Sarah Wilson (shown with Benjamin, 6, and Laura, 3) of Stroudsburg, Pa., says, “There’s no imaginative play anymore, no pretend.”
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Friday, December 17, 2010
News from Miss Gloria's Class
LETTER OF THE WEEK: W
On Monday, we read The Hat by Jan Brett. When Lisa’s woolen sock flies off of the clothesline, Hedgie finds it, and as he tries to put it on, he gets the hat stuck in his prickles. The other animals laugh at Hedgie’s new hat until they, too, try on some of the clothing that was hanging on the line. Hedgie gets the last laugh when he realizes that animals should never wear clothing. For our letter W art project, each of the children painted a walrus wearing a funny hat. We learned these letter W words: winter, Wednesday, whistle, weather, wind, waist, white, walk, window, and water. We also learned a winter poem:
Hats and mittens keep us warm,
We are ready for the storm,
Zip your coats up to your chin,
Do not let the cold weather in.
On Tuesday, we read The Mitten by Jan Brett. In this book, Nicki drops his white mitten in the snow. The animals, in the woods, find the mitten and crawl inside. The mitten stretches bigger and bigger as more animals climb in. When a bear gives an enormous sneeze, the animals and the mitten scatter in all directions. Nicki finds his mitten, but he cannot understand why it is now so much bigger than his other mitten. For our letter W art project, the boys and girls decorated the W for the winter. We talked about the things that we like to do in the winter such as, making a snowman, drinking hot chocolate, throwing snowballs, walking in the snow, going sledding, and making snow angels.
On Wednesday, the story group of children read The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. This book tells about the adventures of a young boy on a very snowy day. The children, in the yoga group, put a picture of the Weather Bear on their journal page. In yoga, Miss Kim asked the children to tell the group where they would like to go on their winter vacation. The boys and girls participated in warm-up yoga poses and practiced the meditation pose of “sa, ta, na, ma”. For their imaginary yoga trip, the children traveled by airplane and went to the top of a mountain. There, they posed as elephants, dogs, lions, tigers, ducks, and alligators. On their return trip, they traveled by train. At the end of the class, each child wished their friends, “Namaste”, I honor the light in you.
On Thursday, we read Snowballs by Lois Ehlert. In this book, a family of snow people is created after a snowstorm. Unusual objects, like bottle caps, seeds, and popcorn are an added dimension to the creative snow family. For our art project, the children will make snowflakes. They will use tissue paper and glitter for the snowflake’s shimmer and shine. On Friday, we will read All You Need for a Snowman by Alice Schertle. In this book, a snowman begins with one small snowflake and it is complete with billions more. For our art project, the children will make a snowman similar to the one in the book, beginning with three snowballs, a smiling face, and clothing to keep the snowman warm.
On Thursday, we read Snowballs by Lois Ehlert. In this book, a family of snow people is created after a snowstorm. Unusual objects, like bottle caps, seeds, and popcorn are an added dimension to the creative snow family. For our art project, the children will make snowflakes. They will use tissue paper and glitter for the snowflake’s shimmer and shine. On Friday, we will read All You Need for a Snowman by Alice Schertle. In this book, a snowman begins with one small snowflake and it is complete with billions more. For our art project, the children will make a snowman similar to the one in the book, beginning with three snowballs, a smiling face, and clothing to keep the snowman warm.
On Friday, we read All You Need for a Snowman by Alice Schertle. In this book, a snowman begins with one small snowflake and it is complete with billions more. For our art project, the children will make a snowman similar to the one in the book, beginning with three snowballs, a smiling face, and clothing to keep the snowman warm.
Thank you to Gemma, Talia, Jakob, Luke, Jordan, Oren, Rachel, and Nicky for being our super “kids of the day” for the past two weeks. Also, thank you to all of the parents who attended the Parent Teacher Conferences.
The new Parent of the Day schedule has been given out. Please note your scheduled days. If you cannot be the Parent of the Day on your scheduled day, please switch with another parent.
