Saturday, November 24, 2012

Organised Playdates

In Hebrew it's called Bayit Me'arayach which translates as hosting home. It's actually a lovely idea. The class teacher, usually in Kindergarten or the first two years of school, arranges the class into 5 or 6 sets of 5 or 6 children. One parent from each group agrees to host the others for a playdate one day after school.

Done at the beginning of the year, it's a way for the children to get to know a few children a bit better and for the mothers to get together with at least four other mums. I think they may do it a few times during the year with different children hosting. I'm not sure about that but I'll let you know.

Our organised playdates had a theme. The children had been learning about the Book of Genesis and we had a Genesis Party last Friday morning (another post). At the playdates, each group was given a day of the creation to make into a display for the party.

Our day was Day Five. On the fifth day God created the fish and the birds. We were given a plastic display board and walked it home to M's house.


We cut out fish and the children painted them.


Birds were a little more complicated but M found a box of feathers and we made do.



Then two of the children painted the display board with blue for the sky and a slightly more greeny blue for the sea.


At some point the children went off to play and the mothers took over.


I have to admit that I lucked out with the other mothers in the group. M comes from a household with not only a whole supply of arts and crafts materials, paints and markers, but they also own a hot-glue gun. Who owns a hot-glue gun? Reader I was impressed.


I also must confess that by the time it was all being assembled (with the hot-glue gun) I had relegated myself to the role of clean-up crew and was busy tidying up in the background. Yes, there are things I need to work on if we're going to make it successfully through primary school.




14 comments:

  1. What a fabulous idea. The kids get to socialise as do the mums... and you have a theme to work with. I love it.

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    1. One of the things Israel does exceptionally well is preschool education - both the learning and the social side.

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  2. Replies
    1. It was, and I'm the least arty-crafty parent ever.

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  3. Great idea. So glad you got to hang out with the well equipped mums. Never underestimate the skills of 'cleanup mum' invaluable!

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    1. I hope so. We were a clean up crew of two and I think we left the place looking reasonable. :)

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  4. That's lovely - and a great way for the children to get to know each other AND that underwater, fishy creation is fab!

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  5. We we live, it's called Bayit Me'arayach - which translates as "the hosting home", which makes more sense...

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    1. Nicole - you are absolutely right! I went back and checked the email. It is called Me'arayach. I've changed it. Thank you!

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    2. you're welcome - all these new terms that you can only learn when you have a child in the system :-)

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    3. The embarrassing thing is that I sent a link to this post to all the parents in the gan with Bayit Me'arechet writen on it. Oh well *giggle*

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  6. Rachel - When I first started reading this, I had chaotic visions of you hosting a playdate with 5/6 little ones running round your apartment. Not that you would have a problem controlling them, just that you would have to!! I was really relieved to read further on and see that the parents came too! Great idea and i love the project. it looks beautiful.
    Gilly

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    1. And it wasn't my apartment so I didn't have to clean either before or afterwards. :)

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