Vision for Conservative Early Childhood Programs: A Journey Guide

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• If every child’s project comes out looking the same, reconsider the goals of the project. Was the child able to put him or herself in the project, or did the teacher usurp any creative opportunities? • Don’t forget the ceiling, floor, windows, and hallways. These areas are included in this category as spaces with the ability to communicate, but remember not to fill them to the point of over-stimulation. • A conscious effort must be made to include Jewish images consistently in the general visual culture. • Visuals and props that can supplement the ongoing, changing Jewish life of the classroom might include: A mezuzah in the doorway. (For more about this, see the Ritual Observance section of the Vision.) Signs on the door in Hebrew and/or transliteration declaring Shalom or bruchim haba’im (welcome). A Jewish/Hebrew name for the class, posted prominently. Information/explanations for families about what their children are doing and learning Jewishly. Pictures of Jewish values and mitzvot, such as bikur cholim (visiting a person in the hospital), shalom (a child helping two other children to stop fighting), or tikkun olam (children recycling). An Israeli flag. Pictures from Jewish calendars and Jewish catalogs, cut out and mounted with contact paper at eye level. Posters are also often available for free from Jewish organizations. Jewish calendar for the teachers to use, hung in the classroom at adult level. Children’s art work, related to Jewish things happening in the room (body outlines with Hebrew and English labels, apple prints, mitzvah tree leaves, handmade Tzedakah box, Bible scenes created by children). Signs to explain what is happening in the classroom. (“On Fridays we eat challah for Shabbat,” “At naptime we listen to Jewish lullabies,”) Signs can be laminated and used from year to year (“We are carrying flags for Simchat Torah!”) • A poster (or posters) with everyday brachot (blessings). This insures that everyone knows the words, and serves as a reminder to include brachot in the rhythm of daily life. The more accessible a visual is, the more useful it is. Posting brachot in Hebrew, English, and transliteration will make the words of the brachot accessible to all the adults in the room. Illustrating the brachot with pictures of the appropriate foods (or actions) will help the children understand the meaning of the brachot. Vision for Conservative Early Childhood Programs: A Journey Guide Maxine Segal Handelman USCJ Department of Education 127
• Hebrew labels transform a print-rich environment into a Jewishly print-rich environment. (Examples of labels in English, Hebrew and transliteration can be found in Jewish Every Day, pp. 359-362.) • In schools in which the early childhood program and the religious school share rooms, do whatever work it takes to find a satisfactory balance of shared space. Supplies and materials As with the curriculum that happens on the walls, the supplies and materials in the classroom also will help integrate Jewish life into the daily life of the classroom. It is essential both that supplies and materials of a Jewish nature are plentiful in the classroom, and that these Jewish materials and supplies are integrated into the general inventory of materials in the classroom. Plant strategic tidbits or props to pique children’s curiosity. Letting children discover a strategic prop that you have planted before especially time-bound curriculum events (such as holidays) allows the holiday to become part of the life of the class more naturally. Add different kinds of shofrot to the science table before Rosh Hashanah; bring the chanukiah the children made in their class last year to circle time and see what discussion develops; place camels and people in the sand table before Pesach. Observing children with a strategic prop may lead the curriculum in unplanned directions, although still providing specific holiday concept experiences and achieving larger, pre-determined goals. Standard supplies and materials that can be a permanent or regular part of the classroom stock might include: Jewish shape sponges and cookie cutters for painting Jewish shape cookie cutters mixed in with the other play dough toys Hebrew newspaper for covering the tables during art projects Jewish foods (plastic challah, matzah, etc.) and kosher/Jewish ethnic food boxes in the house corner Stuffed Torahs, and an aron (ark) in which to store them Jewish stamps mixed in with other stamps and stamp pads Jewish star pasta, Jewish stickers, and Jewish glitter shapes from a party store Jewish shape punches for cut-outs Real Jewish objects for children to see and touch. Metal seder plate, groggers, large dreidels, chanukiah, candlesticks, kiddush cup, spice box, etc. Israeli scarves for dress up Jewish holiday cloth napkins and tablecloths for the house corner Jewish shape and Hebrew stencils Jewish software for schools with computers Jewish puzzles – a good percentage of the puzzles in the classroom should be Jewish in nature or support the Jewish elements of the curriculum Jewish games – games like lotto, matching games, and dominoes are commercially available with Jewish themes and graphics. Board games, like Torah Slides and Ladders or Magical Mitzvah Park, also may be appropriate Vision for Conservative Early Childhood Programs: A Journey Guide Maxine Segal Handelman USCJ Department of Education 128
