Dear readers of this blog...

I want to apologize for the lack of writing in this blog page lately. I just wanted to let you know that I am still here and will be continuing to write and add to this blog. Since the 2012-2013 school year I have been enrolled in a masters program. As you can imagine, recently, I have been concentrating on writing papers. I will try to post more during the year, and I may ask a few friends to add some of their ideas as well. 

Please stay tuned and thank you for your patience. 

Have a great school year everybody. 

Yael

Purim Day... What a Happy Holiday...

Purim day... Purim day... What a Happy Holiday...

Purim is a happy and a festive holiday.  I wanted to share another festive looking Purim basket with you.
We use hard paper (oak tag) for this basket.  This paper is sturdy enough so the children can carry it all around the schul, the school and the neighborhood without spilling any treat along the way.  For the two-year-old classes, we decorate them with dot paint, water paint, or tempera paint.  Or other times, before folding the paper into hamantashen, we cut tissue papers into little squares, and lay them on the oak tag and spray water on them.  This way the colors on the tissue paper bleed through.  When it is dry, we remove the tissue papers and voila, the beautiful tye-dye design created on the basket.

After we fold the paper into hamantashen, we add the pipe cleaner to make a handle to carry the basket. 

The kids choose any color for a tissue paper to put in their basket.  When the basket is ready they place the treat in the basket.
This basket is ready to go!

HAPPY PURIM!

Tu B'shevat Recipe

     Believe it or not, Tu B'shevat is on its way.  While we are still trying to manage the snow and the cold weather here in the States, Israel (despite its current record rains) will be getting its first spring buds soon. Then the first fruits will show up on the trees and we will eventually benefit from their nutritiousness. 

     In my classroom, I show pictures of all the different kinds of fruits that grow on trees. I bring in some dried figs, some fresh figs, some dates, and, of course, some apples and bananas. Then we have a feast while tasting all these fruits. 

     We also bake this simple recipe with bananas and dates. It's very easy to make. I let the kids cut the fruit and mix everything. All I do is just put it in the oven and take it out. 

Enjoy!

 

BANANA BITES (TU B’SHEVAT)

    Ingredients:

3 Ripe bananas

       1C. chopped dates

1/4C. oil

 2C. oats

 1tsp. vanilla

Directions:

1)   Cut two of the bananas into bite-size chunks.

2)   Mash the third banana.

3)   Combine all of the ingredients and stir until well mixed.

4)   Let it stand for 10 minutes.

5)   Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet.

6)   Bake at 350ºC for 15-20 minutes.

7)   Let cool before eating.

8)   Makes approximately 24 bites.

Feed the Maccabee

The Maccabees are the heroes of the Hanukka story. They were strong, brave, and bold. They fought Antiochus and his soldiers and chased them away. Did they eat latkes to celebrate this glorious event?
Well, in my classroom we feed the Maccabee latkes. I found a Maccabee picture in one of the coloring books, and enlarged it when I copied it. I taped it on a box and cut a hole in its mouth. I have been collecting playdo container tops. So we pretend they are colorful latkes and feed them to the Maccabee. The children love this game. We sometimes try throwing the latkes in the Maccabee's mouth and count them in Hebrew at the same time.

 

Here are two songs that go with the theme today.

Tune:Are you sleeping?
Potato latkes, potato latkes.
They are so good, they are so good.
I could eat a million.
I could eat a billion.
Yum, yum, yum.
Yum, yum, yum.

Here is another one, but the tune is unknown.

I want to be a Maccabee,
So brave, so stong, so bold.
And chase away the enemy,
But I'm only two (or three, or four) years old.

This song is very cute when the children sing it in front of their parents.
Happy Hanukkah!

Sameach at Simchat Torah

This is my first post of this year. Since me and my family came back from visiting my family in Turkey, a lot has been happening. I want to apologize to everybody who has been reading my blog. Now I'm back on track, so let the fun begin.

I know Simchat Torah is already here but I still wanted to add a few ideas to start this school year. 
The first idea is coming from my friend and colleague Eileen's 3 years-old-class. These hand-made Torahs look very cute and are very easy to carry to the schul for hakafot.

She gave every child white paper bags to decorate with stars and Torah prints. They filled the bags with crumpled newspaper. Then the children dipped the craft sticks in the glue and then in the glitter. After the sticks were dry, they added them on the paper bag, and... voila.
I personally don't like bringing glitter to my house, but I discovered that if we dip the craft sticks in 'Mod Pudge' (which can be found at Michael's or at any craft store.) after the glitter has dried, the sticks have an extra coat to keep the glitter safe.


