ANIMALS!

Hello from the Green Room!  We've had an amazing week exploring animals.  On Monday was mammal day.  Morah D brought in her dog, Brownie.  Morah Felicia brought in her guinea pig, Trevor.  We talked about how mammals have hair, and that we people are mammals too!

On Tuesday I brought in (plastic) bugs that were frozen into ice cubes.  To practice our fine motor skills, the friends used tweezers to pick them up.  They investigated and explored different ways to melt the ice.  Luke went for a crushing technique, while Levi chipped away slowly.  Everyone was making verbal observations on the temperature of their hands when holding the ice.  There was also a lot of commentary about the bugs themselves!  "I know this is a lady bug because it has spots," said Luke.  "It's a beautiful butterfly," exclaimed Morgan.  Just a few months ago, Morgan was scared of bugs.  At the end of this activity he asked: "Can I use my imagination that this is alive?"  Awesome, Morgan!

Wednesday was one of the most fun days we've had all year!  Morah D brought in chicks and ducks!  We had the BEST time holding them, observing them, and loving them!  Make sure to look at the Facebook group for all of the amazing photos.

Wednesday was also the day we got to go shopping as a class at the Usborne Book Fair.  We're so grateful to have Gavi's mom as our very own Usborne Book Consultant.  Check out what we bought!

Thursday was reptile day!  We love exploring the similarities and differences between species.

We hope you have a wonderful Shabbat and a restful weekend.  Shabbat Shalom!
-Morah Deena and Morah Gitty

FOOD!

It's been a fun and adventurous week in the Green Room!

The Green Room friends have been showing an interest in food, and we've been excited to learn about it together.  Our interest began a few weeks ago when discussing the food in our lunch boxes.  It began conversations about different types of food, and what our bodies need to stay healthy and strong.  I'm very careful to use only positive vocabulary when speaking about food in our classroom.  When speaking about what we would consider "healthy," I call it "Growing Food."  I will never refer to a food as "unhealthy" or "bad."  When talking about cake, candy, cookies, etc I call it "Sometimes Food."  I am aware that each family has different eating habits and philosophies regarding eating.  With this in mind, we focus not on each type of food specifically, but rather the importance of eating a variety of things.  Further, what types of foods are carbs?  What types of food are protein?  What is the difference between a fruit and a vegetable?

Another important thing that I keep in mind when teaching about food are the laws of kashrut (keeping kosher).  Our class has a diverse religious background, so what each family does at home varies immensely.  At school, when creating our imaginary plates, we will not showcase the mixture of meat and dairy or show pictures of unkosher meat or fish.  If you have any questions about this, please ask me or Morah Gitty!  We also have a special way to pray to Hashem before eating.  Different types of food have different brachas (prayers) that we say before eating them, which we've been practicing all year!

On Monday the Green Room friends asked out of the blue if we could turn lunch into a picnic.  I said yes!  This little thing made the meal so much more special for the friends.  After all, eating together should be an enjoyable experience!

On Thursday, the Purple Room friends invited us to their room for a special science exploration.

Morah D had planned a variety of experiences involving dry ice.  IT. WAS. AWESOME!!!

Thank you so much, Morah D, for letting us experience this with you!!!

Morah Gitty and I hope you have a wonderful and restful Shabbat and weekend with your families.  Shabbat Shalom!
-Morah Deena and Morah Gitty

The Great Outdoors

Welcome back, Green Room!

Can you think of anything more magical than the warm sun shining down, bare feet, running through the spray of a hose, with the sound of happy squeals coming out of young children?  This was what our week was filled with.  We had the time of our lives basking in the warm sunshine and experiencing water play.

Even if you didn't have much experience with kids before you had your own, you've probably heard people talk about kids learning through play.  So, you might be wondering what the kids were learning this week in our outdoor classroom.

On Tuesday, Morah D brought water balloons out for us to play with.  Friends were encouraged to dip the balloons into paint, and then roll the balloons onto large sheets of paper, making the paint splatter.  The thing was, the balloons weren't breaking!  Morgan and Levi were slamming the balloons onto the pavement with full force, but they wouldn't pop!  Without consciously deciding, Morgan and Levi started their own scientific exploration.  Their goal was to pop the balloons.  They tested multiple techniques including standing on them, jumping on them, squeezing them, and throwing them onto rocks, until they were successful.  What Morah D set up to be an art experiment, turned into science.

Mason and Ava had a scientific exploration of their own regarding temperature.  They were both commenting on the way the water feels different while running through it versus laying in it on the pavement.  Even though both experiences resulted in getting wet, they noticed that the water felt different depending on what you were doing in it.

The CJP kids weren't the only ones enjoying the water.  The wet terrain invited a butterfly to explore our outdoor classroom.  Mason asked me if I would take a picture of it so he could look at it forever.

Mason and Levi have started to pretend that they are robots when they put cones on their hands.  The materials in our outdoor classroom are conducive to incredible, imaginative play!

On Thursday, to shake things up a bit, we davened (prayed) with the Purple Room friends.  It was special getting both of the groups together.  The Purple Room friends were very welcoming, and it was awesome to see them slip into leadership roles.  The Green Room loved being able to showcase to the "big kids" everything that they know!

We hope that you have a wonderful weekend, and a restful Shabbat.
-Morah Deena and Morah Gitty