Greetings Peach Room Parents,
We began exploring Tu B'Shvat, or the New Year for Trees, this week. Friends have been working on an ongoing group project. They are creating their own Peach Room Family Tree. Everyday we add some more to our tree as we talk about the different parts of the tree- roots, trunk & bark, branches, and leaves. They explored different textures and mediums in this collage work. Our friends began by painting our cardboard tree all together. Then they added some bark that we found on our playground. They glued tissue paper and sticks to create real branches with leaves. Look for more details to be added next week and we will display their finished artwork near our documentation board in the hallway.
In our sensory table this week we have soil with seeds and beans. We introduced the idea of planting a seed or a bean that will grow into something bigger. Each friend planted a seed in a clear glass jar. They have been watering them and checking the progress of their plants. As we do this we talk about all of the things that plants and trees need to grow healthy- soil, sunlight to make their own food and water. Hopefully they will be able to see some roots next week. Their plant will be a gift for their grandparent or special person at our Grandparents Day Celebration next Wednesday morning. Our friends actually expanded this work by adding some animals to the soil and it evolved into some fantastic imaginary play.
Our outdoor classroom has provided so many opportunities for exploration and discovery. With the addition of the tree trunk stumps, not only are our peaches enjoying some challenging gross motor play- climbing, stepping, balancing, etc. They are learning to take risks. Risk taking is an integral part of a child's work that sometimes comes with a few scrapes and bruises. It has been interesting to watch their individual approaches. Shyli and Leah have no fear, they both just goes for it! Guy and Gavin took a slightly more cautious approach, experimenting first with climbing from stump to stump on hands and knees before deciding to try standing upright. Ronan climbed up and stood, then immediately reached for a Morah's hand to before attempting to step to another stump. Caleb climbed right up when he saw the older children playing, but decided he wanted more space than they were giving him. He went back and attempted this again on a day when we came out earlier than the other classes so that he could go at his own pace. Angie has observed play on the stumps but not yet attempted it. This is a very valid form of play in itself. We can learn much by observing others. It will be interesting to see how they each progress in their play!
On Wednesdays, our peaches will be participating in the Parsha of the week with Morah Kayla and Morah Gitty in our outdoor classroom. This week's Parsha was the story of Moshe splitting/parting the Sea. Our Purple and Peach room friends worked together to construct a bridge using the large building blocks over the pool. Friends pumped and transported water to fill the pool which was to be the sea. Morah Ora added blue paint and sea creatures and fish. Then all of our friends gathered around to hear the Parsha from Morah Kayla. Each friend took a turn crossing the sea over and over.
Another fun outdoor activity this week was digging for worms. Morah Ora filled the pool with sand and water and then added cooked linguine "worms". Our friends got to practice using their fine motor skills with tweezers to pick the worms up and put them in buckets. Everyone enjoyed pretending the wiggly, sqiggly pasta were actually worms! We talked about how worms can help plants grow because when they create their underground tunnels it allows a little bit of air to reach the roots of the plants.
That is all for this week! If you haven't already interviewed grandparents in person/via email or Skype and submitted their responses to Masha, please do so by Monday so that she can have things prepared for our Grandparents Day Celebration. That will be held from 9:30-10:30 am Wed. 1/31. We look forward to seeing you and or their grandparents or special people there!
Thank you,
Morah Ora and Morah Lindsey
Friday, January 26, 2018
Friday, January 19, 2018
Shabbat Shalom!
Greetings Peach Room Parents,
Our friends have been busy making final preparations for our annual CJP Family Shabbos Dinner, that will be tonight at 5:15. They worked so hard on completing their Shabbos Box projects which will be on display tonight and ready to be sent home with them on Monday. As Morahs, we provided the provocations and materials for each of these projects, but they are truly the product of your child's creativity, preferences and work. Each one turned out so uniquely and beautifully, we are proud of their hard work and hope you will be too!
Our two big projects this week were creating challah covers and Kiddush cups. The challah covers were a multiple day project as we explored and experimented with different techniques for tie-dying the fabric. We started out trying eye droppers which is great fine motor practice, but proved a little tricky for most of our friends. They began to dip their fabric squares into the different colored dyes. This was effective, but didn't quite create the desired effect of multiple colors. So we found some small squeeze bottles for them use. This worked beautifully to allow them to experiment with colors as well as providing a fine motor activity to help strengthen those little hands!
