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M A Z E L D A Y S C H O O L

May—Iyar 2011 ISSUE Six-Health Month

Dear Parents, It is a known fact that the two most important things that worry us parents day and night is education and health of our children. In connection with Health Awareness Month at Mazel, we are dedicating this issue to staying healthy and promoting a positive environment for our children. With a rapid innovation and urbanization of today’s so-ciety, we sometimes forget about the basics of human development and growth. Kids are spending less time outside, playing and running around with their peers. Conventional swings and slides are now competing with Wii and PlayStation, while McDonalds is now a house-hold name. It is important for us to instill in our children the importance of staying active and healthy, and the best way to do so is most often to serve as an example and a leader for them to follow. Mazel Day School is committed to helping our children establish healthy habits, by making the month of May a Heath Awareness Month at school. During the whole month of May our teachers will incorporate healthy physical activities and nutrition workshops into everyday routines. Please check in with the staff for the schedule of events, including Vegetable and Fruit Day, Mazel Juice Bar, Meet The Doctor, and Walkathon. Furthermore, this issue of the Parent Page provides inter-esting tips on staying healthy, includes healthy recipes for children, features an interview with Igor Feldman, a parent and a physical therapist by profession, and more. Join us in celebrating the Health Awareness Month at Mazel and participating in the planned events, all aimed at establishing health awareness and healthy habits in your child!

Editorial Team:

Anna Ashurov Irene Gabo Chani Okonov Alla Vasserman

IN THIS ISSUE

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MAY CALENDAR Tuesday, May 17-Thurs. May 19 Juice Bar for Kids!

Sunday, May 22—Celebrate Lag BaOmer with tens of thousands of Jewish children at The Great Parade!

Thursday, May 26—Children’s Walk-a-thon ~ De-tails coming soon!

Monday, May 29—School Closed: Memorial Day

COMING SOON!—Parenting Discussion Group: “Communicating with our Children”. How our words effect our children & how to effectively use our words when communicating with them.

PAGE2: Help! My child is a picky eater! How can I teach him healthier eating habits?

PAGE5: Irene’s May Picks Weekend Activities for the Family

PAGE4: Healthy Living Family Fitness

PAGE6: Recipes Quick and Healthy

PAGE8: Parent Interview This Month: Igor Feldman

Center Pull-out Section Raising a Child with Soul By: Slovie Jungreis-Wolf

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M O D E R N P A R E N T I N G by Chani Okonov

Chani: I completely relate to your frustration. Of my five children, two of them are very picky eaters. In a Jewish family, picky eaters stand out by far—especially, since so much of our tradition revolves around food and eating. From my experience, picky eating usually comes down to a combination of a number of contributing factors: poor appetite (i.e. lack of motivation to eat), some sensory de-fensiveness to particular textures of food, and a power struggle (i.e. the “you can’t make me” attitude). Under-standing where a child is coming from is already half of the solution to any problem. In this case, the key is to try to stimulate the appetite, find delicious foods that do not have a “different” texture or taste that the child will not like, and to absolutely avoid turning mealtime into a battle to “get the child to eat”. Here are some small tips that I have found to work with my picky eaters at home : Cook with them! I’ve been amazed at the foods my

picky kids will taste after they’ve cooked with me. Usually uninterested in food, they enjoy helping me cook. It’s fun to mix and pour and watch how food is made. Though it takes extra work (& patience) on my part to have them there, I find that it’s worth it, espe-cially when that picky eater tries out a new food. In most cases, the child works up the appetite to at least taste the food after watching how it was prepared. The delicious smells that go along with the cooking process get their appetite going.

Offer variety in meals, but avoid becoming a “short order cook”. I will always include at least one food that I know even my picky eaters will enjoy. If they don’t want to eat anything else, there’s always fresh veggies cut up, as well as bread. They are free to choose from these, but they know that they must choose from what’s on the menu. There are no special orders. I’ve found that when kids know that they can just “order” the foods that they like, they never bother trying different foods.

