Welcome to MJM 2017! We are really excited to be working with your children this year, and we encourage you to check out these weekly blogpost which will feature all the great things that go on in the classroom.

One of our goals in the beginning of the year, is to give the children the opportunity to learn the structure of the classroom, and routines of the day. And this past week we did just that. After just four days, the children have already learned and practiced every day skills such as waiting their turn, pushing in their chairs, serving themselves during snack and lunch time, and clearing their places after they eat. They have already been showing great progress in following the routine of the day.

On top of that, the children have been learning how to use the different activities found on the shelves in the classroom. Each activity is placed on the shelf intentionally, with the purpose of teaching a specific skill or two.
How do they learn?
First, a Morah will give a lesson while the children watch.





Next, the children can use the activities on their own. They can choose to do them on a table or on a rug on the floor.

Here, David is using a 'whole hand activity' from the practical life shelf. What you don't see in this picture is the process that David went through - going to the shelf, holding the tray with two hands, carrying it to the table, using it, and returning it to its spot.


Following a lesson from the Morah, both Max and Simon chose a cylinder knob activity from the sensorial shelf in the classroom.  They went through a process of unrolling a rug, bringing the activity from the shelf to the rug, using the activity, returning it to the shelf, finishing off with rolling the rug again and placing it back in the rug basket.
The idea of the rug is for the child to have a defined working area. The children are working on walking around a rug when they see a friend at work.



Here, Rose sits in the language center matching the letters.

Here, Elianna chooses an apple patterning activity from the Rosh Hashanah experience table.

Esti works on her color sorting,
while Sam and Sarah keep the classroom nice and clean.



In honor of Rosh Hashanah, the children created honey dishes out of clay. This clay is great for strengthening fine motor muscles, and we took this opportunity to teach the children how to make a pinch pot -- the very first step for pottery makers. Some of the children had an easier time than others, but clay will be around a lot in our classroom, and the children will be given many opportunities to practice, explore, and create.




This picture below is a classic depiction of two friends becoming comfortable with each other during their first week of school. They found a way to connect while doing this project...
"Oh my Gd! My hands are so dirty!" =)











Next week, the children will paint the honey pots, and they will bring them home right in time for the Holiday.
Although the focus of our week was for the children to become comfortable in their classroom, we of course have been dipping apples in honey, listening to and exploring the Shofar and its sounds, and singing many Rosh Hashanah songs.  Everyone seems pretty excited about Rosh Hashanah!











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