Hey is for...Honey Nut Cheerios!

We started working on the letter Hey. We covered the entire letter with glue and then glued on the Honey Nut Cheerios one-by-one. Well, we started with more, but we lost some of them along the way… It was very tempting to eat some Honey Nut Cheerios while we did our work! We left it to dry on the side and then added another coat of thick layer of glue.

We placed our hand over the bumpy surface and were able to make the sound of letter HEY!! 

To work on the rest of the letters, read more about "My Aleph Bais Touch!" by following this link

My Aleph Bais Touch!

Click here to download the PDF file!

This is a great way to teach the Aleph-Bais sounds. Many children learn the Aleph-Bais (the typical way) with a Hebrew picture beside it, such as Bais is for Bubbah, Gimmel is for Glidah… and so on. But, I always find that this system does not work for all children.

For instance, when I was working with Tehilla, one of my students, I would point at letter Dalet with a Deles next to it, not only did she not remember the sound, but did not know how to say door in Hebrew. So we started making “My Aleph –Bais Touch” book I was amazed how fast Tehilla started picking up the sounds. Not only that, but she looked forward in learning a new sounds.

“My Aleph-Bais Touch” consists of the Hebrew letters with a tactile material glued to it. Since Aleph is silent, we left it blank. We then moved to Bais, Tehilla glued colorful buttons all over it. Once dried, she placed her hand over the buttons while whispering “buttons.” After a few seconds, she looked at me and made the Bais sound. Slowly we continued moving on to different sounds.

Why was the “My Aleph-Bais Touch” a success with Tehilla? Well, some children learn through touch. This sensory activity was a wonderful way for her to learn and retain the sounds she has already learned. Also, Tehilla was able to associate the letter to something that was familiar to her or/and English words in her vocabulary.

Every week we’ll be working on a different letter. You can print out the cover and the Aleph Bais letters by following this link. The best way to make “My Aleph- Bais Touch” is to print out the letters on hard paper, hole punch and place them in a loose-leaf. Keep the glue around and maybe some tape to paste the materials on the letters. “My Aleph-Bais Touch” will look fantastic when completed!

Get yourself ready by printing out your letters and gathering the material needed. You are about to take an Aleph- Bais adventure… Touch!

Veis is for Velcro

Follow this link to read more about it!

Gimmel is for Glitter

Follow this link to read more about it!



Daled is for Dollars

Follow this link to read more about it!

Hey is for Honey Nut Cheerios

Follow this link to read more about it!

Get Baking Hamentashen...It's Educational!

Guest bloggers: Liana Schonbach, Menucha Langsam and Esti Hoffman

                                                            

                                  



          Purim is an exciting time of year for adults and children alike.  Families are busy creating costumes, preparing shalach manos, and arranging all the other myriad details that go into making this Yom Tov special.  What a wonderful opportunity to spend time with your children in an enjoyable and educational way.  This blog will discuss the educational advantages of working together with your child in the kitchen.

        Baking and cooking are two activities that utilize and reinforce various life skills such as following directions, sequencing, and using measurements for real-life application.  In order to be successful in the kitchen, your child must be accustomed to breaking down complex directions into small steps, and being sure to follow those steps in a precise order.  In addition, he/she will need to incorporate his/her math skills to measure out the proper amount of each ingredient.

        Baking is also a multi-sensory experience, as it requires auditory, visual, and tactile processing.  Your child must listen to directions, follow the recipe cards, and use his/her hands to create a culinary creation.

       How can a parent maximize the aforementioned skills through baking hamantashen for Purim ?  Below you will find detailed instructions. Enjoy and Purim Sameach!

1.  The first step in setting your child up to succeed in the kitchen is to encourage him/her to write down the recipe they will be following on an index card or a sheet of paper.  Using a large piece of poster paper is lots of fun, and will make the directions even clearer.  Encourage your child to write neatly along the margins, and to number the steps clearly.  This is a good time to explain any vocabulary words that your child is not familiar with.  It’s also prudent to point out any abbreviations that are included in the measurements

(i.e. T = Tbs. = Tablespoon.)  The recipe should be hung up in an easily visible spot, so your child can refer to it as needed.

Click here to print the Hamentashen Recipe

2.  Next, have your child read through the list of ingredients, and collect them.  Then, they should collect any measuring tools needed.  If necessary, show your child how to read and use the tools.

3.  As your child begins to bake,   it’s important to maintain a healthy balance of giving your child the confidence to work through the process independently, while at the same time subtly redirecting as needed.

4.  Print the Hamentashen recipe and a checklist of activities that your child can fill out as he/she bakes.  This is a generic checklist that can be also be used for future adventures in the kitchen!

Don’t forget that one of the biggest benefits to your child is spending quality time with you.  Enjoy!