Happy Memorial Day

The kids had fun at the parade in Ardsley before spending time at the BBQ with city and college friends!

Pool!

Time for summer- and even got a few hours in before the rain!!

Manis!

Clara and Emma joined Mommy for a post ballet mani on a rainy Thursday!
It is really amazing how they know somehow how to sit down and hold put their hands out for their manicures!

Home Depot Cart Fun

For the Gornsteins girls, nothing says holiday weekend more than a trip to Home Depot!

Nursery School Update

This Week in the Fours May 25, 2012

Monday was Music with Marcy. We are practicing hard for Moving Up Day! In class, we read a story about the rain and the spring treats it brings us.

On Tuesday, we made caterpillars on clothespins to stick wherever you may find a place. The caterpillar can also be used to hold papers together. The fours made them while we waited for the rain to stop so we could let our butterflies fly free. FINALLY, on Wednesday we did! As they flew away, the fours threw kisses and bid them goodbye and a safe journey.

Tuesday we also began the process of making challah with the Rabbi. First we made the dough. We mixed eggs, oil, flour, sugar, yeast and warm water together. It was hard for the fours to mix - they really had to use their muscles. We mixed it, squished it and kneaded it. Then we put it in a bowl, covered it with a "blankie" (towel) so it could nap,and the Rabbi put it in the refrigerator. He said we would be surprised the next day, and we were! The dough had grown to the top of the bowl and was HUGE! We all got three pieces and made them into snakes, which we braided into challahs. Then we put yummy chocolate chips on top. We hope you enjoy eating them with your child.

This week we talked about Shavuot, which is on Sunday and Monday, and read many books telling the story of Moses and the ten commandments. We made our own tablets and the children made their own rules. We also had ice cream for snack on Friday, as Shavuot is the holiday when it is traditional to eat dairy.

We read the book No Rules for Michael. In this Shavuot story, Michael learns why rules are important and how they help us. The fours gave us some classroom rules that they feel are important:

Don't run in the classroom
Don't yell
Raise your hand
Don't talk when the teachers are reading
No name calling
Don't throw things off the loft
Put the books away
Share snack
Take turns

Nature was also here this week. We saw a boa constrictor, a chinchilla and a bearded dragon lizard.

We celebrated Shabbat with Natalie's daddy.

We can't believe this year is coming to an end. The fours are so big and, though they may be ready to go, their teachers are savoring every last minute with them. Can fours get senioritis?! We think so!

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Shavuot Sameach! Have a great long weekend.

Joyce and Tara

Nursery School Update

This Week in the Fours May 18, 2012

Music with Marcy AND Cantor Janet this week! The Fours continue to practice for graduation and they sound really terrific!

We continue to make observations of our butterflies each day. The class made some predictions of when the butterflies will emerge from their cocoons. Three hatched tody - we have Shabbat butterflies! We have been reading many books about butterflies throughout this time.One that the class particularly likes is Clara Caterpillar. It is a story about a cabbage caterpillar named Clara who becomes a cream-colored butterfly, and proves that being clever and contenet is better than being flashy. How does she prove this? Ask your four-year-old to tell you the story and about who saves the day.

The fours made a book about the life cycle of the butterfly. Each child drew their own pictures of the four stages of a butterfly's life.

We had so much fun and excitement with the chicks this week! It was breathtaking and so inspirational to watch them hatch out of their eggs and see them fluff up and become adorable baby chicks. Before the farmers came to take the chicks back to the farm, the children got to hold the chicks and say goodbye. They said the chicks felt soft and that their feet felt scratchy. Some of the comments were:

Their feet are pointy
They are yellow
They eat "Chicky Cheerios"
They peep very loudly
They have beaks
They are noisy, and our favorite,
They are saying "Momma, where are you?"

On Friday we got to celebrate Shabbat with Leo's Grandma and Poppy.

Shabbat Shalom!

Joyce and Tara

Chalk Hands

It warmed up again- yay! Kids said goodbye to the chicks at school.

They had lots of fun creating a "masterpiece" with chalk, bubbles and water at their friend Maiya's house! It was definitely a bath nite!!

Chickies

The baby chicks started to hatch at school and the kids were very excited!

Also, Mommy went to their swim lessons and was very proud to see Emma swim with no help- and no tears- even for a few seconds!

