In Rabbi Shimon’s cave!

Lag BaOmer is around the corner, and we went on a journey to learn why this day is so special.

Lag BaOmer is the yahrtzeit of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, one of Rabbi Akiva’s students. Rabbi Shimon was a very big tzaddik, and he taught us the Zohar and Kabbalah.

Long ago, Rabbi Shimon and his son, Rabbi Elazar, had to hide from the Romans. They hid in a cave, and Hashem took such good care of them! Hashem made a spring of fresh water for them to drink and a carob tree for them to eat.

Inspired by Rabbi Shimon’s story, we built his cave using recycled materials!
We started by creating the structure,

then gave it a nice coat of paint.

After that, we added the spring of water and the carob tree, just like in the story.

And to finish it off, we drew Rabbi Shimon himself to bring it all together! 🧡

All done!

We used our sense of smell to explore carob powder!

We used our sense of taste to try it as iced cocoa! Some of our friends really enjoyed this new flavor.. Miya said it tasted like seaweed! We imagined how Rabbi Shimon might have eaten his carobs..

We continued our Sefiras HaOmer journey this week and recorded the children doing Ahavas Yisroel—acts of kindness for their friends. When we finish filling our big heart with mitzvos, we will celebrate by going on the Lag BaOmer parade.

Brotherly love!

 

Eli F. and Yossi C. shared the ball and showed amazing sportsmanship, and later, Yosef joined in too!

Kind and caring words could be heard all around the playground! 🧡

"I am helping!"

Pre-K Kria

We learned and practiced the letter final Fei!

K Kria

We went on a color hunt to find all the kubutz sounds hiding around the classroom. 🎨

Academics

We are learning about the solar system. Utilizing our fine motor skills, we created artwork showing the planets & the sun.

Our Kinders played sight word bingo.

Aftercare

The children worked together to create homes, roads, and imaginative spaces while practicing teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and kindness. It was beautiful watching their creativity grow as they learned that strong communities are built when everyone works together and helps one another. So much learning through play!

Shabbat Shalom!

Friendships and fire!

We’re so excited to share Baby Doll Circle Time—a special, connection-filled circle time where children learn through guided interaction with their baby dolls. Through gentle mirroring, they build empathy, self-regulation, and a deep sense of safety! 

Zalman, wanted his doll to do the Bracha on Tzsis too!

Regulated smiles.

Continuing our Lag B'aomer unit! One of the biggest lessons we learn from Rabbi Akiva, is respecting each other and being kind.

Catching these moments was so heartwarming.

Creating a fun friend craft. Making our friends and documenting what we love about them!

Friendship themed sensory bin.

Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai's yartzeit is on Lag Baomer. He was such a special person 

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was a great sage who had to hide in a cave with his son because it wasn’t safe for them. They learned Torah there for many years. Reuvi, placed the carob fruit that miraculously grew for them to eat. 

Elieara and Avigail giving them water that came from a river that appeared by there cave. 

Their learning brought so much light into the world. When he passed away on Lag BaOmer, he asked that the day be filled with joy—so we celebrate with fire with bonfires and dancing.

             

Our garden has been in full bloom! Finding our hundreds of hiding grapes and learning when they look ready. Oliver, figuring out what each herb is by smelling them.

Shabbat Shalom!

Let's Stick Together!

Lag BaOmer is coming up, and it’s the perfect time to learn about Rabbi Akiva. He was a famous Rabbi with thousands of students, and we still learn his teachings today. But he didn’t start out that way, Rabbi Akiva only began learning Torah at the age of 40! He was once a simple shepherd, and one day, while looking at a rock that had a hole formed by dripping water, he had a powerful realization. Rabbi Akiva understood that if soft water could make a hole in hard rock through persistence, then he too could learn Torah if he kept trying and didn’t give up!

The children each wrote on their own rocks something new they would like to learn or improve.

Ashira, shared that she wants to learn how to tie her shoes. Yossi C. and Theo both said they want to learn more Torah, and Eli B. said he wants to learn how to fly!

To bring his story to life, we had a very special visitor, Rabbi Yosef Muchnik, who came dressed as Rabbi Akiva, joining our class as a beginner. The children became wonderful Morahs and proudly taught him the Alef-Bet!

 

Working together to solve the Alef-Bet game!

Rabbi Akiva, started out as a simple shepherd, but he worked very hard and became a great rabbi with 24,000 students! Sadly, his students did not always treat each other with kindness and respect, and many of them became very sick during Sefirat HaOmer and passed away. On Lag BaOmer, the sickness stopped. Because of this, Sefirat HaOmer is a quieter, more serious time. We have special customs, like not listening to music, not having weddings, and not cutting our hair.

It is a special time to focus on “Ve’ahavta l’reacha kamocha”—loving and being kind to one another. We began by writing thoughtful kindness notes to our friends and mailing them in our mitzvah mailbox!

We did a “sticky” experiment! The children were each given one stick to hold and break—it was easy! Then they held 13 sticks together, and no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t break them. One by one they tried, but the sticks stayed strong when they were together and united. That’s just like us—when we stick together, we are so, so strong!

One act of kindness we saw this week, out of so many, was especially sweet, when our friends remembered that Avraham likes vanilla more than chocolate, and made his birthday cupcakes just the way he likes them. That is a true example of “Ve’ahavta l’reacha kamocha”—caring for others just like we care for ourselves!

Soccer time! Running, kicking, laughing, teamwork… it’s all in one game!

Pre-K Kria

We learned the letters Peh and Feh.

K Kria

Kubutz party! Moshe led the Kubutz song.

Academics

We played “Where is the Afikomen hiding?” to reinforce the concept of prepositions of place.

To celebrate Earth Day (April 22) we learnt about the importance of “the three Rs” (reduce/reuse/& recycle.)

Aftercare

In our aftercare program, learning comes to life through nature walks. Children collect leaves, flowers, and small treasures, then turn them into creative collages. Along the way, they explore textures, colors, and the world around them building creativity, curiosity, and a deeper connection to nature.

Shabbat Shalom!