More Fall Celebration!

Dear Families of The Bears,

Despite the balmy temperatures outside, fall was still very much in the air all week in our classroom. There were leaves, fall colors and pumpkins everywhere. Although we do not celebrate Halloween in our school, pumpkins are a symbol of fall, especially here in New England. The children each helped to stuff a brown paper bag with newspaper prior to painting it orange. When the paint had dried, each bag was bound together with green tape,becoming a unique “pumpkin” for our very own pumpkin patch! Although we have not yet sampled it, the children helped to bake homemade pumpkin bread on Thursday morning. Each child had multiple opportunities to measure the ingredients and mix the batter before it was put into the oven. The aroma was just wonderful. We will let you know how it tastes! On Tuesday each child practiced their cutting skills, as they cut tree trunks. They were then decorated with fall colors to represent the beautiful leaves. Aidan brought in the biggest real leaf that we have ever seen!

In Monday’s enrichment class we examined the world of Eric Carle. We read three of his stories, Today is Monday, The Mixed Up Camelion, and Little Cloud. Our craft project was based on the book Little Cloud. The children were given white paint, large corks, and cotton balls. They created their own “clouds”. I asked each child what they were imagining, and what their cloud represented. Their responses were:

Ashley- Butterfly
Julia- Monkey
Orli- Garden
Emily- Micah
Zev- Dinosaur
Ben- Dinosaur
Teo- Just a Cloud

As we prepare to turn the page of the calendar to November, the children have all truly settled into our daily routine. Our circle times have been extended as their patience has grown. Each day when we review what our schedule will be for the day, the children are able to tell us “what comes next”! The next time that you visit the classroom, ask your child to “read” you the schedule of activities for the day. During circle time the children have a new favorite song. It is requested almost daily. The words are:

Down around the corner at the bakery shop,
There were lots and lots of cookies,(cupcakes, donuts, or bagels)
With sugar (frosting, sprinkles, or raisins) on the top.
Along came (we name a child),
With money to pay.
He took his cookie, (cupcake, donut, bagel)
And he ran away!

Thank you those who have signed up to be our Shabbat visitors. For those who have not yet signed up, please check your calendars and pick a day to join us. We look forward to having each family visit. Please remember that it does not have to be Shabbat for you to visit the classroom. If you would like to join us to read to the class, or work on a special project, please let us know and we will schedule a convenient time for you to come in.

Our school e-mail system is now up and running. Please feel free to contact us via e-mail at:
Rhona- rmaple@ohabei.org
Jessica- jostroff@ohabei.org

We can also be contacted at any time by phone, and if we cannot take your call, we will get back to you just as soon as we can.

Have a wonderful week.

Morah Rhona and Morah Jessica