The next project is one of my favorite project for Simchat Torah: Edible Torah.

 

For this project we use tortillas, cream cheese, big pretzel sticks, and some sprinkles. Then we let everybody to create their own Torahs. What could be yummier than that. 

Hag sameach!

 

 

From Lag Ba'omer to Shavuot

Lag Ba'omer has come and gone. In our school the threes and fours and Kindergarten classes got together in the lobby (our playground would have been a nice option but unfortunately the weather wasn't cooperating with the program). They sang some songs and listened to the story of Lag Ba'omer while eating ice-pops. Then all the classes took turns going to the big gym to play some racing, running, fun games with the gym teachers. This was a very nice activity for the kids. Everybody had fun. 

While waiting for Shvuot we talk about Moses and the importance of getting the '10 Commandments'. We discussed that everybody and everywhere we need rules to be able to live in peace with each other.  The children used floppy brushes to paint the tablets to give them more of a stone-like appearance. 

While the paint on the tablets were drying we talked about rules. Then we created our own classroom rules and wrote them on the tablets.  

  

 This year we wanted to add something different for Shavuot. As a little science project we went for a walk outside. We looked for some rocks, brought them into the classroom. We put a piece of paper next to each rock and talked about the differences between the rock and the paper.  After all this discussion came the critical question: "Why did G-d choose the rock over paper?"  The responses were amazing and very creative. 

Lastly, we put the rocks and the paper on our discovery table. We put some markers, crayons, and some chalk next to them. We asked the children to draw something on both the rocks and the paper. Our discussion panel continued with this question: " Which one was easier to write on?"

Conclusion: We still don't know why G-d chose the rock over  the paper.

Hag Sameach!

Yom Huledet Sameach Israel!

(Happy Birthday Israel!)

We love marching, especially if there is a reason to march. Israel is celebrating its 64th birthday. When we march all the children carry their own flags. 

In our classroom we like to give the children the freedom of creation. 

We show the children the Israeli flag.  We talk about it. We acknowledge the stripes, the Star of David, and the colors. We all agree that blue paint will be needed. We give the children blue dot paints and blue paint for the star cookie cutter, and we let them create their Israeli flag. As you can see below, all of the children's projects are Israeli flags, yet they are all unique. 

 

Happy Birthday Israel!

Spring is here, Pesach is on the way

Pesach is one of the biggest occasions we have in our school. All the two-year-old classes invite their families on a selected day and celebrate Pesach in their classes. During the celebration, we tell the story of Pesach, we sing some Pesach songs. And, of course, we eat.

In my classroom, I like to include the parents as well. When they come in they know ahead of time what to expect for that day based on a note I had sent home. This way if they are coming from work they know to bring a spare t-shirt for the charoset making (see below).

At my Pesach party, I welcome the parents inside, and they all sit down on the floor with their children (circle time). I hand out masks (frogs, Jewish people, pharoah, Moses, matzah, etc) to the children. The children help me to  tell the story. At specific parts of the story I add different Pesach songs. They hold their masks and sing along with me. To end circle time, we say all the blessings and move to the tables.

We make the charoset with the families. I prepare the tables ahead of time with apples, cinnamon, grape juice, and raisins. The families get together at the tables and chop, pour, mix, chat, and have fun.
When the charoset is ready it's time to sit at the table and eat.
Pesach is all about family gathering. In my classroom we are a big family.

Here are the songs we sing in the classroom:
                                                DO YOU KNOW IT’S PESACH TIME?
                                                  (Tune: Do you know the muffin man?)

Do you know it’s Pesach time,

Pesach time, Pesach time?

Do you know it’s Pesach time?

Pesach time is here!

 

BANG, BANG, BANG

(The children sing this song with plastic hammers 

and shovels. It's an active song)

Bang, bang, bang

Hold your hammer low

Bang, bang, bang

Give a heavy blow

For it’s work, work, work

Everyday and every night

For it’s work, work, work

When it’s dark and when it’s light

Dig, dig, dig

Dig your shovels deep

Dig, dig, dig

There’s no time to sleep

For it’s work, work, work

Everyday and every night

Foe it’s work, work, work

When it’s dark and when it’s light

  

OH LISTEN…

Oh listen, oh listen

Oh listen King Pharoah

Oh listen, Oh listen

Please let my people go.

They work so hard all day

They want to go away.

King Pharaoh, King Pharaoh

What do you say?

No, no, no- I will not let them go X2

ONE MORNING

(The children sing this song with 

the frog puppets they've made.)

One morning when Pharaoh

Woke in his bed

There were frogs in his bed

And frogs on his head

Frogs on his nose and frogs on his toes.

