tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552038943475669912012-03-02T15:01:54.386-05:00A blog by staff of the Early Childhood Center of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Ann Arbor.PeretzECCnoreply@blogger.comBlogger381100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-44252022376736697092012-03-02T15:01:00.001-05:002012-03-02T15:01:54.396-05:00

Today the Bunny room celebrated Dr. Suesss' birthday with Green Eggs and Pancakes...and yes a couple friends actually ate the green eggs! A special thank you to David Adler, Zoes' Dad and Karishma and Matt Collett, Amanis'  Mom and Dad for helping make the yummy lunch a huge success! we could not have done it without you                                       

Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13988532314137043672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-76435836119340822592012-03-01T21:36:00.001-05:002012-03-01T21:41:52.577-05:00

The fruit paintings add a splash of color to the Baby Bunny Room. What can an infant in the Bunny Room do with leftover fruit? Paint with it, of course! After Tu B'Shevat, there were several pieces of fruit left over from our fruit exploration activities. The Baby Bunnies experimented with colors and textures during their No-Mess Painting with Fruit activity. The infants chose a fruit

Matashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12603625923115596838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-22237032565854756022012-02-29T12:47:00.001-05:002012-02-29T13:00:41.624-05:00

Since the rain kept us in today we went to the gym to play with some balls! We bounced, kicked, rolled and carried the balls around the gym.

Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13988532314137043672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-65770323146635193182012-02-29T12:38:00.001-05:002012-02-29T12:58:07.902-05:00

With the sneak peek of spring we got on Tuesday the bunny room to advantage of some extra outside time

Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13988532314137043672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-27864253709991102702012-02-18T16:40:00.000-05:002012-02-18T16:40:37.919-05:00

In the High/Scope curriculum, we speak a great deal about using open-ended materials with the children.  But why?  Open ended materials are any objects whose use is not predetermined or narrowly defined, rather, they can be used in many different ways.  A set of blocks, for example, is an open-ended material because they can be used for many different purposes -- to stack and/or topple, to build

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15690912625589482597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-12565996762057829392012-02-14T18:11:00.001-05:002012-02-14T18:11:47.761-05:00

At the ECC, infants may use a sleep sack in their cribs.      At the beginning of the school year, some of the infants had to adjust to sleeping in an empty crib during nap time. If a child is used to sleeping in a bassinet or co-sleeper with a blanket or a "lovie" (toy/stuffed animal), this can be a major change. Due to child care licensing requirements, we follow the Safe Sleep steps which

Matashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12603625923115596838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-12880515040497827272012-02-10T17:26:00.000-05:002012-02-10T17:26:45.739-05:00

Exploring fruits Tasting fruits Nature walk/Visiting the Trees Planting This week in the Duck Room, we did a variety of activities to celebrate the holiday of Tu B'Shevat! We began our week by exploring with a variety of durable fruits -- oranges, grapefruits, lemons, limes, coconut, and pineapple.  The children held, carried, rolled, and threw the fruits.  They explored with the

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15690912625589482597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-33997296301024962202012-02-09T09:35:00.003-05:002012-02-10T17:23:18.626-05:00

Wednesday morning snack the Bunny 2 room sampled several fruits.... Star fruit, mango, apples, bananas, kiwi, grapes, fig and many more

Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13988532314137043672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-34990363154457105772012-02-09T09:35:00.001-05:002012-02-09T09:35:30.400-05:00

Tuesday morning our large group was drawing with markers we put paper on our floor and let them go .... The finished product is on our wall.... Their legs, hands and faces:)

Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13988532314137043672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-90017384844055327972012-02-08T18:06:00.001-05:002012-02-09T07:34:40.238-05:00

Charlie reaches for a fruit from the basket. So many choices! Today, the infants in the Baby Bunny room had an opportunity to learn about trees and fruit in their own way for Tu B'Shevat.  Although many of the infants are not ready to participate in the fruit tasting that occurred in some of the older classrooms, the Baby Bunnies learned about fruit using their senses of sight, smell, and

Matashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12603625923115596838noreply@blogger.com0Ann Arbor, MI, USA42.2808256 -83.743037842.2338341 -83.8220018 42.3278171 -83.6640738tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-23025223071527554062012-02-02T17:45:00.000-05:002012-02-02T17:45:38.173-05:00

Gathering and crumpling the foil into a ball to throw! Small group time in a toddler room is about introducing new and interesting materials.  During small group time children have an opportunity to explore different materials and learn about their unique properties.  In this small group the children worked with tinfoil and discovered the different ways they could manipulate their foil

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15690912625589482597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-18861609200032444192012-02-01T12:43:00.001-05:002012-02-07T15:12:57.640-05:00

Today the Bunny 2 room played with soapy water and paint brushes

Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13988532314137043672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-90818897972156296392012-02-01T12:38:00.001-05:002012-02-07T15:14:19.018-05:00

Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13988532314137043672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-84517952977494658172012-01-31T12:43:00.001-05:002012-01-31T12:44:07.011-05:00

