We are so excited to be able to launch our new online newsletter. This will be a monthly newsletter filled with pictures and lots of information. Learn about our exciting programs and check out our many pictures to get a sense of what we do every day. Lev Chana is a world filled with wonderment and discovery in a Torah enriched environment. Exploring through play, our children begin to acquire the many academic and social skills they need to be successful lifelong learners. We hope you enjoy this new format, experiencing for yourself what we experience every day!
Betty Shusterman
Director of Early Childhood

The Art of The Native Americans
As a special treat the three year old nursery had the chance to experience the art of the Native American Indians. The children learned about Native American pottery. They discovered that the Indians made their own clay. Then the clay was used to form bowls, pots and many other utensils that might be needed for use in their daily routine. Wads of clay were distributed to the children. Working with the clay was a fun, new experience for the children. The children were encouraged to form bowls out of the clay. They realized that clay is a hard medium to work with and that it must have been very difficult for the Indians to prepare their pottery for use. Because of the nature of clay, they discovered that they would have to be patient, and wait for the clay to dry and harden before it could be used. Our "Little Indians" worked hard creating their pottery.

Rain sticks are percussion instruments that were traditionally made from dried, hollowed branches. Thorns were then pounded into the shaft in a spiral pattern. The stick was then filled with small pebbles and sealed on both ends. When the instrument was tilted and turned the pebbles trickled over the thorns, creating the sound of rain. Rain sticks were originally used by tribesmen in ceremonies to celebrate the beginning of the rainy season or to bring rain to a dry area. The four year old nursery children made their own rain sticks by decorating cardboard tubes. The tubes were filled with a precut paper that simulates the thorns, and small beads.
We discussed that in our tefillot to Hashem we ask for rain. Similarly, The Native Americans ask for rain when they dance with their rain sticks.
Enjoy the soothing sound of rain!

The kindergarten children learned about the Native American art of the Pacific Northwest. The Indians of that region used giant trees to make beautiful pieces of art. The most well known type of Native American art is the Totem Pole. Totem Poles are made for the purpose of telling a story. Some poles tell the story of the history of a particular family within the tribe. The children compared how we read stories from books to the very different way the Indians read a story. Then they had the opportunity to make their own "tree trunks" and Native American art, which was then transformed into a Totem Pole. Totem Poles are only made to tell stories. They are not worshipped.

The three year old children were invited to bring in Chanukiot from home to display in the lobby of our school. The display has been increasing the children's anticipation of the upcoming holiday of Chanuka. When children pass by and view the Chanukiot their excitement can be heard as they admire, compare, and critique what they see. In addition, the children who brought in the Chanukiot are filled with a great sense of pride that their items are on display. We are all eagerly awaiting the celebration of the Chag!

During the past few weeks the children of Lev Chana have been learning about the holiday of Thanksgiving. As we do with all of our holiday learning, the children have been immersed in many discussions and activities related to the history of the day. Teachers in each grade have told the story of the Pilgrims and the Indians with props, costumes, and of course, books. The children have created an array of different art projects such as beaded necklaces, Pilgrim hats, Indian headdresses, and turkeys, to enhance their learning as well. An in-depth exploration of a holiday at Lev Chana would not be complete without delicious aromas from the baking and cooking related to the day! The culmination of Thanksgiving learning took place on Wednesday, November 21 with Thanksgiving feasts, complete with cranberry dishes, corn muffins, vegetable soups, cakes, cookies and other treats. Many children wore their homemade costumes too. When children delve into a topic in a multi- sensory way the lessons they learn are long lasting. Learning math, science, and social studies skills through fun holiday experiences is the most meaningful way for children to learn.

Grandparents play a unique and special role in children's lives. One of the ways we try to strengthen and build upon that relationship is through our Kindergarten Intergenerational Day Program. Grandparents or other special guests were invited to participate in an interactive workshop style program. The children welcomed their guests by singing a few songs to the musical accompaniment of our music teacher, Morah Tzila. Then they joined their guests to collaborate on four different art and food related activities. The children and the grandparents thoroughly enjoyed their special time together. Programs like this help reinforce the home school connection and leave children feeling secure and confident. We look forward to more!

The children of Lev Chana enjoy a weekly visit from Rabbi Klammer. Actually we don't know who enjoys it more, the children or Rabbi Klammer! Each week a different grade gathers in the playroom to sing Shabbat songs and hear a story related to the parsha of the week or middot tovot. The children have been truly mesmerized by the entertaining stories. We look forward to having Rabbi Klammer visit every Thursday afternoon.

On Thursday ,November 15, the kindergarten children went to see The Paper Bag Players show in Hofstra University. They truly enjoyed the fun, entertaining, and exciting show called "On Top of Spaghetti". The Paper Bag Player show is always a favorite in kindergarten.

Lev Chana's kindergarten is part of a wonderful Hebrew language immersion program. The sooner our children internalize Ivrit, the hebrew language, the more it will be a part of them. Research has shown that the optimum time for children to learn a second language is between the ages of 4 and 7. With this in mind, our children in Lev Chana are exposed to the hebrew language more and more.

Since Hebrew, Ivrit, is the language of tefilla, learning, (Tanach, Commentaries,Responsa) we want to "jumpstart" our students. We are giving them the opportunity to internalize this language through fun-games, songs, conversations and original simple Hebrew storybooks and activites connected to their daily lives. "Ani zorek/zoreket kadur".

Our Kindergarteners have a period of hebrew language immersion each week with Morah Weber. This is in addition to the hebrew language in the classroom, eg., the bayit project in hebrew. The children listen, respond and participate in hebrew.

The immersion lessons involve activites that are part of the children's lives and integrate the Hebrew that they learn all week in class. The Morot are part of this immersion program. Our children are excited about our Ivrit classes and look forward to Morah Weber's visits all week!

On Monday, November 12, the Lev Chana faculty members attended workshops for Yeshiva Day School Early Childhood Professionals. The workshops took place at the Yeshiva of Central Queens. Teachers enjoyed hearing about a variety of relevant topics and certainly gained ideas to incorporate into their class curriculum. One of the presenters was our very own Morah Blimi, who taught other teachers about health and nutrition. The teachers will have an opportunity to share what they learned with their colleagues.

We introduced a program called "Reading Buddies" with our 4 year olds and the SKA girls. The buddies bond by reading stories together once a week. We curl and cuddle up all around school. The girls share some of their favorite children's books with their buddies. The high school girls are responsible for choosing the books they read. They initiate many conversations with their buddies about what they read. We hope to instill a life- long love of reading and sharing literature with all the children! As the girls develop relationships with our young children, they begin to understand the influence and responsibility older children have to younger ones. They feel the love and admiration of their new buddies and can't wait until the next time they come! We're off to a very exciting start!