited the children to help us hang them up. Exercising free will, some chose to help while others allowed their friends to hang theirs because they were buys on another activity. Choices are always good to offer when appropriate. 

We've got our classroom routines down pretty well by now! Upon entering the building back packs get hung, lunch boxes and water bottles removed then placed into individual cubbies, then the children follow visual prompts to see what room they start in and what is open vs. what is closed.

Circle time is the optimum time to introduce classroom routines and rituals, along with any rules/agreements. We demonstrated how to carefully put our things away because we noticed clean up time became more of a demolition frenzy rather than mindful cleaning to be helpful.  We also made a mini classroom on a tray so children could reinforce what they are learning to do themselves.

See how helpful our friends are becoming? Holding doors, sweeping up messes so friends to slip, carrying something for another, working together, teaching each other new skills, and the list goes on.  By displaying our mitzvot (good deeds) in class through panels of documentation, books, and social games, we reinforce good behavior and provide references to refer back to from time to time.

 How fortunate we are to have multiple sets of siblings attending our school. We see each other in the yard, celebrate reunions daily, and foster support through connection and role modeling.

By now we all have a good idea of how we best respect our friends and space. With a lot of patience, forgiveness and the assumption of positive intent, we are learning and growing together. According to conscious discipline, the creation of healthy connections with other people wires the brain for improved impulse control and a willingness to cooperate. We hope you enjoy our journey and can carry out these same methods at home or in your classroom. 

Morning Routine in Kitah Gimmel

I am so pleased with how competent the children in our classroom are.  Each morning they follow our routine so easily and happily.  What makes me most proud is that it was not always so.  This is somewhat of a milestone for us as a group, so I would like to share. 

The children know their name and their cubby space and eagerly put their lunch and/or backpack away.

The children take on and off their coats with a lot of effort, sometimes all by themselves and sometimes with help.

The children "sign in" establishing that they are "here".  They find their picture and match it to their printed name.  (Asher is showing Sholom and Jonah that he has" a letter like e but its not")

Some children then go to look at the message of  the day, I guess the excitement of wondering what it might say?

And some of us go straight to getting busy exercising our little fingers or any of the other many activities set out for us to work with.

Sometimes children even get the opportunity to practice having patience (and chatting with a friend) while waiting for a turn at an activity.

The Journey Begins in Kitah Alef Bet

What is school all about? In Kitah Alef Bet, we are getting used to routines like sitting at the table and eating snack together...

...And sticking our apples to the "attendance tree."

We are also noticing that mirrors can be used to see ourselves and those around us...

 

...and how to use our bodies to push the playground toys.

We spend lots of time in the sensory bin, filling containers with water and watching them drip as we turn them over.

 

I wonder what else we can discover together?