Temple Judea’s Early Childhood Center Nurtures Local Kids

For more than 30 years, Temple Judea’s Early Childhood Center  has been inspiring a love of learning in all of its students. The Early Childhood Center has been successful in this pursuit as a result of its programs involving the whole family with an interactive, creative curriculum.

While the summer months are definitely a time to slow down and appreciate the outdoors, these same qualities provide plenty of opportunities for learning. Nursery School Director Margie Ipp suggests that incorporating learning into busy summertime routines will keep young minds developing and bring the family together with lasting memories.  Ipp has compiled the following tips to stimulate learning during the summer and ensure a great start to the new school year.

Vocabulary. Teach a new word every week. Spell the word out on the refrigerator with colorful, alphabet magnets. Try to use the word in a sentence at least once a day and point it out when it appears in books, songs, or on billboards.

Outings. Plan a few outings that are both entertaining and educational. Attend a children’s story time at the local library. Many story times are hands-on and incorporate puppets, music and crafts into the experience to engage all types of learners. Also, look into programs for young children at the zoo, or aquarium. The activities will be age appropriate and children will learn a lot while feeling like they are on an adventure.

Mural. Make a summertime mural with an abundance of colors and shapes using a big role of construction paper, as well as mixtures of media like chalk, crayons, glue, scrap paper and charcoal. This activity is also ideal in the fall, winter and spring; making it a fun way for little ones to learn about and appreciate each season.

Cooking. Cooking is an activity that nurtures math, reading and life-readiness skills. Invest in a children’s cookbook and set a side time to cook and eat together as a family. Don’t forget to involve the young chef in the clean up process. Clean up time teaches responsibility, which will helps children develop into successful students.

Scavenger Hunt. Take advantage of all the beauty that Southern California has to offer. Go on a scavenger hunt at the beach, or the park. Try to identify colors, letters, numbers and shapes. Don’t forget to take pictures and make them into a book to learn from throughout the year!

Reading. No list of summer learning ideas would be complete without reading. Take a book outside and spend time together reading. This is the ideal way to instill the love of reading in children at a young age.

Enjoy these fun, educational activities at home and take a tour of the Early Childhood Center to learn more about continuing the joy of learning all year long. The Early Childhood Center will reopen this fall in Temple Judea’s new state-of-the-art campus. Children and parents will enjoy a warm, supportive atmosphere in a beautiful, modern setting. For more information, or to set up a tour, visit www.templejudea.com, or call 818.342.3840

Temple Judea was founded by seventeen Jewish families seeking to build a home for Reform, Jewish worship, study and fellowship in the West San Fernando Valley in 1952. Temple Judea is a vibrant, Jewish community with a variety of outstanding religious programming taking place at our campuses in Tarzana and in West Hills.