What a busy and joyful week we've had! With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we've been talking about what it means to be thankful, sharing the people, pets, and things we love and are grateful for. We've also been practicing the songs we'll sing on stage, and the children are doing a wonderful job. Keep an ear out at home, since you might hear some singing, and we can't wait for you to see them perform! We continue to practice our zones by naming our feelings and matching them to a color. The red zone is when we're upset and need to calm our bodies, the blue zone is when we're feeling sad, and the green zone is when we're feeling good and have our listening ears on. You can support this at home by asking, "What color are you feeling right now?" Putting a color to an emotion helps little ones understand and express their big feelings. We also read lots of books this week, including two favorites by Eric Carle, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? We practiced counting and talking about numbers along with the caterpillar, and with Brown Bear we had so much fun making all the animal sounds together! Thank you for sharing your wonderful children with us. We are so thankful for each of them! Have a great weekend and a good Shabbos,
2's - Morah Mimi
2's - Morah Mimi
2's - Morah Mimi & Morah Hannah
Who built the Teiva Noach Noach? Who built the Teiva? Noach did! Here comes the animals 2 by 2 here comes the animals 2 x 2 If I were there I would go along too. This week we continued talking about Noach and his teiva (ark). We used our small plastic people to act out how the people of the Earth were so mean to each other, they wouldn’t share their toys or be kind to each other. So Noach built an ark for all the animals and his family, before Hashem started the rain. One of the wonderful things about being two is the ability to focus on the most important things and not be too concerned about the details. The why stage comes a little bit later, when children begin to question the world around them and realize actions can have consequences. They also realize that the magic word WHY can drive their parents crazy, and evoke attention getting responses, which signifies cognitive development. We have begun to see our friends advance into the associative play stage when they begin to play together and in addition to parallel play where they do their own thing alongside each other. This is a wonderful stage because we are seeing the appreciation of each other’s play and the value of sharing. Noach is a great lesson to teach because it includes lots of sensory and identification skills. The sound of rain, the rocking of the boat, the colors of the rainbow, and the sound the animals make bring the parsha to life. We had so much fun adding stickers and markers to our sensory art play! It is truly beautiful to watch the children explore different materials and see their little world of senses come to life. We also introduced glue sticks into our art activities, and it has been so much fun watching the children discover all the different ways to use them! Some stick their fingers in the glue, while others enjoy rolling it across the paper. At this age, it’s not about getting the concept right or creating a perfect project. It’s about allowing the children to explore, experiment, and discover naturally. We want their learning to happen organically, without rushing the process. As they observe one another, they begin to learn new ways of using the materials, such as using glue to attach other items to their artwork. The beauty is in the exploration, not the finished product! We have started sharing Mitzvah Notes in our classroom! We encourage you to write little notes about the wonderful mitzvahs and acts of kindness your child does at home. Whether it’s helping Mommy or Daddy, sharing with a sibling, or showing kindness to someone, we would love to celebrate those special moments! Imagine the pride and joy on your child’s face when they hear their Morah read aloud something wonderful that their parents wrote about them! These little notes help build confidence, encourage kindness, and remind each child how special their good deeds are.
Mitzvah Notes
2's - Morah Mimi
This week we started learning about the parsha of the week: Noach.
Noach was a good man. The world around him wasn’t being kind to each other, so Hashem told him to build an ark called a Teiva where he could bring his family and all the animals, two by two. We sang our Noach song: Who built the Teiva? Noach, Noach Who built the Teiva? Noach did. Here come the animals two by two Here come the animals two by two Here come the animals two by two If I were there, I would go along too! We also used a parachute with animals and a Teiva and sang: We’re bumpin’ up and down in Noah’s Teiva, bumpin’ up and down in Noah’s Teiva… Don’t tip the Teiva over! The children had a blast watching the animals tip over and then bringing them back on the parachute, which was our Teiva. Hashem said He would bring a big mabul (flood). 🌧️ It rained for forty days and forty nights. Noach knew the waters had gone down when he sent out the dove 🕊️, and it came back with an olive leaf. That meant it was safe to come out of the Teiva. The children loved watching the story come to life with animal figures, people, and a boat. We used a rain stick to mimic the rain and listened to a recording of a real rainstorm — they loved hearing it get louder and faster! Hashem promised He would never again destroy the world with a flood and sent a rainbow 🌈 as a sign of His promise. We enjoyed singing: Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple These are the colors of our keshet — which means rainbow in Hebrew. The children enjoyed singing our Noach song and love playing with all the animals in our classroom. They sometimes get Noach and Yonah mixed up — it’s too cute! Thank you, Morah Chanie, for bringing in the petting zoo so we could experience real animals. That was so much fun! 🐰🐐 Please feel free to reach out with any questions — we love communicating with you and sharing how your children are doing! It’s often hard to have more than a quick conversation at drop-off since we can’t discuss the children in front of them — it’s important that they don’t overhear adult conversations about their behavior or progress. We’re happy to step out for a few minutes during the day or have a chat in the evening if that’s easier. Shabbat Shalom,
