A World of Blessings
Vision / Description: Parents, learners and staff master the use of berachot to build the connections between the blessings of our world with the Godly / Holy
Family & Student Goals and Objectives
- Know types of berachot
- Berachot of the Amida: Praise, Requests, Thanks
- Sensory Berachot / Hearing, Seeing, Smelling, Tasting
- Blessing one's family / children
- Recognize the connection between berachot and realities of our daily lives
- Understand a goal of berachot as a spiritual practice to awaken one¡¦s self to the world¡¦s miracles
- Value the practice of berachot in family life
- Introduce parental blessing for children on Friday nights
- Raise student self-esteem through parental blessings
Staff Goals and Objectives
- Know the types of berachot and how they fit into Jewish life
- Deeply understand the structure and purpose of berachot
- Value role in educating parents and families, as well as students
- Build competency in linking Jewish practice to spirituality
Integration and Alignment with Other Learning, Including:
- Curricular and program areas such as:
- Berachot, Grace after Meals
- Hebrew language and decoding
The Learning Experiences [customized for each session and series]
- Scavenger hunt of berachot [spaces in and near building relevant to individual blessings
- Study of selected blessings from siddur and tradition
- Analysis of the structure of blessings
- Group writing of new berachot to recognize events and the natural world
- Reading selected ethical wills as a form of parental blessing to children
- Family writing of parental blessings, that include and expand upon the traditional blessings
- Follow up ¡V Family practice of blessings, do It yourself, distance family coaching, distance staff coaching or follow-up programs
Evaluation
- Video sharing of family conversations on You Tube
- Critical Friends groups (among staff or parents)
- Blog / VLog to share experiences
- Staff Observations (when used in program, rather than at home)
Recommended Opportunities
- Family, Parent and Adult Education
- High School & Middle School Classes
- Staff Orientation and Professional Learning
- Jewish Connectivity in Residence weekend
A Success Story
In a summer camp setting, campers developed their own prayer books, based on the experiences they had shared. To deepen the experience, a scavenger hunt of the blessings they had included in their prayer books was created. The middle school aged campers used the entire camp as their experiential classroom, identifying locations that related to each blessing and teaching one another about their learning.