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Vision for Conservative Early Child
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Vision for Conservative Early Child
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Introduction Early childhood educat
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clergy and other synagogue professi
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Ethical Behavior “Justice, justic
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How to Use This Section Jewish valu
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“I would like to have a drink of
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they shared the wheat equally each
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For class discussion: 1. How could
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Then one day, Jacob was walking nea
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Dima ben Netina and the Ruby: A Sto
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Made with Love: A Story of Ma’ach
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Aaron and the fighting friends: A S
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That night, when the sun disappeare
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The next morning King Solomon woke
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So Abba and Ima went back to their
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All the other parts of the body lau
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For class discussion: 1. Why couldn
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Impatient Abraham: A Story of Teshu
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Stone Soup: A Story of Tikkun Olam
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Rabbi Zusya and the Birds Who Would
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The Holy Miser - a story of Tzedaka
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“Almost perfect?” questioned th
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Jules, Jacqueline, The Hardest Word
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Values by story - grid 1 continued
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God and Spirituality Among the most
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Preparing Yourself for Wrestling wi
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their questions. Do not avoid the c
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• Celebrate and acknowledge life-
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5. We are thankful for God’s gift
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• Morning Brachot The rabbis tell
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• Shabbat Tefillot Fridays are an
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Barchu Barchu et Adonai ha-m’vora
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Informal Ways to Invite God into th
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Bibliography and References Coles,
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Jewish Learning Raise up a child in
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Children’s Learning The goals for
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Low-impact strategies: • Post pho
Page 77 and 78: Expanding Knowledge The literature
Page 79 and 80: Low-impact strategies: • Suggest
Page 81 and 82: what we teach in class with real li
Page 83 and 84: Low-impact strategies: • Offer ti
Page 85 and 86: Low-impact strategies: • Provide
Page 87 and 88: Continuity The most valuable early
Page 89 and 90: Ritual Observance and Halachah Ritu
Page 91 and 92: Kipot A kipah, also known in Yiddis
Page 93 and 94: There are many ways to explain the
Page 95 and 96: Kashrut - Dietary Laws The dietary
Page 97 and 98: Netilat Yada’yim -Ritual Hand Was
Page 99 and 100: Food Blessings In the words of the
Page 101 and 102: Cakes , Crackers And Cookies - Bore
Page 103 and 104: Birkat ha’Mazon- the Blessing aft
Page 105 and 106: Bringing Shabbat into the Early Chi
Page 107 and 108: Challah On Shabbat, we put two loav
Page 109 and 110: Havdalah Havdalah is the second sid
Page 111 and 112: 3. Spices We lift the spice box and
Page 113 and 114: Rosh Chodesh - The New Month Young
Page 115 and 116: Bibliography and Resources Dosick,
Page 117 and 118: Appendix A - More Kashrut Details B
Page 119 and 120: Appendix B - Sample Letter from the
Page 121 and 122: Staff Handbook one example Our scho
Page 123 and 124: Working With Clergy (and Other Key
Page 125 and 126: Rabbi Jonathan Lubliner of the Jack
Page 127: Creating a Jewish Environment The e
Page 131: Conclusion In the summer of 2007, e
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