Frogs here, frogs there

Frogs were jumping everywhere.

BAKE A MATZAH

(The children sing this song with hand motions.)

Bake a matzah pat, pat, pat

Do not make it fat, fat, fat

Bake a matzah flat, flat, flat

Bake a matzah just like that.

 

AFIKOMEN

Afikomen, Afikomen

Where are you? X2

Where could you be hiding? X2

Wish I knew. X2

Here are some of the projects from my classroom:

                                

Bulletin Board: This bulletin board was a complete class project. The children painted the sea, and Moses' costume and the sand beneath their feet. The frogs are also made by the children. 

Matzah Tray: Painted with Legos, and the Star of David on a white hard paper. It's laminated after it dries.  Folded from four sides and tied with paper brass or ribbons.

Afikomen bag: We paint the hard oak tag paper with the middle of a cardboard box. If you look at a cardboard box, in between of the two sheets you'll see the wrinkly part. That's what we use to give a matzah effect while we are painting. Then the children lace their own bag.

 

Getting Ready for the Purim Festival

For a good festival you need the right decorations, gifts, costumes, a lot of noise, and, of course, food. 

The bulletin boards:

Groggers, masks, and the mishloach manot baskets:

 

 

An Easy Hamantashen Recipe:

4 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup orange juice

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup oil

3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix everything together in a large bowl.

Knead well before rolling out.

Roll dough out thinly on floured surface.

Cut out circles using a glass.

Put poppy seeds, fruit filling, or chocolate chips in the center of circle.

Pinch edges together firmly to form a triangle.

Bake until light brown – approximately 15-20 minutes.

Make about 3 dozen.

Songs:  

Purim day, Purim day.

What a happy holiday. 


Wear a mask, wear a crown.

Dancing all around. 


Round go the groggers, rash, rash, rash! (3x) 


On Purim day! Purim Song: (Tune: If You're Happy and You Know It)

If you hear the name of Haman stomp your feet (stomp twice)

If you hear the name of Haman stomp your feet (stomp twice) If you hear the name of Haman, if you hear the name of Haman, if you hear the name of Haman stomp your feet (stomp feet twice)

If you hear the name of Esther clap your hands......

If you hear the name of Ahasuerus turn around.....

If you hear the name of Mordecai shout hooray....

 

P-U-R-I-M

THERE IS A HOLIDAY I LOVE

AND PURIM IS ITS NAME-O.

P-U-R-I-M  X3

AND PURIM IS ITS NAME-O.

 

Hamantashen Song (tune: Clementine)

Roll the dough out,

Make some circles,

Put the jelly right inside.

Pinch together three little corners,

Eat hamantashen,

Open wide! 

Happy Purim!

Welcome Shabbat, welcome parents!

We love Shabbat. It is a special holiday that comes every Friday, and it is fun. That's why we think it should be shared. We enjoy sharing it with moms and dads, grandmas and grandads, and maybe even  aunts and uncles. Every Friday we choose one child to be the Shabbat child.  On his/her special day that child invites his/her family to our classroom. We sing some songs, we say the blessings, we eat, we chat, we have fun. 

We wanted to make this day even more special, so we let the Shabbat child bring the Challah Bear home for the weekend. Challah Bear goes home with a special Shabbat bag with Shabbat items in it. 

The reason we decided to do something like that is because we thought it would be good if the children could bring home something to share this special holiday.  

To make the bag, I bought a plain canvas bag and decorated it with fabric puff paint, though I did sew on some parts (the flowers, candle sticks, and the Kiddush cup). 

In the bag we put Challah Bear, a Kiddush cup,  

 

a tzeddakah box, 

 

candle sticks, real candles, kippahs, a challah cover, and a challah roll. 

 

We ask the family to take some pictures while they are out with Challah Bear over the weekend. When they bring the bag and Challah Bear back we ask them to bring the picture back for Challah Bear's journal.  

At the end of the school year we make copies of the journal. We attach all the pages to make one journal for each child as a keepsake from our school year.

Shabbat is here, Shabbat is here, 

We are so glad that Shabbat is here. 

Candles burning bright, it's Friday night ,

We are so glad that Shabbat is here. 

Shabbat Shalom everyone. 

 

Menorahs (Chanukiahs) Through the Ages...

Everybody has a New Year's resolution.  I always say I will write more often. Write more often, write more often, write more often...  On the first day of 2012 I'm keeping my promise and I'm starting my new year with writing.

