Dinosaur Discoveries

Yarok class has been very busy discovering many different ways to learn about dinosaurs.  We made a paper mache egg by blowing up a balloon & placing a toy dinosaur inside of it, we painted it brown and splashed speckled dots of paint on to it.  We also erupted a volcano with baking soda and vinegar.  We froze toy dinosaurs in green tempera paint, painted with them drawing our own dinosaur and then chiseled the toy dinosaurs out of the ice.  During circle time the children reach into a grab bag and pull out a dinosaur egg, crack it open to identify their numbers and letters.  Our class also loves to play pin the fossil on the number as we spin the child while counting in Hebrew. 

Paper Plate Dinosaurs in Miss. Joy's Class

Miss. Joy's is studying dinosaurs and we made paper plate dinosaur hand puppets. First, put two paper plates on top of each other-right side up. Staple them together halfway around the edges. Fold the part that is not stapled half over the stapled section. Second, put your fingers inside the pocket created and note where your thumb falls on the back and tape on a paper loop for your thumb falls on the back and tape on a paper loop for your thumb to slide into. Third, Decorate the plate with markers, paper, buttons, or anything the child wants to make their own dinosaur face. It is a fun great project to do with your children.

Bracelets for Rebecca

We have been learning about Rebecca and Isaac in school this past week. In the story, when Rebecca was chosen to be Isaac's wife she was given the gift of a golden bracelets, so I decided to have the children make bracelets to represent Rebecca's. All you need is a small cardboard roll, silver or gold foil, tissue paper, scissors and glue. Cut a strip off the roll about three fingers wide, cut it open and cover with foil. Then have the children decorate it with buttons, tissue paper and whatever you else you want. It is so much fun. I hope you enjoy this art project.

Dinosaurs everywhere but nowhere near us!

This week we begin a two week exploration of prehistoric life and I wondered...  what is the fascination of children to dinosaurs?  Any adult who has seen Jurassic Park I think will agree, these huge, volatile creatures are intriguing yet scary.  I guess that's why children are drawn to them as well. These larger than life monsters are terrifying and bold yet we can do pretend play with them in it because we know they no longer are dangerous to us in our world. So bring on the T-Rex and lets get ready to rumble!!!!!

Shabbat Shalom from the Katom Class

We had a great day on Friday celebrating Shabbat.  We explored the sensation of the grass on the playground for our sensory experience.  The infants really enjoyed being outside on such a beautiful day.

Another week in the Katom class...

Our babies at B'nai sure are growing into little toddlers. A big happy first birthday to Isaac (Jan 9) ad Joel (Jan 18) I will also like to take the time to introduce our newest member of the Katom class Major. Major joined us last week and is doing an amazing job adjusting to his new surroundings. We look forward to watching him and his classmates continue to grow through the many milestones.

What to do on a rainy day?

What to do on a rainy day?

On a rainy day the children’s energy levels are always high because we have to stay in doors. We all know children love to dance and sing. In the Adom’s room our children love the Elmo exercising CD. First we cleaned up all our toys to have plenty of room to dance. Then we had all the children stand and begin to follow the words in the songs. We skated, tap danced, marched in place, and more. The children enjoyed dancing and  following Elmo's instructions. 

Scrabble Chez-it crackers

Yarok class has been eating up their words literally with SCRABBLE CHEZ-IT crackers.  The children look forward to picking out a cracker and identifying what letter they have.  We have also been making two and three letter words and their names with the fun delicious crackers.  Another benefit in a Jewish school is that the Cheez-it crackers are Kosher as well.  I am always looking for new fun and exciting ways for the children to identify their numbers and letters.

Arctic Life

We're learning about Arctic life so we decided to make an Igloo out of sugar cubes. The children really enjoyed building and creating their own Igloo. Make you base first with cubes in a C shape. Blow up a small balloon and shape the walls around and over the balloon. Stack the ice cubes in a brick pattern. once it is all dry you can then POP the balloon. Remember you do not have to do this all in one day, we glued a little bit each day. You will have the best time building your own Igloo.. trust me!

Yoga with the Sagol class!

Imagine beginning your day with a quiet moment to gather your thoughts.  The Sagol class loves to start the day this way with Yoga!!!! Yoga with young children looks quite different than with adults. We transform ourselves into animals, trees, other elements in nature!!!!.For example, the Sunrise/Sunset pose is a good all-over warm-up for any activity. 1. Stand up tall. Take three to five deep breaths. 2. On the next inhale, lift your arms above your head. Press your legs and feet down toward the ground and stretch your spine and waist toward the sky.3. As you exhale, bend the upper half of your body at your waist down toward your legs, as if you were diving into a pool. When presented in a child's language, yoga can help counter the stress experienced by young people living in a hurry-up world.

Healthy Pizza Recipe

Yesterday we made a healthy pizza. Each class made it for another class as their Mitzvah for the day. The ingredients include: pita bread, sauce, low fat cheese, and spinach that we are growing in our graden. The children loved making it and then giving it to a friend to enjoy.

New Student

This week we are welcoming a new child to the Adom classroom! His name is Ingmar and he is joining us all the way from the Netherlands. Although Ingmar does not speak English we are looking forward to bridging the communication gap and enjoying the rest of the year together. 

Welcome

Welcome to B'nai Israel Community Day School's blog.  Our blog has ten staff members who are contributing parenting tips, snapshots of the activities of the day, recipes and craft ideas, thoughts on building a strong Jewish family identity.  We hope you will follow us as we embark on this new journey!