Sep 23
In Anafim V’Alonim (“Branches” for 4th grade, and “Oak Trees” for 5th Grade), we have so many ideas about how to take care of each other, and how to feel Shalom in our community. We began by sharing different rules for how we treat each other, and then put them into categories: Be kind Be …
Oct 28
As we dive deeper into our theme, תֵּבָה (Teyva – “Ark”), the children in Nitzanim (“Buds” for 1st grade) have also been diving deeper into their feelings and opinions about the text. One skill that Nitzanim has been working hard on is listening to each other’s thoughts and then saying if we connect or agree with …
Feb 27
Step into our learning space any day this week, and you’ll feel the palpable excitement in the air. With only a few sessions remaining until our Family Exploration and Celebration, the children in Anafim v’Alonim have been immersed in their final l’hitpalel (“to pray”) projects. Each child is pursuing an inquiry area that is most …
Feb 25
We’re in week two of frenzied final project mode in Beit Nitzanim, but today we took a few moments to slow down and share. Children took turns telling their לְהִתְפַּלֵל (L’hitpalel) stories to a peer. They showed photos of their buildings, explained project planning pages, and some of our big first grade readers even read …
Jan 10
I continue to be struck by the way that Nitzanim children have been delighted all year to work with a partner. We’ve worked so hard as a community to intentionally build our skills for kind partnership, and I’ve been amazed to see how seriously children take up this challenge. Check out everything we’ve been practicing: …
Mar 02
As our שבת (Shabbat) projects take shape in ענפים (Anafim, “branches” for 3rd-4th grade children), the children are starting to interview each other to develop their artist’s statements. Sometimes the questions are spontaneous: “Whoa! How did you do that?” Sometimes, great follow-up questions grow out of answers to our set interview protocol: “Wait, that’s really different …
