We're Stumped

We went outside this morning to see the new trees that were planted for our fruit orchard. We exited the building from a door we had never used before and were greeted by a strange sight. There was a row of large tree stumps all along the wall of the building.

The first thing we did was to each pick a stump to sit on. This was a way to discover that a tree can provide us with a place to rest. Then we put our hands on the rough bark around the stump. After that we saw the rings of the tree. You can tell how old a tree is by counting the rings. We agreed that there were too many rings to count. These had been pretty old trees.

When we looked at the newly planted saplings, the contrast in size was stark. This was a wonderful way to realize how small trees are when they start out and how big they can become.

WORKING TOWARD GROUP WORK

Following a discussion about the benefits and beauty of trees, the children expressed interest in drawing trees. I encouraged some drawings from memory (non-observational drawing) at first, and encouraged them to think of something from our discussion while drawing. I have been trying to teach them ways in which to work in pairs or in groups, so I planned on two or three children drawing their own tree on the same piece of larger poster board, as a beginning to some group collaborative work. They argued and complained profusely, preferring to draw their own poster board tree! Not giving up on my plan I did manage to encourage two girls to compile a collage of paper and wooden items. What made this project more amenable to them? Perhaps they are at the age where expressing their own creativity is still more important than working together. The end products did turn out wonderfully but I guess it's something to ponder and something to keep on enouraging!

Colors Everywhere!!!

Recently, we have started talking about our colors and working with the kids on color recognition. One place it is easy to bring it up is in play. This morning the kids were playing with colorful connecting beads and so I decided to intervene!! We talked about the colors and then sorted the pieces out.

"Look, I am doing yellow!" "Look at all the red ones!" "I made a long blue one!"

They showed me and each other and were so proud of their hard work!

Great job!

Beyond Balls and Snakes.

Morah Yael and I have noticed that the children love working with Play-Doh. We've also noticed that they usually gravitate towards constructing two items: balls and snakes. Occasionally, we've brought out various tools (strainers, mashers, mallets, etc.) to encourage more intricate creations. Still, the children formed more and more balls and snakes.

We remembered a workshop that Morah Anat, of ECD fame, facilitated last spring with all the ECD teachers. She had suggested taking away the tools, thereby forcing the children to really use their fingers and hands to get the results they needed. "What a great way to increase fine-motor skills while shaping a more engaging product," we thought. We followed through and then we began to see more variety in the children's designs.

Still, we thought, what else can we do with Play-Doh? The answer came last week when Morah Devi read Still Life Stew to the children. The children observed photos of actual vegetables, and Morah Devi explained the difference between shape and form, 2-dimensions vs. 3 dimensions. She then gave the children a small (yes, small) piece of Play-Doh. The results were over-the-top.

The combination of having strong visuals (the book), great teachers (Morah Anat and Morah Devi) and prior experience (all our earlier attempts at working with Play-Doh) led to an activity that was exciting--and, as you can see from the photos, the results were stunning.

And the icing on the cake? This week, we transferred all our Play-Doh knowledge into Hebrew. Morah Yael instructed the class in Hebrew. The children then used their Hebrew vocabulary to talk about their specific veggies and their colors. We produced a beautiful סלט salat, salad, which further reinforced our learning of the letter Samech.

Enjoy the photos--and come and visit to see our art work "in person" when you're in the building.

Engineers Must Plan

Our space inquiries are expanding. We have seen pictures of the solar system, reread Frank Asch's book "Mooncake", in which Little Bear builds a rocket to go to the moon, and seen videos in computer class about the NASA astronauts and rocket launches. We learned about the foods astronauts eat in space and will have an "astronaut snack" in class. When we bring a big carton into class we will construct a "real" rocket.

Before any project, engineers spend a great deal of time in planning. So with that in mind, today we spent time working on rockets made of blocks. We can think of these as "prototypes". Here are pictures of what children made today.

Beyond the Moon

As you probably know, we decided to emphasize Rosh Chodesh, the new Jewish month, which is lunar, this year, and that led us to embark on a study of the moon. One of the class parents graciously ordered posters for us- one of the moon and another of the solar system.

I thought the solar system poster would be above our level and I put it in its box on the top shelf of a closet. Yesterday I was trying to organize that closet and the box with the poster literally hit me in the head [just like a good idea does]. This morning I put the poster on a table to see if the children would show an interest in it.

A few children went over to it and had so many questions. They wanted to know the name of each planet. We located the sun and the Earth's moon. When they were shown that Uranus spins in a vertical manner, one child wanted to know which way the other planets spin. Our next step is to look at the poster with more children and find out what further questions arise.

How do you get to be a...? Part Three

Gan Alef and Bet were visited by Brent Wolkin, a GHA parent. He and his father manufacture the mattresses used for cribs, changing tables, and resting mats, just to name a few items. Their company, Colgate, is the oldest crib mattress manufacturer in the United States.

