At the Beit Tsindlicht Early Childhood Education Center — the leading preschool of the Jewish Community of Dnipro — a series of weekly themes continues, dedicated to the Six Days of Creation and united under the title “The Six Days of Creation: The Beautiful World Around Us.”
This week focused on the second day of Creation, when G-d separated the “upper and lower waters.” Throughout the week, the children explored the three states of water — solid, liquid, and gas — studied the water cycle in nature, and learned about natural forms of water such as lakes, streams, rivers, waterfalls, swamps, seas, oceans, icebergs, and dew.
Many creative and educational activities were held. One highlight was an introduction to Claude Monet’s famous painting Water Lilies (Monet created over 250 works on this theme, inspired by the water garden in his home in Giverny, Normandy). The children also played active games like “Become a lake, a sea, or a stream,” and participated in a symbolic fabric game: when the fabric floated above, it represented the sky and the children ran; when lowered, they swam; and when a “parasol” appeared, they hid from the rain. Ecological topics were also addressed, such as water pollution and ways to protect and clean water sources.
“We tried to include developmental activities with colorful soapy water for experiments and observations,” said teacher Malka Averbukh. “In one of the sessions, we studied the map of Ukraine, its rivers, lakes, and seas, and discussed the importance of water for our country’s development.”
The children thoroughly enjoyed the week’s program and exploring the many forms of water — a vital element for life on Earth and a powerful source of creative inspiration.
