FROM MISS DEANA
I hope you all had a fun and safe long weekend! We jumped right into learning the letter “Ff”. Our Sign Language words are: friend, father, frog, and fish. During our morning circle we played musical last names. The children are getting good at recognizing their last names which is super tricky. On Tuesday I taught the children how to play “Doggie, Doggie, Where’s Your Bone”. This type of game teaches kids listening, patience, turn-taking, and social-emotional skills, plus it’s fun!
This week we learned the brochot Hagafen (wine or grape juice). The children painted with grape juice, and a little purple paint. The children thought that was super silly. The children also painted a wine bottle for our bulletin board. We continued to sort through our play food and put the food in the correct column. We had Hamotzi, Mizonot, and Hagafen. On Thursday the children squished grapes. We put grapes in a baggie and used our fingers to squish them up(great fine motor skill). Then the children made the brachot and had a chance to taste the juice they made.
On Wednesday, I brought out some purple slime. This was the first time we have played with slime in my classroom. Miss Jaelyn or I sit at the table with the children to make sure they play with it correctly. We use a tray that the slime stays on, and remind the children about keeping it off their clothes. The children played with it great! Slime is good for children because it provides valuable sensory play that calms anxiety, improves focus, and boosts fine motor skills through squishing and stretching, while also offering hands-on learning.
I hope you gave a happy and restful Shabbos,
This week, we focused on the bracha, Hagafen, said before drinking grape juice. We read the book From Vine to Grape Juice, written by Meish Goldish. The book goes through the entire process of making grape juice. We also read When I Fell Into My Kiddush Cup by Sashi Friedman.
In this week’s Parsha, Bo, we learned about the last three of the ten plagues. We learned about the lamb that the Jewish people brought into their homes, which they later roasted. The blood of the lamb was painted on their doorposts so the angel of Hashem would pass over their houses. We also learned about Pharaoh running out in his pajamas in the middle of the night, telling Moshe to leave Egypt immediately! Moshe told Pharaoh that the Jewish people would leave Egypt during the day, when everyone would be able to see.
Tu B’Shvat is coming! We will begin talking about the New Year for trees next week!
