Each year at Yavneh, through the Milestone Curriculum, students acquire ritual skills celebrated in a culminating ceremony. The Gan Milestone focuses on developing the children’s ritual knowledge and leadership skills about Shabbat. This year the Gan Milestone took place on Friday, May 13, and the children led Shabbat in their own homes, with their families.
Shabbat was taught using a Project-Based Learning approach. Students learned about Shabbat, the rituals, and the blessings in class, and by May 13 they had the skills they needed to lead Shabbat themselves. Each child made a “Shabbat Box” containing ritual items to be used for their Milestone Shabbat and Shabbats for years to come. Everyone made a tzedakah box, candlesticks, a kiddush cup, and a challah cover. Each child also wrote a blessing to their families.
The teachers took lots of pictures and videos during this learning and parents submitted photos and videos of their children leading Shabbat. These were compiled into a video montage to share and celebrate the accomplishment of this ritual learning.
