This week, the Owls have studied Israel in observance of Yom HaAtzma’ut, Israeli Independence Day. We began the unit by once again using a Word Web. As the children have grown in their understanding, we have begun to use a Word Web not just to record ideas, but to talk about connections between ideas. Visual Word Webs support young children in developing executive functioning skills, or the ability to think about and organize their thinking. Organized thinking is crucial to children’s future success as learners in all academic areas.
We have enjoyed experimenting with blue and white this week, the colors of the Israeli flag. We created collages with blue and white pieces of paper, sponge painted with blue paint (using sponges shaped like Hebrew letters), and even used blue and white finger paint. Exploring color supports children in learning to love art and to understand how color can convey mood and emotion in art.
We enjoyed looking at some real images of various terrain in Israel, and Morah Kate talked to the children about how almost every single kind of climate can be found in Israel! We also looked at a map of the world, and found the United States and Israel on it. The children noticed that there was an ocean in between the two countries. They inferred that you can only get there by taking in airplane or a boat, but decided that an airplane would be a faster way to get there. We also enjoyed looking at a map of Israel itself, and finding some of the cities we learned about this week, including Haifa.
Haifa is of special importance to us because it is a Sister City to Boston. Through Morah Rhona’s participation in the Boston Haifa Connection, we are lucky to have preschool-aged pen pals in Haifa. This week, we drew pictures for them and dictated some writing about our school. We also reviewed the book of pictures that they sent us for Purim. The children were fascinated to discover that their pen pals in Haifa like to draw some of the same things as them, including rainbows and houses.
We have been exploring music as well, revisiting a familiar favorite folksong about a train, Hinei Rakevet. In addition, we have been learning Hatikvah, the Israeli national anthem. The children learned about how we stand respectfully when we sing a national anthem.
We have also discussed some of the foods grown in Israel. On Tuesday, we made our own fresh-squeezed orange juice. The children worked hard to each squeeze their own oranges. This was a fun way to incorporate emphasis on building hand strength, which is crucial in preparing the children to be physically able to write. First we squeezed out the oranges, and then we used a juicer to get the remaining juice. The children remarked that the juice tasted even “gooder” than the juice at Trader Joe’s! On Thursday, we tasted three Israeli fruits: dates, olives, and oranges. The children used a graph to record their favorite fruit. They have become well adept at interpreting the data of a graph, and often root for their choice to “win,” or have the most votes. The dates were most popular, followed by the oranges.
Hebrew letters surrounded us this week, as we took out Israeli matching games and puzzles. We also used stencils and stickers at the Writing Center. At the play-dough table, we used cookie cutters shaped like Hebrew letters.
We have especially focused on the Western Wall this year. We read a book, The Western Wall: and Other Jewish Holy Places, by Mandy Ross. The children learned that the Western Wall (or Kotel) is in Jerusalem, and that it is a part of the Holy Temple. They learned that people go there to pray. We painted some of our cardboard blocks, and built our own Western Wall in the hall. We then used dictation and drawing to record our own blessings. The children worked hard to ask and thank God for “big ideas” and “special things,” not just toys.
We have been working hard this week to support the children in having fun playing safely on the playground. We have begun to help the children in trying to think of games that do not involve chasing. While chasing games are naturally fun for children, they can quickly become a little too rough and tumble for a crowded school setting. This week, we used a “Social Story,” (or a teacher-made book discussing, in a positive framework, social and emotional expectations) to talk about some of the different things that the children can do on the playground. The children have thought about running races, playing soccer, hunting for insects, and making sandcastles instead of chasing each other.
As our afternoon group has grown in size, we have begun to have Rest Time in the Owls’ classroom, with a few friends joining us from the Bears’ Room. This allows the older children to have a shorter rest time. After 20-30 minutes on their mats, they are invited to clean up and choose a quiet spot to play.
Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Larissa and Morah Kate
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