Pre-K / TK - Ms. Kristine & Morah Raizel

 FROM MS. KRISTINE

This week, to welcome the new month, we made our final calendar for June.  We wrote our numbers and did ocean art.  The children had various materials to choose from and could do any combination to make what they wanted, staying in our ocean theme.   Everyone had fun being creative and unique. 

For our June art, we painted an underwater scene.  We first made a handprint, and the children added the detail to make their hand look like a clownfish.  We started the year with a handprint for the first day of TK, so I thought it was fitting that we end with one as well.  However, at the end of TK, we made individual and detailed art out of that handprint.  We had 18 proud artists who were excited to hang their work.

We also did our June creative writing for our books.  The writing prompt was, During Summer, I love to.....

The children had amazing ideas of going to the beach, attending summer camp, swimming in their pool, eating ice cream, staying in hotels, and flying on planes.  Everyone also had the same wonderful idea of getting more family time.  We have some adventurous kids.  They have big and exciting ideas, but I am sure they will love whatever comes their way.  The children did bright and detailed illustrations and everyone wrote their own words.  

We also wrote about what we loved about TK.  The children recalled great memories about projects we made, science experiments we did, and games we played. They were all so happy about making their ‘year long books’ and ABC books as well.  I hope their great memories stay with them.

For literature, we read A House for Hermit Crab, by Eric Carle.  This book lines up with our ocean theme and it is a classic book for this age.  However, as we come to the end of the school year....  the end of preschool.... we made a more personal connection.  As the children saw that the hermit crab was happy in his small shell and he made a comfortable home with his friends, after a year, he grew too big for that shell and he had to leave it behind.  As he gave his happy home away to a smaller crab, he was excited and ready to set out for a bigger home because he knew he was ready.  We talked about how we are getting ready to do the same thing as we move over to the big school and enter kindergarten.  We have spent this past year growing, learning, making friends, and doing great work to prepare for our next exciting step.  And when we make that step, we will be ready.  When the story ended, the children were surprisingly quiet and I got a few extra hugs.  

Next week, June 12, will be my last day for the school year.  I will be sending the progress reports home top of next week.  If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me before June 12, so that I am available to answer any questions.

Next week, the BIG books we have been talking about and working on all year will also go home.  I hope you get time to look at them with your children because they are very proud and they worked very hard on them. It is a nice reflection of their year, showing all the growth and progress they made. 

Have a great weekend,

FROM MS. KRISTINE 

This week, we continued our unit on insects.  We learned that not all "bugs" are insects.  Insects have a head, two body parts (thorax and abdomen), antennae, six legs and wings (some undeveloped).  Our children were able to figure out that spiders and earthworms are not insects.  We did a color and word match activity with all our new vocabulary.   Our kids are getting so good at this that nobody asked for help and everyone got it right.  And, two of the words looked similar.   Bravo TK.

We also made fun ladybugs that were painted, cut, assembled and given spots.  The children successfully counted the spots they put on each wing and created a math equation to show the sum.  They even read the equation correctly, showing a 1:1 correspondence with the spots and the numbers. They came out so cute and different, we had to hang them up and I will put them in their books. 

The children are really starting to recognize environmental print.  Basically, this is them making sense out of print in a given environment or context.  They might be able to point to the correct words on food labels, store signs, or clothing brands. This is a fun activity to do during snack time with their packaging and labels on their familiar items.  The beginning letter sound helps and previous knowledge does the rest.  They may not actually be reading, but to them, they are.  This is building confidence, and that is a big step in this process.  We are finding opportunities in class to see what we might already know, or can figure out.  It is so fun to see their wheels turn. 

For art, we had fun painting butterflies.  They children were given a picture to fill in with detail.  They remembered that butterflies are symmetrical, so they tried very hard to paint each side the same, using fine point brushes for accuracy in the detail.  The painted butterflies might not have had perfect symmetry, but they used their imagination to bring it all together. 

As we waited with anticipation for our butterflies, we did a sequencing activity showing the four stages of the butterfly's metamorphosis.  They had different options to demonstrate the butterfly story, as long as it was in the correct order. 

BUTTERFLY UPDATE; We have 10 beautiful butterflies. Eight emerged from their chrysalides on Wednesday, and the final two appeared on Thursday. We set them free Friday.

SWIMMING NEXT WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3rd.  This will be our last swimming day in TK.  Please bring your child’s swim clothes and towel ASAP. 

