Yom Kippur Explorations

Welcome back to the Yellow Room.

 שנה טובה ומתוקה

 Wishing you a sweet new year, and an inscription in the book of life.

May you also have an easy, healthy fast in the upcoming Yom Kippur Holiday.

The past week we have continued with our schedule that Madison has naturally created for our classroom. Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for a picture schedule to be posted in our classroom.

 We played with many different balls that were a great sensory experience. They were different sizes, colors, and textures. Madison really liked the blue bumpy ball.

Wednesday was a busy day loaded with lots of fun.

During davening/tzeddakah time Madison took the quarter from my hand and attempted to put it in the pushka herself, and with a little assistance she got it in on her 5th try! This was a wonderful step in her development. From pinching the coin to independently attempting to put the coin in the pushka.

After Davening we played with clay. Using animals as an accessory. I stuck the animals in the clay, and Madison took her time concentrating on how to pull the animals out from the clay. 

Later in the afternoon when circle time was finished we worked on an art/sensory project in line with Yom Kippur and Kapporos. We used feathers to decorate print outs of chickens. Contact Paper helped hold the feathers on to the page.  Madison was fond of taking all the feathers from the bin and feeling them in her hands. She spread them out all around her then would grab bunches moving them from one side to another, and placing them on the contact paper.

Thursday brought a new sensory experience: Natural paint (using spices Cinnamon, Turmeric, and Paprika) brought in a new aspect of sensory: smell! 

Madison enjoyed playing with the paint in the cups and with the assortment of brushes. She began to dump the paint onto the page.  This was fun until she touched the paint with her hands- she did not like the texture! It felt gritty and rough, we will try again in a few weeks!

Shabbat Shalom,

See you next week

Morah Jac

Apples and Shofar!

What a beautiful week it has been full of new and exciting things. Our free play has been full of many toys and exploration, from wood rattles to blocks and play mats. Even a little outdoor play in the shaded grass area.

Every morning Madison enjoys singing our Davening songs with our puppet friend Miriam. We sing Modeh-Ani and Shema. Repetition of these morning songs help develop verbal communication. Madison Loves to give Tzeddakah. Her face lights up when she sees the Tzeddakah box come out. Learning to pick up/pinch/grab the coins helps with her fine motor skills. 

This week we integrated many different textures, colors, and sensory activities into our day. Madison enjoyed paint mixed with soapy water and painted with cotton balls for texture. First we felt the cotton when it was dry. Then when we added the water and it became a new adventure. The cotton balls can be seen displayed on our family tree up on the wall near the cribs. We used paint in a new way with a ziplock bag on Wednesday. This was something Madison enjoyed very much; she could hear the bag crinkle and squish. The finished art is displayed on the board outside our class room door.

On Thursday we took a break from art and enjoyed some water/ice play. Madison found that when she moved the ice it made a loud sound. She was a little surprised by the cold ice at first but quickly began to touch, shake, and play in the ice.

The afternoon time gives us ample opportunity for circle time. We sing songs and read books. This week we added books about out upcoming Holidays focusing on Rosh Hashana. Madison liked the touch book where there were new textures to feel.

We played with red apples, some were real and others were fake. We also explored the picture of the apples and honey. (There will be no honey in the yellow room as it isn't safe for infant consumption!) Another book we added shows different objects that we will see on Rosh Hashana including a Shofar and the sounds that it makes. On Thursday we joined the Purple room to hear Rabbi Tzvi blow the Shofar. We also got to explore a real Shofar! The rams horn may feel rough on some parts and smooth on others. We pretended to blow the shofar 

Tekiah-tooooooooooooooooooooot
Shevarim- tooot tooot tooot
Teruah- toot, toot, toot, toot, toot, toot, toot, toot, toot

Shabbat Shalom!
Have a wonderful weekend,

Morah Jac

A new friend in the Yellow Room!

Welcome Elikan family! Madison joined us on Tuesday; her 1st week was filled with getting to know new friends, new morah and new routines like circle time and davening.

Angie welcomed our new friend so nicely and was wonderful at sharing and playing with Madison.  She was so gentle and kind.

On Wednesday we introduced new textures for sensory play with clay.  This carried over to Thursday where we added in a wood slab. This brought a new texture into play we had already been familiar with. Madison enjoyed the wood slab and taking the clay from the wood and placing it on the floor.

On Thursday we incorporated some of the upcoming Holiday theme of Rosh Hashana by stamping a page with pictures of apples. It is fun to work on holding the art materials and see that our actions produce a result. We will continue the Rosh Hashana theme into next week.

Congratulations Angie!!
Angie will be graduating to the Peach room on Friday! What a fun and beautiful year it has been. Happy Birthday to Angie! Thank you for all the joy and happiness you have shared in our class so far. Enjoy your new adventure.

Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Jac