Our friends worked on creating their Kiddush cups using a lot of glitter and modge podge. This was very sticky work so thank you for your patience if your child brought some sparkles home with them on their clothes or in their hair. Friends could choose between blue glitter or purple. Some used a brush to spread it onto the stem while others decided to tip them upside down and watch gravity take its course as the glitter combination dripped.
This morning our friends will be making cupcakes as our contribution to the Shabbos Dinner. Cooking in the classroom provides so many opportunities for turn taking, measuring, stirring...it is the ultimate science experiment. They enjoy group cooking/baking experiences. We hope those of you who are coming tonight enjoy the finished product!
In addition to all of the wonderful work they are doing inside, our outdoor classroom has expanded. Thank you to all the parents and grandparents who came out to help with those efforts during the Family Yard Day! Friends enjoyed helping to plant our new garden this week. The water pump was repaired so water and mud play was available once again. So many choices! If you haven't already, please send in some extra play shoes and clothes you don't mind getting muddy and we are happy to change them for outdoor classroom.
Due to family obligations Morah Ora will not be able to attend this evening's dinner. Morah Lindsey has a prior obligation at her son's school. We are sorry to miss this special dinner, but hope to attend next time! A big " Toda!" or Thank you for your fulfilling all of our wishlist items! It is very much appreciated!
Shabbat Shalom!
Morah Ora and Morah Lindsey
Upcoming CJP Events:
Family Shabbos Dinner Friday January 19, 2018
Grandparents Day Celebration Wednesday January 31, 2018
Our friends have been busy making final preparations for our annual CJP Family Shabbos Dinner, that will be tonight at 5:15. They worked so hard on completing their Shabbos Box projects which will be on display tonight and ready to be sent home with them on Monday. As Morahs, we provided the provocations and materials for each of these projects, but they are truly the product of your child's creativity, preferences and work. Each one turned out so uniquely and beautifully, we are proud of their hard work and hope you will be too!
Our two big projects this week were creating challah covers and Kiddush cups. The challah covers were a multiple day project as we explored and experimented with different techniques for tie-dying the fabric. We started out trying eye droppers which is great fine motor practice, but proved a little tricky for most of our friends. They began to dip their fabric squares into the different colored dyes. This was effective, but didn't quite create the desired effect of multiple colors. So we found some small squeeze bottles for them use. This worked beautifully to allow them to experiment with colors as well as providing a fine motor activity to help strengthen those little hands!
Our friends worked on creating their Kiddush cups using a lot of glitter and modge podge. This was very sticky work so thank you for your patience if your child brought some sparkles home with them on their clothes or in their hair. Friends could choose between blue glitter or purple. Some used a brush to spread it onto the stem while others decided to tip them upside down and watch gravity take its course as the glitter combination dripped.
This morning our friends will be making cupcakes as our contribution to the Shabbos Dinner. Cooking in the classroom provides so many opportunities for turn taking, measuring, stirring...it is the ultimate science experiment. They enjoy group cooking/baking experiences. We hope those of you who are coming tonight enjoy the finished product!
In addition to all of the wonderful work they are doing inside, our outdoor classroom has expanded. Thank you to all the parents and grandparents who came out to help with those efforts during the Family Yard Day! Friends enjoyed helping to plant our new garden this week. The water pump was repaired so water and mud play was available once again. So many choices! If you haven't already, please send in some extra play shoes and clothes you don't mind getting muddy and we are happy to change them for outdoor classroom.
Due to family obligations Morah Ora will not be able to attend this evening's dinner. Morah Lindsey has a prior obligation at her son's school. We are sorry to miss this special dinner, but hope to attend next time! A big " Toda!" or Thank you for your fulfilling all of our wishlist items! It is very much appreciated!
Shabbat Shalom!
Morah Ora and Morah Lindsey
Upcoming CJP Events:
Family Shabbos Dinner Friday January 19, 2018
Grandparents Day Celebration Wednesday January 31, 2018
Friday, January 12, 2018
Introducing Shabbat
This week in the Peach Room our friends began to explore concepts related to Shabbat. Morah Ora explained that after Hashem worked so hard to create our beautiful world he needed to rest on the seventh day. Shabbat is an important time to rest, pray and spend time with our families and loved ones at the end of each week. We don't go to school or work. We might bathe and brush our hair and wear our nice dress clothes. A big feast is prepared. We light the candles and say a blessing called Kiddush over the grape juice and Challah bread. As a class we also read several storybooks including, '1,2,3 Shabbat", "Shalom Shabbat- A Book for Havdalah" and "My First Shabbat Board Book".