 FROM MORAH RAIZEL

We’ve had a lovely week at school filled with learning, fun, and adventure.  The children were happy to share their Shavuos reflections on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, we worked on drawing a picture of our favorite Jewish holiday.  The school year has really gone by so quickly.

Since we do not have an upcoming Jewish holiday, we have had the chance to read books like Two Kings by Fishel Jacobs, I Wish I Were A King by Genedel Krohn, and Arrogant Ari Learns A Lesson by Goldie Golding.  We are also diligently practicing for our end-of-year performance.

This week, the children created art using the back of paper bags.  The children enjoyed the experience and were proud of their work.

Last week, we talked about what we love about the Torah.  Here are the children’s responses.

• Sam: The only thing I can think of is Hashem.
• Netanel: Because it’s special.
• Elias: I love that it’s very special.
• Ruby: Because it keeps us alive.
• Avigail Ninnette: I love the aseres hadibros.
• David: The parsha.
• Tzivia: We kiss the Torah.
• Nuna:  Cuz it helps us do mitzvos.
• Jackson: Because it’s on Har Sinai.
• Shneur: Moshiach is going to come soon, and I love to do mitzvos, and I love to keep Shabbos.
• Tohar: Because the Torah is the best.  I love the Torah, and I love to kiss it, and I love Hashem.
• Ari: I give tzedakah, Shabbos, give the Torah to Shneur.
• Shiloh: That the Torah has stories inside it, and Jewish people can tell the stories.
• Hannah: The mitzvos.  All of them.
• Goldie: I like about the Torah that I like to hug it.
• Pearl: The Bais Hamikdash.
• Zalman: It is special.

Looking forward to another great week ahead!

Best wishes for a peaceful and restful Shabbos,

FROM MS. KRISTINE 

    This week we are all about butterflies.  We are learning about and witnessing the lifecycle of the butterfly.  

    We started with making a spinning wheel that allows the children to see that the cycle is an ongoing circle.  They understand that the egg comes from the butterfly and the cycle starts all over again. Then, we practiced recognizing our vocabulary words by doing a word match for egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly.  The children colored a picture diagram and placed the words in the correct spot.  We also built a diagram where the children displayed, with different pasta shapes, each stage and then they labeled each model with the proper word.   The children did this entire activity with confidence because they were all able to recognize the vocabulary.  I think that is pretty impressive.   

    To add to the experience, we learned some fun facts about butterflies.  Our favorite one is that butterflies taste leaves with their feet.  Since butterflies go through a metamorphosis, they have a different diet from their previous form.  While caterpillars eat leaves, butterflies sip nectar.  Therefore, a butterfly tastes leaves with their feet.  This way, they make sure they lay their eggs on a good leaf for their little caterpillars as it will be their first bite of food once hatched.  The children thought that made them pretty good moms.   

    Our study of butterflies is truly hands-on.  I am sure you have heard the news....  We have butterflies!!!!!!  Well, we have 10 chrysalides that will soon become butterflies.  They formed their chrysalides on the 18th, so I’m predicting butterflies between the 25-28th. We are ALL waiting with anticipation.  

    We were very fortunate this week to visit kindergarten and spent some time with Mrs Kann.  Our children did an amazing job following instruction as they got comfortable in the kindergarten classroom.  This is an amazing bridge program we do so that kindergarten is not a shock to them and we all get to do it together.   

    Our year is winding down, but we still want to stay on top of things and make sure our children have everything they need for a successful day in school.  Here are a few reminders. 

- Please replace all clothes if something goes home soiled.  

- Please send a clean and filled water bottle to school each day.

- Please make sure your child has snacks they will eat. If the same snacks keep coming home    untouched, it may not be their taste anymore. 

FROM MORAH RAIZEL

We made it to Shavuos!  The children diligently filled in their sefirah charts and are all done!  We had a dance party after counting the 49th day.  The children learned the hows and whys of Shavuos and are excited for the holiday. We read Dovid the Little Shepherd by Dina Rosenfeld, along with A Mountain of Blintzes by Barbara Diamond Goldin.  The children also participated in the Five Senses of Shavuos activity.  We talked about the significance of Shavuos.  It is the day that we became Hashem’s people.  By giving us the Torah, we committed ourselves to Hashem, and Hashem committed Himself to us.  

Monday brought us our final self-portrait for TK.  The children used tempera paint to fill in the details of their faces.  All of their work will be sent home at the end of the school year in their portfolios.  The children played ‘flower shop’ in honor of Shavuos. They also created their own paper flowers to bring home.  