When the Philadelphia Schools are closed because of inclement weather, the Playschool will also be closed. This information can be found on the TV, radio, or on the School District of Philadelphia’s website.
In looking forward to January, we will be going on our second trip to the Art Museum on Tuesday, January 25. More information will be forthcoming.
Our Spring Shabbat Dinner has been changed to Friday, May 6, 2011. Please mark your calendars.
Have a wonderful holiday season and a happy and healthy New Year. See you on January 3, 2011!
Miss Gloria, Miss Chloe, Miss Julia, Miss Mindy, and Mr. Noah
Friday, December 3, 2010
News from Miss Gloria's Class: 12/3/10
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
Friday, November 19, 2010
News from Miss Gloria's Class: November 19, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
LETTER OF THE WEEK: D
On Monday, we read Art by Patrick McDonnell. Art loves to make art. He draws zigzags and squiggles, dots and splotches, and curly cues and doodles. Art likes to display his art on the refrigerator, too. His mother loves Art and the art that he creates. Our art project was to paint a ceramic piece that the children will present to their families as a holiday gift. This project is one that all of the children will have the opportunity to paint. We learned some letter D words, such as dog, duck, dinosaur, door, down, day, daddy, doughnut, and our friends, Dalia and Dante. We also learned some new Thanksgiving songs, too, such as “A Turkey is a Funny Bird”, “Turkey Dinner”, and “The Pumpkin Ran Away”.
On Tuesday, we read Dinner at the Panda Palace by Stephanie Calmenson. This rhyming book tells how the animals, from one hungry elephant to ten little chicks, come to eat dinner at the Panda Palace. When the Palace was full, a tiny mouse came by and asked if there was room for him. He was told “no matter how many, no matter how few, there will always be room at the Palace for you”. For our letter D art project, the boys and girls painted the letter D with orange glitter paint and placed Thanksgiving pictures on to decorate.
On Wednesday, the story group read Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland. In this book, the children learned that on Thanksgiving Day, we give thanks for all of the things that make us feel happy. The journal group used markers to color a picture of a turkey. In yoga, Miss Kim began the class with yoga breathing. She asked the children to name their favorite color as they practiced yoga breaths. We played “Yoga Light” and the boys and girls posed as giraffes, frogs, and snakes. Our imaginary yoga trip was to go to the jungle where the children posed as jungle animals. Both of the yoga groups had a “double-thumbs up” yoga class.
On Thursday, we read Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff. In this book, Danny spends the day with a dinosaur. He rides on the dinosaur’s back, plays hide and seek with him, and he visits a ballpark and the zoo with the dinosaur. For our letter D art project, the boys and girls colored a dinosaur with crayons, and then, painted over the crayons with watercolors to add texture. We asked the children to tell us what they are thankful for. Some of their responses were their toys, their food, their brothers and sisters and moms and dads, and their friends.
On Friday, we read sometimes it’s TURKEY, sometimes it’s FEATHERS by Lorna Balian. When Mrs. Gumm finds a turkey egg, she decides to hatch it, care for the turkey, and have the turkey come to her house for Thanksgiving dinner. For our art project, the boys and girls made a cornucopia, a horn-shaped basket filled with fruits and vegetables.
Thank you to Miles, Brody, Nicky, Samantha, and Talia for being our super “kids of the day” this week.
The Art Exhibit will be on display until November 29. Please let us know if you would like to purchase your child’s art. The Art Exhibit is a fundraiser for the Playschool.
On Wednesday, we will close at 12:30 PM. There will be no Afterschool Arts Club on that day. The Playschool will be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 25 and Friday, November 26.
The applications for the September 2011—May 2012 school year are available now. All synagogue members and current Playschool families will receive their applications before the Hanukkah Happening and Playschool Open House on Sunday, December 5. Please return your child’s application as soon as possible. We enroll children on a first come-first serve basis and the spots fill up quickly. Enrollment is limited!
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 will be available after the Thanksgiving holiday.
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.
Have a great weekend and happy Thanksgiving.
