Beginning Our Hanukkah Explorations

Documentation for the week of November  28-December 2, 2016

Menorah Observational Drawings

We began our week by going into the Shul to draw pictures of the menorah (chanukkiah). The children all focused very intensely on this process. It was truly amazing to watch them work! They all paid attention to different details on the menorah, which created many different pictures in the end. Their pictures are hanging on the clips in the hallway outside our classroom, and I highly recommend that you take a look at them! Every child worked very hard on their drawing!

Embracing the Scribble Scrabble

Who needs coloring pages when you can create your own?! Morah Tara showed Ariel S. and Hillel how you can draw scribble scrabble in black marker and then fill in the blank spots on your paper with all the colors to make a beautiful work of art. This happened on a whim, but the children loved it and chose to create their own! Bayla later tried very hard to put everyone's work onto the window sill to save for later, but they all fell to the floor. It was a great effort and a lesson in gravity!

Tracing a Menorah Shadow

Morah Mirele began telling the Chanukah story during Morning Meeting this week. Since there is a lot of symbolism that relates to light and dark in the story of Chanukah, we decided to do some artwork that tied into this concept. After the children had done observational drawings of the menorah, we brought it outside to trace its shadow. It was a collective art project that Bayla, Leah, Imie, and Lucy chose to work on together. They noticed that they needed to stand in certain areas so that their own shadows didn't get in the way of their tracing work. It took problem solving for them to not block other people's tracing areas. They were able to work together very well on this task! You can see their finished work in the classroom by the sink.

Introduction to Dreidels

There were dreidels in the loose parts area to work with this week. We wanted to offer dreidels without much explanation and see where the children chose to take their dreidel explorations. Hillel remembered how to spin a dreidel and Lucy joined him in this process. Ariel S. shouted out the letters (correctly!) as her dreidel landed on its side. After a few days, Hillel wanted to play the dreidel game which Morah Mirele had talked about during our Morning Meetings. We took out ten pennies to play with, and Mirele began teaching Hillel the rules. Soon everyone joined in the game!

Choosing a Gift to Create

We had a discussion with the children about what they would like to give to their families as a Hanukkah gift this year. Several great ideas came up! Leah suggested that we make candles. Eliya suggested that we give them plants. Imie suggested that we make pictures for our families and then put them into picture frames. The children took a vote on Thursday and chose which of the three they would like to make. You will find out soon!

Thank you to Morah Lisa, Ariel F.'s Bubbie for volunteering in our classroom this week! The children loved reading books together!

Field Trip Next Week:

We will be taking a short drive to a nursing home on Friday, December 9, to sing Hanukkah songs. We will have a permission slip for you to sign out on Monday. Please send your child to school in their CJP t-shirt on Friday and secure their carseat into the van when you drop them off in the morning. We have begun practicing our songs, and the children are very excited about it!