Friday, December 3, 2010
LETTER OF THE WEEK: H
On Monday, we read Sammy Spider’s First Hanukkah by Sylvia A. Rouss. This Sammy Spider adventure tells how Sammy learns about Hanukkah. He learns how to spin a dreidel and how to light the Hanukkah menorah. Mrs. Spider surprises Sammy by spinning him eight very special gifts. For our art project, the boys and girls sponge-painted dreidels for our classroom bulletin board. The boys and girls had fun trying to spin dreidels. They found it to be quite challenging, but we will keep on trying.
On Tuesday, we read Mrs. Greenberg’s Messy Hanukkah by Linda Glaser. In this Hanukkah story, a young girl makes potato latkes with her neighbor, Mrs. Greenberg. This cooking project becomes more work than Mrs. Greenberg could ever imagine. By the time the latkes are ready to be eaten, Mrs. Greenberg’s kitchen has turned into a mess. She doesn’t mind, though, because it is better to eat with friends. For our letter H art project, the boys and girls painted the letter H and added on a dreidel, latkes, and a menorah. We learned a few Hanukkah songs, too. For the letter of the week, the boys and girls learned these letter H words, Hanukkah, head, hair, horse, hippopotamus, hammer, hide, hot dog, hamburger, hug, hat, hands, hot, and house.
On Wednesday, the children in the journal group colored Hanukkah dreidels and the story group read On the First Night of Chanukah by Cecily Kaiser. In this book, on each night of Hanukkah, we learn about the traditions of this holiday. In yoga, Miss Kim asked the children to say their names and tell their favorite colors as they practiced yoga breathing. We played “Yoga Light” and posed as snakes, giraffes, and frogs. During the game, three children took turns being the Yoga Light. The boys and girls learned a new yoga pose called the hawk. It was a little tricky trying to balance as a hawk, but it is a pose that the children can work on. They also posed as trees and it was easier for them to hold onto the wall as they tried to stand on one foot. For Hanukkah, the boys and girls posed as Hanukkah candles, and as Miss Kim pretended to light the candles, the children said the Hanukkah blessing. At the end of the class, we did our cricket rubs to warm up our bodies and we said “Namaste” to our friends. During lunchtime, we lit the Hanukkah candles and said the Hanukkah blessings.
On Thursday, we read The Borrowed Hanukkah Latkes by Linda Glaser. In this book, Mrs. Greenberg does not mind helping her neighbors make latkes. She gives them potatoes, eggs, chairs for their guests, and then, she opens up her home, to make one big Hanukkah celebration for everyone. For our Hanukkah project, the boys and girls made candle headbands. We learned some new Hanukkah songs and the children tried spinning the dreidels again. We also lit the Hanukkah candles for the second night of Hanukkah.
On Friday, we read This is the Dreidel by Abby Levine. This book tells how Hanukkah is celebrated in the home. On Hanukkah, the menorah is lit each night, latkes are eaten, dreidel games are played, families get together to celebrate the holiday, and gifts are often exchanged. For our art project, the children made Happy Hanukkah cards for their families.
Thank you to Dalia, Max, Sofia, Theo, and Liam for being our super “kids of the day” this week.
Parent Teacher Conferences will be held on Wednesday, December 8 and Thursday, December 9. Teachers will be available to watch the children during conference time. There will be no Playschool classes on both of these days. Sign-up sheets are now available.
There will be no Afterschool Arts on Tuesday, December 14. All children will be dismissed at 12:30 PM. Friday, December 17 is the last day before the winter break. The Playschool will open on Monday, January 3, 2011.
We hope to see you at the Hanukkah Happening, on Sunday, for music, games, arts and crafts, delicious latkes, and fun for the whole family!
Have a great weekend and Happy Hanukkah!
Miss Gloria, Miss Chloe, Miss Julia, Miss Mindy, and Mr. Noah
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