Exploring Rosh Hashana

This week we started exploring Rosh Hashana.We began by reading "Rosh Hashana is coming "
and we took turns blowing the Shofar and singing a song about it!

The words of the song are to the tune of 'The Wheels on the Bus':
"The Shofar in the Shul goes toot-toot-toot
toot-toot-toot   toot-toot-toot
The Shofar in the Shul goes toot-toot-toot
on Rosh Hashana morning."

We also created decorations for our classroom to bring in the Rosh Hashana spirit.
We used paint stamps to decorate our apple tree, Shyli enjoyed stamping paint and choosing all the colors that we had on the table.  Morah Orah turn our apple tree into sticky wall for us to stick apples on to.  Caleb was focused on sticking apples on to the tree and counting them.

Another activity we did was matching apple cards.  Leah loved to find the apples that looked the same and she would play this game for a while .

We also used markers to color Rosh Hashana symbols.  While our friends colored them Morah Ora explain why we dip apples in the honey and why we listen to the sound of the shofar.

In our sensory table this week we enjoyed washing apples for Rosh Hashana and practicing the bracha Ha-etz before we eat the apples.

We are so excited to welcome our new friend Guy to our classroom! Our friend Angie from the infant room had a birthday this week so she will be joining our class starting Monday! We are so happy to have you in our class.

We are also excited that Morah Courtney has joined our classroom in the mornings on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays!

Looking forward to exploring more about Rosh Hashana next week!

Morah Ora

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Our New Friend Truck!

DEAR PARENTS,

THIS WEEK IN THE PEACH ROOM WE WERE WORKING ON OUR FINE MOTOR SKILLS.



PEELED WOODEN STICKS



LAST WEEK IN THE CLASSROOM WE NOTICED THAT SOME OF OUR FRIENDS WERE VERY EXCITED TO PEEL THE TAPED LABELS OFF OF THE SHELVES.  AFTER NOTICING THIS, MORAH ORA TAPED STICKS DOWN TO THE FLOOR FOR THE CHILDREN TO PEEL OFF.  EVERYONE LOVED THIS ACTIVITY! 





NUMBERS



CALEB AND LEAH WORKED ON THEIR NUMBERS BY PUTTING THEIR FINGERS INTO THE HOLES, AND FEELING HOW MANY HOLES ARE IN EACH DOMINO.  THEY WOULD THEN COUNT OUT THE PEG AND PUT THEM IN THE HOLES.



SENSORY EXPLORATION

THIS WEEK WE HAD LENTILS AND RICE WITH FUNNELS AND MEASURING CUPS.  OUR FRIENDS ENJOYED
SCOOPING AND POURING THE MATERIALS INTO THE MEASURING CUPS.


ART


WE USED OUR FINGERS TO SQUISH THE PAINT THROUGH THE SARAN WRAP.  AFTER WE FINISHED MIXING THE COLORS CALEB FINISHED OFF THE PAINTING USING A PAINT BRUSH.



NEW PET TORTOISE


OUR FRIENDS WERE INTRODUCED TO ANOTHER CLASSROOM PET, SINCE WE LOVE TAKING CARE OF THE ANIMALS!
MORAH ASKED CALAB : HOW SHOULD WE NAME HIM? CALEB DECIDED 'TRUCK' WOULD BE A GOOD NAME.
EVERY MORNING OUR FRIENDS COULD NOT WAIT TO FEED HIM AND PLAY WITH HIM.  

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PACK SOME LETTUCE FOR OUR LITTLE FRIEND TRUCK!



HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND AND SHABBAT SHALOM

MORAH ORA

First Week of School!

Welcome to the Peach Room!

Our friends are continuing exploring our classroom and all of the new materials.  This year we have an art center, and Caleb is very interested in the chalk board.  He has been practicing writing 'C' the first letter of his name!

Shyli particularly enjoys the circle time area where we have a big wall maze. She also enjoys climbing in our new Toddler Loft.  Angie has been trying so hard to balance her body on the ramp/ slide.

 

Leah loves to spend her time in library area, where we have lots of cozy pillows and different types of books.

Of course, we can't forget our class room pets: a bird name Lemon and a beta fish named Mr Fishy. We love to feed them every morning.

Looking forward to exploring the kitchen, sensory table and outdoor area next week!

Have a wonderful Shabbat!