To show and explain to the students about his job, Mr. Wolkin brought in a few samples of mattresses and the materials inside for students to see, feel, and take home! The students were shocked to see the number of layers found inside the mattress, including a layer of coconut fur.

To finish the visit, the Wolkins brought with them Mr. Lee, a colleague who helps distribute the finished mattresses to different parts of the country. He does this in a 24 foot tractor trailer, which he was kind enough to bring in and let the kids explore! The students even got the opportunity to pull the string to blow the horn!

Every student engaged and got involved in participating with this visit. What a way to continue our project!

Fun with Scissors

מִסְפָּרַיִם

While working on a new skill using scissors, we need to concentrate. מִסְפָּרַיִם, scissors, begins with the letter, מ.

Every few minutes, we stop to see the results, admire our artwork, and then continue with the cutting.

Menashe explained the process: first, you fold. Now, you cut.
Menashe wrote his name, in Hebrew as the last step. "I'll just write 'Menashe'--it's easier than writing Menashe ben Yaakov."

Ella's scissor-cut artwork: it's a mushroom! No, it's the letter C! (Notice the fringe, her own innovation.)

Shimon's describes his artwork: it's a guy, his hat and his bowtie. How many of these can we make?!

Zellik: Whoa! This is so cool!
Us: Is this your first time making scissor-cut artwork?
Zellik: Yes, and I'm already good at it! (followed by a sigh.)

Everyone Needs a Vacation

All of us enjoyed our time off. When it was time to go back to school, teachers were concerned about how they would get back into a working routine after two weeks of vacation and some parents were concerned about their children adapting again to school. I don't know if anyone asked the children in our class what they thought, or if they would have, could the children have answered.

Anyway, what have the past two days, the first days back, been like? The short answer is: great. The children have been so happy to see their friends again and to be able to play and interact with them. They have all been so mellow and relaxed. Not a single child cried the first day back. They just wanted to be with their friends in their room.

Lesson learned: Everyone benefits from a vacation, even three and four year olds.

Pack Warmth!!

Found in the teachers lounge today

Happy Chanuka!!

We have had so much fun learning and getting ready for Chanuka. We have been so busy with arts and crafts, baking, and playing Chanuka games!

But most importantly, everyone got a chance to play with different Chanukiahs and candles. Ask them for help setting up your Chanukiah at home!!!

Happy Chanuka to all of you!!

Sufganiot--and we're giving away our recipe!!

Oh, the joys of preparing and eating Sufganiot. Perhaps you are a serious latke fan. I used to be. Then, once upon a time after eating Chanukah latkes for four or five days straight, I decided to make Sufganiot. Truthfully, I was afraid--I had been warned that yeast-based recipes can be unpredictable. This recipe uses self-rising flour, which contains baking powder, so it's relatively easy-peasey. It's quick, it's cheap, it's tasty--and it gets the cook in and out of the kitchen with relative ease and little mess. (Okay, the mess is relative.) Today, we fried Sufganiot in Gan Aleph. Here's our recipe:

2 1/2 cups self-rising flour
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sour cream (not low fat--real sour cream, please, or this recipe will not work.)
2 tablespoons sugar (plus some extra to roll the doughnuts in when finished frying)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

At least 32 ounces vegetable oil
Combine flour, eggs, sour cream, sugar, lemon juice, salt and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Mix well. Batter will be soft.
Heat oil to about 370 degrees. Drop batter, about a tablespoonful for each doughnut, into the hot oil.
Fry until the underside becomes light brown. Turn over and fry until light brown and firm. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with granulated sugar. Serve warm.
Makes about 24 doughnuts.

Remember to share a story of the Chanukah miracle of the oil with the children as you eat and enjoy your Sufganiot.

Crazy Imperfect Mom Alert!!!!!

A conversation this morning between me and some friends:

Me: So I finally had my kids make a chart of what they need to do in the morning. You know, get dressed, brush teeth... It worked so well for Josiah! But Juniper...

Yael: Yeah, Juniper walked in barefoot today in 34 degree weather!

Me: Yeah, it didn't go so well with her. But it was perfect with Josiah (read: I can be a perfect parent!)!

Chris (Josiah's teacher): (Pause)...Josiah didn't bring in his homework folder!

Me: Arg $@*$%!!!!


My take away: Just when we feel we are making strides, our imperfections glare at us.


Sigh. Parenting is hard. Sigh.

Please share: What wisdom gets you through these moments??

Cool Gadgets!!!

We looked at 2 different gadgets in the passed few weeks.

The first was a tornado machine that Judah's mom let us borrow. It showed what would happen if a tornado were to come. The kids were just excited to see the little objects get thrown around inside and to see the water turn around itself.

Siena enjoyed looking at it the most!!

The second gadget we looked at was a nightlight spinning aquarium that Morah Sharona brought in.

We looked at it in the dark and it was beautiful. Everyone loved to watch the fish go in a circle inside the aquarium. It was a different way to look at fish!!