Jan 24, 2024
Tu B’Shvat, commonly referred to as The Birthday of the Trees, is celebrated on the 15th day in the Hebrew calendar of Shevat. This is a time for honoring trees, enjoying the fruits of Winter and planting for the upcoming Spring season. Here at the OFJCC Leslie Family Preschool, children...
Feb 2, 2023
And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” -Genesis 1:11 It’s the birthday of the trees! It arrives on the 15th day of Shevat in Israel and February 5– 6 here....
Sep 22, 2022
With Rosh Hashanah and the new year upon us, it’s time to celebrate this special Fall holiday. We’ll blow the shofar and dip apples in honey in hopes for a sweet new year. Apples are prevalent during the fall. There are approximately 7,500 varieties of apples grown in the world...
Oct 15, 2020
While in the garden at the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center Leslie Family Preschool, the children experience and get to practice many Jewish values pertaining to nature and the environment. In my book Growing Jewish Values: Cultivating Your Jewish Roots in Your Own Backyard, I have emphasized ten values that can be...
Nov 16, 2018
The OFJCC Leslie Family Preschool’s beloved Teacher Debbie traveled to Poland this week to spend time volunteering and sharing educational insights with the Krakow JCC. I’ve spent the past four days at the Krakow JCC, mainly in their preschool called “Frajda,” which means joy. This school is merely a year...
Apr 21, 2017
OFJCC Garden Pedagogista Debbie Togliatti ponders the impact of small actions in the big scheme of things. It’s the eve of Earth Day, and I’m wondering how people will choose to honor the one day out of the year when we devote ourselves to thinking about our planet and/or taking action...
Mar 16, 2017
Beloved preschool teacher and Garden Pedagogista Debbie Togliatti shares her wisdom on respecting the land by eating according to the seasons. Even though spring hasn’t arrived yet, I’m already dreaming about what’ll come in summer: juicy tomatoes and stone fruit, especially sweet cherries, crisp cucumbers, more zucchini than I’ll ever be...