Center for Early Learning - Temple Ohav Shalom
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A sweet New Year

9/29/2019

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These first few weeks have flown by, and the children in the Preschool 2 class have noticed, and begun to show an interest in the cycle of the year. They’re noting that birthdays are coming up, the seasons are starting to change, and that there are holidays coming. While they have a daily meeting where they share a calendar, it was difficult for them to envision all of these changes and important dates on a ‘flat’ calendar. Along with their teachers, they have created a 3D calendar using a lazy susan and photos. This calendar has become a way for them to see what’s next, and a way for them to mark time in a meaningful way. 

How wonderful that this interest has coincided with Rosh Hashanah! Rosh Hashanah is often referred to as the birthday of the world, and the beginning of a 10 day period of reflection for Jewish people that ends on Yom Kippur, the day of repentance. 

As we prepare for the holidays, we use this opportunity to talk about the symbols of Roshahah with the children. The links will take you to some of the songs that we have been singing together:
  • The Shofar, which is a rams horn that is blown to remind Jewish people to ‘wake up’, and look inward and repent. For the children it is a chance to talk about and practice different sounds and patterns as we talk about the different sounds that are blown on the shofar. We have been able to hear the Rabbi blow the shofar for us already!
  • Wishing one another a Happy and Sweet New Year or L’shana Tovah!
  • Since food often plays a large part in Jewish holidays and traditions, we dip apples in honey and eat honey cake to celebrate having a sweet new year.
  • Round Challah, will also be a part of our snack on Fridays as well. While we do have challah every Friday, it is a long braided loaf. On Rosh Hashanah the loaf is round, reminding us that they year is a circle. 

Yom Kippur is a more somber day. Called the Day of Atonement, it is a chance for Jews to repent and ask for forgiveness from God and from others that they may have wronged. With the children, it’s an opportunity to talk about saying “I’m sorry” when they’ve done something that may have hurt another person, or made them feel angry and sad. We talk about how we can make things better in these situations beyond just saying sorry. 

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are a time that we teach the children (and to be honest, we all need a reminder about this)  that it’s okay to make mistakes and that everyone does, but we can always ask for forgiveness and make things right. 

Have a wonderful and sweet new year!

​
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Sharing our Values

1/18/2019

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Over the summer our Early Learning Center Leadership team decided that the Jewish values that we had chosen in 2011 when we started our Reggio journey, didn’t necessarily define who we are now, in the 2018-19 school year. After meeting with Rabbi Jeremy Weisblatt, we came up with eleven items, three phrases and eight Hebrew words, that we thought would best define our school.

  1. The Early Childhood Director as a visionary
  2. The Early Childhood Educator as a professional
  3. Families as engaged partners
  4. Tikkun Olam  (acts of kindness to performed to repair or perfect the world)
  5. Masa (Journey)
  6. Kehilla (Community)
  7. Simcha (Joy)
  8. Mishpachah (Family)
  9. Kavanah (Intention)
  10. Kavanah  (intention)
  11. Shema (Hear or Listen)

Over the next few weeks, we’ll share with you how we see these values playing out in our school. We also invite you to share with us examples of these that you see happening in our classrooms and with the children

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A time for Gratitude

11/30/2018

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I apologize for the gap in posting time, the past few months have been quite a journey for our community. We went from Rosh Hashana, to Simchat Torah, celebrating with one another, but missing almost a month of school. As soon as we got back into the groove, the Tree of Life shooting happened and we were turned upside down as we tried to deal with a lot of questions, emotions and feelings. And then suddenly it was November and we had a Thanksgiving program to put together and another week out of classes. Don’t blink, because by the time you finish reading this, it’s probably going to be December and the winter holidays will be upon us.

One topic that always seems to come up around this time of year is gratitude and how can we help our children be grateful and thankful. This is especially timely since many of us celebrate gift giving holidays in the winter time, and children (and adults too) can get caught up in the ‘more stuff’ mindset. How can you help your child during these times and throughout the year?

  1. Model thankfulness and appreciativeness. Make sure your child is hearing you say your thank you’s when someone gives you something. Let them know when you notice they've done something (Wow! You put away the shoes for me. I appreciate that so much, now I have a little extra time to spend with you!). These little people want to be like us!
  2. Share the things you’re thankful and grateful for. It’s not just for the Thanksgiving table! Every night at our house we ask a question that can’t be answered with a yes/no. Some questions you could ask: What’s something good that happened to you today? What are you thankful for today? What did you do nice for someone today? If they have a negative response, help them to find the positive to go along with it.
  3. Talk about others. No, not that way. Talk about the people that might not have everything that you do and how you can help them. Set aside some time for G'milut Chasidim. G'milut Chasidim is the ways that we can perform acts of loving kindness by giving your self or your time, with out expecting anything in return. I know some people that keep kits in their cars that they can give to people that they see that are homeless. Visit an elderly neighbor who hasn't been feeling well. There are many places that your children can donate their unwanted toys to. Talk about the people in their daily lives and all the things that they do for us, from their busdriver to the trashman to the police officer, and do something nice for them. 
  4. Set expectations for the ‘stuff’. I’ve known families that clean out their toys/clothes/books right before the holidays. Yes, it’s making room for more, but it’s also teaching about giving and sharing. Talk about shopping trips ahead of time and how it might just be a “look” trip. One of the bloggers that I follow fights the “I wants” by letting her child hold the item that they want and snapping a picture of them with it, creating a photographic wishlist. Often, she said, her kid forgets about it completely!

Here are some resources so that you can read more about gratitude and young children:
10 Ways to Raise a Grateful Kid
Nurturing Gratitude
8 Ways to Teach Kids Gratitude

Here are some groups and organizations that you can help out with donations:
Foster Love (I only linked their donation page, but they have a bag drive going on through December 15)
Play it Forward Pittsburgh (They are collecting donations now and through December 12. They encourage entire families, including children, to volunteer!)
North Hills Community Outreach (They have a variety of programs and volunteer opportunities)

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Temple Ohav Shalom
Center for Early Learning
(412) 369-0900
center@templeohavshalom.org

​Temple Ohav Shalom
Main Office 
(412) 369-0900
www.templeohavshalom.org

8400 Thompson run road
Allison park, pa 15101
​Offices open from 8:00am- 4:00pm

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Calendar
Blog
  • About Us
    • All About TOSCEL >
      • Meet Our Staff
      • Educational Philosophy
      • Environment
      • Guiding Values
      • FAQ
      • Work With Us
    • Calendar >
      • Upcoming Events
    • Blog
  • Our Programs
    • Preschool Programs >
      • My Grown Up & Me
      • Toddlers
      • Preschool One
      • Preschool Two
      • The Studio at TOSCEL
      • Music with Mr. Grant
    • Afternoon Programs >
      • Toddler Lunch Bunch
      • Afternoon Explorers
    • Summer >
      • Camp Perach
      • Camp Gan
  • Register
    • 2022-2023 Registration
    • 2023-2024 Registration
    • Summer Camp (Coming Soon!)
  • Parent Information
    • Family Handbook
    • Our Covid Policy
  • Make A Donation