What a busy and amazing week we have had here in Room 13! When the children entered the classroom Monday morning, they could see the light shining from within our newly covered Light Room (previously known as our Sukkah). They soon realized that the light was coming from a large light table with see-through building shapes that had been placed within our Light Room. The children spent time throughout the week exploring their new space, with a hint of light added to it. By Wednesday, a few children found flashlights around our room and brought them into our Light Room. Dylan excitedly exclaimed, “I can see my shadow (holding the flashlight with his fingers in front of it)!" Kaitlyn then added, “I can see sparkles in here now (shining the flashlight onto the velvet)." “Yeah, look! When you shine it here it sparkles (on the velvet), but not up here (on the silk),” Dylan added. Full of excitement, Cameron added, “Look Dylan, go where ever the light goes! I can see your shadow when you move with my light!” Our Light Room has become a very special space for open exploration and discovery, and it is full of amazing conversations! You will notice that the materials within will continue to change and grow with our new discoveries and the conversations will reflect these changes and growth. On Tuesday we began discussing the story of Hanukkah. The children learned all about King Antiochus and how he told the Jewish people of Israel that they could not pray in their Temple or celebrate their holidays! The children shared how they would feel if they were told they could not be Jewish or sing songs in their sanctuary, just like the Jewish people were told in the Hanukkah story. We discussed how the Jewish people, just like us, felt very sad, but also angry and mad and how they used these feelings to stand up to King Antiochus. They heard all about how the small, but brave army of the Maccabees fought against King Antiochus and his giant army to get the Temple back. The children then learned that, once again, the Jewish people felt sad and even mad, when they returned to their Temple and saw it was destroyed. The Jewish people worked hard to clean and rebuild the Temple. We spoke about the many miracles of Hanukkah, including how the Jewish people only had enough oil for one night and yet it lasted for eight whole nights, enough time for them to finish cleaning and get more oil. While hearing the story of Hanukkah, the children learned that during that time, electricity did not exist, nor did wax candles. They learned that the Maccabees needed enough oil to light the special oil lamps within the Temple or else they could not continue to clean up the Temple. As we continued to discuss the importance of light and oil within our story, we decided to perform an experiment using oil. The children first learned the meaning of an experiment, what it means to observe, as well as to have a hypothesis (a “smart guess”). After learning we would be combining blue colored water with yellow oil, the children hypothesized what they thought would happen . . . it will mix, you will need to stir it, it might sink to the bottom or go to the top. The children were amazed to see that the oil and water did not mix, even when we tried to stir it up. They watched the bubbles move and observed how the oil settled on top and the water below. We even saw what happened when we dropped a dreidel into the container. Throughout our week, the children began learning new and exciting songs for Hanukkah! They even created their very own torches to hold while we sing, “Banu Chosech.” This is a new song teaching us that as we stand alone, we are only a small light, however when we come together, our light shines bright. On Thursday, we had the pleasure of singing with Andrew, our music teacher, and hearing the wonderful story of Hanukkah from Rabbi Josh. We ended our week by celebrating a beautiful Shabbat with Brahm and his family. Shabbat Shalom, Your Room 13 Teachers Reminders: *Please remember to sign your child in and out, with a legible signature, EVERY day. If you have a high-lighted section, it means we need your signature or time in that space, as well as your normal spot for the day. *We continue to begin our circle at 9:20 AM. Please do your best to arrive before then. *Friday, December 9th – Kate and Family, 10:15 *Friday, December 9th – Tot Shabbat! Please RSVP by Monday, December 5th. Jason Mesches will perform a special concert (He performs with his band and also appears with the Bead Buds from time to time). Don't miss out! *Thursday, December 15th – Class Hanukkah Party, 11:45 sharp
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