Prep for Purim!

   This week in the Peach room we had a lot of fun learning about and getting ready for Purim. We decorated Hamantashen with stamp markers (holiday delicacy) and created our own Graggers (holiday noise toy)! We also read a few books on Purim and learned all about Queen Esther, King Achashvairosh, Mordechai, and everybody else in the Purim story. Our friends had a lot of  fun tuning up on their fine motor skills by painting rice and lentils and then placing them in containers to create their very own Gragger. And of course we had so much fun dressing up because that is what Purim is all about! Dressing up and having fun with our friends!

   This week we also had sports again which was great for our gross motor skills. Coach Pikachu brings a lot of fun things with her for our friends to play with ie- Hula hoops, stretchy bands, and much more. On Friday, our Morah's took out the ball pit/pool again and we loved swimming in all of the colorful balls!

   We cannot wait for next week to learn even more about Purim, to create more arts 'n crafts, and to play educational games!

           
  Morah Orah and Morah Pearly

 

TuB'Shvat + Grandparents Day = Fun Fun FUN!!

   This week we had an exciting week in the Peach Room! A new friend joined our class. We welcomed Caleb Zawacki to our gang! Our friends are so happy to have a new friend to play with. Zoe, Geffen, and Yochai shared their toys so nicely with Caleb and made him feel like they have been friends for ever.

   This week we focused on individual exploration.  Our friends played and explored everything in the classroom and in the backyard and had so many new experiences.  Yochai is becoming better and better on the bicycles. Zoe is really starting to love the library and the large selection of books we have. Every day Zoe chooses another book and asks her Morahs to read it to her and the rest of her friends. Geffen is fast becoming the class cook and chef! Geffen's love for the kitchen is amazing. He loves to put all the different foods into pots and pans and make soup and other delicacies for his friends! Then he puts the food away on the shelves and pretends to wash out all the dishes like a champ!  Caleb really enjoys playing with the cars and reading books about cars, trucks, and trains too!

   Because of Tu B'Shvat (the birthday of the trees) we did fun activities with fruits, vegetables, and flowers. This week we painted with flowers and it was such a fun experience! We also painted with silver foil which was different than a regular paper and we noticed how shiny it is in the sun. Our friends also loved playing with our fruit and vegetables blocks. The children were able to name all of the fruits and vegetables, and we built a very large tower with the bricks!

 This week we started Sports with Jump Bunch and it was a great opportunity to work on our balance, spatial awareness, and hand-eye coordination! Our friend Mina was not feeling well this week so we called her to wish her a Refuah Shaleima (a prayer to get well quick). We can't wait to see her next week! <3

                          This Friday was a blast! Our Grandparents (and some other relatives) came to school for our Tu B'Shvat program! We had an amazing Sing-A-Long with Rabbi Tzvi and then enjoyed riding the train, drinking freshly squeezed orange juice, eating yummy fruit kabobs, and doing an art project together.

   Shabbat Shalom everybody! Can't wait to seeing all of our friends next week! =)

   Morah Ora and Morah Pearly

Fruits & Vegetables

   Hello everybody!

   This week in the Peach room we were very busy! We learned all about fruits and vegetables in honor of Tu B'Shvat which is coming up next week.  On Monday we had a very fun activity; Morah Ora put out different spices and glue and the children painted them on to the paper, the paper smelled so good when we were done!


   Tuesday was a lot of fun. The Morah's put out a tree provocation with clay and branches. Our friends formed the clay and branches and formed their own beautiful original trees

 On Wednesday we found the block center with pictures of fruits and vegetables on them!  Now we can sort which fruits and vegetables come from trees and which come from the ground.  Geffen especially had so much fun with this activity, stacking the blocks on top of each other when our friends named each food. Mina and Zoe were so good at knowing the different names of the fruits and vegetables, and Yochai enthusiastically said "Amen!" every time one of the Morah's explained which Brocha goes to that fruit/vegetable.

   On Wednesday our friends also had Music and Movement Class with Mr Sam and the Blue Room. Our friends had so much fun, but unfortunately this was our last class with Mr Sam. We cannot wait for Jump Bunch next week!  And last but not least, our friends baked a delicious cake for Zoe's birthday.

   With Thursday came ZOE'S 2ND BIRTHDAY!! The first ever birthday party that we threw in the Peach Room. We had a fancy pink table cloth and plates. We had a lot of fun music that we danced to, with glow in the dark sticks. We also had a mini disco ball that shined so many different colors on the wall to make the party even more fun. Zoe's Mama and older sister, Hannah, came and enjoyed the party with us. The cake that all of our friends baked was absolutely delicious! And of course we cannot forget that in honor of Zoe's birthday, the Peach Room got a new beautiful book in the library.

   Then comes Friday. With the end of the week we made yummy Matzah for this week's Parsha. In this weeks Torah Portion we learn that after the last 3 plagues (a total of 10), the Jews were FINALLY freed from Egypt. Because the Jews packed and rushed out of Egypt so quickly, the dough did not have time to rise and baked on the back of the people who were carrying it. Hence, the dough turned into Matzah. So too, we are baking Matzah ourselves!

Our friends did a lot of exploring outside this week. The Morah's put silver foil on the gate, and all of our friends from CJP painted it with their hands and/or with paint brushes.  We also painted with a plunger and made lots of circles with it (see Facebook for pictures!).

Looking forward to another wonderful week with your children.

   Shabbat Shalom!

     
Morah Orah and Morah Pearly