Hanukkah program in pre-school

Early this month, a special Hanukkah program was celebrated at Enna-Marie's school. There were a lot of singing of Hanukkah songs, lighting of the menorah candles, playing some instruments, a play portrayed by two classmates, and eating of sufganiyot at the end. Sufganiyot is a ball-shaped doughnut that is first deep-fried, then pierced and injected with jelly or custard, and then topped with powdered sugar. EM and mommy have been buying sufganiyots as early as November as we just love them. Of course daddy also gets his share.

EM goes to new Gan

Our preschooler recently started going to a new gan that is closer to our home (good for mommy now that she doesn't have to drive for 15-20 minutes every day, her arms got sore in the beginning of the year..he..he..). This is Enna-Marie's second year and it is going pretty well. She already made some new friends, and in general enjoys going to school (although now that she's been home for most of the Israeli Sukkot holiday, she had a hard time getting back into the routine this morning).

The pictures below show her new teacher (first picture in the middle), her friend Aliyah, who also transferred from her previous gan, and new friend Scarlet (third picture to the left). They were taken on the first day of the school year.

PURIM in Gan

Enjoy the photos where all children in Enna-Marie's school are wearing colorful costumes and cute outfits. They had a short programme to celebrate Purim that day and later brought home some Purim goodies.

Purim activities...

Tuesday, 10 March, commemorates the Jewish Holiday of Purim. Purim is one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar. It celebrates a time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination, as recorded in the Biblical book of Esther.

Jewish exiles from the Kingdom of Judah who had been living in the Babylonian captivity (6th Century BCE) found themselves under Persian rule after Babylonia was in turn conquered by the Persian Empire. According to the Book of Esther, Haman, royal vizier to King Ahasuerus planned to kill the Jews, but his plans were foiled by Esther, his queen. Mordecai, a palace official and cousin and foster parent of Esther, subsequently replaced Haman. The Jews were delivered from being the victims of an evil decree against them and were instead allowed by the King to destroy their enemies, and the day after the battle was designated as a day of feasting and rejoicing.

Purim is characterized by public recitation of the Book of Esther (keriat ha-megilla), giving mutual gifts of food and drink (mishloach manot), giving charity to the poor (mattanot la-evyonim), and a celebratory meal (se'udat Purim); other customs include wearing of masks and costumes and public celebration. (This information is derived from Wikipedia)

Schoot family wearing costumes at home:




























Face painting activity in Gan (mobile photos):

Aliyah

story telling

Rodrigo & EM

Enna-Marie

Zane & EM

photos taken at home

Drumming activity in Gan

Hanukkah program in Gan

Enna-Marie, together with the rest of her class, performed during the first evening of Hanukkah for all parents. Singing songs about the festival of Hanukkah and doing dances, eating 'Sufganiyot' (jelly donuts), and providing entertainment to the parents. Below are a few video impressions.



Song about Hanukkah. Enna-Marie is seated third from the left.

Chag Sameach (which means "Happy holidays"). One of Enna-Marie's favourite songs. She is 3rd from the left in the middle row.

Musical performance. Enna-Marie is leftmost in the second row.

Birthday Party in Gan

Here are some photos of my party in Gan last Wednesday, 17 December. I thank my teachers and friends for all the preparations and surprises.