HAPPY CHANUKAH!

Nun Gimmel Hey and Shin,

watch my dreidle spin and spin

The week before winter break is an active one!

We created snowflakes, and with the cut out scraps made a snowstorm for our animals.

We used a feather pen to be scribes and practice our writing.

We had turtles roaming the classroom.

There is always time for puppet theatre.

We played board games, Snowman snowman where's your nose? and Red light Green light!

In the midst of all these activites and games, we discovered just how much we know about Chanukah.

Morah Tzivie: What was the great miracle that happened?

Noah: Chanukah!

Morah Tzivie: Where did this miracle happen?

Dena: In the big room they cleaned up.

Morah Tzive: Yes, the Jewish people cleaned up and made the Beit Hamikdash beautiful, where was the holy temple?

Ben: In Israel!

Morah Tzivie: Which people did the Maccabee's chase away?

Ben: The Greeks

Morah Tzivie: What was the king's name?

Levi: King Antiochus

Morah Tzivie: After the great miracle of the Maccabee's chasing the Greeks away, what other miracle happened?

Tori: The Candles

Morah Tzivie; Today we use candles, what did they use long ago?

Levi/Dena/Ben: Oil

Morah Tzivie: Was there alot of oil?

Kian: No

Morah Tzivie: How many days did the oil last?

All the children: 8 Days!

Morah Tzivie: What do we do today celebrate and remember the great miracle?

Tori: Play dreidel

Morah Tzivie: We play dreidel, what are the letters on the dreidel?

Noah: Nun

Kian: Gimmel

Levi: Hey and shin.

Morah Tzivie: The letters on the dreidel say Nes Gadol Hayah Sham. Which means?

Levi: A great miracle happened there.

Morah Tzivie: The there is where?

Ben: Israel.

Morah Tzivie: What else do we do to celebrate?

Tori: Light the Menorah

Morah Tzivie: Many people will place their menorah in a window to help remind people of the miracle.

Noah: If we put it outside by the gate people can see it better!

Morah Tzivie: We also eat yummy treats to remind us of the miracle. What treats do we eat?

Dena: Latkes!

Levi: Donuts!

Noah: What about birthday cakes and cupcakes?

Morah Tzivie; Those are sweet treats also, but the treats we eat for chanukah are all cooked with what?

Tori: Ingredients!

Morah Tzivie: After all the ingredients are mixed what are the treats cooked in?

Ben: Oil!

We are the Maccabees's marching marching...

This week we learned about the heroic Maccabbees.

Morah Tzivie told us the story of the unkind, mean ruler King Antiochus who told the Jewish people:

NO MORE SHABBAT

NO MORE MITZVAH

NO MORE LIGHTING THE MENORAH

NO READING AND STUDYING TORAH!

GIVE THANKS TO ME NOT HASHEM!

The king had his soldiers watch all the Jewish people to be sure they followed the new rules.

Clearly, this made the Jewish people sad, and afraid of the king's army.

Morah Tzivie explained how the Jewish people decided to continue to have Shabbat, to do mitzvahs, to light the menorah and give thanks to Hashem.

She told us how the Jewish people hid in caves to study the Torah, and be thankful to Hashem.

The caves provided a good, safe place for the Jewish people.

Tori, Levi and Noah hid in our "cave".

Morah Tzivie: Kian, can you see Tori? Levi? Noah?

Kian: No

Morah Tzivie: Dena can you?

Dena: No

Morah Tzivie: The caves were a good hiding place for the brave Jewish children to study the Torah.

We learned that the brave Jewish children tricked the Greek soldiers.

They studied the Torah, with a lookout.

When the lookout called to them that a soldier was coming, they would hide the Torah and play dreidel.

We aren't studying the Torah! We are just playing dreidel!

After hearing about the search for oil in the Holy Temple, and the excitement of finding one small jar, we went on an oil hunt!

Where is the oil?

We found it!

Hurray!

Since the children learned all about ancient Israel and the long process in which oil was made, and after watching in our own menorah how oil is naturally consumed by the flame, we really understood what a great miracle it was the oil lasted for 8 whole days.

We spun dreidels, and kept a record of how many times our dreidel landed on each letter.

We made banana pretzel menorah's for snack!

It may be fall but winter weather is here. We played with the frost frozen to our train and slide.

We made snow flakes.

Our hands got cold, but it was fun to have a handful of "snow".