On Thursday, we talked about what we love about the Torah.  The children shared really insightful perspectives.  I will share them in next week’s newsletter.

Wishing you a happy Shavuos and a Shabbat Shalom!

FROM MS. KRISTINE 

This week we are continuing our study of growing and planting.  

We started by filling in missing parts of a flower. The children identified what was missing and drew it in, making each flower complete. 

We did a fun experiment in order to demonstrate how plants “drink”. I brought in a bouquet of white flowers and we set them in colored water, in order to demonstrate how water flows through the plant. As we walked through the process, the children all got to participate, deciding the colors, dropping the food color in the water, and placing the white flowers in each vase. They even helped with the water levels, deciding the half way point. We mixed colors and came up with 10 hues. It was so exciting to come in the next day and see our little rainbow in the classroom.  The children observed with such intensity, noticing the stems were the darkest. They made the conclusion that the base of the stem was more concentrated with color, making it darker. I thought that was pretty cool because they came up with that on their own.

We then talked about each part of a plant and how it helps the plant grow strong. This is a direct connection to the water cycle, allowing the children to pull from previous knowledge and have some amazing “light bulb” moments.   They learned that:

- the  roots pull nutrients from the soil that the water releases

- the stems carry water all the way to the top of the plant

- the leaves help pull energy from the sun

- the seeds carry everything needed for the next cycle to grow again

- the plant (flower) is the final stage (and hold the seeds to begin the cycle again) 

We made diagrams to demonstrate a plant’s structure with coffee filters ( flower), popsicle sticks ( stem), yarn (roots), paper for leaves, and real seeds.  Everyone put their own spin on the project and some of the kids decided to add a sun and water to connect what they know about a plant’s needs.  It was fun to see how much they really understand.  

We also made cute little books that sequenced a plant’s growth from seed to flower. The children also made unique covers, showing off their creative side. 

We followed with our Lifecycle of a Plant activity where the children placed the correct picture to the stage of the plant’s lifecycle. .

BUTTERFLY UPDATE:  Our caterpillars are getting big.  We should have 10 chrysalides next week. The children are so excited to observe the process. 

SWIMMING NEXT WEEK!  We swim next Wednesday, May 20th.  Please bring in your child’s swim suites and towels ASAP.

FROM MORAH RAIZEL 

We are one week away from Shavuos!  We are almost there!  The children have been learning all about the story of the giving of the Torah.  The children learned about why Har Sinai was chosen over all of the other mountains.  Har Sinai was happy just the way Hashem had made him.  By choosing Har Sinai, Hashem teaches us an important lesson. All of our talents and abilities are a gift from Hashem.  We can use these special gifts to make the world a better place.   The children additionally learned how to celebrate Shavuos.

You are never too young to write a book.  This week, the children were inspired to write their own books.  They made the pictures and dictated the words to a teacher. The children were excited to have their stories read at circle time.

Next week, we will make our Shavuos projects and learn more about this important holiday.

Best wishes for a restful and peaceful Shabbos,

FROM MS. KRISTINE

Happy Mother’s Day!

Thank you to all our moms who were able to come to our annual Mother's Day Tea.  This is a special event because you get to spend quality time with your children at the place where they spend an average of 37 hours a week away from you.  You get a little glimpse into their other world and they absolutely love to share it with you. We also love to see you relaxed and happy.  It was a nice and enjoyable event because of your participation .  

This week we had so much fun doing all things Mother's Day!  Since you will read this after the Mother's Day Tea, and I'm not spoiling the surprise, I guess I can give you a play by play of what went on.  As a group, we all decided to stay with tradition and do flowers.  So then we had to decide -  real for fake. Well, we went with both. We started with making a beautiful handmade card. Everyone wrote their own message to mom on the inside. We then decorated the card with gorgeous painted flowers.  The children were so excited to give them to their moms. 

For the real flowers, we decided to have our own little flower mart. The children loved giving Mom real flowers with a real vase at the tea.  Picking out flowers and a vase together was a nice moment for them. 

It also wouldn't be Mother's Day without a child interview about Mom. This is one of my favorite things to do with our children .  The questions show how much they know and notice about you, and sometimes how little they might know.  Most kids do not know how old you are or even your first name (you're Mommy), but they can quote your favorite lines and they can answer questions like, "what does your mom love to do " without hesitation.  This shows us that our brilliant children notice the little things and they are paying close attention with loving eyes.  I hope you all enjoyed reading and sharing these sweet and funny interviews as much as I did.  

