We are starting to look at our classroom space and classroom routines a little differently. We moved things around in our classroom and set up our centers in a different way. We started an open snack center. This gives the kids the opportunity to come and have snack when they are ready. Our snack helper will meet with a teacher when they come in for the day and plan a menu about how much each kid can have when they sit at the snack center. This gives us more opportunity for centers in the morning and exploration to centers that maybe were not visited right away. The kids feel more responsible and have more ownership over eating snack when they are hungry.
We showed the kids some books about Purim and asked them their prior knowledge about the holiday. This is what they said: It is when we celebrate King Ahashverosh. I know we wear masks for the different characters. There is a Queen named Ester. Queen Ester is married to King Ahashverosh. Haman is a bad guy. Then we asked what they want to know about Purim and this is what they said: “I want to know what Haman does.” “I want to know what the other characters do.” “I want to know if there is anything special you do during Purim.” “I want to know if there are any special things that you need for Purim.” “I want to know if they give anything to people.” “I want to know what we eat for Purim.” We set out materials to explore different sounds. We want the kids to manipulate all different kinds of materials to see what makes a certain sound. Is it going to be loud or soft? If we put something foam into a tin will it make sound? If we put something hard into a plastic bin, what kind of sound will it make? We want them to explore these sounds, so they can all make groggers next week with the sounds they want and the materials they want to use. They absolutely loved this exploration and it is great to see the difference in each child’s experience. The kids loved coming to this center to explore sounds. They were amazed that the same material made different sounds when put into different containers. “Wow how did that make a different sound?” “This doesn’t make a sound at all.” “I want to use something soft and something hard when I make my grogger.” “These rocks make a really loud sound.” “The bells sound pretty when dropped in the tin.” “The bell sounds different in the glass jar.” After we introduced the story of Purim, we talked with the kids about the characteristics of the characters in the story. We read a story and then talked about each character’s good and bad qualities. We introduced “Ethics” from our Wise Learning Process. We talked about right and wrong, good and evil. This fits perfectly into our story with Haman and Ester. We continued to use our “Multiple Perspectives” when discussing the characters and that there were many perspectives and stories from each character and their point of view. The kids really got into our discussion and enjoyed talking about the characters and their differences. This week we introduced the letter “P” for Purim! They were able to put the letter together with wood pieces and practice on their own on paper at the art center if they chose to. They found the letter in various books and every time they are extremely proud when they find it and can recognize it and say the sound. We began to make our groggers using the knowledge of the different sounds we explored the days before. They loved having a mixture of materials to show the different sounds and colors of the objects as well. Our classroom seder this year will be on April 11that 9:15 in Room 7. Parents are welcome, please no siblings. Reminders: -Monday, March 18th, PICTURE DAY! Tuesday, March 19 - Superhero Day (Can discuss with your class what makes a superhero and they do not need to limit their dress up to fictional superheroes. Could also be real life superheroes - firefighters, police officers, doctors, etc) Wednesday, March 20 - Wacky Hair Day Thursday, March 21 - Purim Character Day Friday, March 22 - Anything goes -Monday, March 25th Pajama day! -Half day for conferences is Wednesday March 27thschool ends at 12. NO SCHOOL Thursday, March 28thfor conferences. -Spring Break April 15th- 26th. School resumes Monday, April 29th. -Next week we are focusing on the letter “P” AGAIN. Share day will be on Friday. Please find an item with your child at home that starts with the letter P. If you cannot find anything you can bring a picture or draw something. -Shabbat Child on Friday, April 12thJordan Y. Classroom Shabbat at 11:00, followed by the sanctuary at 11:30. -Wednesday, March 20th at 10:30 Library helper is Oree. -Please remember to bring Sova and Tzedakah every Friday morning. -Please NO nut products in our lunches. We are a NUT SAFE school. Shabbat Shalom, Rachel and Linda
0 Comments
|
|