ב”ה
A DISTANCE LEARNING K-12 SCHOOL FOR TORAH-OBSERVANT HOMESCHOOLERS
KINGERGARTEN YEAR
OVERVIEW
Kindergardeners are going through an important phase of physical and emotional development getting to know the physical world through senses and play. During their 6th year, children continue learning socio-emotional skills through interactions with peers and adults. Children perceive themselves as one with the surrounding world. They are engaged in the imaginary play and feed their imagination through absorbing stories that they hear from their parents and teachers. Their toys are simple and made out of natural materials. Kindergardeners dive into the world of Torah stories about the brave Abraham, the wise Joseph, the mighty Moshe, and the evil Pharaoh. Torah stories can take life through puppetry in weekly lessons. Teachers and parents are encouraged to use sensitive language is during storytelling. Such words as “d-i-e,” “k-ll,” “h-te,” must be omitted if possible and replaced with their softer equivalents “pass away” (to emphasize the presence of Neshamah in our body), “take someone’s life,” “really do not like this” or “really did not like him/her.” Plant and animal kingdoms are the prevalent domains of kindergardeners. Regular trips to nurseries, parks, and beach nurture their souls and create memories for life. Many projects can be introduced while playing in nature. E.g., building sand castles and counting them or collecting acorns for a parsha project. Some children have a defined interest and hobby such as space, dinosaurs or drones. Encouraging them to pursue their interests in-depth helps create a blueprint in learning to delve deeply into subject matter later in life whether in college, yeshiva, at work or in personal relationships. For parents, to take an active interest in the child’s current hobby means strengthening their personal connection in their relationship with him/her. Some parents choose to introduce their child to letters early while others prefer to leave it till the 1st year of Elementary school.
Children primarily learn material through memorization of songs, rhymes, and reinforce it through hands-on projects. Dancing and rhythmic movement while reciting or singing learned material helps reinforce the newly acquired knowledge. Playdates with friends or other homeschoolers (for homeschooling families) bring texture into Kindergardeners’ lives. They share what they learned and play games together. Cooking, cleaning, gardening are included into daily activity of kindergardeners. Basic artistic activities such as wet-on-wet painting, bees wax modeling, basic handknitting, and challah making as introduced. More complex and longer projects will be a logical continuation of these activities in Grade 1.” Foreign languages can be tapped into with basic rhymes and phrases to get the children accustomed to pronunciation. Basic Torah facts (Chayenu) – names of tzaddikim, Chumash stories’ characters, etc. – are learned through songs and reinforced through stories.
SKILLS BY SUBJECT AREA
MIDOT
In kindergarden, students should: • Respect adults and authority • Raise hand to speak, take turns • Become a member of the group, adjusting self needs to the needs of the group, supporting group mates and group activity • Work on treating others with respect and tolerance • Develop skill in social use of language, for example, the use of “please” and “thank you”
TEFILAH
By the end of Kindergarden Year, students will know Birkat Hashahar, Elohai Neshamah, Ashrei (the first paragraph), Shema (1st paragraph), or the whole Shema for advanced track, Adon Olam (part 1), Yigdal (part 1), Ma Tovu, Lecha Dodi, Artscroll Children’s Siddur by Shmuel Blitz is recommended for the Kindergarden year. In place of Amidah, children are encouraged to stand in count till 18th, which creates a placeholder for the future. Children will also know such blessings a Netilat Yadayim, Asher Yatzar, Blessings on Foods, Blessings upon seeing certain objects, and the first paragraph of Birkat Haderech.
HOLIDAYS AND PARSHA
Children’s activities in the area of arts and crafts are centered around the Jewish holidays as well as the Parsha of the Week. Daily activities such as building Noah’s ark or painting the figures of patriarchs and matriarchs help reinforce story imagery
TEHILIM
Children will learn and memorize 3-4 Tehilim in Hebrew through songs. Science Experiments Between the ages 5-6, children are extremely inquisitive. Many enjoy sensory play. Such science experiments as making oobleck, slime, creating a lava lamp or comparing viscosities of liquids excites them tremendously.
SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS
Between the ages 5-6, children are extremely inquisitive. Many enjoy sensory play. Such science experiments as making oobleck, slime, creating a lava lamp or comparing viscosities of liquids excites them tremendously. Science experiments will be included into weekly activities between 1-3 times a week dependent on the child’s level of interest and engagement.
SKILLS
• Listen to instructions, focus and remain on task for the designated time • Speak clearly in question-and-answer periods and daily recall • Recite memorized rhymes and sing songs • Recognize sounds, shapes, capital letters • Know alphabetical order of Hebrew and Latin letters • Grip writing implement correctly • Write Hebrew and/or English letters (as per parents’ discretion) • Develop dominant hand through crafting and painting
MATH
In Kindergarden, students should be able to: • Count till 20 with sticks, matches, pebbles, or other natural materials. • Count from 1 to 20 forward and backwards in English, Hebrew, and a foreign language of choice. • Upon parental discretion, recognize Roman numbers although parents are encouraged to introduce symbolism once the physical numerical associations have been settled in a child’s brain.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Parents can choose between Hebrew, Spanish, French, German, or Russian. By the end of Kindergarden year, a child will know 4-5 songs and 4-5 tongue twisters in a foreign language as well as the basic words such as “Yes,” “No”, “Hello,” “Thank you!” “Good bye,” “Please,” “Why,” and numbers from 1 to 12.