Miss Gloria, Miss Chloe, Miss Julia, Miss Mindy, and Mr. Noah
Fall Photos from Ms. Terri's Class
Hi Moms, Dads and Special Grown-ups,
Here are some fantastic Fall photos from the Kitten and Puppy Classes!
Here are some fantastic Fall photos from the Kitten and Puppy Classes!
Friday, November 12, 2010
News From Miss Gloria's Class: November 12, 2010
Friday, November 12, 2010
LETTER OF THE WEEK: B
On Monday, we read Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert. This book of beautifully colored butterflies and flowers tells how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. We also read The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. A favorite book of children, we read how a caterpillar became a big, fat caterpillar. The caterpillar built a cocoon around himself, and after two weeks, he pushed his way out of the cocoon to become a beautiful butterfly. We learned these letter B words: boy, blue, black, brown, bear, butterfly, bat, ball, ballerina, book, and our friends, Brendan, Bodin, and Brody. For our letter B art project, the boys and girls painted butterflies using fluorescent and glitter paints. The children painted one half of the butterfly and folded the paper together so that the other half of the butterfly would have the same colors and patterns. We played a movement game where the children acted out many letter B movements, such as blowing bubbles, buzzing like a bee, and bouncing a ball.
On Tuesday, we read The Secret Birthday Message by Eric Carle. In this book, a secret message is written in a code of shapes. The children followed the clue shapes to find the birthday present surprise. After reading the book, we asked the children to tell us how old they will be on their next birthday. For our letter B art project, the boys and girls made a bumble bee. These bees are hanging on our Letter of the Week Bulletin Board. They look a bit different from the usual letter of the week projects that we have previously made. For this project, the boys and girls glued a B onto the body of the bumble bee. We learned more letter B words, such as boy, beaver, basketball, baseball, bunny, banana, balloon, bird, and bumble bee.
On Wednesday, one group of children read Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells. In this book, Grandma receives two homemade birthday cakes, a raspberry-fluff frosted cake from Ruby and an earthworm cake with caterpillar icing from Max. The journal group colored a picture of a butterfly for their next entry. In yoga, Miss Kim asked the children to name a food that warms their bodies when it is cold outside. The boys and girls played “Yoga Simon Says” and they took an imaginary trip to the jungle. They posed as a train that took them to the jungle. In the jungle, they posed as snakes, frogs, giraffes, and elephants. On their return trip, they moved their legs in circle motions as they posed as bicycles.
On Thursday, we read We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury. A family is going on a bear hunt on a beautiful day. They are not scared to be searching for a bear. They go through the long, wavy grass, a deep, cold river, thick, oozy mud, a big, dark forest, a swirling, whirling snowstorm, and in a narrow, gloomy cave to catch that bear. For our art project, the boys and girls made a sponge-painted bear using black, brown, and orange paint. Using sponges to apply the paint added texture to their project.
On Friday, we read Bim and Bom A Shabbat Tale by Daniel J. Swartz. Bim is a housebuilder and her friend, Bom, is a baker. They work hard all week long, and on Shabbat, they celebrate together. For a letter B art project, the children made bat masks. We began teaching the children Thanksgiving songs, too.
Thank you to Oren, Jack, Jacob, Cobrin, and Kaya for being our super “kids of the day” this week.
The Art Exhibit will be on display for a few more weeks. Please let us know if you would like to purchase your child’s art. The Art Exhibit is a fundraiser for the Playschool.
As a reminder, we take the children outdoors to ride bikes and play when the weather is 40 degrees and above. Please dress your child in weather-appropriate clothing. All coats, hats, mittens, gloves, and scarves must be labeled so that we know which children these items belong to.
In November, we will close at 12:30 PM on Wednesday, November 24. There will be no Afterschool Arts Club on that day. The Playschool will be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 25 and Friday, November 26.
The applications for the September 2011—May 2012 school year will be available soon. All synagogue members and current Playschool families will receive their applications before the Hanukkah Happening and Playschool Open House on Sunday, December 5. Please return your child’s application as soon as possible. We enroll children on a first come-first serve basis and the spots fill up quickly.
