Thanksgiving

The kindergarten children came to understand the story of Thanksgiving as a story of how people (The Native Americans) helped people who really needed help (The Pilgrims). Without the help the Native Americans shared with the Pilgrims, the Pilgrims would have perished. We discussed that it is our obligation to help others who are in need. We read stories that demonstrated real life situations about people who needed help, and those who helped them. In doing so, we realized, that it is not always easy for us to help, but that even when it is not easy for us, it is still our obligation to help! The children brainstormed together and shared their ideas!

I asked the children, who do you think needs "help"? The overwhelming response was "poor people!" "Okay, I said, who are poor people, and how can you help them?" "Poor people don't have money!" "Why do we need money?" I asked. "To buy food, and poor people need more money to buy food...or they need people to give them food." "So", I asked, "How can you help?" One friend suggested that they could do chores at home for money and use some birthday money to give for tzedakah! Or, "We can ask our parents to help us bake food for people!" "I could sell some toys that are in good condition, then I can have money to give to tzedakah!"

"Great start" I said, Let's think about other ways we can help people. A friend offered, “we could make a picture book to bring to a sick child in the hospital. I think it would make them happy because a kid came to see them!” "Yes, "I'm sure children who are not well and are in the hospital would really appreciate having a "friend" come see them with something so special. How do you think you would feel by going to see them?" "I would feel happy too, because I could make them happy!"

"Let's think about all the things we have, that not everyone is so fortunate to have!" "Yea, like we have a house to live in, and not everyone does." "That's right," I said. Remember the book we read, The Lady in the Box...where did she live?" "She did not have a home anymore, she was homeless and it was winter in the story." Thinking about the cold weather, one friend said “I could knit a scarf, instead of playing to give to someone who needs it!” "What else could we do?" "Collect blankets!" "Knit blankets!" "Bring them a meal" "Go Help at a Soup Kitchen!"

"Those are all such wonderful ideas. I'm thinking though, should we only do these things now because it's Thanksgiving time? "No, we always need to see how we can help other people!!"  As we studied the Thanksgiving holiday, the children wrote about and illustrated their recollections and thoughts in their journals.

Of course, our study concluded in sharing a Thanksgiving Feast with all of Zimmer Preschool and Olam Academy! The kindergarten children worked together to prepare a yummy Apple-Cranberry Bread Pudding. From start (peeling and chopping the apples) to finish (cutting up the bread pudding to serve) the children delighted in the experience! We got to practice our measuring skills, along with peel, chop, cut, stir, mix and enjoy! Sharing this special meal with our family and friends was a wonderful way to begin our Thanksgiving holiday!

 

We learn in many different ways!

 

The kindergarten child is enthusiastic about his/her environment and curious to learn more about the world around him/her. At Zimmer we help stimulate their interests and provoke a desire to learn in many different ways.

As the season of autumn transformed our world outside, we read together, Why Do Leaves Change Colors? When we were outside one afternoon we noticed a tree whose leaves had begun to change color. The children pointed out that only the leaves on the top part of the tree where turning from green to orange. The leaves closer to the trunk of the tree remained green. “Why do you suppose the leaves are changing color in this way?” I asked the children. They speculated, “the leaves on the bottom stay warmer longer”, “the leaves on the top lost their green first!” After observing the tree, we came into the classroom and carefully drew sketches of the tree. We will continue to observe the same tree and record our observations throughout the year.

Games are a fun and familiar way for the kindergarten child to learn. Number recognition and counting are practiced in this game. The children are also developing important social skills as they play the game together.

Listening to stories helps us develop vocabulary, comprehension, and grammar. Through discussion we begin to understand sequencing, story structure and genre. Active listening is an important life long skill. The kindergarten children hear stories from guest readers, such as Mrs. Zimmer who recently read, It Could Always Be Worse, and Morah Ann (our Head of School) who read, The Keeping Quilt. Finally, at the end of each day, the children can’t wait to hear me read another chapter in the book, Pippi Longstocking.

Working on puzzles is a great way to boost memory and problem solving skills as well as improving hand-eye coordination. The children work together to complete a common task and feel great about their shared accomplishment!

Play doh is a great tool for building the fine motor muscles we need for proper handwriting. As we are learning to recognize numbers, the children use the Play doh to “write” the numbers they know!

Many group activities reinforce letter sound recognition in our classroom. We use the computer to further individualize each child’s learning. These activities are tailored to the meet the individual needs of each child. Using the mouse, promotes hand-eye coordination. Working individually boosts our self-confidence!

Sharing special celebrations builds our sense of community as a class, and as a school. The Kindergarten and Kitah Alef share Kabbalat Shabbat together each Friday afternoon. As our guests, the Kitah Alef class helps us to learn the Shabbat songs and blessings. Sharing this special time is the perfect way to end our week as we all prepare to welcome Shabbat!