Feb 17
Over the past couple of weeks, the children in Nitzanim v’Anafim (“Buds” for 1st-2nd grades, “Branches” for 3rd grade) have been working with watercolors to tell stories about the שְׁמַע (shema). Their stories have been fascinating, and the ways they’ve discovered how to use watercolors have been just as fascinating. While I offered them several …
Feb 08
The families of Shalom, Chaverim! (“Welcome, Friends!” for ages 0 – 3 and their grown-ups) are exploring mezuzahs. These are small, decorative boxes affixed to some doorways to designate a Jewish space. Inside are scrolls on which the שְׁמַע (Shema) prayer is written. Children wrapped themselves up like a scroll. We sang the שְׁמַע (Shema) prayer …
Feb 02
We are solidly in our שְׁמַע (shema) theme, and Nitzanim v’Anafim (“Buds” for 1st-2nd grade and “Branches” for 3rd grade) has been unmatched in their gathering of שְׁמַע feeling words. A couple of weeks ago, we started collecting words on a big list on the wall. From watching and listening to שְׁמַע stories from people …
Jan 27
What a week in Anafim v’Alonim (“Branches” for 3rd-4th grades and “Oak Trees” for 5th grade)! We began the week listening and illustrating to שְׁמַע Shema Stories: of climbing a mountain turning to the שְׁמַע Shema for comfort, shouting across a lake with joy, and learning to love the שְׁמַע Shema by studying it. These …
Jan 26
Children in Shorashim (“Roots” for nursery) and Shteelim (“Saplings” for kindergarten) are excited to tell you that they know about THREE times that Jewish people might say the shema: morning, evening, and at bedtime. This whole week, we’ve been playing lots of bedtime shema. First, we needed to make a bedtime scene for our dramatic …
Jan 13
It is the beginning of a new theme, שְׁמַע (Shema), children in שׁוֹרָשִׁים (Shorashim– ‘roots’ for nursery) and שְׁתִּילִים (Shteelim– ‘saplings’ for kindergarten) have jumped right in. First, we discovered the name of our theme through a scavenger hunt for the Hebrew letters that spell שְׁמַע (Shema). After we found the letters, we worked together to figure …
Jan 13
Wow – what an exciting beginning to our Winter Theme! This week Anafim v’Alonim (“Branches” for 3rd-4th grades and “Oak Trees” for 5th grade) began to explore “Shema.” We began by discovering the Shema in the Torah, in a Mezuzah, and a Siddur (Jewish Prayerbook) – finding similarities and differences and wondering, “What is the shema?” …
May 18
There were lots of different ways for children to continue exploring mezuzzot in Shalom Chaverim this week. We made special houses for the shema using Legos. We are also building a foundational understanding of Hebrew letters as we look for the letter “shin” on every Mezuzzah we find, and even make our own versions of …
May 31
Both Shorashim and Nitzanim have been working on panels for their group quilts. These quilts have not only been a review of the main themes they have learned this year (Sukkot, Breishit, Shema, Pesach, and Tzedakah VaChessed), but a culminating project to be displayed in a public space over the summer. Shorashim children have been …
