Toddler Room

What a busy week here at the JCA as we have been learning about Purim. Purim is a celebration of Queen Esther and how she saved the Jews from Haman. Haman wished to get rid of all of the Jewish people and Queen Esther showed immense bravery when she told King Ahasuerus of Haman's plan, also admitting that she herself was Jewish. This holiday is typically celebrated with costumes, celebrations, and hamentashen cookies!

We spent the entire week preparing for Purim! We spent most of the week excited in anticipation for the carnival on Friday which was so much fun! Friends enjoyed moving to the different classrooms and particpating in games, having their face painted, and earning prizes! They watched some of the teachers perform in a play about the story of Purim and enjoyed some delicious hamentashen cookies!  

 

Nursery Room

Wednesday was a very busy day as we created Mishloach Manot baskets to gift to the food pantry. To explain the importance of giving the baskets to others we thought that it would be nice to decorate paper bags and fill them with clementines, cookies, raisins, crackers, and toothbrushes and then hand deliver them to the food pantry on the other side of the building. Friends were very proud to bring their bags into the office and place them on the shelves, knowing that they would be given to people in need later in the week. We also made hamentashen! Friends helped with ingredients, mixing the dough, flattening the dough, and watching them turn into the jelly filled triangle cookies! 

 

Pre-K Room

All of this excitement led up to Friday's big event. Dressed in costumes the children showed up ready for a party. After snack they were given free rein of the entire school! Each child was given 10 tickets and a bag they had decorated. As they moved from room to room they had to turn in a ticket to participate in each activity and collect their prize. We had face painting, a ring toss, and a snow cone station just to name a few activities. After that the whole school met in the Pre-K room for the staff performance of the Purim play, paraded through the JCA offices, and munched on hamentashen. The kids had an absolute blast and were pretty exhausted by the end of it.

 

Song of the Week
Purim Day

Purim Day
Purim Day
What a happy holiday!

Wear a mask
Wear a crown
Dancing all around!

Round go the groggers
Rush, Rush, Rush!

Round go the groggers
Rush, Rush, Rush!

Round go the groggers
Rush, Rush, Rush!

On Purim Day