Dear Parents,

 

Chanukah, oh Chanukah, what fun we’ve had in Purple Room! Every day this week was packed with Chanukah fun integrated with literacy, math, science and art.

 

Science

The Purple Room Scientists tested many theories they had about oil and water. They used droppers to drop colored water onto the oil and blew colored oil and water with a straw.

 

Before they began the experiment, they offered their hypothesis. After they conducted the experiment they noted their observations:

 

Bracha:

Hypothesis: I think that colored water will turn clear.

Observation: It looks like bubbles.

 
Leah:

Hypothesis: I think the water will go up.

Observation: It looks like cents.

 

Jemma:

Hypothesis: I think it will turn red.

Observation: It looks like sparkling apple juice.

 

Ronen:

Hypothesis: I think the water will disappear.

 Observation: It looks like honey.

 

Naveed:

Observation:  The water went out.

 

Angie:

Observation: It looks like the ocean.

 

Observations of straw blowing the oil and water:

Jemma: When I was blowing with the straw the color was spreading around..

Bracha: It went to different corners and then went to the same place.

Leah: It made a duck.

Ronen:-  It stayed in its place.

 

Art

The Purple Room Artists created dreidel sculptures. They mixed plaster with water to create a dreidel. Once it dried they painted the dreidel and decorated the display stand to complete a stunning creation.

 

Made latkes from scratch. They peeled the potatoes and then grated them. Checked the eggs to make sure they were kosher (no blood spots) and mixed them with the potatoes, salt and flour

 

Math

The Purple Room Mathematicians ‘made’ latkes in a giant fry pan made of blocks. They each received an equation they had to figure out. They used the ‘latkes’ (aka Magnatiles) to represent the addends which they ‘threw’ into the pan. By figuring out the sum they knew how many jumps they got to jump into the giant fry pan.

 

Practical life skills

The Purple Room Cooks made delicious latkes this week from scratch. They peeled, cut, grated and mixed the potatoes. Eating them was the best part. The Purple Room children loved singing the latke song and would make sure to sing it down the hall so the ‘little kids can learn it’!

 

Song:

Latkele, latkele, hop, hop, hop,

Jump right into my pot.

Fry and sizzle merrily ,

For you’re the one I’ll eat, you see!

 

Shabbat Shalom!

Morah Perline

 Dear Parents,

 

Integration, integration, integration. This week the Purple Room integrated Chanukah, literacy, science, Alef Beis, fine motor, math, creativity, and more into prepping for Chanukah. You name it and Chanukah was pulling it in.

 

The children had so much fun working on every step. They created paint on oil (art) Chanukah cards for their grandparents. Chanukah cards were created for their parents and the Kindergarten children sounded out and spelled words. The Chanukah gift for their parents began as a science experiment. They created Lava lamps beginning with oil and water (transferring liquids, a Montessori activity). The Purple Room Scientists noted their hypotheses on their Science sheet, then their observations and, finally, their conclusions. The Kindergarten children wrote their own notes sounding out the words (literacy). They discovered that, no matter what, the oil would always rise to the top even when they shook their bottles really hard. Then Jemma had the idea to add a dreidel to the bottle. The Purple Room Scientists noticed that the dreidel floated on top of the water but under the oil. They noted that the plastic dreidel is lighter than water but heavier than oil. They carefully and lovingly wrapped the present, tying it with a ribbon, so excited to give this Chanukah present to their parents.

 

The Purple Room children know why many people use oil to light in their menorahs and why we eat latkes and donuts fried in oil. Ask your child and he/she will tell you.

 

Creating the Chanukah Menorah involved many steps: The Purple Room Artists applied tape to the wood in a design, then painted over it. After the paint was dry, they peeled off the tape (fine motor). They then painted again with Mod Podge and glitter.  Then they were given candle holders and had to figure out if they had more or less than 8 (math). If they had more, how many did they have to take away (subtract) to get to 8? If they had less, how many more did they need to add (addition) to get to 8? Once they arrived at the correct answer they received clay to create a base for each candle holder. After which they received one more for the Shamash (the candle used to light the Menorah candles. The Purple Room Artists painted the clay bases when they were dry. They are so proud of all the extensive work put into their Menorahs and are so excited to light them every Chanukah night.

 

The children brought home their Chanukah song books to share with their families. They so enjoy the many ways one can make a dreidel (see song # 3). They can think of a few to add to the mix!

