We had another fun-filled month of school with lots of hands-on learning activities. The children have formed strong bonds of friendship. In our few months together, I can see the growth of all the children.

The following are the areas of learning with the activities/skills that the children have participated in:

Social/Emotional
Socially, the children continue to learn stages of independence by cleaning-up after playtime and after meals, using their manners and taking turns and sharing. They have quickly mastered the 'Flip Trick' where they put on their coats by themselves. We are also working on potty training. The children are developing the concept of empathy and show concern for sad friends as well as helping each other in the classroom.

Science & Math
These two aspects were involved with many of our activities.

For Sukkot, the children counted different fruits. For the fall unit, we compared a big and a little sized pumpkin. We counted the seeds in the little pumpkin and we started to count the seeds in the big one, but there were too many. We felt the mushy inside and compared it to the hard outside. After opening a pumpkin, we planted the pumpkin seeds to see if they would grow. So far in our observations-nothing has happened. We also roasted the seeds to see what they taste like.

We collected leaves and compared their shapes, sizes and colors. We stomped in them, heard them crunch, and felt how hard or soft they were. We dressed in colors of the fall as well as making a project. Each day was a different color: yellow-banana peel painting; red-collage; brown-pine cone painting and orange-opened and explored the inside of a pumpkin.

We talked about animals in the fall. We painted with little brooms as squirrel tails and sang "Grey Squirrel Swoosh Your Bushy Tail."

In our daily routine the children are learning 1 to 1 correspondence when they set the snack and lunch table as well as putting out chairs.

Language & Literacy
The children's first learning experience at school was learning to recognize friends' names via bunny magnets, on the cubbies, and the classroom door. We sing many transition songs for cleaning and moving from one activity to another.

Through the holidays, the children will learn some Hebrew vocabulary. For Rosh Hashana/Yom Kippur they learned: L'Shana Tovah (Happy New Year) and the holiday symbols: apples = tapuach, honey = dvash, and shofar. The children learned about the holidays of Sukkot and Simchat Torah. They learned about the Sukkah, Luluv, and Etrog. We learned about the Torah's 'home' in the arc and what we 'dress' the Torah with: a yad, crown, dress, and shield.

We read 'Jonah and the Whale' as well as other holiday stories. We sang 'I'm Sorry,' 'To the Sukkah, We Will Bring.' and 'Torah, Torah, Torah.'

Daily, the children are learning Jewish Blessings for preparing for a meal, eating fruit, and the Shabbat blessings for lighting the candles, challah, and Kiddush. Each Friday we learn new Shabbat songs at our all-school Shabbat sing-a-long.

Children learned Autumn colors, names of animals that we see more of in the fall season, and parts of the pumpkin.

Fine & Gross Motor
Gross Motor skills are enhanced daily through the outdoor play time by riding bikes, climbing, sliding and running. Fine motor outside is shown through sand box play.

Within the classroom the children enhance their fine motor skills by engaging with many manipulative activities such as-puzzles, peg boards and play dough. With any unit and our holiday units through-the art projects the children use fingers and hands along with different tools while painting, drawing and gluing. The children are also experimenting to use scissors.

Also to enhance fine motor skills; we try to cook in the classroom each month; this month we made chocolate challah. They also have sewing experiences where they are able to lace holiday as well as seasonal shapes.

Judaism and Jewish Identity
First and foremost we teach the children the value of family. The children are learning to respect others and their environment. They are learning about Mitzvot (giving and sharing with others); especially with our on-going Shabbat unit curriculum by giving Tzedakah (charity).

We use role play at Kabbalat Shabbat by having a child be Ema and Aba (Mom and Dad) while blessing the Shabbat food items. We come together each Friday morning with all our school friends and staff to sing Shabbat songs. The children play Shabbat puzzles and matching games.

We have put up a Mitzvot Tree in the classroom. As the children do good deeds at school or home, either the parent or I give the child a seasonal shape for the tree. We write down the good deed on the 'seasonal shape.' For example: this month we are using leaves. The children color the leaf.

For the Yom Kippur Holiday, we discussed feelings of happy, sad, and angry as well as telling the truth. We talked about the Bible story: Jonah and the whale. For Sukkot, we visited the Sukkah, where the Rabbi had each child shake the Lulav and smell the Etrog. Simchat Torah was fun as we danced, sang, and marched around the Synagogue sanctuary holding mini Torahs with Cantor Helzner.

Other
We enjoy meeting with Ms. Tracey for music. We enjoyed playing the violin and African drums. Also we have fun with Ms. Orit for movement as we marched as dinosaurs and danced as leaves with scarves.

We thank Haley's mom for coming in to be our Shabbat Ema. We also thank Samantha's mom for helping us to complete making our chocolate Challah.

Looking ahead
- Farm
- Thanksgiving (including: Family and manners)

Thanks to all the Parents for their cooperation and support!!
May we have a continued successful year!
Ms. Vicki