2's - Morah Mimi & Morah Hannah
This week we learned about the parshah of the week( bible stories) called Beraishis. The seven days of creation. We listened to and sang a creation song. We counted the seven days of creation. We saw a beautiful, colorful story about the creation. We delved into the numbers 1–7, as they match the days of creation. This is the beginning of learning our numbers. Every day, the students are called up by name to wash their hands for snack and lunch, and they are starting to recognize their names. Some of our friends are noticing that their name has some of the same letters as their friends' names. This always amazes me, because they have little minds but can absorb so much. We are also practicing saying "stop" when somebody takes their toy or touches their body, and we make a motion with our hands. We let them know that we are here if they need our help. We have also been talking about our emotions. We are looking at pictures of children in the blue zone (sad or lonely), the red zone (angry, frustrated, or mad), and the green zone (happy, in control, and ready to learn). The children's eyes and faces are so ready to absorb this information. Some of our friends even said one of the pictures was dark because it was scary. The connections they're making in their brains are what we love to see, as we put words to the feelings they might be having. Creation Song (Tune: London Bridge) lyrics written by Sharon Broome Hashem created dark and light,dark and light, dark and light Hashem created dark and light, on day one Hashem created the skies and seas, skies and seas, skies and seas Hashem created the skies and seas, on day two Hashem created the plants and trees, plants and trees, Plants and trees Hashem created the plants and trees, on day three Hashem created the stars and moon, stars and moon, stars and moon Hashem created the stars and moon, on day four Hashem created the fish and birds, fish and birds, fish and birds Hashem created the fish and birds, on day five Hashem created animals and man, animals and man, animals and man Hashem created animals and man, on day six Hashem rested from His work, from His work, from His work, Hashem rested from His work, on day seven
Morah Mimi & Morah Hannah
This week we celebrated Sukkos. We used 4 handmade pretend sukkahs with play people. We used leaves, green playdoh and pretend people to manipulate and play with. We talked about how some people sleep in the sukkah. We enjoyed painting our sukkah decorations: yellow for our esrog and green for our lulav. We also loved making our Torah flags! We learned the following songs: Did You Ever Shake a Lulav? TTO: Did You Ever See a Lassie? Did you ever shake a lulav? A lulav? A lulav? Did you ever shake a lulav on a Sukkos day? Upwards and downwards and forwards and backwards Did you ever shake a lulav on a Sukkos day? I Built Myself a Sukkah I built myself a sukkah with four walls and a door. It doesn't need a ceiling and it doesn’t need a floor. The Schach will be the ceiling, the earth will be the floor. We'll add some decorations. It's ready now for sure! We enjoyed everyday dancing around our preschool Sukkah. The last day we used our flags to practice for Simchat Torah! Have a wonderful holiday and a Shabbat Shalom!
2's - Morah Mimi
This week we talked about our next holiday coming up, Yom Kippur. We are learning how to be nice to one another. We know that sharing is a mitzvah but is very hard to do and will take time. When we want a toy we ask our friend “can I have it when you're done”. We might have to wait, which is hard to do as well. We are working on this and it is not easy. We are learning that we should do mitzvos and be gentle. We introduced the Zones of Regulation in our classroom! When our bodies are in control and ready to listen and learn, we are in the Green Zone. When we are feeling very upset, angry, or out of control, we are in the Red Zone. When we are feeling sad, tired, crying, or not feeling well, we are in the Blue Zone. The children are beginning to connect the pictures we have displayed with how they are feeling. We have each child’s picture in the Green Zone, and if they are having a hard moment, feeling sad, or getting upset, we can show them which zone their body is in. We will continue learning different ways to help bring our bodies back to the Green Zone. As the children become more familiar with the zones, they will begin telling us which zone they are in on their own. I love using the Zones of Regulation with this age group because they don’t necessarily have to know the name of the emotion they are feeling yet—they can begin by recognizing the color that matches how their body feels. We also learned about the story that is told on Yom Kippur with Yonah and the big fish. Hashem told Yonah to tell the people to be nice to each other. He ran away and got swallowed up by a big fish. He davened for three days and then the fish spat him out. He then listened to Hashem and did what he needed to do. Yonah song: TTO ( Mary had a little lamb) There was a man named Yonah. He got swallowed by a whale. He did Teshuva for three days, and he lived to tell the tale. Oh, Yona, Yona Yona got swallowed by a whale oh Yona Yona Yona he lived to tell the tale. We enjoyed making honey cake. It was fun pouring, measuring and mixing in the bowl. Between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur it is customary to ask for honey cake so that it will be the only thing you should ask for in the coming year. Please send a picture of your child and a family photo for our classroom album. I can’t wait to see the children’s reaction when they see their picture in the album so many conversations happen. Have a wonderful weekend and Shabbat shalom!
3's- Morah Mimi
We have gotten off to a really good start here at school!
