Week Four (March 21 - 25)

Springing Forward with Morah Rhona (Mondays)

Once again, we read the story Franklin’s Baby Sister. In the book, several signs of spring are mentioned. One of these signs is when seeds which had been planted begin to sprout from the dirt. During a walk outside of the building, the children looked at our own garden. Despite all of the dirt and sand on the surface of this garden, the children observed that indeed our flowers which had been planted in the Fall, have begun to show themselves above ground! We will continue to monitor this garden to see when actual flowers appear. So far, what we have seen is the beginning signs of the stems and leaves, which are bright green. There was a sense of Spring inside of the classroom. For the craft portion of the class, the children used liquid watercolors to decorate paper plates, which were then transformed into beautiful flowers.

Cooking with the Alphabet with Morah Jessica (Tuesdsays)

Tuesdays are by far the most delicious day of the week. The alphabet continued with letters G and H. The children made homemade granola bars and were excited to add their ingredients. There was a lot of mixing that needed to be done! The children worked together to hold the bowl and help their neighbor stir and they were all patient until it was their turn to put in the next ingredient. Once those were baking, for letter H, we made honey milk balls. The three ingredients were honey, powdered milk and soy nut butter but we also added some raisins. Each child was given a piece of the mixture to mold and shape until they ate it! Next week, we'll be cooking with the letters I and J. Until then, Bon Appétit!

Amazing Artists with Morah Larissa (Wednesdays)

This Wednesday in the Amanut, the children enjoyed a wonderful book by Lois Ehlert, Planting a Rainbow. We then decorated large terra cotta pots. The children learned how to carefully handle the heavy terra cotta pots so that they would not break. We used a rainbow of tissue paper squares and glitter glue to cover the pots.

Then we filled them with soil and planted a variety of flower seeds inside. We are looking forward to watching our rainbow grow!

Counting on Books with Morah Larissa (Fridays)

This Friday, the children read two books featuring shapes. We used our Shape Finders to walk around our school looking for triangles, squares, rhombuses, circles and ovals. We then played with the pattern blocks, making pictures, patterns and designs with shapes.

Week Three (March 14 - 18)

Springing Forward with Morah Rhona (Mondays)

In this week’s class, we read the book Franklin’s Baby Sister by Paulette Bourgeois. In this story, Franklin learns about some of the signs of spring. We then discussed some of the signs of spring in Brookline, including that the snow goes away, the days are longer and flowers grow. It was explained to the children that when the daylight hours begin to increase, one thing that we have to do is to change our clocks, by “springing ahead” and that in the fall, as the days grow shorter, we “fall back.” As a craft, each child decorated his or her own clock, complete with moving hands!

Cooking with the Alphabet with Morah Jessica (Tuesdays)

This week’s Cooking with the Alphabet was a lot of fun! The children made elephant ears for the letter E. With biscuit dough in hand, the children were able to form it into their interpretation of an elephant’s ear and, most importantly, put a little cinnamon and sugar on top. Many of them had never eaten an elephant’s ear, however, rumor had it that they were very delicious. For snack and the letter F, the children were able to create their own fruit parfaits! There were a wide variety of berries and granola that the children shared amongst their friends and they were able to scoop it into their own yogurt bowl.

Amazing Artists with Morah Larissa (Wednesdays)

This week in our Amanut, we studied Marc Chagall. First, the children looked at some images of Chagall’s work. We discussed what we saw in the pictures, and how the pictures made us feel. Then we read a book about Marc Chagall’s life as an artist. We used oil pastels on construction paper to create our own images inspired by Chagall’s work. We talked about drawing something that is from our imaginations and from our feelings. The children came up with wonderful ideas, including a flying cow and a person in the clouds! Be sure to check our their work which is hanging outside of the Owls' Room. Finally, the children had some time to experiment with materials from the collage bank. The available materials and time to work on something open-ended nurture the children’s creativity and enthusiasm for art.

Music and Movement with Moreh Micah (Thursdays)

Ava and Kylan have been wonderful additions to our Music and Movement class. The children practiced singing “Five Little Ducks” and sounded wonderful. There was a special energy to the “Super Kids” song this week as each of the students wanted to show off the special song to Kylan, who had never heard it before. Songs such as “Aikendrum” and “Green Grass Grows All Around” give the children opportunities to insert their own lyrics into the songs. Last but not least, “A Tooty A Too” served as a wonderful and exciting song that reinforces memory and repetition.

A Special Science Giants Day with Morah Kate

On Thursday, we took advantage of the beautiful weather by scheduling a special back-to-back enrichment session. After the children had finished with their Music and Movement class, they were treated to some Science Giants time! Back by popular demand, the children did some ice excavations and sink or float experiments. After we had snack, the Extended Day students talked about how different it looks outside now from when we last saw the beautifully colored leaves, acorns falling onto our playground and squirrels running everywhere. The children noticed that many of the leaves are now brown, some evergreen trees are still green, the acorns have been hidden away by the squirrels and that many of the animals have been sleeping or have headed to a warmer home for the winter. We then took a nature walk to investigate what everything looks like now before we start to see the blooming of spring. We collected such wonderful things on our walk and in our playground. When we returned to the classroom, each child captured their objects in a contact paper collage. They loved looking at everything with their magnifying glasses!

