Painting for Purim!

Getting ready to learn about the upcoming holiday of Purim is so much fun! Gan Gimmel set the stage for future role play of the story by creating a huge mural of the city of Shushan. We began to learn the story through the use of visuals, puppets and songs! As we learn about each of the characters we will create them with various art media and add them to our gorgeous backdrop.

Tefillah Time in Gan Gimmel!

Every morning in Gan Gimmel we thank Hashem for giving us a brand new day! Enjoy this link to Gan Gimmel's Tefillah Time!

Morah Jennifer Visits Ganon Aleph

The children in Ganon Aleph look forward to visits from Jennifer Mallin (Morah Jennifer) who comes every other week to work with the children on language and articulation.  She does fun activities to reinforce and strengthen the children's skills in these areas.

Doctors and Nurses in Ganon Aleph

As a follow-up to our study of the human body, two of our Ganon Aleph parents who are in the medical field came
 to talk to our class.  Julia's dad, Dr. Barr,came to talk to the children about their bones. He showed us a model of a skeleton, a knee cap, and 
some x-rays.







Moshe's mom came in to talk about her work as a nurse.  She showed the children how to measure their blood pressure, and made a special chart for us to keep in our  classroom.
We love when parents come to visit us in Ganon Aleph!  

Ganon Aleph tefilla

Dynamite Davening !!!

Tefilla is an integral part of our daily routine in each class at Yavneh Academy.

If you would like, please use this special video to daven with your Ganon Aleph child.

http://youtu.be/BwESA_8HPzc

Will it Slide!!!!???

In Gan Aleph, we discussed the art of tobogganing and how penguins slide on their bellies across the ice. We asked the children if everything can slide on ice. We put this question to the test and conducted a “Will it Slide?” science experiment.  

 

 We froze a tray of ice and gathered materials that were presented on a check list.

 In small groups, the children took turns sliding things across the ice such as a penny, felt, pencils and more.

 They checked the box which indicated whether that object did or did not slide. We discussed what the word “friction” means and how some things really create friction on the ice and therefore it will not slide.

  We decided that penguins must have very smooth bellies which help them to slide on the ice. We had a great time experimenting with ice and truly understood the art of tobogganing after this activity!

A Swedish Delight in Ganon Aleph

Ronnie's "bachia" (grandmother) came to visit all the way from Sweden and helped the children in Ganon Aleph make a special Swedish pastry called "kanel bullar" (cinnamon buns).  The children had fun rolling out and buttering the dough, sprinkling on some cinnamon, rolling it back up, and slicing it into bun-size pieces.  They especially enjoyed eating them at our Shabbat party!  Thank you to Lala and to Ronnie's mom for visiting our class and bringing us a yummy taste of Sweden!!

Training for Medical School in Ganon Aleph and Bet

The children in both Ganon classes have been learning all about the human body.  We talked about the heart, veins, and arteries, and used a latex glove filled with red water to demonstrate how the heart works.  The children took turns pumping the "heart" and watching the "blood" flow out.

When we discussed the digestive system, each child received a ziploc bag designed as the stomach.  The children then mashed together an assortment of foods and drinks in order to visualize what happens in the stomach.

As they learned about the different bodily systems, each child added the corresponding internal organs onto their body puppets.  The children in Ganon Aleph and Ganon Bet  have a greater appreciation of how our bodies work, and are now ready for medical school!!

Stick-y Business

True scientists they are, as the children in Gan Bet seek out the many properties of the materials with which they learn.

Tu B'Shvat approaches and the children look to find ways to connect with the trees.

We collected materials that come from trees at outdoor time, poking and prodding, testing, and touching. Then....

The children of Gan Bet make true sense of the world around them with the experiments and experiences which allow them to take risks. How lucky we all are to be a part of their process!

Tu B'Shevat in Here! (Well almost here)

 Gan Gimmel is eagerly anticipating Rosh Chodesh Shevat!

The children learned that over winter vacation we will celebrate Tu B'Shevat.  In honor of this special holiday that celebrates the trees, Gan Gimmel began working on a special family tree project.  The children learned about the different parts of a tree- the roots, the trunk and the branches.

 

Then, they painted beautiful trees onto cardboard (a way to recycle and save the trees!) Finally,  the children collected all of the Hebrew names for their grandparents, parents and siblings.  They copied the names using Hebrew block print. Copying is a wonderful way for children to practice forming letters.

 They cannot wait to bring home the finished masterpieces!

Tu B'shvat through our senses

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Ganon at Yavneh Academy is a multi- sensory experience. Each and every day the children use all 5 senses to navigate the classroom in all areas; including art, dramatic play, manipulatives, etc. This week in honor of Tu Bshvat, Ganon Bet used their sense of touch to create beautiful trees paintings. Instead of using paint brushes, the children used their arms to create the bark of the tree, their hands as the leaves and grass, and their fingers turned into fruit! To some the paint tickled, others said it felt funny, but all around everyone had a great time creating their masterpieces!

Seth's arm is brown to create the bark!

Joe's hands were the leaves and the grass!

Jesse used his finger to make a sun!

Kaila's fingers made yummy fruit!

Building In Ganon Bet

Building Bridges Into The Future In Ganon Bet

Gan Aleph's Hibernation Station

Can you imagine what it would be like to be a polar bear in the winter!?  

Well, Gan Aleph did just that! The children were bursting with excitement today as they brought in their favorite "sleeping" items from home 

(stuffed animals, pillows etc.).  

 We began our class hibernation by searching around the room for cups of food that were hidden. As each child found their food, they ate and ate and ate until they felt full.

 We then snuggled up with our favorite nighttime belongings and pretended that our body temperatures dropped and our heart rate slowed. As the classical music calmed our bodies, we "slept" and slept and slept...until spring came!

The children yawned, stretched and awakened when they heard it was spring time. 

This activity put the children in the place of a polar bear and helped them imagine what it would be like to be a polar bear in winter. 

 Above all, it was just plain FUN!

So What, If The Snow's Melting!

We'll make our own!

Gan Bet mixed cornstarch and shaving cream....

...and were thrilled to have instant "Fluffy Stuff"!

"Hey, look! I made a snowball!"

"I'm a snow-monster!"

"We can even make it snow with snowflakes!"

We used this experience to reinforce Hebrew language related to winter, too!

What a fun and messy way to engage our senses at winter-time!