FROM MS LISA (See below for news from Morah Mimi)
Group Time
As our enthusiasms were elsewhere, we hadn't played Guess What's Missing in quite awhile. We randomly decided to revisit this game and I was blown away by their growth and progress with zero practice. It was all natural cognitive development. The students who formerly had no interest in the game were nailing it! We need to remember that children intrinsically challenge themselves so when they have zero interest in something, they typically aren't ready for it and may feel a bit self conscious about it, especially in front of a group. Give them time, space, and opportunities and they will get there.
Performance
It's already time for our year end Performance! We have been practicing a song that we have delighted in all year so trust and believe me when I say: THEY KNOW IT. Now, whether or not they will show this fact onstage is another matter entirely. They may refuse to get on the stage, freeze, cry, pee their pants …it's anyone's guess but remember that it's all good. I don't want them to feel pressure, just have fun!
Fine Motor
This week I put out tongue depressors, colored tape, scissors, and markers. The students were very creative and I was floored by their ability to keep the marker on such a tiny, raised space. Some friends taped down the sticks or wrapped them while others just made beautiful sticks to take home. Many of the children can now work their bimanual skills to cut off tape completely independently. This isn't “mastery with scissors” because it only requires a single cut, but they are doing it with one hand and the self-confidence is through the roof which encourages them to try for that next step.
FROM MORAH MIMI
We are continuing to talk about the holiday of Shavuos. We are so lucky that Hashem gave us the Torah. Hashem asked other nations but they said no. The Jewish people said, “ Yes, we will do and we will listen.”
*We read the book: When the World Was Quiet by Phyllis Nutkis.
*We decorated and painted with glitter glue our Torah that we are bringing home for Shavuos We added stickers too.
*We are learning about the concepts of tall, wide and small. For example, when we play, we make tall towers, taller than us.
*We also talked about what humble means and how Hashem picked Har Sinai for giving the Torah because it was humble. We are working on not teasing each other. We don’t say “me, me, or you're not beautiful” because we will hurt someone’s feelings.
We also practiced our songs for our end of the year performance. We are really trying to project our voices. Looking forward to seeing you there.
Have a wonderful weekend and Shabbat Shalom!