We know that drop-off may seem hard sometimes, but all of our friends are doing great. They may cry for a moment, and then they settle in and are ready to play. This is all part of the learning experience and the transition into school.
Once they get started playing and talking with their friends, they are happy to be here. This is a happy place to be!
Their words are expanding day by day. See if you can notice some of the small changes happening at home, too. It’s so much fun for us to notice their growth!
We are also doing a lot of talking through what we are doing and helping the children express what they need. We might say, “Do you need space?” and then, “Oh yes, you need some space.” Giving them the words for how they are feeling helps them learn to communicate their needs. They need that validation just like we do as adults. Sometimes just knowing that someone understands what they are feeling makes such a difference.
We have been enjoying our circle time and singing this song:
“The shofar in the Shull goes tu, tu, tu.
The apple in the honey goes dip, dip, dip.
The challah in the honey goes dip, dip, dip.
The people in the Shull go daven, daven, daven.”
The children have been going around pretending to blow their shofars.
The children enjoy using a bumblebee finger puppet to sing our favorite bumblebee songs.
Thank you, Morah Raizel, for playing the guitar and singing at our Shabbos party!
Have a Shabbat shalom and a wonderful long weekend.
Morah Mimi,
2's - Morah Mimi
We have gotten off to a really good start here at school! We know that drop-off may seem hard sometimes, but all of our friends are doing great. They may cry for a moment, and then they settle in and are ready to play. This is all part of the learning experience and the transition into school. Once they get started playing and talking with their friends, they are happy to be here. This is a happy place to be! Their words are expanding day by day. See if you can notice some of the small changes happening at home, too. It’s so much fun for us to notice their growth! We are also doing a lot of talking through what we are doing and helping the children express what they need. We might say, “Do you need space?” and then, “Oh yes, you need some space.” Giving them the words for how they are feeling helps them learn to communicate their needs. They need that validation just like we do as adults. Sometimes just knowing that someone understands what they are feeling makes such a difference. We have been enjoying our circle time and singing this song: “The shofar in the Shull goes tu, tu, tu. The children have been going around pretending to blow their shofars. They are also enjoying using our bumblebee finger puppets to sing our favorite bumblebee songs. Thank you, Morah Raizel, for playing the guitar and singing at our Shabbos party! Have a Shabbat shalom and a wonderful long weekend.
The apple in the honey goes dip, dip, dip.
The challah in the honey goes dip, dip, dip.
The people in the Shull go daven, daven, daven.”
2's - Morah Mimi
From Morah Mimi
Hello everyone! It was really nice to meet you all. I’m really excited about starting this school year and getting to know each of your children individually.
We will be learning how to transition from home to school. This is not easy for all of us! Some of our friends have never been to school before, so it’s important to be patient with our little ones.
It may be hard for the mommies, too! I also had my 2-year-old in class, and it was hard for me. When we realize that they can do it, and when they realize they can do it, they will feel so proud of themselves. I’m so proud of you all—it’s not easy!
Drop-off and pick-up are not always the best times to have a long conversation, especially in front of the children. Our children are very smart! They may look little, but they have big brains, and they are always listening and taking in what is being said around them. During this transition time, I want to focus on helping your child have a smooth transition into the classroom. We validate their feelings while calmly letting them know that we are here for them, that they are safe, and that Mommy comes back.
If there is something you would like to discuss, please feel free to email me or call Chanie at the front office, and we can make time to talk privately. Communication is key! Please let us know if there are any big changes happening at home, such as a move, a new baby, or anything else that may be affecting your child. This helps us understand what they may be feeling and allows us to support them through these big happenings at home.
Now, with all that said, we also had some very funny moments in class! We got silly while playing with bumblebees, and I may or may not have stuck them to my cheek and chin. We thought that was very funny!
We have already gotten right into the swing of things with our daily schedule! We get to play, clean up our toys, wash our hands one by one, eat snack, put our own cups away, daven, and go outside.
We want the children to really develop a sense of self by doing many things on their own with guidance from adults. We are constantly talking to the children and giving them the words they need to communicate, including how to take turns using toys.
Sometimes we also need to take a break when things get too difficult. We take big rainbow breaths—breathing in and out while using our hands to make a rainbow. Please encourage your children to take big rainbow breaths at home when they are feeling overwhelmed or frustrated.
We love to sing in our class! If there are words, I’m usually turning them into a song. We even make cleanup fun!
We have been observing many of the items we see on our Rosh Hashanah table. We will continue talking about Rosh Hashanah and learning many songs.
Please encourage your children to start putting on their own clothing and shoes. They will be so proud of themselves when they can do it! Since we are a no-shoe classroom, we have many opportunities to practice.
A few reminders for parents:
- Please remember to sign your child in and out of the classroom each day.
- We will also be sending home sleeping blankets and sheets, as well as water cups, every Friday so they can be washed.
Thank you for trusting us with your little ones. I’m looking forward to a wonderful school year together!
Have a great Shabbos, Morah Mimi,
