Aug 27
Oh how wonderful to be back together for a full week of August Camp! Last week, children in 1st-5th grade explored mezuzah (“doorpost”). They hunted around the building for mezuzot, learned new techniques for clay, went on two AWESOME walking field trips to nearby playgrounds, and designed their own unique mezuzot. Children in nursery and …
Sep 06
In our second week of August Camp, children in 1st through 5th grade explored the Jewish idea of Bal Taschit, “Do Not Waste”! We learned where Bal Taschit comes from (the Torah!), went on field trips to explore different types of green technology, built water filtration systems, and designed our own ideas for how to …
Oct 20
Middle schoolers spent over NINE hours together, and at the end, someone said, “That was better than school. I wish we could learn like that every day.” 8:30 AM: Review background information and write research questions for the Oriental Institute 10:15 AM Some of us want to take the bus, but others want to walk. The kids’ …
Sep 01
Four full-day field trips, and oh, my! you amaze me. You navigated yourselves through downtown Chicago Organized yourselves to wait patiently Stuck together (and ate) in the rain and wind and wet grass, wherever we were and without complaint And shouted out your joy in being together and everything you’d accomplished. You’re kids who can go wherever your dreams …
Sep 01
You know that moment when the children grow still, and they’re so intensely focused? The Chagall works that we saw this week did that to the children. Every time, after an initial rush to explore and take it all in, they sat transfixed, amazed, quiet. For a half an hour or longer. And I sat, too, …
Oct 21
Yes! Sukkot is Zeman Simchateinu – The Time of Our Rejoicing. We took our first-ever Jewish Enrichment Center field trip, to the Garfield Park Conservatory. It was ninety straight minutes of, “You absolutely have to see this!” and “Look at that shape!” We took notes, drew pictures, took a ton of photos, and developed …
Oct 21
This post was written by one of our sixth graders, after our first-ever Jewish Enrichment Center field trip to the Garfield Park Conservatory. We went to the conservatory to think about what we wanted to make our sukkah out of and we looked at all the plants and animals there. First we went to the …
