This week in Room 14 we continued with Rosh Hashanah exploration through cooking, art and music. For the last couple of weeks, we have been baking delicious Rosh Hashanah related recipes. This week we made Apple Crisp and challah in the shape of an apple with a cinnamon stick attached. The children seem to really enjoy participating in large group cooking activities. By cooking with the children, we are encouraging the children to explore and to experiment. We are helping them to develop a sense of pride and accomplishment by working together as a team and finishing a project together as a class. The children are also developing and building on important life skills. Communication (developing language), the children are building their vocabulary by listening to the teachers explain each ingredient and reading the recipe. The children are also building their vocabulary by asking questions and communicating with their teachers and peers. They are also developing math and science skills and building muscles that will help them later with writing. In honor of the sweet year, we learned about the source of honey. When the children were asked about the honey source, some said it was from the grocery store, some thought it was bees' food and some even knew that the bees were producing it. But how? We saw pictures and talked about the complete process that begins with the nectar of the flower, the hive, the honeycomb, the dress of the beekeeper and his job. The children asked a lot of questions and it was fun to see their curiosity. The children were very excited to see pumpkins and gourds in the classroom on Monday. At group time, we asked the children, “Why do we have these items in the classroom?” Most of the children answered, “Because Halloween is coming” and one child said because it’s Fall. Monday was the first day of Fall and the children were able to incorporate Fall like materials into their Rosh Hashanah artwork. Continuing working with shapes and colors, we introduced Colors and Shapes Bingo to the children. Playing board games is another way for the children to build social and communication skills. Working with others is what group games can teach children. This is an invaluable skill that we want the children to develop. We started in small groups of four and six and over time we will engage in board games as a class. Next week will be a short week for us. We will focus on Yom Kippur, being respectful to others, helping others, working together as a community. We have been talking a lot about respect and we will continue to have discussions on this and other related topics throughout the year. Reminders: No school on Monday, September 30 & Tuesday, October 1st Shanah Tova!
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