Sukkahs and hugs

Morah Katie: What holiday are we celebrating?
Eli: Sukkot.
Morah Katie: What can you tell me about Sukkot?
Evan: We eat in sukkahs.
Moshe: The sukkah is like the clouds that Hashem had to keep the bad stuff away.

Morah Katie: Imagine walking through the desert, the sun is out all day. It gets very hot.
At night it actually gets very cold.  Hashem used clouds to provide comfort and to protect the Jewish people as they traveled.  When we walk into the sukkah, how many walls are there?
Moshe: Four.
Morah Katie: They are all around us.  
Please take a moment and hug the friend sitting next to you.

What did that hug feel like?
Zoey: Great. Soft too.
Moshe: Clouds.
Evan: Happy. I like it.
Moshe: Hugs feel like love.
Shoshi: Love.
Morah Katie: What does it feel like to give a hug?
Moshe: Happy in your heart.
Evan: Happy.
Moshe: Smiles. To the other person and you.

Morah Katie: How do you feel when you go in the sukkah and eat with your family and friends? 
Evan: Great.
Zoey: So excited.
Eli: We love the sukkah.
Morah Katie: When we are in the sukkah what do we think about?
Moshe: Hashem gives us a hug.

 

 

 

 

Our young friends experience quite a bit during their day.
They are learning to control their bodies, and their impulses.
At the same time, they are discovering how to manage when things do not go exactly how they had hoped.
Meanwhile, they are developing friendships and learning to take turns and make kind and helpful choices.
AND, they are learning how to manage their emotions.
It can be a lot for a young person.

We help them to notice their feelings.
When our friends can pause, and acknowledge what they are feeling, they are better able to see a mistake they may have made.

Earlier this week, we continued to discuss and prepare for Yom Kippur.
Morah Katie: Please tell me what you know about Yom Kippur, why do we have this holiday?
Zoey: We eat challah.
Moshe: If you have had a bar bat mitzvah you don't eat.
Evan: We do light candles.
Morah Katie: What does Yom Kippur remind us about?
Moshe: Mistakes, accidents happen.
Morah Katie: They do. When we make mistakes, what do we do? 
Evan: Fix it. 
Morah Katie: Can it sometimes be hard to say you made a mistake?
Kids: (nod heads)
Morah Katie: Why do you think it can be hard to say we made a mistake, IF we know we can fix it- or find a way to fix it?  Maybe we feel embarrassed? (kids nod)  When we begin to feel an unpleasant feeling, what can we do?
Moshe: Do a deep breath.
Morah Katie: I agree. We can stop. We can take a breath. We can tell ourselves we can handle this.

Moshe was returning markers and the brown crayon container fell.
Moshe: Oh! oh it's ok. It's just a mistake, I can fix it.

On the playground, Evan kicked a ball and it hit Morah Eden.  He was embarrassed. Morah Jillian helped him take a breath.

Morah Jillian: This is an opportunity  a mistake happened. What do you think you can say?

Evan and Morah Jillian walked over to Morah Eden.

Evan: I'm sorry.

Morah Eden: Thanks for saying you're sorry. 

A child who can stop, breathe and tell themselves that they can handle a situation, is better equipped to see that their friend may potentially be feeling upset also.
We help our friends notice  and acknowledge the specialness of each other.

Empathy grows when we can identify with our friends.

Strong connections are created in the classroom.  

When a friend is able to see that a friend may be sad, hurt, or angry, they remember or imagine a time when they have felt those feelings and empathy grows.
We can fix a mistake we made with our friend when we put our attention on them and their experience.
When unfortunate situations occur in our classroom, our young friends are quick to demonstrate compassion and find a solution by sharing or helping.

 

Evan: "F'. fffffff for friendly or forgive.

Building blocks and building friendships

 This short week we attempted and succeeded at building challenges.

We teamed up in pairs and worked together to see if we would build or answer the challenge questions differently.

The building challenge inspired imaginative block play.

The cup stacking challenge presented creative opportunities.

Morah Tzivie shared with us about Yom Kippur.

Morah Tzivie: Mistakes are going to happen.  Sometimes we make mistakes do, sometimes our friends do.  After mistakes happen, we feel so sorry and think I shouldn't have ... taken that toy/knocked over the markers when I was mad/yelled at my friend.

Zoey: When you make a mistake you need to clean it.

Morah Tzivie: That's right!  If something spills you can clean it up.  It's ok. Yom Kippur reminds us it's okay. We get to say I'm sorry, fix the mistake and try to be better.

Evan: Sometimes you run into someone you can say you are sorry.

Morah Tzivie: That's right.  You say you are sorry and ask what you can do to fix it, to make it better. Let's sing our song about what we can do when we've made a mistake.

Everyone: (tune of Where is Thumbkin)

Let's be friends, Let's be friends, 

Let's share and play, Let's share and play.

I will care for you, you will care me, everyday.

Oops I'm sorry, oops I'm sorry, 

What did I do? What did I do?

I didn't want to hurt you, I want to make it better.

I made a mistake, I'll fix my mistake.

We read a book about the different ways our heart may feel.

 

Evan: My favorite page was the big tree, the heart grows so big.

Moshe: I like the slide. Slides make me happy.

Evie: The planting page.  Planting because it grows.