The Gifts We Bring

Each person brings his or her own gifts to the world, and each child makes gifts to the class in one way or another. Their own interests, their actions, their friendship - each affects the lives of the others in the group. We are learning how to bring out the best for each other, to lead and follow in different ways in our daily lives together.

Observing a friend dusting a table. That looks like fun!

We can clean this spill together.

A strong friend can pull us in the wagon.

Gathering friends around for a jam session…

…then giving air guitar lessons outside!

Taking care of the tree is a gift to the Earth. Young trees need a lot of water to grow.

Individual work has taken off in the past week. Food preparation remains very popular, especially with the addition of peanut shelling.

Learning to take quiet time for oneself is a valuable lesson - adults can learn this one from children!

Balancing up high!

Discovering that the metal insets match some of the shapes in the geometry cabinet.

Using scissors takes a lot of practice to master.

Very focused peanut shelling. 

Enjoying these sunny winter days while they last!

Tu B'Shevat Sameach! Happy Birthday, Trees!

This week we celebrated Tu B'Shevat in many ways! We read tree books, sang songs about trees, and talked about all of the gifts trees bring to us. We also had visitors, Rodney and his daughter. Rodney came to build a play structure in the yard and his daughter stayed with the rest of us.

On Monday we planted some herbs in a new garden bed and made sure to water them well.

The noise of the saw was a bit of a concern, but Rodney made sure not to do any cutting while we were outside. It was fun to watch his work!

Exploring leaves

Showing a new friend how to get water (and finding out what happens when you try to fill a colander!)

Collage had sticks, leaves, and red beads (blossoms) for Tu B'Shevat

There is always time to share a drink of water with friends.

The colder, wetter weather did not deter outdoor work.

On Tu B'Shevat (Wednesday) we made a big tree poster for our classroom!

Outside we dug a hole and planted a little fig tree.

Holding the tree in place together.

It takes many helpers to plant a tree! Carrying soil in a shovel to put around the tree.

Children learned how to scoop up the soil with a large shovel and move it over to the hole. 

Watching Rodney finish our climbing structure!

We tasted nine different foods that come from trees, including fruit, nuts, and for a special dessert surprise, a small square of chocolate!

We beautified our space with flower arrangements.

A lot of spontaneous outdoor scrubbing happened.

Scrubbing a flower pot.

Finally our new structure was ready for action!

Going under is just as fun as climbing up.

What a busy week together. Shabbat Shalom!