Give them the independence to serve and feed them-selves (of course under supervision, depending on the child’s age). At first it may seem easier to spoon-feed the child, in order to make sure that they eat. But learning healthy eating habits comes from the child taking ownership of their own meals & being responsi-ble for taking food & feeding themselves. This is how we teach our kids portion control (take only as much as you think you will eat… be sure to leave some for others…) & the value of Ba’al Tashchis (not wasting… if you chose it, you try to finish it).

Be clear, yet reasonable, about your expectations. Decide on what the “rule” for your dinner table will

be. For example: you may decide that your child has to take at least a small portion of everything that is on the menu so that they taste all the items. Or you may decide that your child must eat 2-3 of the foods served but that they can choose the size of the portion. Re-member to be firm, but also rea-sonable. Accept that your child will not eat everything.

Reward kids for tasting new foods, or foods that they don’t usually eat. With one of my children, we have created a chart where she records a check for each night that she ate a decent portion of at least two of the foods served for dinner, and one is usually some-thing that she doesn’t prefer. When her chart is com-plete she gets some type of reward. She is very proud of the new foods she’s tried & has discovered that she actually likes more foods than she originally thought.

“A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down.” I always include healthy ingredients in our family diet and we avoid treats all week (except for Shabbos and birthdays), but I also find that a sweet sauce made with honey or brown sugar will almost always win over my picky eater’s palates. So whether it’s meatballs or chicken, I will avoid the more tangy or herby recipes when cooking for my kids and go for something sweet. When the food goes out on the table, and the children ask, “Mommy, what did you make?” I only need to say, “It’s yummy and sweet”

and they dive right in. This works especially well when the child actually helped you cook & watched you put the ingredients in. As a parent, I try to remember, that my goal is first and foremost to teach my children the ap-propriate attitudes toward food and eating. Rather than fighting over what foods they eat and how much of it, I focus on the bigger pic-ture. I try to instill these ideas from Judaism: Food is holy! Since food is what provides us with the energy to do Mitzvos, it becomes a tool for holiness. This means that everything

revolving around food, from cooking & setting the table, to eating & enjoying the meal, are part of a special and meaningful experience. Our food is to be treated with respect. We are mindful not to waste it. Baal Tashchis (wasting) is a big no-no. If we don’t like something, we express so in a respectful manner (“This is not my taste”.) Think about where your food comes from. The blessings which we recite before eating different foods vary de-pending on where the food originates. For example, a fruit that grows on the ground (strawberries) and one that grows on a tree (apples) will have a different blessing. This trains us to be cognizant of the fact that all food comes

Help! My child is such a picky eater! Every meal is a battle. How can I teach him healthier eating habits?

...everything revolv-ing around food,

from cooking & set-ting the table, to

eating and enjoy-ing the meal, are

all part of a special and meaningful ex-

perience.

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from nature (not the store!). This small moment just before we place food into our mouths, really helps us put our food into context. Hashem has given it to us, so that we can cook it and enjoy it. We are lucky to have so much food. In addition to a sense of holiness and an awareness of the ways in which food grows, Judaism also aims to inculcate a sense of gratefulness for our food. Just the very idea of saying a blessing before and after eating reminds us that we must thank Hashem for what we have. I try to verbalize this to my children by saying: “We are so lucky to have this yummy food for supper today.” In fact, many people I know have a custom to place a coin in charity while they cook to remember those who do not have food as readily available as we do.

Contributed by Irene Gabo F A M I L Y F I T N E S S the park. While you hold onto the kite string, let your child run with the kite until the wind catches it and sends it aloft. Take a family bike ride. Go horseback riding. Wax the car as a family activity. Go to the mall—not only to shop, & cer-tainly not to spend time at the food court, but to walk from one end of the mall to the other. Take a family walk in the evening and en-joy seasonal changes in the neighborhood.

