Chanukah at JKHA early childhood and lower school has been filled with a whole host of activities. All week long, interim lower school psychologist, Dr. Gorelick has been focusing on Chanukah mindfulness. Dr. Gorelick encouraged students to take a step back on Chanukah and appreciate all the miracles from Hashem in their lives, from large to small. She explained that we don’t use the fire from the candles, we just take it in and bask in their glow. In an effort to appreciate more of the mundane and to practice mindfulness and taking a calm moment, students made mindfulness glitter jars, or “calm down bottles,” to help them keep calm and focused while lighting Chanukah candles and to take it all in.

Other activities in the first few days of Chanukah for early childhood and lower school have included “Chanu-Candle Hunt” virtual challenge game, “That Jewish Kids’ Show: All About Chanukah” virtual interactive puppet show, Shooby Doob Shloimy concert, and a dreidel skills challenge where students learned all different ways to spin a dreidel then competed against their classmates. Individual classes have been incorporating math, fine motor and other skills with Chanukah themed activities as well. JKHA early childhood and lower school students are looking forward to the second half of Chanukah!