A New Year

I have been eagerly waiting for the beginning of the new year.
In anticipation to this year, I reflected on themes and lessons I have presented in previous years, the different topics discussed and ideas explored.
I excitedly began to write down ideas to present to the children:
Color- We don't have to go far to find treasures of color in our world.
The Garden- We are farmers growing vegetables in our very yard!
Space- We will have to travel far with our imaginations, but what sights we will see!

These 3 areas will be the starting points of our learning adventures.
As we navigate our way through colors, vegetables and space, we will also be learning to share.

Anton: We are looking for all the shiny ones.
Isaac: There's one, there's another.

Abigail: Sofia and I are making ice cream. We are going to give it away.

Judah: Evan I made you a birthday cake, this is your cake with 100 candles."

Morah Katie: Why do we share tzedakah each day? 
Abigail: For people with no money.
Morah Katie: How do we use all the coins we collect?
Anton: To buy food for people.
Isaac: To buy boots and rain jackets.

We will learn to care for ourselves, our friends and our classroom




We will become peace makers.

Clara: Morah Katie Amelia is not coloring with me.

Morah Katie: OK. What would you like to do?
Clara: I want her to color with me.
Morah Katie: Would you like help talking with Amelia? 
Clara: Yes because I want her to color with me.
Morah Katie: Amelia, Clara would like to speak with you. What do you feel like saying Clara?
Clara: Amelia I want you to color.

Amelia: I am playing music.

Clara: But I want you to color with me.

Amelia: I don't want to color with markers right now Clara, I don't have to.
Morah Katie: Clara would you like to ask Amelia if she will color with you later?

Clara: Well ok, I guess you can color with me later then.

Sroli: There isn't enough glue.
Morah Katie: I see 2 glue jars and both have glue.
Anton: Isaac has a lot of glue. We can use his glue.
Isaac: No, it's my glue I got it.
Sroli: But we need more glue.
Anton: I know we can pour some of the glue from the full one into the other one.
Morah Katie: How does that sound to you Isaac?
Isaac: We can do that.

We will learn through play.

Natan: I built this ice cream store. Sroli and I are selling ice cream. This wood is heavy, but chocolate ice cream is good.

We will discover that each of us can share what we know, help others, and learn from our friends.

Abigail: Ok Evan I will teach you cobra now.
Evan: Now I am a cobra.

Abigail: I can read to you Olivia.

This week we began our exploration of color.
We began with the 3 primary colors.

RED  & YELLOW   & BLUE

Painting

Colors in our yard

Amelia: It's a red tomato.

Isaac: Can we eat this red, oh it has orange on it too, tomato?

Morah Katie: We can eat the red/orange tomato.

Sroli: It's a yellow flower. It will be a pumpkin.

Color Collage

Snack time Color

Red, yellow and blue fruits: some sweet some sour!

 

Color treasure hunts! 

Sroli: It's a rainbow.  I don't see the blue. Oh there it is.

Natan: (waving his hand) Look it went away.

Sroli: It is on my finger!

Natan: (waving his hand) IT came back! I made magic!

 Next week we see discover through art and science experiments what happens when colors mix!
Why do the classroom rainbows disappear?