When you join in, your child will see that you believe physi-cal activity is important, and you’ll become his most impor-tant role model. Talking With Your Pediatrician How much does your child weigh? The higher the number on the scale, the greater the chance that he is out of shape or deconditioned. Before your youngster moves from a sedentary to a more active way of life, and particularly if he has any health problems, talk to your pediatrician. Your pediatrician will be able to tell you how to ensure that exercising is a safe and enjoyable experience for your child. Above all, ask the pediatrician whether your child has any physical limita-tions that you need to keep in mind. For example, many parents think that youngsters who have asthma can’t play outdoors on a cold day, or they’ll risk having asthmatic episodes. Your pediatrician can help you and your child plan for safe outdoor activity by including this option in your child’s asthma plan.

Taken from Healthychildren.org

TURNING FAMILY TIME INTO ACTIVE TIME For a lot of families, Sunday afternoons are a time to be together at the movies or the mall. As enjoyable as those outings may be, start thinking about spending some of that family time doing physical activities that all of you like. Some overweight children are so averse to exer-cising that the first step in the right direction needs to be taken with their families. They may feel much more comfortable being active with their parents and siblings than with their peers, at least to start with. So why not play catch in the backyard, or dust off the tennis rackets in the closet and spend an hour hitting a tennis ball at the neighborhood courts? Rather than going to the movies, take a family hike in the hills near your home. When the whole family is involved, your overweight child is more likely to join in. Once he starts losing weight and gets more accustomed to moving his body, he may be more willing to step out and join a swimming pro-gram at the local Y or take karate lessons at the local martial arts studio. Spend a few moments thinking of other activities that your entire family can do together. Remember, the ac-tivity should be fun. If you need some suggestions, why not consider the following? Go to the park and throw the football back & forth. Play tag in the front yard. Go to the community pool for a family swim. Buy a kite, put it together as a family activity, and fly it in

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M O D E R N P A R E N T I N G by Chani Okonov

We eat together. When mealtime arrives, we sit together and eat as a family. The table is set with care, as the Torah com-pares a table to a ’mizbayach’ - the altar of the Temple where sacrifices were brought. The family table is a holy & sacred place. The atmosphere & dialogue at the table are also an important part of the eating experience. The Torah sages spoke much about the significance of the conversa-tions spoken at the table of a Jewish family. What does all of this have to do with picky eaters? As a Jew-ish mother, I believe very strongly that our children’s bodies and souls are connected. I don’t want eating just to be about filling up tummies with food—it’s a spiritual and special experience. It is only within the framework of this environ-ment that I can teach my children healthy eating habits.

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Daily 05/15/11 Make a Memory Box at Children's Galleries for Jewish Culture 515 West 20th Street Suite 4E, New York, NY, 212.924.4500 www.cgjc.org, Ages: 5-12, Time: 2pm-5pm Cost: Free with paid admission Kids can make a memory box for special treasures and make clothespin dolls of 19th century immi-grants. As always, visitors are welcome to play in CGJC's two hands-on exhibitions - From Home to Home: Jewish Immigration to America and From Tent to Temple: Life in the Ancient Near East - and partici-pate in the arts and crafts activities at any time. Daily 05/22/11 Art for Kids at Children's Galleries for Jewish Culture 515 West 20th Street Suite 4E, New York, NY, 212.942.4500 www.cgjc.org Ages: 5-12, Time: 2pm-5pm, Cost: Free with paid admission Bring along stuff that you were going to throw out, and turn it into artwork! If you forget to bring some-thing from home, the Galleries provide some recy-cled pieces for you. - and participate in the arts and crafts activities at any time. Open every Sunday Coney Island's Luna Park Get ready for some high-flying thrills! Luna Park kicks off its second year of rides and games in Coney Island. Luna Park, 1000 Surf Ave at W 10th St, Coney Island, Brooklyn (718-373-5862, lunaparknyc.com). Unlimited rides for four hours $30. Daily starting this spring Science Playground and Rocket Park Mini Golf open for the season at the New York Hall of Science 47–01 111th St at 47th Ave, Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens (718-699-0005, nysci.org). All ages Time: Mon–Thu 9:30am–2pm; Fri 9:30am–5pm; Sat, Sun 10am–6pm Cost: $6, children $5 in ad-dition to general admission Spring officially arrives at the New York Hall of Sci-ence this May when the center opens its warm-weather attractions Science Playground and Rocket Park Mini Golf. Kids can frolic through the 60,000-square-foot playground, which includes seesaws, drums, a sand box, slides and a water play area—all of which relate elements of play to science princi-ples ($4 in addition to general admission). Then, youngsters can work on their putt-putting in the popular nine-hole course, which sits in sight of two retired NASA rockets.

