It was a busy time at Yeshivat He’Atid as students celebrated Earth Day. Classes across the school learned about the importance of conservation and recycling as they completed projects and activities reflecting the lessons they’ve learned in class. Some classes began planting in the school garden, some used their poetry unit to write poems about the earth, while others used recyclables to create special projects for Shavuot.

During this time, kindergarten students were visiting Brazil as part of their year-long study of countries. They explored habitats in Brazil, specifically the rainforest, to learn how caring for our planet helps support various ecosystems around the world! They began their unit on rainforests by reading “The Great Kapok Tree” by Lynne Cherry. The children loved the story and shared their thoughts on why the plight of the rainforest is so important. To enhance their learning experience, the children built a rainforest in their classrooms which included the forest floors, understory, canopy and emergent layer. The children also built animals and designed flowers to add to the rainforest backdrop. Each child was then assigned to research an animal found in the rainforest. After completing their research reports, the children stood in the rainforest and presented their published work to their classmates.

Public speaking is not easy, especially in front of your friends, but the kindergarten students did a spectacular job speaking clearly and confidently while sharing what they learned.