Spring Enrichment (Week Four: May 16 - 20)

Sing a Song a Day with Morah Rhonah (Monday)
This week, we tried our hardest to forget about all of the precipitation that was falling from the sky. We sang the songs “Mr. Sun” and “You Are My Sunshine.” Each child then made a bright and beautiful golden sun. This was done by coloring a large cardboard circle bright yellow. There were multiple yellow collage materials available to the children to further decorate their suns. These materials included constriction paper, tissue paper, felt and yellow art tape. Each sun was completed as the children glued on many rays around the perimeter.

Outdoor Adventures with Morah Jessica (Tuesday)
This week was more like Indoor Adventures than Outdoor Adventures! On Tuesday, the children took a walk around our beautiful synagogue and we spent some time in the large sanctuary. Many of the children had never been in there before, and were amazed at how big it was, how loud our echos were and the giant dome that they recognize from the outside of the building. They enjoyed looking at the stained-glass windows, sitting in the velvet seats and comparing this bima and ark to the one in the sanctuary. Once back in the classroom, the children palled Cranium Hullabaloo, a fun movement and listening game. Let's hope the sunshine remembers that it is May for next week!

Amazing Artists with Morah Larissa (Wednesday)

This week in Amazing Artists, we moved beyond discussions of 2-dimensional art to begin learning about sculpture. First, we looked at photographs of four familiar sculptures (including the "Make Way for Ducklings" statue in Boston, one of Degas' dancers and Rodin's "The Thinker"). We experimented with two forms of sculpture, using glue/wood pieces and clay. The children created som beautiful pieces!

Music and Movement with Moreh Micah (Thursday)
This week's music and movement class featured one of our best renditions of "The Super Kids" to date. Everyone got a chance to show off their moves in the middle of the circle. "Hey Diddle Diddle" and "5 Little Ducks" are songs that have allowed us to begin work on singing nicely in unison together. I am really impressed with everyone's memory of all the words, especially during our movement game, "A Tooty A Too." The children have also been working on playing tambourine and moving/clapping to the beat.

Around the World in 8 Weeks with Morah Rhona (Friday)
This week, the children had the opportunity to see a real passport. Many of the children are fortunate to have their own real passports and have and will continue to travel to many wonderful destinations! We read the book People of Corn, and then we travelled to Guatemala. Because the people of this country depend so much on corn for survival, this was the focus of our lesson. Each child had fun husking an ear of corn on the cob. They then used this corn to paint colorful pictures, by dipping the corn in the paint, and then either using it as a “brush” or rolling it around the paper. We capped off our adventure by feasting on tortilla chips and salsa!