Celebrating Lag B'Omer and Shabbat

This week, the children in the Bears’ classroom celebrated the holiday of Lag B’Omer. During this celebration in Israel, there are many picnics and bonfires. Unfortunately, the weather in Massachusetts did not cooperate with us, however, here at the Trust Center we were able to use our imaginations and improvise. On Monday, we put down several sleeping bags on the floor in the gross motor room. The entire class went on a scavenger hunt where we gathered cups, napkins, a pitcher of water, and crackers. The reward at the end was a “picnic” snack on the sleeping bags after we read two stories. On Tuesday, while we were playing out in the playground, the children collected many sticks. After lunch, we gathered on the rug in the classroom and built a bonfire, complete with real marshmallows on a stick. The highlight of this activity was eating the marshmallows once they had been “toasted.” On Wednesday at the art table, the children made pita pockets. This was done by coloring large circles. They were folded in half, stapled, and then stuffed with pretend lettuce, tomato, pickles and falafel.

On Thursday, we switched gears. For the first part of our day, all of the children from the Owls’ class joined us in our classroom while Morah Larissa and Morah Kate held parent conferences. This was a wonderful opportunity for the children to work together. Various groups worked cooperatively playing in the dramatic play area, using the manipulatives and putting together two different floor puzzles. Once the classes separated, all of the Bears helped Morah Jessica make some challah dough. During this activity, the children had a chance to measure and then mix the ingredients. On Friday, we baked fresh challah from this dough. The aroma in the school was wonderful!

Thank you to Ava’s family for being our special Shabbat guests. We loved having you visit. It has been a pleasure to meet with so many of the Bears’ parents to discuss your children’s progress. We look forward to meeting with the rest of you in the next few weeks. If you are going away for the holiday weekend, safe travels! We will see you on Tuesday.

Shabbat Shalom,

Morah Rhona and Morah Jessica