GROWING TOGETHER JEWISHLY

Our Sunday morning preschool family education program offers you and your young children an opportunity to learn and celebrate together and to build connections to other families.  Come explore the Hebrew alphabet, Jewish mitzvot (doing good) and holidays with your child.

Stories, games, songs, crafts, Shabbat blessings and snack, all make for a wonderful two-hour morning.  Geared for toddlers, pre-K and kindergarten, but babies are welcome as well.

Meets from 9:30 to 11:30 AM on the following Sunday mornings at The Jewish Community House.

Join Stacey Gay and Gail Peckman as they begin their 10th year facilitating this engaging and fun morning.  For more information please e-mail Stacey Gay at jewishtaunton@gmail.com

Sunday mornings 9:30 – 11:30 AM

• September 2012 – 16th and 30th
• October 2012 – 14th and 21st
• November 2012 – 4th and 18th
• December 2012 – 9th and 16th
• January 2013 – 13th and 27th
• February 2013 – 10th
• March 2013 – 10th and 24th
• April 2013 – 21st and 28th
• May 2013 – 19th

This program is open to all.  No prior experience needed.  It is a part of our full programming for Young Children.

Program fees for the 2012-2013 year (16 sessions) are as follows:

Not-yet Member Families:

• $  72 per child – Birth to one year
• $108 per child – One year to two years
• $175 per child – Two years to kindergarten

Member Families:

• $  54 per child – Birth to one year
• $  72 per child – One year to two years
• $145 per child – Two years to kindergarten

*Note: “Boker Tov” is Hebrew for “good morning” and rhymes with “poker cove.”

CURRICULUM DETAILS

Boker Tov Tots Curriculum Details:  Jewish and Me – Mitzvot

Introduces mitzvot (ethical behavior) to the your children by focusing on ethical behavior (doing the right thing), values, developmental skills, and social skills.  Together you and your children can identify ways to can create shalom bayit (peace in the home), practice recycling to take care of the environment, make a card or gift for someone who does not feel well, and more.  An important component is helping you infuse values to Jewish experiences such as sharing hallah (special bread for Shabbat) with family members, welcoming guests to the sukkah (outdoor shelter), and learning Hebrew words such as haveirim (friends) or hesed (kindness).

You’ll have a chance to review your time together with take-home folders with short text, colorful photos, and playful activities and questions to engage your continued interest and lead to meaningful learning experiences in order to continue whole family involvement in learning. Whether parent, grandparent or caregiver, you can learn or refresh your Jewish learning by participating throughout the morning with your young children. There’s plenty of time to make new family friends as well.

Boker Tov Tots Curriculum Details:  Jewish and Me – Holidays/Fall and Spring

We’ll work with you and your child, encouraging the building of Jewish identity while learning about the holidays. Through it all we’ll help reinforce your child’s core developmental skills such as counting, creative movement, and expressive language.

Explore the holiday basics. Help your child discover the joys of Jewish holiday traditions, such as eating hallah on Shabbat or searching for the afikomen on Passover.

Time to get up and move. No sitting around!!  Make the sound of a shofar, spin like a dreidel. Explore holiday concepts with movement and pretend play. A playful cat character encourages children to join him in large motor celebration of the holiday.

Bring the learning home. On your way out the door you’ll pick up a small magazine that can involve your family delightful At Home activities, such as using your whole body to celebrate the New Year or making noise when you hear Haman’s name in the Purim story. Family talk discussion questions encourage the your entire family to explore a concept of the holiday and how it relates to life in your family.

Boker Tov Tots Curriculum Details:  Hebrew from Sarah and David Interactive

You and your child have a chance to get in on the ground floor learning the Hebrew alphabet in a fun new way. You may have learned Hebrew when you were younger – maybe not.  It doesn’t matter.  The Aleph Bet Story and CD provides a unique  approach to Hebrew reading – beginning with letter recognition – that makes memorization exciting and incredibly doable. From the way that the letter Gimel is compared to the shape of a high heel shoe to the idea that the letter Resh looks a lot like a roller coaster, the letters come alive and are easy to remember.  Learning the Hebrew alphabet has never been this fun. A whimsical approach to consonants and vowels is conducive to faster, more lasting learning.

Boker Tov Holidays:  Being Jewish, Having Fun

You’re welcome to join us at our Jewish holiday celebrations throughout the year.  For more information contact Rabbi/Cantor Anne Heath at jewishtaunton@gmail.com

• Sunday, September 16, 2012 – Learn to Blow the Shofar, 11:30 AM at the Jewish Community House
• Monday, September 17, 2012 – Rosh Hashanah Mini-Minyan, 4:00 PM at the Synagogue
• Sunday, September 30, 2012 – Band, BBQ and Build a Sukkah, 11:30 AM in front of the Synagogue
• Saturday, October 6, 2012 – Simchat Torah (Rejoicing in the Torah), 9:00 AM at the Synagogue
• Sunday, December 9, 2012 – Hanukkah Party with Latke Lunch, 11:30 AM at the Jewish Community House
• Sunday, February 24, 2013 – Purim-Palooza, Megillah Reading, Costume Contest, Games, Music, Fun, 10:00 AM at the Jewish Community House
• Thursday, March 28, 2013 – Community Potluck Seder, 6:00 PM at the Jewish Community House

To learn more about Jewish holidays and their celebrations, be sure to visit www.myjewishlearning.com and click on “holidays”