Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel, I Made It Out of Clay!!

The children in Gan Gimmel have known the song for a long time but have they ever really made a dreidel out of clay?? They used their hand and finger muscles to manipulate the self hardening clay into their own dreidels. After forming it into the shape they wanted, the children "wrote" with a pencil point on the dreidel's 4 sides. They wrote NUN, GIMMEL, HAY, SHIN on each side and they can't wait until it is dry enough to paint.

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!

Gan Daled Throws Half of a Party

Gan Daled celebrated our 50th day of school with half of a party. Half of a party you might ask? We have been counting every day since the beginning of school looking forward to our 100th day.

To celebrate our half way mark, we enjoyed half of an Oreo cookie, half of a pretzel stick and half of a licorice stick. In addition, the children were excited to count to 50 by 1's, 2's, 5's, and 10's.


Stay tuned for the whole party details on our 100th day.

Gan Aleph, Gan Aleph, What do you see?

I see a menorah looking at me! Gan Aleph experienced Chanukah through our new acrylic see-through easel. A menorah and dreidel were placed on the inside of this 3 way easel. The children looked through the glass and painted what they saw straight onto the easel! Then we pressed paper onto their easel painting and saw it come alive! We are excited to use our new easel for many future activities!

Iron Chef Ganon Bet

Sufganiyot, Latkes, Dreidel cookies oh my! Those are the scents that have been permeating through the halls of the Early Childhood department these past few days. The children have been hard at work honing their culinary skills, peeling, grating, measuring, mixing and decorating! Thank you to all of the Moms and Dads who have helped make Chanukah delicious in Ganon Bet this week!

Everyday Fun and Learning in Gan Bet

A typical day in Gan Bet includes many fun, skill-building activities. Matt and Ezra patiently work together to paint tubes for a class bulletin board. Their focus on a common purpose is remarkably mature. Tzvi and Hannah E. share a CD-book set in the listening center. They follow along the printed words as they listen with their head phones, turning the pages at appropriate moments, and enjoying the story together. Hannah G. is drawing a picture of her family with bright markers. Morah Carol and the children had separated the markers by color. They have found that this type of organization encourages the children to be more thoughtful in their selections, and more respectful of the materials and their work. No detail left unturned in educating our children!

Latkes, Latkes, Good to Eat!

Jacob's grandma, Grandma Marlene came to our class this morning to help the children in Ganon Aleph make potato latkes. The children peeled and grated the potatoes themselves. Grating the onions was an emotional experience for some of them! The outcome was delicious!! Afterward, Jacob's grandma read the children a great Chanukah story. We love having visits from grandparents!

Latkes! Latkes! Everywhere!

Peeling potatoes, grating onions, cracking eggs...these are a few of the cooking activities taking place in Gan Aleph in honor of the first day of Chanukah. The children independently followed the recipe and participated in each step. They enjoyed this special Chanukah treat during lunch! A special thank you to Vicky's mom (Pam Dollman) who helped us fry them to perfection!

Now You See It, Now You Don't!

Gan Daled made beautiful chanukiyot to enhance the celebration of Chanukah. The chanukiyot are styled after the artwork of Yaacov Agam. Agam is an Israeli artist, the son of a rabbi in Rishon Le Zion, and is known for his kinetic art. In kinetic or "op" art, the specially arranged patterns of line and color seem almost to move.
When looking at the chanukiyot from a certain angle, we see our Hebrew names. When shifting our gaze just a bit, we are treated to a view of Yerushalayim.

For more information on Yaacov Agam please go to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaacov_Agam





Happy Chanukah!

Chanukah Is Coming.

Lots of work! Lots of fun!

Gan Daled is busy with numerous activities preparing for the Festival of Lights. Using their imagination, creative abilities, and fine motor skills they are busy making beautiful objects to enhance this joyous holiday while learning about their Jewish roots and traditions.

It is said that one picture is worth a thousand words. Here are some pictures showing your children at work creating their beautiful chanukiyot, wrapping papers , drip mats and and cards.