JCC Association's Early Childhood Curriculum Project 'This New Month'

Genesis Chapter 1, Verses 25 and 27

The Sixth Day of Creation

Verse 25
"Vaya'as Elokim Et Chayat Haaretz Limeena, V'et habiheima Limeena, V'eit Kol Remes Limeeneihu..."

"And G-d made the beast of the earth according to its kind, and the animal according to its kind, and every creeping being of the ground to its kind"

Verse 27
"Vayivra Elokim Et Ha'adam Btzalmo, B'tzelem elokim Bara Oto, Zachar Unikeiva Bara Otam"

"And G-d created man in his image, in the image of G-d He created them, male and female He created them"

Overview of the Biblical Text:

On the sixth day, animals and beasts were created. With this portion of creation complete, G-d created His most superior being, human beings, to rule over it. Along with this privilege came the responsibility of humans to see to the care and maintenance of the world. The first male created was named Adam/man and the first woman, Eve (Chava)/Mother of all living things. Adam was given the privilege of naming the animals (in Hebrew) according to the essence of their nature. For example: dog was called Kelev because it "reflects" (Ke) the " heart" (Lev) of man i.e it is loyal to man. Adam and Eve were placed by G-d into the most beautiful location called Gan Eden (Garden of Eden). They were expected to follow the word of G-d and not to sin. Again G-d blessed these new creatures 'to be fruitful and multiply and fill the land'. At this point G-d gazed as His new world and was very pleased with what He saw.

Discussion Questions:

What would the world look like without animals?
What would the world look like without people?
How do we show G-d that we are grateful that he created us?
How can we help take care of the world?

Activity Ideas:

Animal Observations-Have the children identify animals and animal sounds, Go on a field trip to a local zoo, petting zoo, ASPCA, pet store, farm, etc. to look at and observe animals. Have the children discuss what they see and make drawings of the different animals.
Kosher Animals-Discuss the properties of kosher animals - split hooves and chews cud. Take the children to a local farm to observe kosher (cows, sheep, goats) and non-kosher (pigs) animals.
Colorful creatures- Have students create colorful animal sculptures using playdough.
Self-Awareness Activities-
- Five Senses- Plan activities that involve using the 5 senses. Preschool teacher Chavie S. suggests making a "5 senses" box that contains a variety of objects that especially appeal to a particular sense.
  For example-
Chavie asks her students to identify the different sense(s) that each of the objects appeal to. She introduces the activity by saying, "G-d gave us five gifts to enjoy and explore his world. Each sense helps us to explore the world.
- Measurements- Take measurements of students height, weight, arms, shoe size, etc. Have students trace each other's hands and feet to create hand and footprints.
- Facts about me- Have students discuss their eye color, hair color, their family members, pets, etc.
- Calendars- Print out small calendar pages (one page per month) for the school year. Put a blank piece of paper on top of the first page. Staple all the pages together. (To create a pet calendar, have the students bring in pictures of their pets or pictures of animals from magazines. To create a human calendar, take a picture of each student or have each student bring in a photograph of him/her from home.) Have the children glue one or more pictures to the back of each calendar page and decorate the page as they choose. Each child can make his/her own calendar or each child can work alone or with a partner to create one calendar page that the teacher can combine with the other students pages to create a class animal calendar.
Recycling and conservation- Put recycling containers in the classroom and discuss why it is important to recycle. Have a recycling contest. Talk about water conservation and reclamation.