Good Byes

This week in the green room we talked about the creation of the world and parshas Bereishis. We read a book about what Hashem created on each day of the week. Everyone really liked talking about all of the special things we do on Shabbat such as eat challah, go to shul, and play with friends and family.

On Wednesday we had a party for Hailey because it was her last day. Thank you so much to the Robertson family for everything they've done for us throughout Hailey's time at CJP. Everyone got goody bags and we baked cookies! We recorded a video for Hailey that she can watch when she misses her friends. We also presented her with a beautiful scrapbook that Morah Megan made of all of these memories here at school. Everyone put their handprints in the book and wrote a message for her.

On Wednesday we also welcomed Miss Lisa back and had a blast in dance class! On Thursday we did feet painting which everyone has so much fun with. Feet painting is a great sensory experience, the friends practiced balancing as well because it got very slippery!

This Friday was Morah Megan's last day. We presented her with a big card and a gift and we had a dance party with glow sticks, flashlights and a disco ball! Everyone felt so sad to say goodbye to Morah Megan but we had so much fun dancing and celebrating our friendship with her. We welcomed the other classes into our room to join the party. We will miss Morah Megan so much, thank you for being such a great teacher and a source of joy and learning!

Next week we will learn about parshas Noach. We will explore different types of weather and also talk about kosher animals versus non-kosher animals keeping in the theme with the parsha. Please check out our parsha board in the dramatic play area. The pictures will change each week and we will use this board to discuss the parsha shavua.

Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Megan and Morah Shoshana

This week, we explored Sukkot by building sukkahs with natural materials, including leaves, twigs, flowers and tree stumps, in addition to blocks. On the first day, we offered only blocks and a picture of a real sukkah and a real lulav with an etrog. Shira immediately began building and created a structure with the help of Vella. While working, Vella decided to place the picture of the lulav and etrog on top of the sukkah and continued to build around it. The morahs asked, "What happens in a sukkah?" Shira and Vella  both responded by saying, "we eat in the sukkah!" Soon more children arrived and the morah's asked, "What goes on top of our sukkah?" Shimmy replied, "leaves!" and Ben added, "Big leaves!"  Throughout the week, we have also been shaking the lulav and etrog in the sukkah, as well as eating snack, and singing songs about the holiday. The children have enjoyed davening in the sukkah, where we sing and dance around the poles in the middle, holding hands with our friends. On Thursday, the children were excited to eat pizza in the sukkah with the whole school where we made special brachas, beautifully led by the pre-k class. Overall, it was a fun and busy week, filled with the joyful spirit of sukkot!

Feet Painting!

This week we have been exploring paint through our feet by painting on a large piece of paper inside our classroom. It was exciting to watch how the children reacted to the paint and the music being played. Some children tip-toed gently across the paper, while others stomped and danced in the paint creating big splatter marks of bright blue, pink, and orange everywhere. We discussed how the paint felt “wet” and “slimy as we slid across the paper. Some children laughed as they watched the paint drip from their toes, wiggling and shaking their toes in the process, hoping to catch their friend’s attention. Many of them shouted and pointed to their friends, “Hey! Look at my footprints!”

The benefits to feet painting are endless!

This activity allows children to interact with the color and texture of paint on a large scale; encouraging them to work closely and cooperatively with their peers, as they help one another walk and stand upright on this new slippery surface. Floor painting emphasizes movement and gives the children freedom to move across the paper in whatever way is most comfortable and fun for them.

One of my favorite Early Childhood Education authors Anna Pelo, the author of, “The Language of Art, Inquiry-Based Studio Practices in Early Childhood Settings” describes the beautiful relationship children can form when they interact with raw art materials. 

 “In our work with these materials, we strive to honor the ways in which children live in their bodies, growing relationships with materials through their physical encounters with them; revel alongside the children in messy, physical exploration that celebrates all our senses; this provides opportunities for children to explore texture and movement through a range of physical encounters, building a foundation for further art exploration.”