Have a great weekend! Next week, we will learn about Thanksgiving and the letter D and paint ceramics.
Miss Gloria, Miss Chloe, Miss Julia, Miss Mindy, and Mr. Noah
News From Miss Gloria's Class: November 5, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
LETTER OF THE WEEK: N
On Monday, we read The Napping House by Audrey Wood. In this book, everyone is sleeping. The snoring granny, the dreaming child, the dozing dog, the snoozing cat, and a slumbering mouse are all asleep. When a flea bites the mouse, a chain reaction begins and, within a short time, everyone awakens. We learned these letter N words: nose, numbers, November, newspaper, night, nap, no, name, neck, nine, necklace, noise, our friend, Nicky, and our teacher, Mr. Noah. For our art project, the boys and girls used glitter paint to paint on newspapers. We played a name game where each child said their name when a ball was rolled to them.
On Tuesday, we read One Dark Night by Lisa Wheeler. Mouse and Mole are in fear of the dark night until they find Bear who shows them kindness by sharing his dinner with them. For our letter N art project, the boys and girls decorated the N as the nighttime sky filled with the moon and stars. Numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 were floating in the sky, too. We played another game where each child said their favorite number when a ball was rolled to them.
On Wednesday, one group of children read Dog’s Noisy Day by Emma Dodd. In this story, Dog meets the other animals living on a farm and he learns how noisy all of the animals can be. The other children, in the journal group, covered the letter N with newspaper squares. In yoga, Miss Kim asked the children to make the sounds of their favorite animals. Our warm-up yoga pose was to raise our arms to thank the warm, golden sun. The boys and girls learned how to play the dog and snake yoga game where some children posed as downward dogs and some children were the snakes that crawled under the dogs. Our imaginary yoga trip was to go to the aquarium. The children posed as fish, octopuses, and sharks. Both of the yoga groups had a “double thumbs-up” yoga class.
On Thursday, we read Roar! A Noisy Counting Book by Pamela Duncan Edwards. A lion cub’s roar frightens the other colorful animals away until he finds nine other lion cubs to join him in a noisy roar. For our letter N art project, the children used the newspaper that they painted on Monday to colorfully decorate the number nine. For today’s game, the boys and girls said something nice to each other when a ball was rolled to them.
On Friday, we read Nanta’s Lion by Suse MacDonald. Nanta is in search of a lion who is scaring the cattle in her African village. This search-and-find book has a surprise ending as Nanta shows her disappointment in being unable to find the lion. For our art project, the boys and girls made a mother bird sitting in her nest.
Thank you to Maya, Lucie, Maddie, and Jordan for being our super “kids of the day” this week.
The Art Exhibit will be on display for a few more weeks. Please let us know if you would like to purchase your child’s art. The Art Exhibit is a fundraiser for the Playschool.
As a reminder, we take the children outdoors to ride bikes and play when the weather is 40 degrees and above. Please dress your child in weather-appropriate clothing. All coats, hats, mittens, gloves, and scarves must be labeled so that we know which children these items belong to.
In Afterschool Arts Clubs this week, the boys and girls made peanut butter or soybutter-covered bananas in Cooking Club, they painted seashell fossils made with Model Magic in Science Club, in Art Club, they made monster masks like the monster in the book, Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley, in Movement Club, they played parachute games, Wonder Ball, and they rode scooters, and on Friday, the children sang Shabbat songs with their friends in the Pre-K PM class. Afterschool Arts is a great way for children to extend their day in the Playschool. Please have your child give it a try!
In November, we will close at 12:30 PM on Wednesday, November 24. There will be no Afterschool Arts Club on that day. The Playschool will be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 25 and Friday, November 26.
In looking forward, please mark your calendars for the Hanukkah Happening and Playschool Open House on Sunday, December 5 from 11 AM to 1 PM. More information will be forthcoming soon.
Have a great weekend! Next week, we will learn letter B and paint ceramics.
Miss Gloria, Miss Chloe, Miss Julia, Miss Mindy, and Mr. Noah
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