We started our week by painting our Shabbos Boxes. As our friends were working we noticed their preferences in tools and colors. Guy preferred green to all other colors and covered his entire box with paint. Gavin liked orange at first, but then enjoyed mixing all of the colors and using his hands rather than the paint brushes or rollers. Shyli also enjoyed experimenting with the texture of the paints on her skin and how the colors changed when mixed. Caleb chose his favorite color, blue, and used the sponge applicator once he determined the paint brushes weren't as efficient at covering his box. Angie chose orange and definitely preferred using a brush as she didn't like the feeling of paint on her hands. Leah mixed all of her colors and loved using a combination of brushes, rollers, sponges and her hands to apply the paint. Ronan wanted to paint the inside and outside of his box with a brush and he chose mostly green paint as well. This was a fun and messy project they all enjoyed!
This week we worked on using their pincer grasp. Pincer grasp is an important fine motor skill used for day to day things like gripping a pencil or using silverware. We started out by using hand over hand to help them place the cranberries or raisins on the "challah" loaves using fingers, then worked up to using plastic tweezers. By the end of the week it was exciting to see most of them had mastered some level of this skill. We extended this provocation by helping them count the raisins both in English and Hebrew. Then they were rewarded by eating them- yum!
Today we worked with friends to create their candle holders for their Shabbos boxes. In the sensory table they scooped colored sand in to small glass jars. Again, they selected the colors, order and how much sand they wanted to use as they layered it into their jars. We asked them to tell us which colors they wanted and which they were using as we worked. Then they helped squeeze glue onto the top and stick the foil funnel into the sand and glue, completing their candle holders! While this project was related to Shabbos, our big idea, we also worked on hand-eye coordination and learning colors. They turned out beautifully and we can't wait to send them home once their Shabbos Boxes are complete!
With so many friends not feeling well this week, Morahs have been working to disinfect our classroom and toys. We want to wish Refuah Shlaima to all our friends who are still home sick, we miss you and hope to see you back next week!
Morah Ora and Morah Lindsey
Upcoming Events:
Family Yard Day Sunday 1/14 starting at 12:30pm
Shabbos Dinner Friday 1/19 starting at 5:15 pm
Grandparents Day Wednesday 1/31 starting at 9:30am
Wish List Items:
Gallons of drinking water to refill children's water cups
Clorox wipes
Plastic spoons and forks
We started our week by painting our Shabbos Boxes. As our friends were working we noticed their preferences in tools and colors. Guy preferred green to all other colors and covered his entire box with paint. Gavin liked orange at first, but then enjoyed mixing all of the colors and using his hands rather than the paint brushes or rollers. Shyli also enjoyed experimenting with the texture of the paints on her skin and how the colors changed when mixed. Caleb chose his favorite color, blue, and used the sponge applicator once he determined the paint brushes weren't as efficient at covering his box. Angie chose orange and definitely preferred using a brush as she didn't like the feeling of paint on her hands. Leah mixed all of her colors and loved using a combination of brushes, rollers, sponges and her hands to apply the paint. Ronan wanted to paint the inside and outside of his box with a brush and he chose mostly green paint as well. This was a fun and messy project they all enjoyed!
This week we worked on using their pincer grasp. Pincer grasp is an important fine motor skill used for day to day things like gripping a pencil or using silverware. We started out by using hand over hand to help them place the cranberries or raisins on the "challah" loaves using fingers, then worked up to using plastic tweezers. By the end of the week it was exciting to see most of them had mastered some level of this skill. We extended this provocation by helping them count the raisins both in English and Hebrew. Then they were rewarded by eating them- yum!
Today we worked with friends to create their candle holders for their Shabbos boxes. In the sensory table they scooped colored sand in to small glass jars. Again, they selected the colors, order and how much sand they wanted to use as they layered it into their jars. We asked them to tell us which colors they wanted and which they were using as we worked. Then they helped squeeze glue onto the top and stick the foil funnel into the sand and glue, completing their candle holders! While this project was related to Shabbos, our big idea, we also worked on hand-eye coordination and learning colors. They turned out beautifully and we can't wait to send them home once their Shabbos Boxes are complete!
With so many friends not feeling well this week, Morahs have been working to disinfect our classroom and toys. We want to wish Refuah Shlaima to all our friends who are still home sick, we miss you and hope to see you back next week!
