ALEF--TEN BEST WAYS--MAY 21, 2017

Dear families:  

I can’t believe that there is only one session left after today—June 4.

Today was Ariel’s last session with us.  We all signed a card, and we took a photo of all of usso she can remember us.  She has been a big help to us in many ways.  Good luck next year in college.

We started with tefillah with Cantor Ken.  He asked us to recall places outside that we like.  Students 

mentioned the Dead Sea, a playground, and the snow.  We counted the Omer here and again in class with a page the students color in each week.  Today was day 40—5 weeks and 5 days.

Our Hebrew lesson today included the sound “oo” represented by three diagonal dots under a letter, as in “boobah,” doll or a vav with a dot in the middle.  We also studied ג. Someג words are “gadol” (big), “gamal” (camel), and “gan” (garden).  Next time, we will finish the Hebrew book, and the children can bring it home.

Our story today was from Godly Play—the Ten Best Ways.  After the children of Israel were freed from slavery in Egypt, they wandered in the desert, which is a dangerous place because of the scarcity of food and water, and the heat.  But the desert is also a wonderful place.  With no distractions, great things can happen.  To help the Israelites, God provided food and water; there was a pillar of fire and one of cloud to lead them on.  At Mt. Sinai, God told Moses the ten best ways to live, so that he could tell the people, and pass them on to us.  We listed the Ten Best Ways (the Ten Commandments) God wants us to live—such as keeping the Sabbath, not telling lies, and be happy with what you have. 

Then we engaged in the “wondering” aspects—which part of the tory you liked best, which is the most important, where are you in the story?  Students eagerly shared their ideas.

Thank you, again, Robin and Temple Israel for sponsoring my attendance at the Godly Play workshops.  Thank you also, Gretchen Brandt for mentoring me—sharing ideas for props, sharing this new story with me, and making suggestions.

As each holiday approaches, I have been gathering and making the props to tell each story.

Cheryl read No Rules for Michael. Michael tells the class that there should be no rules.  However, he changes his mind when he trips over a backpack, someone takes his snack, and other things go wrong. Then he sees the need for rules. 

Last week, the children tie-dyed t shirts.  Today, each child who participated received a t shirt.  We talked about inclusion—how we are all different sizes and shapes, but we are all part of the Temple Israel community.

There is no class next Sunday.  Our final class for this year is on June 4.  Have a happy Shavuot.

Judy and Cheryl (Esther and Tzipporah)