Each Sun 05/01/11 - 05/22/11 Family Program for Fours at Museum of Modern Art , 11 West 53 Street, New York, NY, 212.708.9805 http://www.moma.org Ages: 4-4, Time: 10:20am-11:15am Cost: Free (two adults & three children): Gallery activities designed for four-year-olds introduce children and their adult companions to modern art-work. Each month a new theme is introduced (this month, families explore both ordinary and unusual still-life motifs). Families look, listen, and share ideas while exploring modern and contemporary art. Movement, drawing, and other gallery activities give everyone the chance to participate. Admission is free, and preregis-tration is not required. The program is for individual families of up to two adults and up to three children. Daily except Wed 03/11/11 - 07/31/11 Various Illuminations by Maira Kalman at Jewish Mu-seum , 1109 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 212.423.3337 http://www.thejewishmuseum.org. Ages: 4 & up Cost: Free with paid admission The Jewish Museum presents Maira Kalman: Various Illuminations (of a Crazy World), the first major museum survey of the work of illustrator, author, and designer Maira Kalman. A selection spanning thirty years of 100 original paintings, drawings, and sketches are shown along with the many ways Kalman's whimsical yet probing imagery has entered contemporary culture in print, and on commercial products from clothing to watches. also included. Many of Kalman's best-known works are on display in the exhibition. Sunday, May 15, 2011, 1-3 p.m. Abiyoyopalooza at Prospect Park Audubon Center Lincoln Road & Ocean Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 718.393.7733 http://www.plgarts.org Ages: 10 & under, Time: 1pm-3pm, Cost: Free PLG Arts and the Maple Street School, in partnership with the Prospect Park Alliance present the 5th Annual Abiyoyopalooza. Musicians and storytellers Hasan Bakr and Kevin Nathaniel introduce children to the sounds of Africa and the African diaspora through the story of how a young musician and a magician save their vil-lage from the evil giant Abiyoyo. Instruments include the djembe, mbira, bongo, and shekere. A free book giveaway is provided courtesy of Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing Division. Enter the park at Lincoln Road. Follow the road into the Park and keep going until you get to the duck feet on the ground that lead the way under a bridge and to the Audubon Center.

I R E N E ’ S W E E K E N D P I C K S Irene Gabo

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For Pre-Schoolers Museum of Chinese in America 215 Centre St., nr. Grand St.; 212-619-4785 Monthly arts-and-crafts workshops tied to current exhib-its like “Chinese Puzzles: Games for the Hands and Mind” are hugely entertaining for even the youngest of museum-hoppers, while parents can easily lose a few hours wondering the Maya Lin–designed corridors. For Grade-Schoolers Museum of the Moving Image 36-01 35th Ave. at 37th St., Astoria; 718-777-6888 No need to limit screen time here: This newly revamped temple to movies, television, video games, and the digital arts, turns the stuff of parental nagging into a source of academic fascination. The makeover intro-duced new-media labs, where kids can spark careers in the rewarding fields of video-game design, clayma-tion, and stop-motion animation. They can also watch pre-Pixar film clips via Thomas Edison’s late-1800s Kine-toscope; play vintage arcade games like Space Invad-ers, Frogger, and Donkey Kong; and catch a family-film matinee. For Middle-Schoolers Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Ave., at 89th St.; 212-423-3637 Aspiring artists in grades 6 through 8 who want to as-semble an accomplished body of work can hunker down at the Guggenheim’s studio for after-school ses-sions held over eight Mondays starting March 28. The $400 cost is steep, but includes personal instruction from two working artists, gallery visits (here and at other institutions), top-shelf materials, a family pass, and snacks. For High-Schoolers Museum of the City of New York 1220 Fifth Ave., at 103rd St.; 212-534-1672 Budding historians who want more than a textbook view the past can enroll in one of the free six-week courses offered Saturdays during the school year. On tap this spring: “The Sixties: Music, Movements, and Mayhem,” an exploration of the decade’s social revo-lutions; “Striving for Freedom: Free Black Communities in New York and Brooklyn Before the Civil War”; and “Public Art in East Harlem: Interpreting Latino-American History in the 20th Century,” a walking retrospective of the neighborhood’s murals. College-minded students can also sign up for a Kaplan SAT-prep course—gratis, too.

