New Page 1

High Holidays

Read

Happy New Year, Beni by Jane Breskin Zalben

Jonah and the Two Great Fish by Mordicai Gerstein

K'tonton's Yom Kippur Kitten by Sadie Rose Weilerstein

My Very Own Yom Kippur by Judyth Robbins Saypol and Madeline Wikler

On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur by Cathy Goldberg Fishman

Red, Blue and Yellow Yarn: A Tale of Forgiveness by Miriam Kosman

Rosh Hashanah: A Family Service by Judith Z. Abrams (Kar-Ben)

A Rosh Hashanah Walk by Carol Levin (out of print)

Sammy Spider's First Rosh Hashanah by Sylvia Rouss (Kar-Ben)

Selichot: A Family Service by Judith Z. Abrams (Kar-Ben)

Sound the Shofar! by Leslie Kiimmelman

The Ten Little Rabbis Celebrate the High Holidays by David Sokoloff (out of print)

The World's Birthday by Barbara Diamond Goldin

Yom Kippur: A Family Service by Judith Z. Abrams (Kar-Ben)

It's Shofar Time

Written by Latifa Berry Kropf
Photographs by Tod Cohen

Available from Kar-Ben Publishers.

Latifa Kropf brings us another wonderful glimpse into a preschool classroom preparing to celebrate the Jewish New Year.

The Hardest Word: A Yom Kippur Story

Written by Jacqueline Jules
Illustrated by Katherine Janus Kahn

Available from Kar-Ben Publishers.

In my opinion, the publication of this wonderful children's book couldn't have occurred at a better time. Recent national events have nourished a strong desire for teachers to provide their students in lessons of tolerance and peace. Within the walls of our classrooms, the spirit of Jacqueline Jules' portrayal of Ziz, a grand creature from Jewish folklore, may be of great value in teaching children the value of forgiveness.

Ziz was a bird with wings so vast that when he flew, the sun would be hidden causing all of the mothers to call their children inside from their play. Feeling badly about ruining this playtime, Ziz decided to fly during the nighttime. One night, however, Ziz's huge body bumped into a tall tree that toppled over into the children's garden. Not knowing what to do, Ziz pays a visit to God, Who makes this challenge: "I want you to search the earth and bring back the hardest word." Ziz travels, listens and returns to God to offer many "hard" words. In the end, Ziz learns that the word he thought was unique to Yom Kippur is one that should be said other times as well.

The Hardest Word will appeal to children in many ways. Jacqueline Jules uses several literary techniques that will encourage children to participate in the choral reading of the story. First, she incorporates onomatopoeia during the Ziz's clumsy episodes. She also uses a repetitive pattern as Ziz's quest resumes:

He flew over mountains, he flew over trees,

He flew over valleys, he flew over seas.

Flap! Flap! I'm the biggest bird.

Flap! Flap! Searching for the hardest word.

Adding to the splendor of Jules' story are the colorful and creative illustrations by Katherine Janus Kahn. Ziz, with his yellow body, red wings and purple tuft of feathers will be most memorable. Kahn contributes to the visual concept of words as she incorporates the written language into her illustrations.

Though subtitled A Yom Kippur Story, The Hardest Word is a story that should be kept out all year long. As educators of preschoolers know, the words I'm sorry may come very difficult to young children. What a great symbol Ziz may become in the classroom! Re-create your own version of Ziz...whether it be a sock puppet (see photo below) or a stuffed symbol...to use to allow children to express their hurt feelings in a non-threatening way. Humor is so often a great way to switch gears in a difficult situation. What a perfect time to refer back to the Ziz..."What are those hard words we need to say to one another? "Pisghetti?"

Ziz will also teach children that making mistakes is okay...and that they may ask for help in solving them. Teachers of older children may chart Ziz's mistakes and the ways which he "fixed" them. Together, brainstorm situations which may have occurred in your own classroom and list solutions.

What I truly love about The Hardest Word is the wonderful ways the Ziz may become a symbol for use in the daily goings-on in the classroom. Conflicts of one kind or another are normal...and what a great source to deal with them!

Check out my Ziz puppet on Jacqueline Jules' website

and be sure to read about Jacqueline's second Ziz story, Noah and the Ziz:

Happy Birthday, World: A Rosh Hashanah Celebration

Written by Latifa Berry Kropf
Illustrated by Lisa Carlson

Available from Kar-Ben Publishers.

