The harvest, I suppose, can be bittersweet. It is like saying goodbye to something that was once so meaningful.
(Ella shows the fruits of our gardening)
Are you surprised that Atlanta's blooms are more pink?
Ms. Miller came to visit with us. She pops in every once in a while to say hello and catch up on our news. This time, she had a story to read to us. She shared her story about people having similar needs and emotions,and then we had time to chat.
We also took a look at three Siddurim. It took us just a minute to discover that the covers were different. These covers reflected the various personalities of the owners. One was plain, one was decorated with a sports motif. Our class Siddur had felt flowers on it. We opened the Siddurim and investigated. It took some time, but we began to realize that the words inside the Siddurim were exactly the same! The words are kodesh, holy.
For the passes week or so, we have been talking about the Birthday of the trees. We have been outside to see the trees, touch them, and give them hugs. We have read books about trees and talked about birds and nests. We even sang Happy Birthday to the trees!
Today, we took a trip to the Secret Garden. Of course, it wasn't really a secret, but we had never been to the area right outside our classroom. We investigated and discovered several trees were budding. I told the children that it was my very first time to that particular spot ever! They were quite surprised. Then, I told Gan Bet that I especially picked our classroom because of the beautiful view of that tree right outside our window. It almost seems as if the outside is inside.
Once outside, we took our time, climbing on the tree stumps, touching the new saplings--and discovering the window to our classroom. We needed to jump up and get a good view. The big attraction was noticing the inside from the outside--something so totally unexpected. We used this same method to spy on the K'far as well.
In honor of the upcoming Shabbat Shira, we made bird-feeders from Cheerios and pipe cleaners. We can actually see these bird-feeders when we are inside, looking out.
We're looking forward to our new space, and watching the new saplings grow. But we still have a big connection to our "old" outdoor area, the Outdoor Classroom. We took a trip there this week and noticed that the trees were bare, except for a single baby fig. We remembered how we had discovered three Rimonim, pomegranates, in the fall. We also inspected the new compost heap.
The goal of the trip to the Outdoor Classroom was to check out the Shivat Minim Garden, with the seven special foods of Israel. It's too early to discover much, but we did go into a worm frenzy. Here we are, checking under rocks.
Even the most lady-like of children got into the act, collecting worms and getting a close-up look.
We also noticed a ton, an absolute ton, of peach pits. Using our Sherlock Holmes skills, we found the peach tree nearby.
Our Tu B'Shvat sensitivities are flowing over into our lunchtime. Gan Bet has started a small collection of pits and seeds.
And in class, we're getting ready to plant. We did plant several flower seeds a few days ago, intending to place the flowers in that area outside our window. Soon, we'll prepare our own individual plants.
Our planters are actually recycled baby-food jars. We had used embroidery floss for a Simchat Torah project, and weaving loops for potholders. Here, we used craft yarn to decorate our little "pots" for Tu B'Shvat. Hopefully, our little seeds will sprout--and we'll have a little bit of the outside for us to enjoy while we are inside.
