Purim was such a special time for the children. Each one expressed their individuality in the masks they made.
Experiential Math: The children play hands on math to increase their understanding of addition. Tossing the bean bags, into one of two hula hoops or onto boards, so they can then count how many they have in sum. But mad fun didn’t end there. The children worked with a partner and added the amounts, in the two hula hoops or on the two sets of boards, together.
The children also enjoyed creating patterns while practicing self regulation and spatial awareness. They also had to use eye hand coordination, fine motor control, and problem solving while transfering colored balls from one tube to another to create the patterns specified on the cards they chose. It was really challenging for them in the beginning, but they all mastered the process. Kudos children!
Next it was time to continue playful math. The children create Picasso faces by rolling the dice and creating the corresponding face feature that the number had them draw (ie: a rolled 1 meant draw an eye, a rolled 4 meant draw half a mouth). The children were so creative with the facial features they drew. Picasso would be proud!
Literacy fun!
After playing with numbers and math we played with letters, stories and words. The children are building vocabulary and story construction as they continue to recreate their own Harold and the Purple Crayon stories individually and with peers. The cooperation and collaboration occurring to create these stories shows how capable and caring these children are.
The children created and read words with spinner cards (choosing a beginning sound from one spinner and the ending of the word from another spinner) or independently. What great spellers and readers.
The children in the Yellow room are working on many lessons in Math and Literacy, and the lessons that will continue to support them in the years to come are the lessons in which they have been developing as a community of learners, a community of Jewish children, and supporters of one another. As always we have to add that artistic component. Art is so important in developing problem solving skills, spatial awareness, an alternative way to communicate/represent thoughts and ideas. It also creates a great way to let out some emotions and energy. When you come in for conferences please take a moment to look around at the walls in the classroom and the artistic expressions by the children.
Good Shabbos!
Morah Devora
Dear Parents,
The Yellow Room explored the difference between a slave and a worker. In exploring the story of Pesach the Yellow Room Friends experienced the cruelty of the Mitzriyim (Egyptians) on a very small scale when the Jews built buildings and the Mitzriyim would destroy them and then whip them to rebuild. Not only did the Jews have to do back breaking labor but they also did not have satisfaction of completed tasks. The Yellow Room Friends experienced this when they built structures and left the block area. When they returned they saw their structures had been knocked down. After they rebuilt, they again left the block area. Upon their return, they experienced frustration when they saw their structures upended again.
How do you think the Jewish People felt when what they built was destroyed and they had to start all over again?
Leanna: Angry
Jacob: Scared
Shyli: Super angry and super scared
Ronan: To battle with the Mitzriyim
What’s the difference between a worker and a slave?
Naveed: A worker has to build with tools but a slave has to do it with their bare hands.
Shyli: A worker does a little bit of work and sleep and a slave works super hard and never sleeps.
Jacob: A worker sleeps every night and a slave stays up at night.
Ronan: Workers have cool vehicles to build stuff but slaves have to work with their hands to dig.
Leanna: A slave would just work and a worker would help a little bit.
Leah: A slave makes bricks and makes glue so they can stick together and never comes off when they are finished.
Is your mother and father a worker or a slave?
Leah: My father builds. He has a barber shop that the people say that they know how to cut. The people say the hair style they want and he cuts it. He’s a worker.
Jacob: My dad works upstairs sometimes. He just works on his computer and stuff. He’s a worker.
Ronan: So my dad is a worker and he is usually a hockey coach. He gets paid money. My mom is a worker and kind of works for the government.
Jacob: Are you serious?
Ronan: Yes. She has the government computer. She makes smart people bosses. She gets paid lots of money.
Shyli: My dad works and he helps people to fix ever they have computers broken. One time I went in his office and I saw a lot of stuff he fixed. He gets paid. He’s a worker. My mom goes inside school and works with her big kid children. She eats by herself and she also does work with them and one actually does a lot of math and got an A. She’s a worker.
Mae: Abba works at home. He sometimes lets me type on his typewriter. He also has a computer. I don’t know if someone pays him.
Morah: Your Abba has a real typewriter?
Mae: Yes, he bought it in Mesa. My Mom works.
Leanna: My dad works on his computer and he writes stuff to his friends. And my mom stays home. She doesn’t go to work or be a slave.
Naveed: My father is a worker. He was a principal.
Song:
Bang, Bang, Bang
Bang, bang, bang
Hold your hammers low.
Bang, bang, bang
Give a heavy blow.
For it’s work, work, work
Every day and every night
For it’s work, work, work
When it’s dark and when it’s light
Dig, dig, dig
Dig your shovels deep
Dig, dig, dig
There’s no time to sleep
For it’s work, work, work
Every day and every night
For it’s work, work, work
When it’s dark and when it’s light
Shabbat Shalom!
Morah Perline
