January 2015: Welcome Back to the Gan! 

Kitah Gimmel (4-5 year olds)

We prepared for Hanukkah by reviewing the story of the holiday and putting out special blocks and figures so the children could tell the story themselves, if they wished. We made special Hanukkah decorations and cards, as well as a different Hanukkah treat. We used whole wheat flour tortillas, cut out Magen David shapes with cookie cutters, fried them in oil, and at them warm, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. The next week, we made latkes in the classroom and played Hanukkah games, such as dreidel. 

When we returned to school from winter break, we started our building and construction projects. We are exploring different building materials with recycled materials and understanding different methods of construction; the children are figuring out that they need to work collaboratively on the larger structures. We supplemented our projects with a book about famous architects, Christy Hale’s Dreaming Up a Celebration of Building, and transformed our dramatic play area into an architect’s office, complete with a drafting table, rulers, blueprint drawings of homes, and a work table where models of buildings can be worked on.

Kitah Bet (3-4 year olds)

We explored the holiday of Hanukkah through art, song, and cooking to allow all the senses to be engaged in the learning process. Latkes were on the menu, as eating oily foods is essential to the holiday! We also connected the story of the miracle of the oil through olive tasting and traced the transformation of olives from fruit to candle fuel. Celebrating Hanukkah also gave us the opportunity to relate to our ongoing geography/diversity project. We learned where Israel is in relation to our continent, country, homes, and school. Israel has great significance in our Jewish identity and will anchor our exploration of the world’s geography as it anchors our learning of Jewish identity and history.

At a recent Gan faculty meeting, one of the Kitah Gimmel teachers shared some fascinating insight she gained after hearing Stuart Brown, MD, the founder of The National Institute for Play, speak at a symposium at The Bing Nursery School at Stanford University. Dr. Brown has spent years cataloguing profiles of people and has demonstrated that there is an “active presence of play in the accomplishments of the very successful.” Hearing about his research only reinforced to us that play is a necessary and integral part of early childhood education. As a play based preschool, we believe that play is a child’s work.

Picture this play scenario: A group of several children are happily building with Duplo blocks on the rug. One child has an idea to build a spaceship, another would like to make a bat mobile. A third friend joins in and says, “But I want to play and I want to build the spaceship myself!” One child then responds, “Well, we were here first and it was our idea to build a spaceship!” Oy!

As teachers, we see this typical exchange as more complex than simply “play” or play with some discord. Through their play, the children are developing skills such as listening, concentration, negotiation, conflict resolution, and decision-making. While building together they are learning how to be respectful of each other’s feelings. As they create with the blocks, they develop fine motor skills and an understanding of mathematical concepts such as space, sequencing, weight, height, and volume. As teachers encourage the children to verbalize what they are doing and feeling, they are expanding language skills, acquiring new ways to express themselves and are learning how to label and name—skills necessary for the eventual mastery of reading. Free play also allows for children to build confidence in their own abilities.

Kitah Alef (2-3 year olds) 

For Chanukah, we told the story of Hanukkah—a complicated story of violence and mature themes that we distilled into a developmentally appropriate story. We brought in many different kinds of chanukiot and candles for the children to experiment with, and made a Hanukkah collage all together, stained glass frames, and Hanukkah cards. We also made latkes in the classroom.

Kitah Alef children during group time

Kitah Alef children painting 

         

November 2014 Happenings at the Gan

Kitah Alef (2-year-old class): The Morning Routine 

We wanted to try to give you a glimpse into what is going on during a typical day in the life of Kitah Alef. During morning free play in the classroom, children have a wide range of activities available to them. There are always books on the bookshelf, puzzles in the puzzle rack, art at the easel, blocks for building, cars and trains to drive, play food, plates, cups and Shabbat and Havdallah ritual objects in the dramatic play area along with dolls and blankets, and usually a morning activity at the table. 

Kitah Bet (3-year-old class): Marble Painting 

Our bulletin boards are adorned with marble/ball paintings. What may seem like a simple and quite beautiful art activity is really a science exploration. Using various paint colors, the children explored motion while watching the marbles and golf balls roll on the paper inside a cardboard box. There is much more to this activity than meets the eye.

Primarily, this activity serves to help children understand the cause and effect relationship between moving a box in various directions and moving the balls. The children develop the language in observing the process, i.e., prediction, fast/slow, here/there, forward/backward, wide/narrow, etc. They are also engaging in cooperative play, as two friends move the box together. We moved the activity outside, used a very large sheet of paper and invited small groups of children to participate at a time. Hopefully, we have enhanced curiosity, motor strength and problem solving skills.  