Counting on Books with Morah Larissa (Fridays)

This week, we read two books about sorting. We tried sorting ourselves out in different ways: girls and boys, children wearing different colors, etc. We worked as a group to try sorting various toys. We then worked independently, sorting various manipulatives by color, size, shape and type.

Week Two (March 7 - 11)

Springing Forward with Morah Rhona (Mondays)

This week, we talked about bumblebees! Seeing bugs reminds us that Spring is coming. We read Hey, Little Ant by Phillip and Hannah Hoose. Each child created a bee to bring home using liquid watercolors, glue and construction paper. Ava taught us all that bumblebees suck nectar from flowers.

Cooking with the Alphabet with Morah Jessica (Tuesdays)

The children had a blast on Tuesday as we continued to cook through the alphabet@ This week, the letters C and D were highlighted. Of course when one thinks of the letter C, one food can only come to mind - CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES! The children had a lot of work to do, as there were many ingredients and a lot of stirring required. There were measurements to be made and the children had to take turns and help one another by holding the bowl for their friend next to them. Once the cookies were in the oven, the children had a little free play until it was time for snack. The children helped to make some delicious dip for the letter D. With a variety of different vegetables to choose from, it was then time to eat! Overall, this week was another success with cooking through the alphabet. Next week's letters are E and F...who knows what your children will be cooking up next!

Amazing Artists with Morah Larissa (Wednesdays)

In our Amanut (art) Studio this week, we enjoyed a fun book about art, the eponymously titled Art, by Patrick McDonnell. We then created some art together. We decorated a large puzzle piece that will hang in the Brookline Town Hall, along with art created at other early childhood programs in the area. The children were so excited to create art that would be hung up for so many people to see! First, we used oil pastels and then we used liquid watercolors. Working collaboratively is a great way for the children to learn from each other and to build cooperation skills.

Music and Movement with Moreh Micah (Thursdays)

This week, everyone got a turn to click the "magic sticks" together and say their favorite thing to do at home. Our copy movement/memory game "A Tooty A Too" has proven to be a class favorite! The lullaby style "5 Little Ducks" has given the children a chance to work on their singing abilities and they are sounding great. Songs like "The More We Get Together" and "The Sharing Song" are encouraging team-building and strengthening bonds. I hope to see everyone at Tot Shabbat this Saturday morning (March 12) at 11 am!

Counting on Books with Morah Larissa (Friday)

This week, we read Ten, Nine, Eight, a backwards counting book written and illustrated by Molly Bang. It is important for children to learn to count both backwards and forwards, as this develops their number sense. We went on "Number Hunts" in the classroom, collecting objects and counting them backwards. We even created our own backwards counting book together as a group!

Week One (February 28 - March 4)

Springing Forward with Morah Rhona (Mondays)
In this week's enrichment class, we discussed some things that remind us of spring: baby animals, warm weather, flowers, etc. We read the book, Five Little Books and then each child created his or her own baby duckling by cork painting with yellow paint and adding collage materials from our new Amanut (Art Studio).


Cooking with the Alphabet with Morah Jessica (Tuesdays)

The first week of cooking with the alphabet was a great success! The children were ready and eager to bake some delicious treats, the chef in them really shone through. We made Ants on a log for the letter “A,” and we made delicious Banana bread muffins for the letter “B.” The children used celery and pretzel rods to create their “logs” and cream cheese for the raisins “ants” to stick on. There were definitely lots of sticky fingers and big smiles!

Amazing Artists with Morah Larissa (Wednesdays)

The Owls and Bears were so excited to have their first enrichment class in our new Amanut, or Art Studio. This week, we studied the color white. First, we tried using white chalk on white paper, and we couldn’t see a thing! The children had the idea to try a different color of paper. Indeed, using white chalk on green paper make a big difference. Then we read It Looked Like Spilt Milk, and admired the many white pictures on blue background in this book about clouds. The children then each created their own cloud pictures, using a blot painting technique. We saw an owl, a cake, and a butterfly in our paintings! Finally, we experimented with powdered tempera white paint on colorful paper, using real painter’s brushes. The children had a great time choosing their own colored paper and experimenting with different brush strokes.

Music and Movement with Moreh Micah (Thursdays)

This week's session brought back new favorites like "Aikendrum" and "The Green Grass Grows All Around." These two songs, among others, offer the children the chance to add to the story of the songs by raising their hand and adding fun details. The snack monster made an appearance as well as a fun ball game with Moreh Micah.

Counting on Books with Morah Larissa (Fridays)

This week, we will read The Doorbell Rang, by Pat Hutchins. This is a great book about division! It tells the story of a family baking cookies. The children decide how to divide up the dozen cookies, but then the doorbell rings! Guests come, and they have to divide the cookies again. This happens again and again. We will make our own cookies and decide how to divide them up. We will also act out the book and practice doing some simple division with manipulative toys.