This new board book is written by the author of the fabulous holiday photo series that includes It's Challah Time, It's Purim Time, and It's Shofar Time. For toddlers and preschoolers it is a fun guessing game that compares Rosh Hashanah to a child's own birthday rituals and celebration. Illustrations by Lisa Carlson are really lovely. I especially love the final illustration, which depicts a family engaged in Tashlich. For older children, I would ask the children to compose/illustrate a list of similarities between their own birthdays and Rosh Hashanah then share the book.

Listen

With the close timing of the beginning of the school year and the High Holidays comes the perfect opportunity to talk about and participate in activities that teach the children about respect for one another, peaceful problem-solving, feelings and cooperation. Jack Hartmann has a terrific CD, Getting Better at Getting Along, that includes a variety of songs that focus on social skills.

Tell a Tale or Two

Rahel Musleah's Apples and Pomegranates: A Family Seder for Rosh Hashanah (Karben) is an amazing resource for storytelling with feltboard or dramatic props. My favorites are The Magic Pomegranate and Tuli's Treasure. Stories are woven into chapters organized by foods shared in seders around the world: pomegranates, apples, green beans, pumpkins/gourds and more. Included in each chapter is an "About the (food)..." section, where one may learn some interesting tidbits to share! This book comes with my highest recommendation for a creative Rosh Hashanah classroom!

Check your center's library for the book titled What Danny Did by Sadie R. Weilerstein, a collection of Jewish holiday stories (Thank you, Rena Rotenberg, for bringing this book to my attention!). This book is out of print (copyright is 1944, though I found it on-line through a bookseller) and some of the language needs to be altered for our modern times, but the stories are written with the intention of children being active! In the story Danny and David Go Up and Down: A Story for Rosh Hashanah, Danny delivers several New Year's gifts to his neighbor who lives on the floor above him. Danny makes several trips up, up, up, up, up the stairs, then down, down, down again. Moreover, the author has incorporated short and simple rhymes that will inspire the children to read chorally with you:

Pat, pat, pat

'Cross the floor,

And tap, tap, tap

On the door (p.31).

Another example that encourages the children's predictions:

Yellow and sweet

And good to eat

On Rosh Hashanah.

Sent by the bee

To you and me

For Rosh Hashanah (p. 28).

Create a feltboard using computer graphics for Sammy Spider's First Rosh Hashanah by Sylvia Rouss. The book emphasizes the concept of size. Hand out feltboard pieces to the children and invite them to place them on the feltboard during the story. Include all children by asking children who may not have been holding pieces to take specific pieces off (i.e. "J, will you please hand me the medium-sized challah?")

Use an overhead projector to project a photographed river or ocean scene (printed out on computer overhead paper) read Rosh Hashanah Walk by Carol Levin. At the end of the story, children can "throw Tashlich crumbs" (crumpled paper or some other material) at the water scene.

David Shannon's book, David Gets in Trouble, is a wonderful provocation for discussions about Teshuvah. My preschoolers loved figuring out the mistakes David was making throughout the story. After each mistake was identified, the children enjoyed brainstorming some ways David could turn his mistakes around at the given moment. They also thought about ways David could avoid making the same mistake again in the future. Be forewarned that you will probably not get through the book in one sitting! One or two pages may turn into a lengthy discussion!

Chant

Good Morning Song

Several of my favorite secular teaching sites (The Learning Leap and Mrs. Sirois's Farm) list "Good Morning Songs," songs that are often accompanied by pocket charts with corresponding graphics to help the children become familiar with sight words. I thought it would be fun to compose my own songs based on the Jewish holidays that could be used for several weeks. Holiday concepts and symbols may be reinforced daily through these simple predictable charts. Adding graphics to the sentence strips would help the children read the songs. With older children, one might place the graphics on separate cards so that children can match word to picture. For classrooms that may incorporate more Hebrew, substitute Boker Tov in place of Good Morning. I used the tune to "Shortnin' Bread," as suggested at The Learning Leap.

Good morning to the apples.

Good morning to the honey.

Good morning to the shofar that we blow.

Good morning to the round challah.

Good morning to the white robe.

Good morning to the Tashlich crumbs that we throw.

Dipping Apples: Interactive Name Activity

Children LOVE to see their names in print and what better way to really encourage their active participation in learning than to include them in your literacy routines. It has been my experience that children learn so much about reading and the components of reading when the materials teachers use are relevant to their own lives. What is more relevant than the children's names? With this in mind, I've composed a very simple rhyme that may easily be made into a pocket chart activity. Make sure you have all of the children's names written on sentence strips (you will need several copies per child...paper clip them together). Place them in a basket and choose three names to place in the appropriate places in the chart. I wrote this with the tune of "Mary had a red dress" in mind.

___ dips the red apple,

Red apple, red apple,

___ dips the red apple

In the honey dish.

