Shalom Friends is a one hour, weekly music and movement
class geared toward children from birth to 5 years of age, and their
families. We hold three sessions throughout the year: Fall, Winter and
Spring. Each session is made up of 8 classes and are held at Temple Am David
in Warwick, RI.
Classes include:
singing and interactive
movement to original and traditional Jewish music
arts and crafts projects
story telling
snack time
discussion time with
parents on key issues
and a group observance
of Shabbat
We play with instruments, dance
with scarves and we even play with alef/bet beach balls while learning basic
jewish concepts.
Each class has
a theme covering many Jewish topics such as:
Shabbat
Mitzvot
Tzeduka
Israel
...and the holidays
Currently we hold two classes
per week, a Friday class and a Sunday class. Our teachers have experience in
early childhood development, music and Judaism.
Participants
receive an original music CD and the accompanying music book. We create a
new CD and book for each session. Children and their families enjoy listening
to their Shalom friends CDs in the car and at home. By doing so, they feel
comfortable participating in class and are able to add Jewish songs to their
list of favorites. Many parents tell us that the Shalom Friends CD is all
that their kids will let them listen to in the car. In this way, even very
young children are able to learn about and enjoy Judaism.
As one can see from its mission
statement below, Shalom Friends seeks to reinforce and enhance the Jewish experience
for Jewish children and their parents, and to develop a stronger Jewish identity
and knowledge base for those who participate.
The mission of Shalom
Friends is to develop a child's love for Jewish life through music, art and
movement in a family-centered program.
Shalom Friends focuses
on the following three areas:
Community:
Jewish community networking, outreach, social opportunity, bonding time
for child and caregiver
Skills Development:
Rhythm, language, fine and gross motor skills, social skills
Judaism: Jewish
awareness/identity and basic education for both child and parent including
Torah, Tzeduka and Tikkun Olam.
The program is held at Temple
Am David and provides a comfortable introduction to the synagogue atmosphere
and to relieve any anxieties that may exist. We believe that once a Jewish
family has a stronger base of Jewish knowledge and understanding and feels more
comfortable in a Jewish group and surrounding, that family will seek out Jewish
involvement and seek to contribute to the growth of the Jewish community.
