The children in שׁוֹרָשִׁים (Shorashim– ‘roots’ for nursery) and שְׁתִּילִים (Shteelim– ‘saplings’ for kindergarten) have been exploring the יוֹסֵף (Yosef) text, for four weeks! Each week, we have been adding new text. Meanwhile, we still remember the parts from past weeks and have even started making connections between things that happen in the newer parts and what happened earlier in the text!
This week, one of the things that children have been thinking about, are the dreams that Par’oh (Pharaoh) has and Yosef’s interpretations of the dreams (Gen 41).
Before we get into some of the visuals from this week, I wanted to share some of the things the children are wondering about:
What does it mean when it says, “Don’t all explanations come from God?”(Gen.40:7)?
Some children decided that God told Yosef what the dreams mean. Some children thought that God gave Yosef the power to understand dreams.
Why did Par’oh (Pharaoh) put Yosef in charge of the food (Gen.41:41)?
Some children thought that Par’oh (Pharaoh) realized that Yosef was smarter than all the magicians and wise men, so he should be in charge. Some children thought that if God helps Yosef understand dreams, then Par’oh thinks that God will help if Yosef is helping (Keep in mind that the younger version of the text does not mention what Par’oh thinks about God in relation to Yosef).
The images that go with this weeks post, are of the ways different children depicted Par’oh’s (Pharaoh’s) dreams though their building:
In the first image, the children involved built small. They used fabrics, gems, bolts, rocks, one animal and a few big blocks. “The wooden piece in the middle is Par’oh (Pharaoh). In the dream he is standing in the Nile River, the grains and the cows are all around him.”
In this second image, the children used only the largest blocks to build about the cows in the dream. “Here are the plump, healthy looking cows and the skinny, bad looking cows that ate them. Par’oh (Pharaoh) is watching from over here (pointed off to the side near the red pillow in the background of photo).”
It has been so cool to hear how different children are thinking about the questions they are asking. It is equally cool to see the different ways that children imagined these parts of the text though the language of building. These are just two examples of the ways that children have been sharing their interpretations during the theme.
