The Dedication of
the Rita and Adam J. Weiner AND Family Outdoor Classroom
Relationships
By Tamar Frieze*
On Thursday, October 8, the FJECC Preschool and the Temple Israel community came together on a picturesque fall day to celebrate the dedication of the new Rita and Adam J. Weiner and Family Outdoor Classroom at the Frances Jacobson Early Childhood Center at Temple Israel. As all of the parents and greater community members know, the FJECC is a truly exceptional early learning institution. Under the vision and direction of our beloved Helen Cohen and her staff, the FJECC is always leading the way with innovative programming, The Rita and Adam J. allowing our little ones and our Weiner and Family Outdoor families to explore, learn, and thrive in a nurturing, non-pressured, and Classroom, one of the first engaging environment.
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Certified Nature Explore
Weiner whose generosity have given my children, the school’s children, and children yet to come such a beautiful and sacred space in which to build a meaningful relationship with nature, and with each other.
The Rita and Adam J. Weiner and Classroom in Boston of a It has already been powerful to witness Family Outdoor Classroom, one of national initiative, has been our children (ages 1.9 to 6 years of age) the first Certified Nature Explore classrooms in Boston of a national a magnificent extension of designing, planning, creating, observing, engineering, and learning together initiative, has been a magnificent the unutilized playground- through the vehicle of nature. The FJECC extension of the unutilized adjacent space on the staff believes that spending time outdoors playground-adjacent space on the brings a sense of wonder and joy to Temple Israel grounds. The extended Temple Israel grounds. children and helps to foster imagination, outdoor space is a dynamic, naturecreativity, and powers of observation as rich learning environment that enables our children to use well as promoting a positive environmental ethic. this beautiful new oasis as an integral part of their learning experience in our urban setting. Rabbi Jeremy Morrison concluded the dedication by leading
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Children are encouraged to thoughtfully explore their natural surroundings both during class and at play. Sitting amongst family and friends at the dedication, listening to the warm words of welcome from Rabbi Elaine Zecher, I was in awe of the verdant ‘Grow’, ‘Gather’, ‘Garden’, ‘Discover’ and ‘Construct’ areas (among others), framed by the beautiful foliage. I had a moment of profound gratitude for the school, Temple Israel, and my dear friends Adam and Rita
us in the Shehecheyanu, beautifully summarizing the essence of the prayer at this event by saying that he hopes when our children are in this space, they are energized and invigorated, stand tall and feel confident in the world they are in, and come into connection with new ways of thinking, playing and creating together. Amen! And once more, on behalf of the preschool, and the community at large, I’d like to thank Rita and Adam Weiner and their family for their vision, dedication, and passion for this project and their endless generosity. As they said that the children have inspired them, they have inspired us. *About the author: Tamar Frieze is the mother of FJECC alumni and students Sloane, Marin, and Avery Frieze.
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