Mother's Day, Shhhhh!

We have been spending our art time this week concentrating on preparing beautiful Mother's Day gift for all of our children's special moms.  We don't want to give it all away, so we are just including a few pictures to maximize your anticipation and excitement for the special day!

Tu B'Shvat Revisited!

From bean to plant and back to bean... Gan Reut recalled reading the book One Bean prior to wrapping their Lima beans in moist paper towels in conjunction with our Tu B'Shvat unit. We watched as our beans took root, as they slowly grew into a plant once planted in soil,  we observed the plant as it grew and grew, we noticed tiny little flowers bud and then drop off, and finally we saw tiny bean pods begin to appear. Today, we opened up those fully formed bean pods and were amazed to find perfectly formed Lima beans!!!  The cycle has completed itself, and we are ready to start all over!

Our topographical map of Israel

​We discussed the map of Israel and the many different types of land that it has.  We then proceeded to complete our class map.  We decorated the desert in the Negev, the hills of Yerushalayim, the lush green plains and fertile soil in the Golan and Galil, and the bodies of water in the north, east and west coasts. 

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Getting in the spirit...

The children have been busy singing songs about Israel, dancing and holding Israeli flags while singing Hatikva. They are all so very excited for our "trip" tomorrow!

Our bags are packed and we're ready to go...

In preparation for our "trip to Israel" the children worked diligently sewing suitcases for their impending travel.  They also decorated them with dot paints each creating their own unique and different design.  This will most certainly ensure that they will not blend in and get lost at baggage pick up upon arrival at Ben Gurion airport. 

Constructing our very own Class Kotel!

Gan Reut painted and built their own class Kotel using paper grocery bags.  They first stuffed the bags with newspaper, stapled them shut, and then painted them with a mixture of brown and white paint.  Finally, they sprinkled some gold glitter onto them to appear as when the sun shines on Yerushalayim.  When they are dry they will complete the Kotel and put the stones together.

Comparing Flags

The children honed their observational skills as they compared and contrasted the American and Israeli flag.  It was truly amazing to listen to them describe the similarities and the differences between the two flags.  Using their words we filled in our Venn Diagram of the two flags. 

Yom Ha'atzmaut is in the air!

Blue and white have become the dominant colors in our classroom as Gan Reut begins to prepare for Yom Ha'atzmaut. We began the week with collaging a giant sized Magen Dovid with all different blue materials to create our Degel for our class bulletin board.  Our anticipation and excitement will continue to mount as Israel's special day draws near! 

Spring has finally sprung!!!

​What an amazing first day back to school!  We finally had perfect weather ​and were all thrilled to be able to play outside! Just look at those smiley faces!!!