Our Sukkot celebrating continued this week.

We created our own Etrogs and Lulavs

Morah Tzivie shared a fun book about building a sukkah.

We got to hold a REAL etrog and lulav. Rabbi helped us say the blessing.

We ate lunch in the sukkah.

We had the opportunity to look at a dragonfly up close. 

We have added crickets to our classroom, when we are really quiet we can hear them chirping!

We will find out how our crickets chirp next week.

Dragonflies and Sukkahs

We began preparing for Sukkot.  

We played a counting game to create the s'chach on a tabletop sukkah.

We used blocks to create sukkahs for our dolls.

We created edible sukkahs for snack.

Morah Tzive shared a lulav and an estrog.

We can't wait to make our own next week as we continue to celebrate!

This week as entomologists we discovered that dragonflies are not simply bugs with shiny wings.
Morah Katie: What is something interesting you can tell me about dragonflies?
Efraim: They eat mosquitoes.
Morah Katie: How many sets of wings do they have?
Jack: 2, with 2 wings on each side of the body.
Morah Katie: What does having 2 sets of wings allow the dragonfly to do?
Gracie: They fly forward and backward.
Mimi: They can hunt in the air.

Amidst the learning and preparing for Sukkot, there was play, friendship building and development of new skills.

Efraim & Abigail: Jellyfish Jellyfish!
Morah Katie: Would I find a jellyfish with a dragonfly?
Abigail: NO! in the OCEAN!

We can all put the puzzle away.

Quiet comforting at group time

triplets???

Natan: It's a beautiful rocket.

Ari: I put my sock on!

Playing family

Beginning a sweet new year with Bees.

If the past few days have revealed anything, it is that we will indeed have a sweet new school year.

The children eagerly entered the classroom reuniting with familiar friends and meeting new friends.

My friends immediately began rediscovering favorite activities and exploring new ones. 

The children shared with us just how much they had grown since June, be it writing a name, or answering questions with a detailed speech rather than a simple yes/no.

With eager minds and helping hands, we began discussing our new theme.
Morah Katie:  At The Gan, we have been many types of people.  We have been astronomers who studied the planets; oceanographers who study the _____?
Efraim: Ocean!
Morah Katie: For the next few weeks we are going to be Entomologists. 

 Say it with me: EN TO MOLO GIST
They are scientists who study: BUGS!!!
Jack: Like dragonflies?
Efraim: Ladybugs.
Jack: Grasshoppers are bugs.
Morah Katie: Those are bugs, and entomologists study all of them.  We are going to start with a very important bug, the bee.

Morah Katie: Why are bees important?

Efraim: Honey! 

Scout: They pollinate flowers.

Morah Katie: Bees create delicious honey, and pollinate flowers.  They also help pollinate many of the flowering plants we eat! 

Here is a bowl of oatmeal.  If there were no bees, we would HAVE to eat it plain. Because of bees, if we want we can add blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries! 

We played a memory game to help us see some of the many fruits and vegetables we would not be able to enjoy without bees and their important work.

Sroli: Avocado! I see avocado!

Efraim: Blueberries lemon carrots celery

Judah: Sroli has an apple. I have the carrots.

We are grateful bees help pollinate apple blossoms.  Inside each apple is a hidden star!

We re-wrote a familiar song to express our thankfulness for bees:
I'm bringing home my baby bumblebee, won't my __________ be so proud of me!
I'm bringing home my baby bumblebee oh so carefully!
As we sung, each child added a fruit or plant:
Gracie: Strawberry!
Ella: Flower!
Mimi: Tomato!
Natan: Blueberry!
Efraim: Lemon!
Zimmora: Apple!

It has been a sweet and happy week.