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Every month we will publish business cards of the parents or family members that wish to advertise their services. If you wish to advertise in the future issues, please do not hesitate to contact the Editorial Staff at mazelnewsletter@gmail.com. This month we feature: YELENA

DIGILOVA (Eliana’s Grandma), owner of specialty medical center.

SHARONA

SILVA (Dani’s Mom), makeup artist and creator of high-end skincare products.

MILANA FELDMAN

(Etelle and Dovid Moshe’s Mom) at Zori’s Fashion women’s wear

ROZALIYA DIGALOVA

(Eliana’s aunt), residen-tial & commercial cleaning company

PARENT SPOTLIGHT

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Compiled by Alla Vasserman

Banana in a Blanket Preparation time: 5 minutes 1 (6 inch) whole wheat tortilla (or Russian blini) 1 tbspn. reduced-fat smooth peanut butter 1 medium banana 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey 1 tablespoon crunchy, nutty nugget cereal Instructions: Lay tortilla on a plate. Spread peanut butter evenly on the tortilla. Sprinkle cereal over peanut butter. Peel and place banana on the tortilla and roll the tortilla. Drizzle maple syrup or honey on top. Each serving provides: An excellent source of fiber, and a good source of vitamin C, folate, magnesium and potassium

Galloping Good Eggplant Preparation time: 25 minutes ½ cup eggplant, diced ½ cup fresh mushrooms, diced ¾ cup fresh tomatoes, chopped 3 seconds butter-flavored cooking oil spray ¾ oz. fat-free mozzarella cheese (use a string cheese stick) Instructions: Spray skillet with cooking oil. Sauté eggplant, mushrooms, and toma-toes in skillet until tender but cooked. Drain off extra juice and top with shredded or ‘peeled’ cheese. Let it melt. Each serving provides: An excellent source of vitamins A and C, and a good source of potassium, calcium and fiber.

Corner Kick Pita Pocket Preparation time: 25 minutes ½ cup spinach, trimmed leaves ¼ cup cucumber, peeled and sliced ¼ cup carrots, shredded 1 tablespoon salsa, mild 1 (6 ½ inch) pita pocket 4 oz. extra-lean ground beef (5% fat), cooked 1 cup cantaloupe, cubed Instructions: Combine spinach, cucumber, and carrots with salsa and ranch dressing, mix well. Cut pita in half. Using your finger, slowly open the pocket so as not to tear the bread. Divide beef and veggie mix in half and place in each pocket half. Serve each pocket with ½ cup of cantaloupe. Each serving provides: An excellent source of vitamins A and C, and a good source of folate, magnesium, potassium and fiber.

Sweet Potato Pie From Morah Chani 4 sweet potatoes 3 beaten eggs 1 spoon mayonnaise 1 teaspoon cinnamon 3 tablespoons sugar Ready pie crust Instructions: Cook sweet potatoes in boil-ing water. Mash in a bowl. Add remain-ing ingredients and mix well. When mix-ture is smooth, pour into pie crust. Bake for 1 hour at 400ºF. Cool, slice and serve.