Morah Ora and Morah Lindsey
Upcoming Events:
Family Yard Day Sunday 1/14 starting at 12:30pm
Shabbos Dinner Friday 1/19 starting at 5:15 pm
Grandparents Day Wednesday 1/31 starting at 9:30am
Wish List Items:
Gallons of drinking water to refill children's water cups
Clorox wipes
Plastic spoons and forks
Friday, January 5, 2018
Raising Readers and Sensory Adventures
Our Peaches were happy to be reunited after a week away over the break and they were happy to help a new friend learn our schedule and routine as we welcomed Gavin to our class. It was such a smooth transition and they all did so amazingly well!
We have been working on concepts of letters and numerals. We practice counting our fingers in English and in Hebrew as well as using puzzles and counting pegs. You may have noticed that the first Hebrew letters of each of their names have been added to the backs of their chairs as well as to the backs of their laminated mitzvah notes. Children begin to recognize symbols and attach meaning to those symbols at an early age. Some of our friends can already recognize the first letters of their names and we are working on this with the rest of the class. We reference the printed alphabet in English and Hebrew as we sing the songs daily during davening. They are all naturally very curious about print and enjoy being read to and pointing out letters or pictures of things they recognize. Several of our friends will "read" familiar books to us. You can encourage their joy and curiosity at home by reading to them or letting them "read" to you. It sounds simple and perhaps obvious, but children really do become readers in the laps of their parents! Start with short books that have bright and interesting pictures and see what adventures you can experience together! If you have a favorite book at home you enjoy reading together, feel free bring it in to share and a Morah will read it to the group.
Other aspects of our classroom the children particularly enjoyed this week were the sensory table. They washed and dried the baby dolls and they rescued sea creatures with their fishing nets. Many of them also loved taking a dip in the ball pit or spinning in the blue chair. We strive to provide a sensory rich environment and we do need a few minutes each morning to prepare the room before your children arrive. We kindly request that you please arrive no earlier than 9:00 am. We do offer before care as early as 7:30 am. If this is something you are interested in, please ask Masha for more details. Thanks so much for your understanding! And thank you for all you do at home with your children and for your support of their work here at school. We appreciate you and it is a joy teaching them!
Morah Ora and Morah Lindsey
Upcoming CJP Events:
Family Yard Day January 14th
Shabbos Dinner January 19th
Grandparents Day January 31st
Wish List:
Jugs/Gallons of Water to refill the children's water bottles
Paper bowls for lunch warm ups
Clorox Wipes
Plastic Grocery Bags for Dirty Diapers
We have been working on concepts of letters and numerals. We practice counting our fingers in English and in Hebrew as well as using puzzles and counting pegs. You may have noticed that the first Hebrew letters of each of their names have been added to the backs of their chairs as well as to the backs of their laminated mitzvah notes. Children begin to recognize symbols and attach meaning to those symbols at an early age. Some of our friends can already recognize the first letters of their names and we are working on this with the rest of the class. We reference the printed alphabet in English and Hebrew as we sing the songs daily during davening. They are all naturally very curious about print and enjoy being read to and pointing out letters or pictures of things they recognize. Several of our friends will "read" familiar books to us. You can encourage their joy and curiosity at home by reading to them or letting them "read" to you. It sounds simple and perhaps obvious, but children really do become readers in the laps of their parents! Start with short books that have bright and interesting pictures and see what adventures you can experience together! If you have a favorite book at home you enjoy reading together, feel free bring it in to share and a Morah will read it to the group.
Other aspects of our classroom the children particularly enjoyed this week were the sensory table. They washed and dried the baby dolls and they rescued sea creatures with their fishing nets. Many of them also loved taking a dip in the ball pit or spinning in the blue chair. We strive to provide a sensory rich environment and we do need a few minutes each morning to prepare the room before your children arrive. We kindly request that you please arrive no earlier than 9:00 am. We do offer before care as early as 7:30 am. If this is something you are interested in, please ask Masha for more details. Thanks so much for your understanding! And thank you for all you do at home with your children and for your support of their work here at school. We appreciate you and it is a joy teaching them!
Morah Ora and Morah Lindsey
Upcoming CJP Events:
Family Yard Day January 14th
Shabbos Dinner January 19th
Grandparents Day January 31st
Wish List:
Jugs/Gallons of Water to refill the children's water bottles
Paper bowls for lunch warm ups
Clorox Wipes
Plastic Grocery Bags for Dirty Diapers
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