This week we did a soft introduction into our insects unit.  Butterflies are our main focus, so we started with painting beautiful butterflies.  We learned the word symmetry and made symmetrical butterflies. The children painted one side with a thick application of paint and then folded and pressed down the paper to make a perfect mirror image. This was magical for the children and they all came out so pretty. 

For creative writing, the children made butterfly gardens..  They are all writing their words on their own.  Some children are writing sentences and they are using craft sticks as spacers between words.  They are so proud to see what they are capable of. They had fun adding detail to the environment with flowers in the garden as well as bumble bees and ladybugs.  

Have a great weekend,

FROM MS. KRISTINE

Our ABC Books went home Wednesday. I hope this is not news to anyone and you all received them. They did the finishing touches and added their adorable pictures to the covers. They are very proud and excited to share their work with you. 

This week we began our unit on growing and planting.  We learned that plants need sunlight, air (oxygen), water, and soil to grow.  

• Sunlight- provides energy (for photosynthesis)
• Water- living things need water and it also transports the nutrients through the plant (they get thirsty too)
• Air- plants also need to breathe
• Soil- holds the nutrients they need to grow (their food)

The children made a diagram of a flower showing this process and labeled it with their vocabulary.  They got to be creative and choose their colors and cut out all their parts to make each one unique.  Our classroom is happy and bright with their beautiful work.

We followed with an added challenge where some children chose to write the vocabulary words on a separate page along with a picture.  

As a story connection, we read The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle.  This classic story focuses on a tiny seed as it goes through so many challenges in order to get what it needs in order to grow into a very tall flower. It helps the children appreciate how hard it can be for a plant to grow in nature. 

On Friday, we made our May calendars.  The children wrote their numbers and did beautiful spring art. They made gardens with lady bugs, bumble bees and butterflies flying around.  They also drew flowers to make them bright and happy.  They used crayons and cut shapes to bring their vision to life.  They had fun being creative and original.

The rest of our week is classified as TOP SECRET.  We are preparing for Mother’s Day, so we are busy making beautiful work to show our moms how special YOU are.  Our Mother’s Day Tea is Friday, May 8.

REMINDERS FOR TK: 

SWIMMING next week… Wednesday, May 6. Please bring your child’s swim gear ASAP. It's best to have it here and relax.

WATER BOTTLES: Please bring a clean and full water bottle each day.  

SNACKS: Please make sure your child has healthy snacks to support them through the day.

FROM MORAH RAIZEL 

We had a great week in TK. The children have been learning, playing, and enjoying their time together. The children got really creative with stencils this week.  They created all sorts of projects by cutting out their pictures and attaching strings.  

The children are becoming more familiar with the story of Lag B’Omer.  We learned all about the great sage, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who hid in a cave for thirteen years with his son and brought tremendous light to the world through his teachings.  We are excited to celebrate next week.

Today is Pesach Sheini, the second Pesach.  In the times of the Temple, an impure Jew was unable to bring the Pesach offering.  The Jews who missed out wanted a second chance, and they were permitted to bring the sacrifice one month later.  To celebrate this day, we eat matzah!  We also learned an important lesson about getting a second chance.

Best wishes for a restful and peaceful Shabbos, 

FROM MS. KRISTINE 

We have finally finished our exploration through the alphabet.  This week we worked on the sounds for /Q/ and /U/.  We started with the sound for /U/.  We learned that /U/ is a vowel that makes two sounds but we focused mainly on the short vowel sound.   We made colorful umbrellas and painted a rainy day background.  For the umbrella handle, of course,  we used a U. For our final added touch, the children stamp cut little U’s to look like raindrops… sort of.  We just liked saying, “It’s raining U”s”. Finally, by popular request, we made unicorns. The children painted their unicorns with great detail.  Some children even decided to cut them out and make stick puppets. 

For /Q/, we made fancy quails with feathers and a beautiful, brightly painted background.  /Q/ is a hard letter to say and hear because it sounds a lot like /C/ or /K/. The children also learned that Q and U are partners.  Q can't do anything without U,  but U can go places without Q. They thought U must be a pretty good friend.  That's pretty cute.  For an added layer of fun, we made "quilts".  We used scrap pieces of paper from various activities and the children made 'quilt like' designs.  These quilts aren't very cuddly, but they were fun.  We concluded with our word match and writing.  