Morah Ora

Bugs

This week in the Peach Room we've been exploring bugs. We began the week with a bug hunt outdoors. We spotted lots of ants and found one beetle that we were able to observe. We noticed that it was black and red and that it had wings. In the sensory table we dug in soil and found butterflies and worms (plastic).  We read books about all kinds of insects including "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carl. We listened to some bug songs and Mina and Scarlett danced to a recording of "Butterfly, Butterfly".  We sang "The Itsy Bitsy Spider"  and "I'm Bringing home a Baby Bumblebee".

This week we were so excited to have Morah Ora's canary in our classroom. Our friends observed it each day with wonder, noticing its color, sounds and how it ate and drank.

Outdoors we had great fun in the sprinklers.Some friends touched the spray tentatively with their hands while others ran through it with delight. Mina led calling out, "Come on friends!". Eventually everyone was quite wet! As usual there was lots of gathering water in containers and pouring it out. A puddle formed in the grass and of course everyone gravitated to it to splash, pour and sit!

Our class has grown and changed so much in the last weeks and it's hard to believe the year is coming to an end. We look forward to one last week together!

Morah Ora uploaded lots of pictures on the private Facebook group so please check them out there!

This week in the Peach Room we welcomed Jemma to our class. She comes each day full of enthusiasm and adds great zest to our day.

Our dramatic play with baby dolls has continued to evolve this week. Everyone has had a hand at caring for a baby (or two or three). We have been giving the babies bottles, changing their clothes, rocking them to sleep and doing more check ups!  We were able to add some life-like baby dolls to our classroom which have been very appealing to all of our friends.

We've continued preparing for Mother's Day with some special projects, stories and conversations about our mommies.This is one topic everyone has something to say about!

It was welcome relief to have cooler weather this week and we relished our outdoor time. We spotted airplanes and dragonflies, took turns on the slide and watched (even joined) some of the elaborate play of the older children. We looked for bugs, explored the yard, rode bikes, played in the water and built with blocks.

As our class grows, our friends are relating to each other and seeking each other out more and more. They inquire if someone is absent and remark if someone is sad. As their budding language and awareness of self and other develop we are noticing a growing sense of community together.

We wish you all a Happy Mother's Day!

The Peach room has been all about babies this week! We filled our sensory tub with a bubble bath and gave our babies baths. We have tried our hand at changing our babies diapers, changing their clothes and we've bundled them up and put them to bed. All of this play with our babies has sparked other ideas for pretend play and we've taken our babies shopping, taken photos of our babies and put our babies to bed. Some of our friends have even engaged in play with roles ("I'm the mommy and you be the sister.")  We also learned the baby song, about putting baby to bed and then taking care of him or her when she wakes up. We take turns deciding what the baby needs to go back to sleep (a new diaper, a kiss, a bottle...).

As Mother's Day approaches we have been reading books about Mommies. Mommy and Me, Are You My Mother  and Teeny Weeny Looks for His Mommy are favorites. Mommy and Me has sparked some discussion about what we like to do with our mommies. We've also enjoyed working on a special project for our own mothers this week .

With the weather getting hotter we decided to pull out the bounce house for some of our activity time as well as playing in the water outdoors. We have painted, played with trucks, sung lots of songs and as always, looked at many books. (The library continues to be a favorite spot for our class!)

We would like to thank you for your thoughtful kindness during Teacher Appreciation week. Working with your children is engaging and joyful for us and we thank you for all of your support!

We look forward to a new week!

Morah Ora and Morah Sydney

Sensory Exploration

 This week we all came back from break with great enthusiasm. There were lots of hugs and kisses and happy greetings! Even though we had a long break, we were back in our routine quickly and easily.

We have enjoyed a week full of sensory play. We've played with playdough, moonsand, water and paint. Scarlett and Mina rolled playdough out together while Mina sang a rolling song that she made up as she went. Our sensory table was filled with moonsand and we made birthday cakes for each other and sang Happy Birthday. We painted large rocks with brushes, sponges and our hands as well. Everyone enjoys water play outdoors pouring, dumping, transferring and splashing. We must take turns with containers and let each other know when we don't want to get wet. We explore what we can do with watering cans, funnels, sieves and buckets.

All of this sensory play allows us to explore and make sense of the world around us through our physical senses. In                                                                             addition, it provides opportunities for problem solving,                                                                           language development, social interaction and development of                                                                 gross motor skills. Most importantly, it contributes to brain                                                                           development and cognitive growth.

Our sense of community and competence grew this week at mealtime.  Zoe and Mina joined in to wash the tables and sweep the floor and soon everyone was helping. Preparing for snack is now a group effort that gives everyone a feeling of accomplishment and pride!

We are growing and changing every day in the very best ways!