Cognitive: We will engage in some scientific thinking over the next few weeks as we make predictions and record our observations about Pumpkins…what's inside?, is it is fruit or a vegetable?, what can we do with the insides of a pumpkin?, what is that smell? We will also discuss the work that is going on around us this time of year with those busy Squirrels. What are they scurrying around for in such a hurry? Why do they look so chubby these days? Where do they go in the winter? Where can we find a squirrel home? We will compare different types of Seeds that we come across in the fall focusing on the various sizes and textures and what happens when they drop to the ground. We will talk about some Early American History as we tell the story of the Pilgrims and their first Thanksgiving and how it is similar and different from how we celebrate today. We'll talk again about Tziporim (birds) and what they are preparing to do for the winter.

Language/Literacy: The children will continue to see the connection between the spoken and written word as we record their observations on class posters or write down their descriptions of their drawings. We will assist the children in making connections between the sounds and the letters that go with them as we write. The children will engage in their own "writing" at the writing center where they have models of letters to look at and where they can work as partners to help each other try to form different letters. We will also begin to assist the children in forming letters if they seek our help in writing. We will use verbal cues to teach the letter formation such as "big line down, little line across, little curve or big curve". We will continue to talk about Authors (the people who write the words) and Illustrators (the people who create the pictures for stories).

Stories: The read-aloud stories we share with the children daily will include: Nuts to You by Lois Ehlert, Squirrels, In November, Pumpkin Circle, Thanksgiving Day, Rivka's First Thanksgiving, The Perfect Thanksgiving, Thanking God, God's Gift of Shabbat, Bird Talk, Bear Feels Sick, The Biggest Birthday Cake in the World, The Quilt, and The Keeping Quilt .

Songs: Some of the songs we will be singing include: Gray Squirrel, Happy Thanksgiving, No More Kings (Pilgrims Sailed the Sea), The Turkey Ran Away, Shehechayanu, Baruch Atah Adonai Thank you G-d., Thank You -Thank You for the Blessings that we share today, I'm gonna eat on Thanksgiving Day, and Happy Birthday to Matan (11/23) and Michelle (12/1). We will have our wonderful Music enrichment classes with Ms. Tracey on Wednesday, November 19th and December 3rd. The children are fortunate to have a music teacher who introduces them to various instruments and the vocabulary of music!

Jewish Identity: At this time of year, as we approach Thanksgiving, we will incorporate opportunities to learn about how Jewish people show their thanks to God for the gifts we receive throughout the year (Shabbat, the food we eat, our health, our family, etc.) We will recognize that the blessings we say each day are actually saying Thank you to G-d. We will teach the children the words and the meaning of the prayer Shehechayanu as we say Thank you to G-d for enabling us to reach this season.

Social-Emotional: We will give special focus to Kindness over the next few weeks as we encourage the children to earn more Mitzvah leaves by doing something just to be nice! We will continue to model positive word choices for the children to use in their interactions. The children are getting along very well and we have been having many peaceful days in Tziporim class!

Fine Motor: The children will work on holding a writing utensil in the correct grip and using appropriate pressure while drawing simple shapes and horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines to improve their visual-motor skills in preparation for writing letters.

Gross Motor: Improve coordination during exploration on our new playground! We will work on our catching and throwing skills as a way to improve hand-eye coordination. We will have Yoga with Ms. Orit on Tuesday, November 18th and December 2nd.

Sensory / Artistic Exploration: We will create a Thanksgiving centerpiece for our families! We will use all of our senses as we dissect a few different Pumpkins and find out what's inside. We will compare the pumpkin seeds with different types of seeds that we find in the fall and focus on their sizes and textures. We will also have our next Art enrichment class with Ms. Lilach on Thursday, December 4th. * We will have a Thanksgiving Sing-Along with the rest of the ECC on Tuesday, November 25th and our class will be leading the group in a song of our choosing!