Words of Wisdom – Chayyei Sarah

Sarah’s Tent was the ultimate Shabbat place – ever fragrant with freshly baked challah and glowing with Shabbat candlelight.

As we prepare for Shabbat, we remember Sarah’s example. Even the youngest descendents of Abraham and Sarah can experience the spirit of Shabbat in wise and wonderful ways.

The following are excerpts from an article on Shabbat preparations from the perspective of the Early Childhood Center classroom. This article appeared in a recent edition of the online newsletter “TAPBB” (Torah Aura Productions Bulletin Board). The authors, Idie Benjamin and Dale Sides Cooperman, are master Early Childhood educators who have written “Drops of Honey,” a series of holiday and values lessons for the Early Childhood Center classroom. The “Drops of Honey” series is published by Torah Aura Productions www.torahaura.com
You may view the entire article at http://tapbb.wordpress.com/2010/10/24/shabbat-why/

“Welcoming children with ‘Shabbat Shalom’ instead of ‘Boker Tov’ begins the morning differently. There could be special, quieter materials that only are available on Friday. All week long, we paint, glue, etc. to make things for holidays and other curriculum areas. Friday could be a day for only process-not-product art activities – playing in shaving cream, a water table full of cotton balls and feathers, soft blocks, and other sensory materials. Baking hallah fill the classroom with delicious smells and provide yet another special sensory experience. Do the teachers and children dress differently to mark the day?

Do we give children an opportunity to reflect on the week? What are their memories of what has happened in the classroom? As we pass the tzedakah box, children can tell a mitzvah they did that week.”

…”What is the tone you want to set? How do you begin so as to set that tone? Dale invites the children into the room one-by-one. To each child, she bends down and quietly asks, ‘Are you ready for Shabbat?’ They enter with a sense of the wonder that is about to happen.”

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There is so much for us to learn (or re-learn) from those who are just starting their Jewish Journey.
Are you ready for Shabbat?

Shabbat Shalom – Rest and Renew

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Ronni Sims

Ronni has been a Jewish educator since Moses was in preschool (almost!). She has had the pleasure of teaching all age groups in a variety of formal and informal settings, as well as directing a Jewish Teacher Resource Center. While teaching in a Jewish Day School, Ronni coached an award-winning Odyssey of the Mind creative problem solving team.Ronni was an active participant in the former Conference on Alternatives in Jewish Education (CAJE), where she held leadership positions including Network Chair and Conference Co-Chair of CAJE 29 at Hofstra University. She currently teaches Hebrew at the Congregation Albert Religious School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Talmud teaches: “The Torah cannot be learned unless it is learned among friends.” Ronni views blogging on JCast as such a learning opportunity.

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