Our ABC books will be going home next week, once the finishing touches are done. The children are so excited to share them with you.  It truly is a collection of hard work that gives them great pride.  

Please check your child's backpack throughout the week.  They come home with a lot of work  that they are so proud of.  I have found items that go back a month in some backpacks.  This could be a good time to ask them about their day at school and what they are learning. 

TK REMINDERS:

• Our next swim day is Wednesday, May 6. 

• Please make sure you send a home lunch on days your child does not like school lunches.

• Please send your child with a clean water bottle  everyday.

• Please keep your child’s cubby stocked.  If soiled clothes go home, please replace them as soon as possible.

 FROM MORAH RAIZEL

It has been a lovely week at the Hebrew Academy Preschool.  The children had the chance to learn more about our special homeland and celebrate Israel Day.  The children enjoyed delicious cupcakes and, of course, a yummy falafel lunch.   We read the books, Sammy Spider's First Trip to Israel by Sylvia Rouss, and Shalom Everybodeee!: Grover's Adventures in Israel by Tilda Balsley.  

After Israel Day, the children heard the story of Rabbi Akiva, a great sage and Torah scholar who lived during the Second Temple. His story is one of strength and resilience, and it is never too late to learn Torah if you try.

Last week, the children were asked what they knew about Israel:

• Shneur: That the saltwater is very salty, so no animals can drink from it, and you can only water it from sunset.
• Tohar: Yaakov from my family.
• Goldie: They have wheat.
• Hannah: That Sarah had a tent.
• Pearl: The kosel.
• Shiloh: That they have a flag, white and blue.
• Zalman: The Chanukah Story.
• Ari Lev: Beis Hamikdash.
• Netanel: The kotel.
• Avigail Ninnette:  I know they speak so much Hebrew.  My grandma and grandpa live there and they know so much Hebrew, more than me!
• David: The Maccabis lived there.
• Chaim: The Beis Hamikdash.
• Jackson: The Jewish people live there.
• Ruby: The wall.
• Tzivia: The Yivanim made a mess.
• Elias: I know that every day when a problem happens and then a good thing happens, they turn it into a holiday.

Next week, we will be learning more about Rabbi Akiva and his great student, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.

Shabbat Shalom!

 FROM MS. KRISTINE

Welcome back after a very long Pesach break.  It was nice to get a break from the alarm clock, but I was ready to get back to school.  I really missed all the children.  It was nice to hear about the trips, adventures, and family time, and now we are ready to get back to work. 

We began our week by making our April calendar.  The children wrote their numbers and made fun art.  The theme was flowers.  I have done various designs in the past, but I couldn't decide which one to do, so I had the children decide.  I gave them all the materials from the different samples and watched them create their own version.  They all came out bright and original.  It was fun to see them work. They started with cupcake liners.  We had very fancy and colorful options.  We also had white as an option and the children got to color them with paint or markers.  They created their garden environment and added details.  As a little math challenge, they added real sunflower seeds to the center of their flowers.  They needed to make each seed number equal to the rest. By doing this, they got an introduction to multiplication, once they counted their seeds.  If they had 3 seeds in 3 flowers, they discovered 3 seeds 3 times is 9.  I love seeing them commit time and show patience to their projects.  They are so proud in the end.

As we welcome in a new month (even though it’s half over),  we decided to paint flowers (free hand) for our April art.  The children had so much fun and stayed so focused as they worked in great detail.  Their challenge was to fill the page while maintaining balance in their art. I love seeing the pride in their work as their skills and abilities continue to develop.  Our room is bright and colorful with our happy flower art.  

For creative writing, we wrote about what we would like to plant if we had a garden.  It was nice to hear some of the kids have gardens at home and are beginning to plant.  We also talked about vegetables they love to eat. Everyone had very clear ideas of what they would like to grow and they all did great illustrations to go with their writing.  I expected to see a lot of flowers, but we also had some kids choose carrots, cucumbers, avocados, strawberries and apples..  We have some ambitious and brave gardeners in our group.

FROM MORAH RAIZEL 

It was so nice to see the children after Pesach break.  We had a chance to catch up and reflect upon our Pesach experiences.  The children were excited to share all of the things they did over vacation. The children learned that we count forty-nine days from the second night of Pesach until the next holiday, Shavuos, where we celebrate the giving of the Torah.  There is a mitzvah to count each of the forty-nine days, called the counting of the omer.  The children each have their own chart, which they mark each day.  