During the last days of Hanukkah I was walking around and asking people to share their menorah ideas with us. Here are some of them:

This menorah was made by my classroom this year. They are two-and-a-half-year-olds. This menorah is very simple. The base is a cardboard egg carton with a paper towel roll on top. I made the slits on the rolls. The children colored everything and glued them on top of each other. The candles have Velcro on the craftsticks and on the back of the flames.  This way the children can put the candles on the menorah and pretend to light the candles as well.

 This menorah was made by four-year-olds . The base is made out of the same-sized wood pieces. The shamash is a taller circular shape piece of wood that the children painted with glitter.  This is a real menorah with which the children light real candles. (Of course with parents' help.)

 

This menorah was also made by two-year-olds. The base is made out of white tagboard. The children placed the tissue paper squares on the tagboard. They sprayed water on the tissue paper to make the colors bleed all over the white tagboard. They used the same technique on the candles. The candles are attached to the base by brass paper fasteners. This way the candles can lay down or stand up. 

This menorah was made by my son when he was three years old. The base is oak tagboard. The idea of the decoration is the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Candles are thick painted craftsticks that the kids dipped in the glitter to give the flame effect.   

This menorah was also made by my son when he was four years old. Everything is made out of leftover wood pieces. It also is a real menorah that the kids can use it to light real candles. 

I'm sure in the coming years more menorahs will be created. The possibilities are endless. The most important thing is finding the right one for the appropriate age.

I wish a Happy New Year to all the preschool teachers and their families!

 

Hanukkah oh Hanukkah...

This is one festive holiday, with lots of lights, lots of entertainment, lots of attractions, and of course lots of food.  It really seems like all the Jewish holidays are connected with food. With this said, Hanukkah can not be done correctly without a party in our classroom. The parents are invited, and we love it when they visit our classroom. If parents come to see us in our classroom then they get to experience a day in our lives as well.

A week before the party we send home invitations that say "come to the party, dress to get messy".  On the day of the party, we cut out big dreidels and organize them on the floor with different kinds of brushes and paint.

 

Everybody has a blast painting the dreidels. On their kneels and all. 

Every year we send hanukiyot (menoras) home. The children work very hard on their hanukiyot.  It's a nice keepsake for  future hanukkah celebrations. While the family light the candles on the menorahs the children can also pretend to light the candles on theirs.

This hanukiya was made with three year old children. We, the teachers, prepared the cardboard hanukiya pattern ahead of time. The children painted the menorahs and the stand. They painted the candles and added the shiny "lights" on the candles with glitter dipped in glue. We also glued some Star of David confetti to the menorahs. Because of the clothespins, this menorah is very good for hand eye coordination, counting, and for small motor skills.

 

This hanukiya was made with two year old children. It's much simpler. The children painted the egg carton as the base of the hanukiya. They painted the paper towel rolls and glued them on the base. The teacher carved slits on the roll for the candles. The thin craft sticks were the regular candles, and two craft sticks were glued together to make the Shamash. This year instead of the two sticks the teacher used a fat craft stick as a Shamash. It is bigger and taller then the others.  

This year I teach the two year old children. I always use simpler songs, simpler projects, and simpler books for them. I just found this song in one of my books, which I think is great for this age. 

Tune: Where is Thumbkin?

Where is Judah Maccabee X2

Strong and bold X2

He helped the Jewish people X2

We've been told X2

Shalom, Judah Maccabee X2

Strong and bold X2

You helped the Jewish people X2

We've been told X2

We wish you all a Happy Hanukkah. 

Shabbat Is Here

Shalom,
Wow! This year's weather has been very interesting so far. It rained during the week of Sukkot so we were unable to sit in the sukkah.  Then a serious snow storm at the end of October provided a sudden snow vacation. I hope everybody has power now and is safe.

During the cold weather that we have had lately, even though it's not winter yet, I like to eat soup. Any kind of soup. But in my opinion chicken soup with matzah balls can beat any soup. Chicken soup and Shabbat are an unbeatable pair.

There is a song for chicken soup, unfortunately I don't know the writer.

Put the chicken in the pot

Put the chicken in the pot

Stir it up nice and hot

Get it ready for Shabbat

For Shabbat

Put the celery in the pot

Stir it up nice and hot

Get it ready for Shabbat for Shabbat

Put the potatoes (celery, peas, onion, etc….) in the pot

When we sing this song in our room I use a real soup pot and plastic food for the soup's ingredients.

My friend Gina uses a pot and food that are cut out of felt for the song. The options are endless.

In our classroom, we love getting ready for Shabbat. Shabbat is one of my favorite times of the year (Yes, every week!). It comes every Friday, and we are allowed to eat as much challah as we want. All these years that I've been teaching I've never met a child that doesn't love challah.
Every Friday, on my discovery table I set an extra set of Shabbat supplies, including candles, candle sticks, play challahs, a chalah cover, a kiddush cup, a white table cloth, and some shabbat books. The kids like to explore and set the shabbat table over and over again. What an important experience!

