Spring Sensory Fun in Pre-KA

Our spring-summer sensory bin encouraged a whole lot of hands on exploration. It was filled with bird seeds, nests, birds, eggs, flowers and more.

First the children ran their hands through the bird seed and explored the different items in the bin. 

We handed them cups and spoons so they could scoop and pour and fill and dump and refill .

They found the birds and nests and fed the birds some bird seeds and put them down to rest in their nests.

Then they discovered the eggs and kept filling them bird seed, when we kept it opened this created a bird feeder and when we closed it, it became an egg shaker.

The Green Thumbs of Kitah Bet

On the 3rd day of creation Hashem brought out the earth and made all manners of plant life grow. We planted our own seeds and beans for an earthy, experiential, timeline project.

 

First some soil...

 Becker chose only the teeny tiny carrot seeds for his jar.

Sprinkling seeds - a good fine motor skill!

 Kitah Bet loves our helper chart, with the children returning repeatedly to check out their job for the week and proudly carrying it out when it's time. This week Sammy is the plant helper so it's her job to water our seeds.

Engaging in a long-term project cultivates important life skills such as patience, process, and responsibility. 

 Our plant jars now reside on the shelves by the window. We can't wait to see them grow!

Tu Bshvat, the Birthday of the Trees in KB

Birthdays and trees are two things the children in Kitah Bet can really relate to. All year we have been celebrating children turning 3. 

Trees have birthdays too, and trees, just like us, grow!

Torah compares man to a tree in the field and it was clear from watching the children explore Tu Bshvat that there is a deep connection between the children and trees and nature.

Tu Bshvat Art

Tu Bshvat Art

Tu Bshvat Art

Tasting figs, dates and pomegranates, some of the 7 Fruits of Israel in
honor of Tu Bshvat

Planting flowers

Planting flowers

Soil and seeds in the sensory table

Working together to sweep up the soil from the floor

Morah Leah

KDH Lima Bean Experiment

"L" is for lentil that Yaakov cooked after Avraham passed away. It is part of the legume family that includes peas and beans that grow in pods

What can a preschool class do with peas and beans? KDH made delicious vegetable lentil soup. The yiladim peeled and cut up all the vegetables, poured in the lentils and added spices to the pot. We enjoyed the soup at our shabbat party last week. Collages created by the children included fireworks, a rainbow, a sprinkle maker and more. 

But what about using it as a seed? What is the best way to get the lima bean to germinate? We wrapped some lima beans up in small pieces of paper towel. We put the wrapped and plain lentils into ziploc bags, added water, zipped them closed and taped them to our window. Which lentils would grow? After a few days we checked.....

Which one do you think it was?

KDH has more ideas for ways to use beans and lentils. Wait and watch...

Ruth Freundlich

KG Seed Collection

Between the pumpkins, gourds, tangerines, apples from Rosh Hashana and more, we have developed an interest in "the pit's" or more scientifically  Seeds of the fruit or vegetable.  We have begun by collecting seeds that we find in our lunches or at home and then we are classifying them in bags with their seed names on the wall.  We are also busy experimenting with which grown and in which environment they will grow.  What does a seed need to grow?