Clay!  This week, the children were introduced to air-dry clay.  Clay is a great medium that improves fine-motor skills, as it is much more difficult to work with than playdough.  The children got busy creating their own clay sculptures. 

Next week we will be celebrating Israel's birthday.  We have begun talking about Israel and why it is special to us, as Jewish people. The children looked at pictures and shared what they knew about Israel.

Wishing you a restful and peaceful Shabbos,

FROM MORAH RAIZEL 

We did it!  We finished all of our preparation for Pesach!  Whew!  It was a lot of work.  The children are proud of their accomplishments and are excited to bring home their special pesach projects.  We have learned the story, the preparation for Pesach, and all about the Seder.  

Best wishes for a happy, healthy, safe, and kosher Pesach!

Shabbat Shalom,

    This week, we worked on the sound for /K/.  We talked about how K seems to be doing someone else's job... /C/.  We do not get into the rules about when K should be used because that is not a PK/TK conversation, and those rules still have contradictions.  We just learned that K makes the sound in words like king, koala, kangaroo, key and kite.  It is a fun letter to write and it gave us an excuse to play with kinetic sand, keys, and make kites. 

    We made koalas hanging on a tree with beautiful backgrounds for our books.  The children painted their environment and cut and designed the tree for their koala. Then, they painted, cut and assembled their K to make the koala. They came out very cute. 

    We also made kangaroos with a pouch and the children were able to fill their pouch with things that start with K.  I made the activity a little more challenging by giving them pictures of  things that do and do not start with K.  Everyone was able to choose the correct items on their own.  Because we have such a creative group, some children decided to use the items that do not start with K in their picture. You might notice a moon in their sky or see that their kangaroo is eating grapes or using an umbrella.  Some children decided to tape the (not K) pictures on the back and write the beginning letter under the picture, while one child took the challenge to write the whole word.  It was so nice to see the children engaged in the activity and I loved watching it happen organically. They are really becoming independent and confident with their work.  We finished the week with our word match. 

    For creative writing, we talked about what we love about spring.  There were so many great ideas and everyone was able to stay on point.  They did beautiful illustrations and everyone wrote their words.  No more tracing in TK.  They are really feeling confident and willing to challenge themselves.  Their pictures came out bright, detailed and unique to each child.  

    We also made kites to welcome in Spring.  The weather was so nice this week, and the children have been loving to run around outside, so we needed to make kites.  We got really lucky because the wind started to pick up just enough, right when we went out in the afternoon.  They were so happy.  It was a nice moment we all got to share together.     

    For literature, we read Koala Lou by Mem Fox.  This is a beautifully illustrated story about a young koala who competes for her mother's heart when a new sibling is on the way.  She learns that families come in all sizes and that there is no second place in a mother's eyes.  This is a touching story for young siblings and growing families.  The children really connected with this classic story . We also learned that koalas are not bears as they are commonly called.  They are actually marsupials.   

    I would like to wish everyone a wonderful Pesach and restful break.  I look forward to seeing everyone in a few weeks.

FROM MS. KRISTINE 

This week we worked on the sound for /Z/.  We made fun zebras.  The children painted the background with vibrant colors and drew distinct zebra patterns to make each one look unique. The contrast with the black and white zebras and the bright backgrounds was very eyecaching. After painting, they cut out and added their parts to make very unique zebras. We followed with our word match. Some children also copied some words that start with Z.  Remember, we are exploring the letters phonetically, so we are not quite done yet.  /Z/ is close to the end because it is very hard for some children to say and isolate. It can also be confused with /S/.  

As a fun art activity, we made zig zag art. They children drew freehand zig zag patterns, and painted in their pattern lines to make very cool, very unique abstract art.  This activity is similar to the scribble art we did way back at the beginning of the year. However, this took more control.  The lines were designed and patterned, rather than random. They were also way more confident to paint in the lines with care and more control. This project showed me how far our children have come with skill and confidence. 