This is our shabbat tablecloth, and everybody in the classroom is part of it. We use it on the main table. When parents come to visit, the shabbat child gets to sit at that table with his/her family.

This is our favorite challah bear, dressed for shabbat and ready to roll.

Challah bear is very lucky, because he gets to go home with the shabbat child every week. 

Stay safe and Shabbat Shalom!

Sukkot

Shalom,
This year's rain and wind didn't let us sit in the sukkah as much as we wanted.  We went to the school's sukkah as we planned with snack and everything.  Even though it was lightly drizzling we stayed and sat in the sukkah.  We sang, danced and ate our snack.  We even joked that with the rain we took a shower in the sukkah!  The kids loved this idea because it was very funny, and they couldn't wait to tell their parents.

For little kids a sukkah doesn't have to be outside only.  There will be days that you won't be able to get there.  But the mini sukkah in the classroom is a lifesaver, and it is fun to make and play in.  This way the kids can sit in the sukkah and decorate it anytime they want.

This little sukkah was made in my friend Jo's classroom by two years olds. (Just a little tip: Now that all the big stores are into recycling boxes, it was hard to find a box this year.  I think we teachers should let the stores know ahead of time so when they get the shipment they can save some boxes for us.)
The teacher opened a few slits on the top of the box with an exacto knife (to see the stars).  Then the children tore some green paper into schach and glued the pieces all over the box.  Of course, let's not forget the decorations that go in the box or wherever you want.

After using a box for a sukkah I always keep it for future projects. In the same year, a box can start as a sukkah, then turn into a firetruck, then a puppet theater, and then an aquarium.  As we all know, sometimes when a child receives a new toy, the box is the best part to play with.

Enjoy creating boxtastic ideas.
Hag Sameach!

Yom Kippur for younger children

Shalom once again,

The children in my classroom this year are starting to turn three now, and they come to school only three days a week.  Teaching them about Yom Kippur is not as easy as teaching older children.  This year I decided to concentrate on the idea of the shofar.  I wanted them to recognize the shofar and know where it come from and how it sounds.

I like using the following activity for almost any holiday or season in my room.  It's fun.  It strengthens their fine motor skills.  It lets them work as a team. It also helps them develop problem solving skills.

First, I taped the shofar cutouts to the table and added "Challah Bear" cutout in the middle.

Before the children came we covered the table with a soft paper, and placed crayons on the table.  I like these melted crayons, they fit in their hands perfectly, so it's easier for them to hold and rub with these.  

We told the children to start rubbing the crayon on the paper to see what happens. As soon as they started rubbing they discovered the shofars.

After discovering a few shofars we told the children that the challah bear decided to play hide and seek. So they need to rub the whole paper to be able to find the Challah Bear. 

Of course, we didn't want the fun to end just there. We decided to share it with the whole school. 

We cut the paper and hung it on our hallway wall to give the other kids chance to find Challah Bear. 

I wish you could see the excitement on their faces when they found Challah Bear. 

We will need to convince Challah Bear to play hide and seek again sometime soon. 

A New Year - Shana Tovah!

Welcome to my blog!

I can't believe I'm actually about to post my first entry. This is very exciting for me. I love writing and I've been writing for many years, but this is a different, a new kind of writing.

I feel that to be a good teacher I always have to search for new ideas.  In this blog I would like to share everything that's happening in my teaching world, and I hope that you will share the same with me.

I truly love what I do in preschool.  I love kids.  I love teaching them new perspectiveson life.  I love seeing how they grow and blossom during the year.  This is one of the best parts of being a preschool teacher. I have 2 ½ - 3 year old children in my classroom. This is the best age.  They are just starting school, and they don't know what to expect.  So their little eyes look at you with amazement; their little ears listen to every word you say. They are like little sponges ready to absorb everything and anything.

Before I finish writing this post I would like to share a group project that became our bulletin board in the classroom.
We made a big apple and a big honey pot on a big piece of butcher paper.  This was in the second week of school. They are just getting used to being in school and being away from Mommy and Daddy.  I think they did a great job! It also kept their minds away from the separation. They saw that school can be fun.

A New Year means new beginnings. I wish all the new teachers who are starting their journey in the amazing world of teaching good luck, and good luck to the teachers who are seasoned in this noble pursuit, too.

Now, we shall start our journey.
Thank you for reading my blog, and I hope to hear from you as you share your ideas and experiences, as well.
Shana Tovah everybody!