VOL 4, ISSUE 1
TEVET – SIVAN 5771
W I N T E R /SPRING
Chai lights
2011
a publication of the JCC Family Programs department
Teachable Moments Wonder and Awe…. Seeing a rainbow against the morning sky. Travelling a bit further and watching it arch across the landscape. Catching the vibrant hues in the trees, noticing how they align with the rainbow’s spectrum. Having an unexpected ‘wow’ moment to start the day. Can you imagine how a moment like this could change your day?
— By Melanie Gruenwald
wonder can also be ours? How can we model to them the importance of taking the time to appreciate life and to wonder with us? I recently had the opportunity to attend a conference which tied together the Reggio Emilia philosophy and approach to early childhood education, along with “Seamless Judaism”—and how do we, as Jewish educators, incorporate Reggio Emilia in a seamless Jewish context?
Face it– life is hectic. We run from Point A to Point B, trying to keep our kids safe and healthy, our relationships enriched, our homes organized and our professional lives efficient. In the midst of it all, we strive to reach a balance for our own physical, social, emotional and spiritual Awe is an intuition for the dignity of all things, a needs. It is rare to be able to pause, look realization that things not only are what they are around and embrace wonder. but also stand, however remotely, for something supreme. Awe is a sense for transcendence, for the The parenting journey itself provides reference everywhere to mystery beyond all things. numerous opportunities to experience It enables us to perceive in the world intimations of awe. We witness the prenatal developthe divine.... to sense the ultimate in the common ment of a child, the birth process, the and the simple: to feel in the rush of the passing the physical, cognitive, social and emotionstillness of the eternal. What we cannot compreal development of our children. What hend by analysis, we become aware of in awe. greater sense of wonder and awe is there than bringing a child into this world? It is so hard to step back and appreciate these moments- we blink and they are gone. We intend to record them, put them in the baby books with the first lock of cut hair, school pictures and a first lost tooth. But the busy-ness of life gets in the way of this happening. How can we, as parents, embrace the moments to experience wonder and awe? What are we sharing with our children, so their
The language of the conference and the ensuing days unfolded before me, and I was constantly engaged with the theme of awe. I was reminded of the concepts of wonder, awe, and discovery, and how we might bring these alive through our department’s offerings and the experiences for families with whom we are engaging.
While our children are discovering their environments through explo— Abraham Joshua Heschel ration and experimentation, we have the opportunity to see the world through their eyes. There is unlimited potential to engage with the wonder and the awe that children experience every day. By stopping to look at a bug, a flower, a cloud formation or a rainbow, by taking the time to create a masterpiece of dance, art or music with our children, we are opening up learning experiences for them and from them that are priceless. And with these, we are opening ourselves up to learn(continued on page 2) ing, wonder and awe as well.
CONTENTS 02—03 Introduction
04—05 Move & Learn Schedule
06—07 Jewish Family University
08—09 Winter/Spring Calendar
11 Celebrations & Events
12—13 South Metro