Happy Hanukkah

 We have loved learning about Hanukkah this week. Both Milo’s have been telling us who is responsible each evening for lighting the Hanukkah Menorah (Hanukkiah) each night. Milo M. brought us in a Hanukkah Menorah and candles to borrow. Thank you to both Milo's for sharing your holiday traditions with us!

We read many books - including one that helped explained why people of the Jewish faith celebrate Hanukkah (the miracle of the oil) —- and we also discussed the fact that there are “bigger" Jewish Celebrations throughout the year (Rosh Hashanah - the Jewish New Year, Yom Kippur - day of atonement). We also learned that Shabbat (Friday night and Saturday) is a time for rest and observance.

(thank you to Laura for bringing in Nonna's Hanukkah Surprise for us to read!)

We learned how to play the dreidel game! 

We painted some dreidels and learned how to draw stars (Star of David and other stars)

We also have enjoyed this fun video called Candlelight by The Maccabeats!

(this is a safe videolink without inappropriate ads -- if it does not work, please search youtube)

Please ask your children to tell you what they learned about Hanukkah!

Remembrance Day

We learned about why we observe Remembrance Day and who we are remembering. We learned why peace is so important, and that Canada is a very peaceful place to live.

We learned that poppies are a symbol of remembrance, and we wanted to make our own poppies. We painted them using balloons! We dipped the balloons into red and orange paint and tapped it onto the page. Then we added some green to show the grass that the poppies grow in. Then we used a fingertip to make a dot in the middle of each poppy. Finally, when the paint was dry, we added some stems. 

We also added some writing about who we remember on Remembrance day. 

   

 

Happy Diwali!

 We learned about Diwali this week. We are lucky to have some experts in our class who celebrate Diwali at home with their families!

 

We learned that Diwali is a festival of light, and in India (and around the world) people light diyas to celebrate. We made our own diyas!

First we formed them out of clay by pinching the clay into shapes. 

(we had to let them dry overnight)

Then we painted our diyas:

Then we added some sequins to add a bit of sparkle to them:

 

 

 Diwali:

Diwali, or Dipawali, is India's biggest and most important holiday of the year. The festival gets its name from the row (avali) of clay lamps (deepa) that Indians light outside their homes to symbolize the inner light that protects from spiritual darkness. This festival is as important to Hindus as the Christmas holiday is to Christians.

Over the centuries, Diwali has become a national festival that's also enjoyed by non-Hindu communities. For instance, in Jainism, Diwali marks the nirvana, or spiritual awakening, of Lord Mahavira on October 15, 527 B.C.; in Sikhism, it honors the day that Guru Hargobind Ji, the Sixth Sikh Guru, was freed from imprisonment. Buddhists in India celebrate Diwali as well.

• In northern India, they celebrate the story of King Rama's return to Ayodhya after he defeated Ravana by lighting rows of clay lamps.
• Southern India celebrates it as the day that Lord Krishna defeated the demon Narakasura.
• In western India the festival marks the day that Lord Vishnu, the Preserver (one of the main gods of the Hindu trinity) sent the demon King Bali to rule the nether world.

Hindus interpret the Diwali story based upon where they live. But there's one common theme no matter where people celebrate: the victory of good over evil.

Diwali is celebrated over five days.

• DAY ONE: People clean their homes and shop for gold or kitchen utensils to help bring good fortune.
• DAY TWO: People decorate their homes with clay lamps (diyas) and create design patterns called rangoli on the floor using colored powders or sand.
• DAY THREE: On the main day of the festival, families gather together for Lakshmi puja, a prayer to Goddess Lakshmi, followed by mouth-watering feasts and firework festivities.
• DAY FOUR: This is the first day of the new year, when friends and relatives visit with gifts and best wishes for the season.
• DAY FIVE: Brothers visit their married sisters, who welcome them with love and a lavish meal.

The Best Part of Me

 We have been talking about ourselves and what makes us unique. We talked about our names, and then moved on to what we love most about ourselves.

We read the book, The Best Part of Me - Children talk about their bodies in pictures and words by Wendy Ewald.

Then we drew and wrote about what our best part of us was!

 

 

Are You Afraid of Spiders?

We learned a lot about spiders over the past weeks!

We surveyed our friends to find out if they were afraid of spiders.

We learned how to tally and to count our tally marks. We also learned how to analyse and interpret data. 

 Most students in our class are not afraid of spiders! Yay -- because spiders are very helpful!

Every Child Matters

 We spent our week last week talking about what makes us happy, and what we need to be happy.

We then read the book When We Were Alone and we talked about how some children had to leave their families to go to schools. We talked about the unfairness, and how we would feel if we had to wear the same clothes every day and never got to wear our own clothes. How would we feel if a teacher cut our hair off?  If we weren’t allowed to say hello to our brothers and sisters at school? 

We finished by talking about what every child needs and deserves. 

Terry Fox Day

First we learned about Terry Fox, and then we wrote about why we think Terry is a hero!