Kitah Dalet

I challenged each grade to decorate a mini sukkah with unconventional materials (think Project Runway). The Dalet class received gift wrap supplies and had to get creative with their decor! Not only was this a fun and engaging way to celebrate the holiday, but students participated in the mitzvah of decorating a sukkah as well as learning you can decorate a sukkah with anything! Students also enjoyed walking around sukkahs decorated by other grades and discovering the materials they had to work with!

We were so excited that Hanan was able to spend time with all the students in the sukkah this week. He certainly has a style of mixing music and dancing with stories that is incredibly engaging. It was a beautiful opportunity for children to spend one last meaningful moment in the Tifereth Israel sukkah.

The topic of discussion this week was Havdalah and what it means to Shabbat and the rest of the week. The students then began making their own Havdalah kit that includes the blessings, a small spice bag as well as a Havdalah candle. The candles will be completed next week and the students look forward to being able to use them at home!

Student's in Mr. Noah's class joined Ms. Linda's class for a fun and engaging tefillah lesson in the sanctuary. Students were in groups and challenged to find specific words in different prayers, act out, come up with creative alternatives and get more familiar with common prayers. This lesson was adapted from a creative Shacharit from USY from many years ago and is a great demonstration of how to utilize all resources, not just those designed for the age group that is taught.

Mr. Noah introduced the idea of being a Mensch and performing mitzvot in a fun and interesting way to his 4th graders. He took them outside and dropped small items in a bowl of water and asked the students to tell him what happened. They described the ripples that got bigger, one affecting the next which he then connected to good deeds. When we do good, more good can be done. This is a lesson we need even more now.

Anytime the children can be active and moving, it is beneficial to the learning process. Having them learn dances and movements to common blessings is a great way to get them excited about practicing them. This picture is from the weekly tefillah time with gimmel and dalet and since the sanctuary was occupied, they used the prayer deck on the playground!