Kornmehl
Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmehl
Bush School visits
Last week we were delighted to be able to resume our Bush School visits after this long lockdown period. The opportunities and benefits for the children and educators is invaluable. The children are always excited to walk out the gate and confidently and independently carry their own back packs to and from Bush School. The children are extremely familiar with the spaces and challenges that the Bush School classroom offers them. It’s rewarding to see how many of the children are now capably able to climb trees and navigate their way back down again – a skill they might not have been able to do previously.
We are thrilled to have Bush School as an embedded part of our Kornmehl philosophy and are constantly amazed at how much we learn about the children, their strengths, capabilities and interactions when they are in this natural, peaceful space.
“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” – John Muir
Our Action Research Project continues…
What does it mean to be Jewish?
As mentioned last week, the Educators are currently engaging in an Action Research Project around the topic of what it means to be Jewish.
We are fascinated by what the children know and how they acquire their information and what Judaism means to them. Over the next few weeks and possibly into next year, we are hoping to ascertain what brings about Jewish identity. We are learning so much.
How do you know you are Jewish?
Neveau: You’ve been to where they live, to that country.
Ollie: Because your mums and dads, when they were pregnant, they figured out your name and they figured our you’re Jewish.
Alice: Your mum has to be Jewish for you to be Jewish.
Penny: Because mums birth children.|
Abby: Because when my mum was a little baby, she was born on the last day of December, when she went out of her mummy’s tummy and inside her heart she thought she was Jewish.
Arlo: That you’re protected, that you have a nice family and nice everything and that you’re half Hebrew.
Zach: You celebrate Jewish holidays.
Alex: Arlo, I’m very interested to learn more about your comment about what it means to be Jewish. You said – “That you’re protected, that you have a nice family and nice everything and that you’re half Hebrew”. Can you share more about it?
Arlo: That is a really hard question.
Zach: You celebrate Jewish holidays.
Finn: That if you’re born in Australia, you’re Jewish.
Ollie: It’s like my parents who were born in Africa, they are maybe Jewish or not Jewish. And maybe we’re half Jewish and half not Jewish.
Neveau: It’s about the culture. Their culture are not trees and forests. They take care for the land, the Hebrews.
Alice: I like going to my grandma for Shabbat since it’s one of our traditions.
Renee: What do you mean by tradition?
Alice: It’s really hard to explain. That we’re a different type of family to all of the others, that it’s a different thing.
Renee: What do you mean?
Alice: That’s what I can’t explain.
Cleo: I do it. I go to my grandma’s house also for Shabbat.
Daisy: It’s so we can celebrate a new year with everybody. That’s what I explain.
Cleo: I know what tradition means. Something that you do every single time. It’s something to look forward to.
The children’s comments and ideas are deep and provide a beautiful insight into their thinking and understanding. We are so often blown away by their thinking and it’s this that gives us the provocations to explore and go deeper.
What’s on the menu?
The Dolphins have been enjoying creating a menu for our Cafe set up in our Home Corner. We printed some photos of food to inspire the children. The photo of the salmon sparked an interesting conversation:
Zach: Salmon is kosher, and I’m kosher at home.
Alex: What does kosher mean?
Zach: I don’t know what that really means.
Adam: It means kosher.
Arlo: Well, some fish are not kosher. It’s hard to explain.
Penny: Tuna fish is not kosher.
Zach: I think I ate tuna fish.
Arlo: My dad is not kosher.
Neveau: I eat kosher stuff and not kosher stuff.
Oliver: All my family is kosher because I eat fish and coffee beans.
Alex: What does kosher mean?
Oliver: It means that all foods have different items in it. If you mix those items together, something may happen that is not good for you. Fish may not be kosher.
We wondered what kosher means. We decided to call in Uriel from the Starfish group to help explain what this means:
Uriel: If you get the Torah and if you wear kippahs and tzitzit and go to Shul, you’re kosher and also Jewish. Only boys wear all of that.
Alex: I go to Shul.
Uriel: That means you’re kosher. If you eat cucumber and carrots and all of that, you’re kosher.
Alice: When my sister goes on school camps, they can only eat kosher food. It’s one of the rules at school camps.
As a whole staff team, we have been discussing these comments, which are inspiring and thought provoking. We are critically reflecting together about ways to take these wonderings further.
