We Talk to the Trees!

Shalom Shiraniks!

What a fun few weeks we have had, and there's more to come!  Right now we are gearing up for our music video (yay!!), beginning to explore popular songs to parody.  Everyone had "homework" this week to bring in the names of any songs you think might be a good fit.  (Parents, feel free to chime in!).  Here are a few notes on what we have been, and will be up to this month:


We Talk to the Trees However, before we embarked on our music video, we took a little break to celebrate Tu Bishvat, with a  very windy "walkabout."  We paused in various places around the Isaiah campus to take notes on various trees that we observed, sketching each tree for reference later.  We came inside and wrote tree poetry in various forms, including quatrains, chinquapins and haiku.  The following class, we created "tear art"  tree illustrations for the poems, based upon the students' sketches of the trees on Isaiah's campus.

Jewpardy
Last week, the students played a "Jewpardy" game that we created with questions posed by each of the classes. 

Lights, Camera, Action!
Now that we have began working on the 2020 Shira Music Video, things will start moving quickly.   We are currently in the process of choosing a song and a theme, and will begin writing lyrics and storyboarding next week, after Sunday's Purim lesson. Production should begin in two weeks, and we hope to wrap up recording just before Passover and filming soon thereafter. 

Purim Fun
Finally, Purim is around the corner, and we are looking forward to the annual J Quest Purimshphiel, featuring the teachers and clergy this Sunday.  If you want a couple of resources, Sefaria is an app that you can download for Jewish texts (i.e. the entire Tanakh!).  It has a virtual granger feature that is really fun!  Also, check out Ritualwell.org for Purim blessings and ideas.  

There's a Blessing for That!
Finally, although we all pray that it may not affect us or our families, it can't hurt to be vigilant against the Corona virus.  Avoiding touching your face will help, but washing hands regularly for 20 or more seconds is an easy and most effective tool for staving off germs and viruses.  Of course, being Jews, we have a blessing for that!  The following is a prayer from Ritualwell.com that, when recited while washing hands, will ensure that you was for the prescribed time.  

A Blessing For Washing Hands During a Pandemic

By Trisha Arlin

As we wash our hands
We pray,
Blessed is the Soul of the Universe,
Breathing us in and breathing us out.
May our breaths continue
And our health and the health of all
Be preserved
In this time of sickness and fear of sickness.
Holy Wholeness,
We take as much responsibility for this as we can
By observing the obligation to wash our hands
Thoroughly:
For as long as it takes to say this prayer.
Amen

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה הָ׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל נְטִילַת יָדַיִם