Dear Parents,
Wow! Can you believe it’s almost Chaunkah? These first few months of Atideinu have been flying by, filled with lessons, activities, creativity, and more! As we approach the middle of December, I thought you would enjoy reading about all that we’ve already accomplished this year.
Elul & Tishrei
We started out the year with the themes for Elul and Tishrei: recognizing Hashem’s unconditional love for us, the concept of Teshuva being a tremendous gift, and the value and necessity of having strong internal resilience so we can bounce back from mistakes. We broke out these themes by giving every child a dry-erase board, illustrating the idea of how proper teshuva erases our mistakes.
We also played a gift-wrap version of hot potato to assist with instilling the understanding of Teshuva as a gift from Hashem. A large part of Elul and Tishrei we spent exploring the value of making mistakes and learning from them, rather than denying them.
One activity involved a particularly challenging group assignment, where trial and error was a necessity to complete its objective.
Cheshvon
As we left a jam-packed few months, we moved right into Mar Cheshvon, and began exploring new themes. These themes included believing in Hashem when things are grey, recognizing that sometimes we need to go through trials and tribulations to come out stronger, and the idea that we are responsible for our own happiness.
We broke out the theme using invisible ink to write a message and painting over it to reveal the message. We processed the concept of often needing to look beneath the surface to truly understand the underlying message. The children also created “I spy” jars, as they began really to internalize the concept of looking for light in the dark.
As the month continued, we began to look into what it means to be responsible for one’s own happiness. We explored the idea of not having control over what life hands us, but ALWAYS having control to how we react to it.
We played a “clap” game, where the children sat in a circle and one child began a story. Each child added 2-3 lines to the story and clapped, causing it to be the next child’s turn to continue to the story. The children were really able to understand the importance of focusing on what we can control moving forward, vs. what we cannot control in our past.
Kislev
As we delved into Kislev, it was time for some new themes! Our themes this month focus on being a light unto the nations, the true meaning of a Kiddush Hashem and the endless opportunities to make one, and the importance of self-respect as it relates to how we present ourselves and conduct ourselves.
We broke out Kislev with a super fun game of glow-in-the dark bowling, and continued our “light unto the nations” theme with a game of “pin the glow stick on the Menorah”. The children also painted Kiddush Hashem treasure chests, and were sent home with many coins.
Please remind your child throughout the month to write their mitzvos on their coins, so they can bring their filled chest to our Rosh Chodesh store and redeem their coins for money.
One game we played involved many scenarios of different struggles relating to appropriately presenting oneself, problem-solving effectively when frustrated, and using manners to get one’s needs met. The children were paired in groups and were read the different scenarios (each with multiple choice answers). This led to many different discussions about effective problem-solving, and the importance of self-respect in all settings.
Upcoming Sessions
As we are nearing the half-way point of December, I am going to be scheduling our “touch base” sessions for each child. Please expect a phone call from either Chaya Mendenhall (who has a dual role as a team leader/administrative assistant) or myself, to set up an appointment. We will be booking hour slots for each parent. During the session, please expect to complete a progress assessment for your child as well.
Baruch Hashem, we’ve been having an amazing year! The staff are constantly talking about what a spectacular group of children we have this year. We have been enjoying them so much and are grateful for their attendance and participation! We wish you and your entire family a wonderful Chanukah, and look forward to being in touch soon.
Sincerely,
Chana Perel Handler
Director, Atideinu