Nursery School Update

Happy Mother's Day!

It was a beautiful, sunny, warm day and fun for the whole Gornstein gang!

Mommy got an ipad!! Yippee!!

There was brunch in Long Island, a last visit to the carnival and dinner out!

And of course, Happy Mother's Day to Grandma Silvia and Grandma Kathy!

These Gals Love Dirt

Today, the kids had their last Gan Hayeled program at Woodlands. They had a great time making tzedakah boxes.

This afternoon, they had a ball playing outside and digging up the yard to creat a hole so they could find worms.

And, another day, another hairstyle for Clara!

Mother's Day Gifts

The ladies made Mother's Day bags for Mommy that they gave at pick up. Of course, the kids were excited about the little muffins and hershey kisses and ate them in the car! Oh well- Mommy will check out the rest of the bags on Sunday.

The kids had cooking class today and made fruit soul- which they both loved!

And after a long week filled with fun and not enough sleep- they fell asleep in the car for a much needed nap!

And to end the day, it was a quick trip to the carnival. Clara went on the mini roller coaster and big slide by herself- Emma was too a scared.

Kindergarten Storytime

Chelsea took the kids to the park where Clara went across the monkey bars herself!

And tonite, Mommy and Daddy took the kids to their elementary school for Storytime! It was fun to see friends already in kindergarten and others they"ll go to school with in the fall.

Carnival Fun In The Rain

The kids enjoyed climbing on Mommy before their therapy appointments today.

It may be rainy, but Mommy took the ladies to the Ardsley Carnival which they had been begging to go to!

Clara's sporting her spare pair of glasses after she somehow lost a lens today. She's happy to wear them, especially because they are transition lenses and act as sunglasses outside.

Back to School

After a wedding weekend filled with fun and excitement- it was back to the routine!

They were so excited to go back and see their friends. They brought their new Dora flower girl doll and wedding Barbie. And, when asked what their favorite part was- here is what they said:
Clara- " dancing!"
Emma- " the little ice cream cones!"

Today is Tuesday, so they stay for lunch with some friends- their teacher sent this pic!

Nursery School Update

This week in the Fours May 4, 2012

Music with Marcy was all about singing and playing our instruments and most importantly, learning to cooperate. We sang the train song and pushed our trains along with a partner, taking turns and helping one another.

Wednesday we had music with Cantor Janet. The fours could be heard singing their Hebrew songs all over the building!

As you know, we have been doing a Book Club in the fours. The children are bringing in some of their favorite books and we are reading them and discussing them. We ask questions like; What do you think will happen?, How is the main character feeling? and What would you have done if this were you? These questions encourage the children to look closely at the story and how it may relate to them.

We've read many of the Mo Willems books . As you can see in the hall, we read Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. We discussed why the pigeon shouldn't drive the bus and put the children's words on the wall for all to see. The fours made their own buses - guess who is driving the bus!???!

We also read Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late, The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog, The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too and the newest Mo Willems book, The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? In that book, the duckling gets the cookie because of the way he asked for it. The class talked about the right way to ask for things and how it feels when someone does something nice for you.
Other books we have read include Are You My Mother, by P.D. Eastman (aka Dr. Seuss), Max On His Tricycle by Anabelle Guido Van Genechten, Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McClosky, and Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff. Because the children have loved this so much, we will continue through next week.

At one point in the day, one four was talking about time and waiting 5 minutes. We decided to see what 5 minutes of quiet time felt like. The teacher set the timer and we all sat quietly for 5 minutes. When the timer rang we asked how it felt. Some children said it felt like a really long time, some said it felt good and was "relaxing". Most of the fours agreed on the fact that it was boring !

Our caterpillars arrived at the beginning of the week. They started out as teeny, tiny caterpillars, and are now getting to be big, fat caterpillars! We continue to observe their changes every day, and can't wait till they turn into butterflies!

We celebrated Shabbat with Justin's Mommy, Aunt, and Grandma. It was fun to have so many guests in the room.

Shabbat Shalom,

Joyce and Tara

Stained Glass

Here is a note from Clara and Emma 's Club Lunch teachers.
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First we went upstairs to examine and appreciate the stained glass windows in the
small sanctuary.

Then we made our own!