For literature we read King of the Zoo by Erica Perl.  I started by asking the children who they think the king of the zoo might be.  I got great answers like, "The lion, because he's king of the jungle". I also got responses like the gorilla because they are so strong and the cheetah because they are so fast. A popular animal was the giraffe because they are so tall. One child even said the zoo keeper. Everyone had brilliant responses because they followed with a reason for their choice. This is a fun book about a chameleon named Carlos who thinks he's King of the zoo.  Once he finds out he's not the only 'king', he goes to challenge each animal and does what chameleons do, blend in.  He returns to his home defeated when a little girl notices him, which is hard to do, and thinks he's the greatest. Once he gets love from just one girl, his heart is full. It's a sweet story.  For our story connection, the children drew a picture and wrote about their favorite zoo animal, or who they would pick to be king.  Here are their answers:

My favorite zoo animal is:

Ari- giraffes because I love Avi

Avigail Ninnette- zebras because they are pretty to me

Chaim- monkeys because they can do tricks

David- chameleons because they swing with their tails and they can pattern (be invisible)

Elias- elephants because I love when they squirt water out

Goldie- giraffes because they are tall

Hannah- giraffes because they have long necks

Jackson- lions because they roar so loud

Netanel- cheetahs because they are so speedy

Nuna- dolphins because I love their color

Pearl- zebras because they have stripes

Ruby- monkeys because they don’t hurt people

Samuel- lions because I just like to see them

Shiloh- pandas because I like when they are black and white and that’s my favorite colors, black and white

Shneur- cheetahs because they are fast and they can camouflage ( because of the spots) 

Tohar- giraffes just like Avi

Tzivia- hippopotamuses because they are so cute

Zalman- lions because of their hair

Our next swimming day will be next Wednesday, March 25th.  Please bring your child’s swim gear by next Monday if you have not already done so.  It is so much more relaxing for everyone when items are in the cubby before actual swim day. 

Thank you,

FROM MS. KRISTINE 

This week we learned about the water cycle.  The children were amazed at some of the facts we read.  We learned that water is recycled, meaning we don't get new water.   Water is a "one time" gift from HaShem.  All the water on Earth has been here for a very long time and it just keeps going around and around in the water cycle.  The water cycle filters the water so we always have 'fresh' water available.  The coolest thing we read in one of our books is that dinosaurs might have drunk the same water  (water molecules) we have around us.     

First, we made a fun craft were the children built the water cycle with colored paper, cotton balls and markers to create and label the water cycle diagram  They did a great job remembering such big words like condensation (clouds), precipitation (rain), evaporation (process to give us water vapor), and water collection.... the water we see all over our beautiful earth.  They were so cute when we had water play outside as they made brilliant connections with what we learned (puddles getting smaller and concrete drying). 

We did the classic water cycle experiment demonstrating condensation with a large bowl,  a small bowl inside surrounded by warm water, and ice on top of clear plastic wrap. The children were able to make wonderful connections with what they saw and what they learned about the water cycle.  The water cycle is a really big concept, but they did an amazing job and understood what they learned.  

We will also try to do  an experiment where we place cups of water in direct sun, shade, and darkness to see the evaporation differences.  They have already predicted the cup in direct sunlight will evaporate the fastest, but they aren't sure what will happen to the cup that will be hidden from the sun.  They know that the sun is what makes it all happen.  We will report our findings next week.  

To conclude, we  did a coloring page/ word match with our new vocabulary.  Once again, they were successful and confident with their work.  

Our letter this week is /O/.  As a vowel, the children learned that it makes two sounds, but we mainly focused on the short vowel as in olive, otter, ostrich, and octopus.  For our craft, we made very funny octopuses. The children first looked at real pictures of octopuses for inspiration, then they painted their O with watercolor and tempera paint for their deep blue water background.  They also used the rolling pencil trick to make their arms curl. They added very big eyes to give a cute look, while also connecting with some of the facts we learned about what makes them interesting.  We learned that an octopus has 8 arms (not tentacles) and each arm has its own brain, giving them a grand total of 9 brains. Octopuses also have 3 hearts, and very sophisticated eyes (camera like), making them even cooler and creepy at the same time.  

Reminders for a successful day in TK:

CHANGE OF CLOTHES:  Please keep your child supplied with a change of clothes, underwear and socks.  When they go home with soiled clothes, please replace them, because we never know when they will need to be changed again. With our nice weather, water play has been very popular and we want to keep everyone dry and comfortable. 

WATER BOTTLES :  Please send your child with a water bottle each day.  If they have a bottle, they are more likely to drink water and stay hydrated. 