And makes a New Year's wish!

___ dips the green apple,

Green apple, green apple,

___ dips the green apple

In the honey dish.

And makes a New Year's wish!

___ dips the yellow apple,

Yellow apple, yellow apple,

___ dips the yellow apple

In the honey dish.

And makes a New Year's wish!

For younger children, a great variation (sample below) would be to include the children's photos with their names on the sentence strips and to use graphics either in place of or with the rest of the song. Children will learn how to "read" the pictures.

Yom Huledet L'Olam

Yom Huledet Sameach

Yom Huledet L'Olam

Play

Shofar Shuffle

(To be played in a large open space)

Choose one child to be the Shofar caller. Line children up across from caller.

Children chant either one of the following:

Shofar, shofar,

Play your tune.

Shofar, shofar,

We’ll reach you soon.

Shofar, shofar

Let’s hear you blow.

Your awesome notes

Will tell us how to go!

The Shofar caller then “blows” the shofar by either calling out the name of the call or the actual “blow” itself. The notes blown determines the children’s movements:

Tekiah: children take one long step toward caller

Shevarim: children take three short steps toward caller

Teruah: children take nine short steps toward caller

Note: To make this game non-competitive, explain to children that the child who reaches the Shofar caller first will not necessarily be the next Shofar caller. May opt to have Shofar caller choose the next caller.

PLAYTIME!

Blocks

Chenille bees (available at Walmart)

Egg carton cups for hives

Illustrations of hexagons so children can copy using blocks

Books about bees and their hives

Flowers (paper, plastic, or other kind of representation-I found some adorable flower-shaped plastic plates at Walmart in their sale section!)

Shofar representation along with a variety of blocks. Ask kids to make a visual representation of the Shofar notes with blocks

Manipulatives

Plastic hexagonal canvases (Walmart) for lacing (may also be used for painting in art area)

Pattern blocks

Shofar representation with Cuisenaire rods for patterning Shofar sounds

Apple counters

(Though caught too late in play, this child-created game would have made for some wonderful documentation!)

Writing

Rubber stamps of bees, flowers, hives, apples

Hive or apple shaped stationary. Check out Kerry's Kollectibles for some bee stationary!

List of words related to holidays

Rosh Hashanah cards

Birthday cards

Patterns for making envelopes (available at craft stores)

Shofar patterns for children to trace, cut out, dictate endings to the following sentence starters: "I am sorry for..." "I forgive ____ for..."

Other thematic stencils (I use file folders to make mine)

Leaf-etched Rosh Hashanah cards from the Jewish Nature Center

Compose a label to complement a New Year's illustration by Jane Breskin Zalben at Picture This!

Art

Create an arrangement of authentic holiday symbols on a basket or cloth. Leave out selected art materials (paints, colored pencils, craypas) for children to explore still-life drawing. I like to take a digital photo, as I have above, and include it with the children's work.

Rosh Hashanah is a great time to begin introducing the Hebrew words for body parts, especially the Rosh! Pictured above is a copy of Paul Klee's Head of a Man. The piece is introduced during our Morning Circle and children share what they notice about the painting. The painting is displayed at the easel where children are invited to first draw their own representations using a Sharpie marker. Then they use similar tempera paint colors to explore and mix combinations to paint their own re-creations.

The apples and honey dish was the result of a variety of processes. The children drizzled "honey" paint on the underside of the plastic plates (see below). The honey dishes were created by coating paper mache (liquid starch and inexpensive paper towels) around a medium sized balloon. When dried, the children used tempera paints to decorate. A decorative honey dripper was made by winding a pipe cleaner around a large popsicle stick.

Other free art materials to explore in the art area:

Pliable sheets of beeswax for sculpting (available at craft stores in variety of colors)

Chunks of wax or candles for wax resist (also available in many colors)

"Honey paint:" drizzle mixture of yellow paint and glue for a sticky texture

Brown, yellow pipe cleaners

Hexagonal sponge or stamper for printing

Straws for Shofar blow-painting. Encourage children to blow as if blowing into the Shofar. Chant Shofar calls before blowing. Notice how different the lines of paint look with each Shofar tune.

Websites

Note: I have not checked all of these links yet this year, so some may not be available. Check back for updated information and new links.

High Holidays

About Rosh Hashanah

Aish.com High Holidays

Akhlah Rosh Hashanah

Akhlah Yom Kippur

BJESF High Holiday Lesson Plans

Celebrate with JOI

Chabad's Kids' New Year (Click on Kids' Animation for activities)

Children of the Moon Celebrate Rosh Hashanah

Everything Jewish Rosh Hashanah