Q U I C K A N D H E A L T H Y

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By Anna Ashurov

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Igor Feldman immigrated to the United States in 1990 and currently resides in Brighton Beach area. He is married and has three children. Two of his kids are cur-rently at Mazel, Dovid Moshe in 1st grade and Etelle Berta in pre-nursery. His oldest daughter, Zlata, was the first student at Mazel Day School. By profession Igor is a physical therapist; he has a bachelor and masters degrees in science. Igor’s therapy center, Eurofitness Rehabilitation treats children with develop-mental delays. The center also has an early interven-tion and special education agency, Kids Unlimited.

As I’m talking to you about your profession, a few in-teresting things came up. Growing up, what was your dream profession?

When I was a kid, I really wanted to be a professional sportsman. I was dreaming of becoming a profes-sional soccer or a hockey player. Although my passion for hockey was strong, I never learned how to skate and unfortunately, I needed to know that to be “in business”. To make up for my childhood dreams, I of-ten watch hockey live or on TV.

Despite your dreams, you decided to become a physical therapist, working with children, and not all parents know that our preschool kids visit your gym facilities on a weekly basis.

Yes, it is my pleasure to provide our kids with a great atmosphere for a weekly fun session. The gym was created to provide physical and occupational ther-apy for kids. As a result, we have equipment that chil-dren can play with and have fun. Our kids love to visit and are excited about the time spent at the center.

About Mazel – why did you choose to have your kids be part of the Mazel family?

As I mentioned before, my oldest daughter Zlata was the first child at Mazel. When she entered first grade, she started off at Prospect Park Yeshiva, which is a more established school, however, children there don’t get such a personal attention as they get at Mazel. I now have two more kids in the school and very active with the F.R.E.E. center myself. Children feel like they are home there. They grew up in the shul and attended lots of events there throughout the years. It couldn’t have worked out better!

As a parent, what do you value most in Mazel educa-tion?

I like the combination of Jewish studies and the mainstream cur-riculum – both are strong and are perfectly run by the staff and teachers.

Community involvement – do you find time for it?

Yes, when time permits, I always try to assist the shul and volunteer alongside other synagogue mem-bers.

On the topic of Judaism – what are your family’s views and practices?

I was born in a non-observant family. We’ve been observant since I got married. Although we’ve been doing it for a while now, the transition is not very smooth at times. In order for us to keep on track, we move at a comfortable for us pace, one day at a time. The fact that we learn together with our chil-dren keeps our family strong and united.

What are some of your favorite books?

One of my favorite books is “Jew Suss” by Lion Feuchtwanger. The book in parts is very biting, very disturbing, and at times hysterically funny...it is time-less as its characters and their exaggerated flaws ap-plied to modern leaders. I also recently finished “Shadows on the Hudson” by Isaac Bashevis Singer. This long novel is about the lives of Jewish intellectuals and business people in New York immediately after the WWII, and is truly a masterpiece.

P A R E N T I N T E R V I E W

Pictures of Nursery children having fun at Igor’s therapy gym.

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W E A P P R E C I A T E I T . . .

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MAZEL DAY SCHOOL 2901 - 2915 Brighton 6th St

Brooklyn, NY 11235

Phone: 718-368-4490

E-mail:

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CARTOON OF THE MONTH A special note of appreciation to those parents who made gift donations to school over the past month… Gabo family for do-nating great science materials to PreK in honor of Yonni’s birth-day! ...Zabarko family for contributing a book of rhymes for PreNursery class in honor of Rochelle’s birthday! ...Ashurov fam-ily for giving a fun toy for Nursery class. ...Shpelfogel family for the nice Shabbos set for Nursery class. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Whether you want to give a gift to your child's class in honor of his/her birthday or just because... check out your class's online wish list of carefully selected items that will be greatly appreci-ated and used by your child's teachers.

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PICTURES

CELEBRATING HEALTH MONTH

Kindergarten learning about skeletons Nursery learning to brush teeth the right way

Doctor Zhanna is telling PreK about how to protect their ears

PreNursery cutting up apples to make a berry-apple sauce.

1st Grade is making fruit salad with Morahs and Simcha’s mom.