There has been great anticipation on my part for new school year at The Gan.

To my joy, my hopes and expectations for this years class are already being met.

The children immediately began building friendships and exploring the classroom.

We are already seeing the 4 C's occurring amongst the children.

Collaboration

working together to create a tire chair

becoming partners in an investigation to see if a pipe can stand and balance on it's own

working together to load the tires on the train

Communication

discussing and sharing stories about storms

laughing together

Creative thinking

creating a tire obstacle

painting

It is not simply a tire, it can be a hula hoop!

Critical thinking

playing with magnets and rice

what happens when you smash a volcano?

what happens when you smash play dough on a table and it gets so thin it sticks to the table?

Is it a bridge?

Is it a trampoline?

Some wonderful acts of kindness and leadership occurred faster than the camera could document.

These moments of kindness:

• a returning child walking over at clean up time to help 2 new children return their toys - unasked by a teacher
• an older child inviting a new younger child to sit by him at lunch
• a returning child holding the hand of a younger child, giving a tour of the classroom
• friends helping each other open lunch containers and go-gurts.

With these demonstrations of leadership and kindness, collaboration and critical creative thinking, I am confident we have a wonderful year ahead of us.

We celebrated our first Shabbat party of the new school year. It was filled with music and joy.

Hello Summer!

It has been a wonderful, engaging, interesting, fun year.

We had a delightful end of year celebration

 

 

 We finished our year strong with a delightful pajama day

 

 

 

 We are ending the year with a new 3 year old! 

And a delicious fruit salad

Enjoy the sun and have lots of fun! 

See you all in the fall!

Can it be? Yes, indeed, another active busy week at The Gan.

Shadow art.

Exploring with light.

The cucumber plants are growing and ready to plant.

 

Portland was recreated, bridges and all.

Salamanders were colored.

Tori: Well we didn't have any more salamanders, and Noah wanted another one so I drew one for him. It's green but he can still color it.

 

Music was played.

The year has gone by quickly! We have learned so much.

Morah Katie: What can you tell me about the planets, or the solar system?

Kian: Saturn has rings.

Dena: Saturn is far from the sun.

Noah: Pluto is demoted.

Ben: Venus passed in front of the sun.

Tori: Pluto is far from the sun.

Levi: In between Jupiter and Mars is the asteroid belt.

Efraim: The blue one.

Morah Katie: The blue one is Neptune.

Aaron: There is a red planet, Mars.

Gracie: Jupiter is far away.

Morah Katie: Tell me what you have learned about the ocean.

Levi: Seals are marine mammals.

Noah: Crabs live on the ocean floor.

Ben: Orca whales spout air.

Tori: Sea anemones eat fish.

Efraim: Fish, ocean.

Dena: Crabs walk on 6 legs.

Kian: Clown fish work together with sea anemone.

Gracie: Sea crabs live in the ocean.

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Morah Katie: What can you tell me about the 5 types of vertebrates?

Levi: A giraffe is a vertebrate, it is a mammal.

Ben: A chameleon can change colors, it is a reptile.

Noah: Not every animal has backbone, spider crabs don't but monkeys do.

Shalom: A lion has a backbone, and is a mammal.

Aaron: Birds can fly.

Noam: The animals went on the ark.

On a hunt for reptiles

Morah Katie: Please share with me something special about the holidays we celebrated this year.

Ben: We light 8 candles on Chanukah.

Noah: Purim and Queen Esther.

Dena: Queen Esther saved the day.

Levi: At Rosh Hashanah we dip apples in honey, red apples.

Aaron: At Shabbat we light candles.

Eftraim: Shabbat! Candles!

Kian: The Torah.

Morah Katie: We did just finish celebrating the Torah and Shavout. Who can tell me the name of the holiday when we celebrate (Morah Katie stood in the yoga tree pose)....

Levi: Tu B' Shevat! We also celebrated Yom Kippur and Sukkot.