Curriculum - Pre-K

GOALS:

• Sparking positive Jewish identity
• Creating Jewish friendships
• Promote a feeling of comfort in The Temple and an understanding of its Jewish symbols
• Teach about and celebrate the Jewish calendar
• Introduce basic Modern Hebrew words into students’ vocabularies
• Incorporate the use of basic Hebrew blessings into students’ lives

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:

• Weekly Tefilah
• Visits to the art room
• Visits to the music specialist
• Visits to the Holland Youth Library
• Visits from our Shinshinit (IsraelSpecialist)
• Unstructured play times

SUBJECTS COVERED:

• Holidays: Pre-kindergarten students learn about the Jewish calendar through various arts and crafts projects. The music, Hebrew and art curriculum, as well as library visits, supplement their studies of the Jewish calendar. (Jewish and Me:Holidays)
• The Synagogue: Through various activities encouraging students to discover their senses, students learn about their Temple surroundings and Jewish symbols. (Look at Me Series)
• Basic Hebrew: Learning a second language is a natural ability young children possess. Therefore, basic Modern Hebrew words are incorporated into their daily activities.
• Blessings: Providing a Jewish atmosphere is central to our early childhood program. One way to reach this goal is to teach our students to recite Hebrew blessings before daily activities. Motsi & Borei P’ri haGafen are taught in the pre- kindergarten program. Other prayers and blessings are also incorporated into their daily learning.