Kitah Gimmel (4-year-old class): Children as Designers 

Teachers of young children have long recognized that recycled or “found” materials have a great value for children’s creative expression. When children have access to a variety of recycled materials such as paper tubes, fabric scraps, ribbons, string, gift-wrap, envelopes, as well as tools such as scissors, glue, tape, hole punches, they become design thinkers and makers of all sorts of gadgets. 

Exploring with materials in an open-ended way has many benefits to children’s overall development. They gain knowledge about tools and materials as they learn techniques and practice skills like joining, adhering, cutting taping and gluing. Language development is encouraged when children have the opportunity to articulate and describe what they have made. They also engage socially as they share ideas and techniques and model the use of tools and materials as they collaborate with one another. Additionally, teachers and children discuss the importance of recycling and raise environmental awareness in the children who will be the stewards of the earth.

Latke-palooza at the Gan

The leaves are falling, there's a chill in the air, and Hanukkah has arrived at the Gan. The children spent the last few weeks learning all about Hanukkah: lighting the menorah, spinning the dreidel, and the miracle of the oil.

And what would Hanukkah be without latkes? Each class prepared their own batch of delicious latkes and enjoyed them with applesauce or sour cream.

The students learned about following instructions, measuring amounts, taking turns, and how cooking changes raw ingredients.

A good latke was had by all! Thank you to our parent volunteers!

Back To School Night 2013

The 2013-2014 school year is finally running at full speed after a month of New Year celebrations.

All the parents convened for Back to School night in Early October.

We began with a potluck of sweets and warm Fall evening conversation in the courtyard.

After hugs for new friends and old, we moved to our children's respective classrooms.

We began with exploring the classroom through our children's eyes.  We built block towers, painted, experimented with play-dough.

We got a peek into our children's day through walls and walls of photos of our children in action.

Then we gathered in a circle to dialogue with the teachers.

We learned what the teachers' envisioned for our children this year - to delight in learning, to connect with peers, to build confidence in their passions and abilities.

At the end of the night, we went home with hearts full of appreciation for the gifts of love, care, and wisdom that the Gan Avraham team provide our children each day.

Curious if Gan Avraham is the right place for your child?  Email Barbara Kanter at barbara[at]tbaoakland[dot]org.

Warmly,
Jessica (Michaelson) Zapruder
Mother of two Gan students (ages 2 and 4)

A new year is here!

"It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good!"

A new year is here! Last week the Gan welcomed a new Kitah Alef class to the community and welcomed back the returning Kitah Bet and Gimmel classes. Though it was a short week, the students had a great time exploring their new classrooms, saying hello to old friends, and initiating new friendships. During the first week the children learned about Rosh Hashanah and the significance of blowing the shofar, and got to taste apples and honey for a sweet new year. 

The Women of TBA also sponsored a back-to-school coffee and pastry get-together in the Chapel--a chance for new and returning parents to mix, mingle, and commiserate. 

We look forward to a happy and sweet year here at Gan Avraham!

Fall Holidays Part II

Here are some photos from Kitah Aleph's fall holiday celebrations. Looks like the kids had a great time!

Fall Holidays at Gan Avraham

September and October were busy months for our preschoolers.

The High Holiday season kicked off with Rosh Hashanah. The children loved eating apples and honey, and got to make delicious round challahs topped with cinnamon and sugar. Here's a recipe for Apple Raisin Muffins the kids made:

And, of course, everyone loved Rabbi Bloom's unforgettable hit, the Rosh Hashanah Macarena!

 For Yom Kippur, the kids talked about the importance of saying "I'm sorry" when you hurt someone.  There was a lively morning children's service the morning of Yom Kippur, where Rabbi Bloom and his son, Micah, led the service via puppets - "Then the whale spat Jonah out onto the beach - blech!"  The kids were really excited when Micah blew the shofar!!!

Sukkot followed Yom Kippur and each classroom built their own sukkah. The children took turns shaking the lulav and etrog, built and decorated the classroom's sukkah, and enjoyed a short field trip to TBA's big sukkah behind the sanctuary.

Supper in the Sukkah was held on October 3rd. Gan families shared food, performed the mitzvah of eating and praying in the sukkah, and enjoyed a sing-along with Rabbi Bloom.


What was your child's favorite part of celebrating the holidays at Gan Avraham?  Please share in the comments section. We'd love to hear from you!