Shulchan Shabbat - What Makes Shabbat Special to YOU?

At this week's Shulchan Shabbat, we first spoke about the different words relating to Shabbat that we know in ivrit! Then, the yeladim illustrated pictures using oil pastels to create images of their favorite parts of Shabbat. All of the responses were wonderfully creative and completed independently. Below you can view some of the wonderful illustrations and creations that stemmed from our sentence starter, "My favorite thing about Shabbat is..."

The yeladim from each of the Ganon and Gan classes all had the opportunity to use our iPads to take a picture of their own illustration. I simply can not wait for the "voice-over" activity of having the children tell their part of their class story about what makes Shabbat special to them!

Ganon Bet's Bowling League

What happens when you hand a box of bowling pins to children? In Ganon Bet, the children decided to create a bowling alley. They proceeded to delegate jobs: 1 child was the machine that picked up the pins; 1 child was the score keeper; 1 created a sign; and another kept the bowlers in an orderly line! They had a wonderful time, and we kvelled at their ingenuity and team work!

Purim Puppets

After hearing the Purim story from very special puppets in Gan Gimmel, the children were eager to make their own puppets. As we gradually learn the story, the children are making each Purim character any way they want. Using a variety of materials allows the children to be creative and show their individuality. So far we have made King Achashverosh, Queen Vashti and Mordechai. After hearing that King Achashverosh was not very smart and did not think for himself, a curious kindergartner asked, "Did Achashverosh ever go to school?"

Hip Hip Hooray! It's Penguin Day!

A morah walked through the halls and saw Gan Aleph waddling around like penguins. "What's the occasion?" she asked. "It's Penguin Day!" On Tuesday, Gan Aleph arrived at school wearing black and white and excited to celebrate all that we have learned about this fascinating animal. We began the day with a special penguin snack. The children were provided with oreo cookies, candy corn and chocolate chips and were presented with the task of building a penguin on their plates using these items. It was fun to see how different children used these items in different ways to create their penguins. Of course, the best part was when we got to eat them!

Next, we played a fun math game using jellyfish. We sat around in a circle and looked at these jellyfish swimming in the "ocean." The children were presented with different addition and subtraction problems based on these fish. For example, "6 fish were swimming in the ocean. Along came a penguin named Vicky and ate 3 fish! How many fish were left!?" Vicky ate the fish and we counted the remaining fish together.

In the afternoon, we had our very own waddle relay. The children lined up into two teams and were given a ball to hold in between their knees in order to ensure the best possible waddle! We raced back and forth in the halls and cheered each other on! It was a wonderful display of good sportsmanship and we waited to make sure everyone had a turn to waddle.

By the end of the day, our penguin bulletin board had gone up and our life-size penguins were hung next to it. The children are so proud of their work and invite you to waddle your way to our outside bulletin board to view their creativity and enthusiasm for the penguins!

Portrait of a Friend

Jeremy and Benny found a new use for the acrylic easel in Gan Bet. Benny climbed in, and Jeremy sketched him with pastels. They laughed and took turns as artist and model. Observation skills, visual motor skills, creativity, and so much fun!

Thanksgiving Designers

The children have been exploring the Thanksgiving theme. They have been busy creating their Native American costumes. We began by changing our names to Native American names and using our new names to create Native American headbands. We added patterns and pictorial symbols to our headbands. In the math center the children designed and created bead necklaces using original patterns.

Using spices the children helped create special paints for their vests. They designed and created their vests using our spice paint.

Professional Development

Yesterday, while the children were home enjoying a day off from school, the teachers became students! We participated in a full day conference on Process Art, along with our colleagues from BPY, Noam, and Bnai Yeshurun. We learned many new ideas, and followed up with our own staff meeting, at which we formulated plans to put some of those ideas to work in our classrooms. Watch future newsletters and blog posts for examples!

Process art is the wonderful freedom of exploration, experimentation, creativity, and self-expression that happens when children try things out without worrying about the final product. Children become totally engrossed in making a work of art. It is a calming activity, contributing to all aspects of child development.

To encourage your child's art at home, provide blank paper, crayons, colored pencils, watercolors, or chalk. Talk with him or her about the process, rather than the product. For example, point out the lines, shapes, colors, textures that you notice, or ask him or her to tell you about their work. Children learn differently, and creative activities such as art provide rich, positive, and satisfying experiences for all.