Today the Bunny 2 room got to go out and enjoy some of the sunshine and warm weather! Let's all think warm thoughts and hope it's here to stay :)

Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13988532314137043672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-74902152626294253062012-01-27T17:47:00.000-05:002012-01-27T18:01:47.249-05:00

This morning, Rabbi Noam Katz treated the ECC and HDS to a concert, and then he sat in with ECC songleader Josh Grekin to help us welcome Shabbat with song.  Rabbi Noam, as he introduced himself, is a long-time song leader and teacher, who now serves as the Rabbi of a day school in Toronto, and the director of a Jewish overnight camp.  In 2004, Rabbi Noam spent the winter of 2004 with the

PeretzECCnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-42439696391225036682012-01-26T14:59:00.001-05:002012-01-27T17:19:01.344-05:00

The infants in the Baby Bunny room made pictures using Fizzy Chalk. Fizzy Chalk is a fun sensory activity that can easily be made at home using basic household items. Fizzy Chalk "Recipe" One box (1 lb or 454g) of baking soda 1/2 cup of cornstarch 1 cup of water (add more if needed) Food Coloring 1.Mix the dry ingredients (baking soda and cornstarch) together then slowly stir in the water.

Matashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12603625923115596838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-83886929615242022032012-01-26T13:15:00.001-05:002012-01-27T16:06:56.533-05:00

Just a sneak into some of our Thursday morning activities in the Bunny 2 room

Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13988532314137043672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-29820052196582421772012-01-24T16:15:00.000-05:002012-01-24T16:16:41.947-05:00

At afternoon greeting time, the Giraffes are doing a memory activity.  Cindy placed twelve familiar items on her tray, gave the children a few moments to examine it, and then covered it back up.  Out of sight of the children, Cindy removed an item, and asked the children to see if they could figure out what was missing.  

PeretzECCnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-1859645928145535362012-01-24T16:05:00.001-05:002012-01-24T16:15:48.598-05:00

Debbie shares her Q-chord with the Giraffes as they sing the Alef Bet song.

PeretzECCnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-66011462440538405332012-01-23T10:26:00.001-05:002012-01-23T10:36:57.010-05:00

Keeping a record of what children say is important for several reasons. When children see adults writing down their words, children see that what they have to say is important. Also, when adults write in front of children, children will begin to model writing behaviors, which is important for emergent literacy development.

PeretzECCnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-69711430309233999412012-01-23T10:20:00.001-05:002012-01-23T10:21:54.513-05:00

Filling and dumping, sorting shapes, and putting together and taking apart materials.

PeretzECCnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-17436338326799641882011-11-30T16:56:00.001-05:002012-01-24T16:16:18.200-05:00

The children were so excited to get out into the snow today.  It took a lot of doing to get into all of our snow gear, but it was worth it!

PeretzECCnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-2541388574998973532011-04-21T14:29:00.003-04:002011-04-21T14:35:38.992-04:00

Passover has multiple names.  Two we think about a lot - Pesach (referring to the sacrifice of that name) and Chag HaMatzot (feast of matzah.)  We tend to think less about another name for Passover – Chag Ha’Aviv – feast of Spring.  (even less so with a snowy first seder this year!) As much as it might not have seemed like spring on the first night of Passover, when I walked into the ECC this

PeretzECCnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-77493398428676813902011-04-15T11:58:00.002-04:002011-04-15T11:59:01.848-04:00

The Kangaroos made these brownies for the seder.  They come from Ruth Heiges on cyber-kitchen.com Pass-(them-)-Over Brownies (Dairy) 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup butter or margarine 1/2 cup cocoa 2 Tablespoons boiling water 2 eggs, well beaten 1 cup nuts, chopped 1/4 cup matza meal 1/4 cup potato starch Cream sugar and butter. Make a paste by adding boiling water to cocoa; set aside to cool. Add

PeretzECCnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-47276549875647444552011-04-14T17:07:00.003-04:002011-04-15T22:17:10.147-04:00

A number of attendees at today’s Passover program asked for the recipe for the Zebra room’s Pesadik lemon bars. This recipe is from Our Customers' Favorites, by Paula Levine Weinstein and Julie Komerofsky Remer. Prep Time: 20 minutesCook Time: 50 minutesTotal Time: 70 minutesIngredients:CRUST: 3 sticks margarine, room temperature 3/4 c. Passover powdered sugar 1/2 tsp. salt 2 c. cake meal

PeretzECCnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-570159192958241602011-04-14T14:21:00.001-04:002011-04-14T14:21:11.801-04:00

A number of parents were interested in the lyrics to the songs we sang at today’s Passover program.  You can find these songs and many more on my list of favorite Passover music on Amazon  and at totshabbat.com. Here are the lyrics: Oh Listen - Unknown Oh listen, oh listen, oh listen King Pharaoh. Oh listen, oh listen, please let my people go. They want to go away. They work too hard all day.

PeretzECCnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-23463094796041692352011-04-06T14:04:00.001-04:002011-04-06T16:27:28.448-04:00

We had a great treat today – Gemini came to visit!  San and Laz Slomovitz are Gemini, an Ann Arbor musical institution.  We listen to a lot of their music in the classrooms, and the children really connect with the Gemini sings “Hello”songs.  Gemini songs are about people we love (mom and dad), things we love to eat (pizza, deli), or ways we love to move.  San and Laz also use a variety of

PeretzECCnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-61530651832213167522011-04-05T11:10:00.002-04:002011-04-05T11:11:48.751-04:00

I stopped by the growing racks today, and was thrilled to see some green under the lights.  The seedlings started by the Zebras and the Giraffes is really coming along. The Zebras planted Cosmos, which you can see coming up nicely to the right.  We’ll follow it to see how it blooms! The Giraffes planted some veggies that are also sprouting: Cherry Tomatoes Zucchini Broccoli

PeretzECCnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-43348085897643764192011-03-31T15:26:00.003-04:002011-03-31T16:30:24.973-04:00

Everyone is getting into the mood to plant.  Earlier this week, Giraffe room teacher Michelle Paris brought materials for starting seedlings to Small Group Time.  Everyone had spoons to use for shovels, and each child had one cell of a planting tray to fill with soil, add seeds, and water!  Then the children took the trays down the hall to the growing racks.  We expect to see some shoots soon!

PeretzECCnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-27011373121378664922011-03-22T16:51:00.003-04:002011-03-31T16:31:12.036-04:00

It is warming up, so it is time to start planting our seedlings.  We also know it is time to plant because Passover is coming soon; one of the names for Passover is Hag HaAviv – holiday of the spring. This week we stopped by Downtown Home and Garden and picked up soil for our seedlings, and our first seeds of the year arrived in the mail! Today we cleared off the space under one of our growing

PeretzECCnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-75394586937531876312011-02-18T11:50:00.001-05:002011-02-18T11:55:07.116-05:00

It is 8:45AM on a Tuesday morning in early January, and in the JCC Early Childhood Center’s Kangaroo room, two four-year-old boys sit at a table collaborating on a complicated structure, while Natalie Wiesend, one of the teachers, sits and reads with three girls. A few more Kangaroos arrive; soon it will be Greeting Time, when the class will gather to talk about the day. Next door, at 9AM, the

PeretzECCnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-14071251895114985392011-02-17T10:03:00.002-05:002011-02-18T11:54:26.914-05:00

We’ll be using this space for many different kinds of posts.  Our gardening exploits will go here.  Sometimes we’ll post interesting stories that just can’t wait for the newsletter.  Other times we might use it to expand on something that we’ve touched on in a newsletter.  Please use the comment function to let us know what kinds of posts you would be interested in reading.

PeretzECCnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-40708083657507193332011-02-03T12:54:00.000-05:002011-02-18T11:24:06.979-05:00

As we celebrated Tu B’Shevat, some of the classrooms started a few seeds germinating.  In these pictures, the Lambs prepare earth and water for their Root-Vue. 

PeretzECCnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-78074721715227710102010-11-30T15:34:00.000-05:002011-02-18T11:24:59.679-05:00

Back in October, a group of parents gathered on a Sunday morning for the second Garden work day of the year. At this work day, the group cleared out the garden beds, leaving only the last of the kale still growing. Everything else went into compost bags! The garden was now ready to be put to bed for the winter.

PeretzECCnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-6630588464754669792010-11-18T11:42:00.000-05:002011-02-18T11:25:14.311-05:00

In early October, Noreen and children from many different classrooms went to work harvesting the potatoes! The potatoes had been planted in stacks of car tires, which made it easy to harvest them. First, Noreen unstacked the car tires, and then the children dug through the soil for all the potatoes. After about 15 minutes, all of the potatoes were in a bucket, ready to be washed, and turned

PeretzECCnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-64036149440871752182010-11-18T09:24:00.000-05:002011-02-18T11:25:24.387-05:00

As the summer came to an end, the Kangaroo room harvested cherry tomatoes from their garden box daily. During the height of the summer, the children would eat the tomatoes fresh off of the vine, but now instead of eating the tomatoes as they picked them, the Kangaroos saved them until they had enough to make a tomato sauce. The ECC gardens produced a huge amount of basil this year as well, so

PeretzECCnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-89968968357146340752010-11-17T17:49:00.000-05:002011-02-18T11:25:39.980-05:00

Welcome to the new home of the JCC Early Childhood Center's Garden Blog!  Feel free to leave comments, and enjoy reading!

PeretzECCnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3155203894347566991.post-73833691725649032862010-11-17T17:02:00.000-05:002011-02-18T11:25:55.609-05:00

September 20, 2010 Sukkot is almost here!  This morning, as the Giraffes and Kangaroos built the sukkah, the Frogs attended to a task that they have been waiting for months to accomplish.  While other classes have been harvesting green beans and tomatoes all summer, the Frogs have been watching their corn grow, and grow, and grow, waiting for Sukkot to harvest it.  This morning, they took a

PeretzECCnoreply@blogger.com0