This week, the Older Toddler learned about Shavuot... They learned how Shavuot marks the day that the Torah was given to the Jewish people on Mount Sinai. That day was a very unusual one, with lightning, thunder and the earth shaking. Moses came down from the Mountain, his face all red and glowing, and read the Ten Commandments to the Children of Israel. Our Older Toddlers learned the story of Mount Sinai, Moses and the Ten Commandments visually on a felt board!
Our Older Toddlers learned how we celebrate Shavuot: through greenery, studying the Torah and eating dairy foods.
On Shavuot we decorate our synagogues and homes with greenery, flowers and even fruits. This reminds us that on the day the Jewish people received the Torah, Mount Sinai bloomed with flowers. Using greenery also reminds us of the harvests.
The Older Toddler teachers explained how Jewish adults spend the eve of Shavuot staying up all night learning Torah. This custom is called Tikkun Leil Shavuot, which means ‘making ourselves better people on the night of Shavuot.' The Older Toddler teachers choose to focus on reviewing the Ten Commandments with the students. Each Older Toddler created and decorated their own tablet with the numbers one through ten.
The Older Toddlers learned that on Shavuot we eat dairy foods (foods made from milk). These can include cheesecake, cheese-filled pancakes (called blintzes) and quiches. Some people also bake tall cakes to remind us how tall Mount Sinai was. Other people eat fruit, in particular the seven species of Eretz Israel (including figs, pomegranates and dates). The Older Toddlers helped make - and enjoyed - delicious homemade ice cream in the classroom!
Take a look at the beautiful art - crowns and tablets - and the delicious ice cream our Older Toddlers made this week!
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