Thank you,

• Shneur: I liked everything.
• Ari: Matzah and egg.
• Shiloh: Grape juice, matzah, and egg.
• Pearl: I like celery, egg, and grape juice.
• Tohar: I ate matzah and then eggie, but I didn’t like the yellow part. I ate marror, tears, celery, and matzah.
• Goldie: Grape juice and matzah.
• Zalman: My favorite part is dipping the egg in saltwater.
• Hannah: I liked everything.
• Sam: Drinking the grape juice. I love grape juice.
• Elias: Eating new foods like potato, onion, and marror.
• Tzivia: Drinking the grape juice.
• Nuna: Sitting.
• Jackson: The marror.
• Chaim: Drinking grape juice and eating matzah.
• Netanel: Everything.

FROM MS. KRISTINE 

This week we welcomed the new month by making our March calendars.  They wrote their numbers and made beautiful rainbows for the art. They were given a simple rainbow outline with the beginning letter for each color word in the given spot. They felt so proud when they were able to guess the color based on the beginning sound. This is our introduction to color words. They painted their rainbows and added their own detail (sun, raindrops, clouds).  

For our March art sample, the children made beautiful rainbow mosaics.  This takes some patience because they take a strip for colored paper, and they need to cut it into small enough pieces to follow the arch of the rainbow. Because rainbows make most children so happy, they enjoyed the process because they could see their colorful rainbows come to life. They followed with adding fluffy clouds out of cotton and a blue background for the sky. As always, they were so proud of their work and so happy to hang them up.

We did a fun little experiment where the children used markers to color thick lines of each color of the rainbow on the top and on the bottom of a thick paper towel.  Then, they placed each end of the paper towel into two bowls of water.  Soon, they were able to see the water absorbed up through the towel, transferring the color from the ink with it, making a beautiful rainbow. The children got so excited when they saw the rainbow appear.  

We also decided to make fresh play dough.  This time we did blue and green. We made play dough very early in the school year, so we were due for an update. They were able to participate in the process much more and they kneaded the dough very well. They are trying to talk me into making all the colors of the rainbow, so we might end up with our own little play dough factory. I will keep you posted. 

In celebration of Purim, the children drew pictures of how they dressed for our school celebration.  They did an amazing job with the details and they were able to write the word to finish their sentence.  They are so proud and they feel so motivated when they see what they can accomplish.  

Thank you and have a wonderful weekend,

FROM MS. KRISTINE 

This week we worked on the sound for /W/.  We made wonderful walruses.  The children painted their background and walruses, and they assembled everything to get pretty cute walruses with the W for their tusks (elongated canine teeth). They were very proud of the end results.   We also did our /W/ word match.  As a challenge, some children chose to write some W words.  

We couldn’t decide if we should do walruses or worms for our books, so we did both.  The children made a wonderful garden scene with wiggly worms.  They got to put them underground and/or above ground.  They added flowers, the sun, clouds, rain etc.  They got to tell their own little stories.  As an intro to our growing/ planting and insect units, we talked about how important earthworms are to the earth. They thought it was really cool that they live underground, wiggling around to loosen the soil; helping the trees grow. And with all the beautiful trees, we get amazing gifts like fruits and healthy air to breathe.  Thank you worms. 

We also made fun wallets.  First, the children colored and cut out items that start with /W/.  Then, they got to make unique wallets, picking their favorite colors for the paper and the tape.  They did a great job folding and taping their wallets together.  We even used a little velcro dot to make it feel more fun and authentic.  The children put their /W/ pictures in their wallets when they were all done.  For an added challenge, they wrote their name and Wallet on the outside. 

For sensory/art, we wrote W's on white paper with white crayons. They were invisible until we painted watercolor over the page.  It was exciting to see the writing appear and, of course, the children said, “Wow”.

We also had a wild time with water beads.  They are so cool. We did an experiment, soaking a small amount of the little specks in a jar to observe the change. We talked about the change being really cool, but it is not magic.  The children got to see them and touch them as little specs (the size of a poppy seed), and after soaking in water, they swelled up to become large beads. The next day, we added more water, and they got even bigger. We divided our beads into two jars, allowing for more space to grow.  You guessed it, they grew some more.They understood the little specks were able to soak up and hold the water to form the large beads. They were so fun to explore.  They feel wet, but your hands come out dry.  You can't help but say, "Wow", when you put your hands in the bowl. We all had fun with them.

For literature, we read Where the Wild Things Are,  by Maurice Sendak (1963).  This is a classic and a favorite book for many people, young and not so young.  Sendak encouraged imagination and expression.  Our favorite part of the story is that Max's dinner is waiting for him when he "wakes up".  We did a story connection activity where the children got to color an environment from the story and add their favorite "wild thing" to their picture.  

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!