Before (Introduction/Set Induction):
Blow the Shofar.
Discuss The Shofar:
- What do we know about the shofar?
- Where did it come from?
- Why do we blow it?
- When do we blow it?
Address Students:
Welcome to the
L’shanah Tovah Choo Choo!
We are hopping aboard and stopping at stations all around the room so that we can learn all about the New Year coming up. Today, each one of you will visit different stations to explore different things, snacks and rituals that help us learn about Rosh Hashanah. At each station we will hear the sound of the shofar, which tells us to “pay attention!” and hop back on the train and head to the next station.
During :
Three stations should be prepared for students in various locations around the room or building, depending upon your environment. Teacher should use their own creativity in pretending “Train” procedure, a train whistle, conductor hat, or children’s ideas can each foster this pretend play. Each station can take between 5-15 minutes, depending upon children’s age and interest. When teacher determines that the children are ready to transition (and/or as time constraints require), teacher should blow the shofar to cue the students to re-board their pretend train.
Station 1: Cards
L’shanah Tovah! Students will learn a new, simple song, “L’shana Tova” by Josh Sitron:
Josh and the Jamtones – L'shana Tovah in order to understand and practice saying the Hebrew words, and then make Happy New Year cards that students can give to their families, school administrators, teachers or friends. Teacher may wish to provide students with Hebrew and English writing to copy, cut and paste, or decorate.
L’shana Tova Tikateivu
Station 2: Snacks
Students will taste different types of Apples and Honey. Teacher may wish to document each child’s description or preferences in a chart. Each child can be given apple slices and 2 popsicle sticks, each dipped in a different honey, in order to minimize mess.
Station 3: Tashlich talk
Address students: All people make mistakes, and Rosh Hashanah is a special time for Jewish people to think about the choices we’ve made, and which choices we don’t want to make again. When we’ve done something wrong, we tell a person that we are sorry. One way to show we are sorry is to try to find a way to help or fix what happened when we made that poor choice. Let’s share some of the things we want to say “sorry” for and brainstorm together what a person might be able to do to help make it better.
For instance- if I was sorry that I knocked a friend down when I was running in the hall, what could I do to try to make it better in addition to saying "I'm Sorry"? (Solicit responses such as: slow down, help the friend up, give them a hug, be more careful next time, etc.)
(Teacher might wish to document children’s responses)
After (Conclusion/Summarizing Activity):
Share “Wake Up World” Interactive storybook.
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