Join us on our journey through Israel all year long!

As I walked past one of our three-year-old classrooms this morning the first vision I saw was children playing in the sand table with the Israeli flag in the background. This year it is our goal

to make connections to Israel in concrete and meaningful ways everyday. In April when we celebrate Yom Ha'atzmaut, our children will have had many opportunities to "build a relationship with Israel". Follow our blog to see how we do this! Feedback is welcome and appreciated.

In the photograph above, the bulletin board is only several inches off the floor and includes a large map of Israel. As we travel around the children will identify all the places they visit. Tomorrow is our first meeting with Gal, our young emmissary from Israel and so the journey begins!

Israeli Young Emissaries make their mark!

The impact our Young Emissaries

have on the children in our preschool programs is so powerful. Here we are fortunate to have visiting Israeli soldiers

together with our emissaries making dog tags with the children in the four-year-old program.

Our Israel celebration continues I am happy to say as the children make falafel and continue to learn about Israel up close and personal in an authentic way from those who live there.

Next year our goal is to make Yom Ha'Atzmaut a celebration of all that we have learned about Israel throughout the year. As we surveyed the children's knowledge about Israel,we realized this is an area in the curriculum

that we are excited to develop!

Yom Huledet Sameach Yisrael

The children in our four-year-old program got up close and personal with a large map of Israel. Later on the playground I heard one child say to another" Let's go to Disneyworld" the response was "No, let's go to Israel"! Chag Sameach

The children then created their own map of Israel.

Maddy and Laila Looking for Israel

This morning, two of the children in our four-year-old program

spot the globe and together chant excitedly "Miss Susie, Miss Susie, where is Israel? Fortunately camera was on hand for one of those moments that make us all take stock of why we do what we do, and the lasting impact that Jewish early childhood education

will have on the children and families in our program.

Labeling Bulletin Boards

The teachers have become accustomed to labelling in English and Hebrew and we have notcied the parents paying more attention

to reinforcing the Hebrew words as they are introduced.

Leavened bread vs. unleavened bread science experiment

In a very creative science experiment this morning; the children in the four-year-old class

learned first hand the difference between leavened and unleavened bread. Using a balloon, yeast, sugar, and warm water, the children observed that yeast releases a gas that makes dough rise when mixed with sugar and water. The balloon simulated the bread rising. Following the experiment the children sorted leavened and unleavened bread. In addition the children will be provided with an opportunity to make real matzah and bread.

Here is what you'll need for the experiment:

1 balloon

1 package yeast

1/4 cup sugar or honey

1 cup very warm water, plus extra for filling mixing bowl

1 liter sized plastic bottle

1 rubber band

Here is what you do:

1. Stretch the balloon by blowing it up and letting the air out a few times (like kneading the dough)

2.Stir the yeast, sugar or honey, and 1 cup warm water together and pour into the plastic bottle

3.PUt the ballon completely over the opening of the botte and secure with rubber band.

4.Fill a mixing bowl or pot halfway with warm water and place bottle inside.

5.The yeast will make the water in the bottle bubble and foam and watch, the gas will blow up the balloon.

"Oh yes, I remember, that is a letter on the dreidl"

This morning Liora and Charlotte were "playing" with play dough and new Hebrew cookie cutters while their teacher Susie listened in and heard them identifying some of the letters on the dreidl. It was perfect opportunity to revisit and then to extend. Tomorrow

we are going to put out the letters that spell Purim and use them to sing the song "I Know a Happy Holiday and Purim is it's Name" with the Hebrew letters created by the children. (The tune is Bingo).