 

What a special treat the Purple Room children had this week: It rained!

Geffen: I said thank You Hashem for the rain.

The children had so much fun playing with mud, feeling the rain on their hands. They may have brought home muddy clothes but the smiles and shouts of glee were worth it. (Please send fresh clothes for their spare clothes bags J)

 

Happy Chanukah! Shabbat Shalom!

Morah Perline

 Dear Parents,

 

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of learning punctuated by the Thanksgiving break. The Purple Room flew from exploring their appreciation of things to learning about the light of Chanukah. Each Purple Room child created their own Thanksgiving tree with many of the things they felt thankful for. They incorporated the artist George Seurat’s Pointillism style when creating the jar and the leaves for the tree. Their personally painted rocks and wire twists added that extra pizzazz to an already charming creation.

 

Kind Respect

The Purple Room has an Ahavas Yisroel (loving another) sign displayed prominently on the classroom wall. The Purple Room friends have been working on speaking with kindness and respect for another. Here is a chant each child recites to another child every day:

 

____    ____ (insert person’s name) Pumpkin Eater

Had a friend he/she liked to greet

Treated ______ with kind respect

And in the morning,

Hugged his/her neck!

 

Parsha + Math

Yaakov divided his family and animals and belongings when going to meet Esav. The Purple Room played activities creating ‘groups of’. For example, when they divided 16 gems into 2 groups they found they had 8 gems in 2 groups. When they divided 8 dreidels into 2 groups they found 4 dreidels in each group.

Literacy

The Purple Room has been practicing letter writing this week. Tracing the letter on a card and then in colored sand as a sensory experience. Then the children practice the letters on the whiteboards with erasable markers (which they really enjoy!). The letters a, d, b, k and q are especially challenging but they keep practicing! :)

 

Parsha

In this week’s parsha, Parshas Vayishlach, the Purple Room learned how Yaakov did three things when going to meet Esav. Yaakov wasn’t sure if Esav was still angry with him from when Yaakov got the bracha instead of Esav all those years ago. Yaakov prepared gifts for Esav so that Esav would be more favorably inclined to him, then he divided his family in one group and the animals and belongings in another and, finally, Yaakov davened to Hashem for help.

 

What do you daven to Hashem for? I daven to Hashem for…

 

Ronan: … that I can see in the dark. I feel scared in the dark.

Jemma: … that Hashem should bring my Grandma who was 91 back to life.

Angie: … to help me read.

Bracha: … for some presents for Chanukah.

Leah: … to give me toys.

Geffen: … to help me read.

 

What kind of gifts might you send to a friend if you want to help them when they are upset?

 

Jemma: A card that says I hope you feel better.

Geffen: To do a race. With motorcycles. Real ones. Or a cake.

Angie: A heart.

Bracha: I would make a picture. I am very good at drawing. Actually write the words and actually make the pictures.

Ronan: A message. It says ‘I hope you feel better’.

Naveed: Flowers. 

Leah: A balloon.

 

When Yaakov traveled back to Eretz Yisrael with his family and many belongings he had to cross a river, the Jordan River. After crossing the river many times to get his entire entourage over to the other side, Yaakov realized he had left some jars back on the side he had come from. There were only a few jars and Yaakov could have left them there. But Yaakov knew to be responsible for his things, not to leave them lying around, and went back for them.

 

What are some ways we can take really good care of our personal or community belongings?

 

Jemma: We don’t drop books on the floor. We put them on the bookshelf. Also, you can’t throw a Siddur because it has Hashem’s name.

Geffen: If you have a motorcycle or if you’re hungry and you want to eat. You don’t leave it on the road. You leave your motorcycle in the garage and then you wash your hands and then you eat.

Ronan:  I don’t leave my toys on the floor so somebody could trip. I put them away where they go.

Angie: My dad takes care of the dishes. He puts them in the sink. I take care of my toys. I clean them all up.

 

Now that the Purple Room has ‘met’ the Patriarchs (aka the Three Fathers), Avraham, Yitzchok and Yaakov, they know who taught us to daven to Hashem three times a day:

 

Song:

Three Times a Day

(TTTO: Three Blind Mice)

 

Three times a day 2 x

To Hashem we pray 2x

Shacharis is the morning tune (learned from Avraham)

Mincha in the afternoon (learned from Yitzchak)

Ma’ariv by the light of the moon (learned from Yaakov)

Three times a day

Shabbat Shalom!

Morah Perline