Purim in KG
One of the mitzvot of Purim (and of the month in which it falls, Adar) is to be happy! We talked about how we can be happy and how we can make others happy. The children made cards for elderly people who may not have people available to visit them. We discussed how making cards for people can cheer them up and help them feel happy. The children drew pictures of what makes them happy inside of the cards in the hopes that they could bring joy to the recipients!
Four Mitzvot of Purim
We spoke about the four mitzvot of Purim during our lunch and snack times. They are:
Hear the Megillah two times
We explored a copy of a megillah and noticed that it looks a little bit like a Torah scroll. It is on parchment and is written with Hebrew letters. We are excited to hear the Rabbi read the megillah at school on Purim! We talked about the story of Queen Esther from the Megillah. We used puppets to tell the story and read books about Purim too. The puppets helped us learn how Hashem loves us and put Esther in the palace as a safekeeper for Mordechai at her side. Queen Esther was so brave to tell King Achashveirosh about Haman, who was hurtful to the Jewish people. Mordechai encouraged Esther and helped her say, “Stop it Haman, I don’t like it when you hurt the Jewish people!” They must have learned that at IJP! With the story of Purim, we can demonstrate that even grownups have to advocate for themselves and others when needed.
Send Mishloach Manot
This is the mitzvah of sending gifts of two ready-to-eat food items to at least one other person. Many people have the custom of making hamantashen for Purim. We made hamantaschen for our mishloach manot. We mixed the cookie batter and waited for it to be in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, we were able to fill the cookies and shape them into triangles.
Give tzedakah to the poor
We give tzedakah every day at tefillah circle. We have completed this mitzvah so many times that we are ready to do it on Purim too!
Eat a seudah (festive meal)
We learned that we eat a special meal on Purim afternoon after we have done the other three mitzvot!
Question for your child: What is your favorite mitzvah of Purim?
Purim Projects
Our Purim projects helped us become immersed in the story of Purim. We worked so hard on them over several weeks! Each project required our fine and gross motor skills (important prewriting skills) and planning (developing executive functioning in the brain which is essential for problem solving).
Groggers
We made groggers with Morah Jessica during art. We love nature and have consistently shown interest as a class in collecting sticks, observing bugs and birds, and digging in the dirt and wood chips. To make our groggers, Morah Jessica gave us sticks. Then, we added buttons and bells so that the groggers could make noise when shaken. We are ready to use our groggers when we hear the name of Haman during the megillah reading.
Masks
We made masks for costumes to get into the Purim spirit! First, we poured glue on the mask and used a paint brush to spread it around. Next, we added glitter and decorations. Last, we added string so the masks can stay on our faces!
Castle
The children were inspired by different pictures of castles to paint and create their own castle on the easel. This activity involved gross motor skills, a foundational pre-writing skill, critical thinking, and creativity!
Jewelry
We also made our own jewelry so we could be like Queen Esther. When Esther was preparing to be queen, she was given fine clothes and jewelry to look like a queen. We used string and beads to make bracelets.
Cards for Family
At the writing center, the children were able to create their own Purim cards. They had a choice to stamps, stickers, washy tape, and lots of other decorations on their cards.
Questions for your child: Which Purim project did you enjoy making the most? How do you like to hear the story of Purim (e.g. book, puppets, painting, etc.).
As always, thank you for trusting us with your children. They have brought us so much joy in this happy month of Purim! We are enjoying watching them continue to grow and get ready for the next step of school. We are wishing you a happy and joyful Purim!
