An Interview with Morah Shirley Pourad-Kaikov, Director of K-5 Student Activities
What activities did the children have the opportunity to experience?
The children were able to experience all different types of animals in the teivah. The students especially loved meeting Poochi the Monkey. Following the monkey show, where they watched her perform several tricks, some students were allowed to give Poochi a coin, and watch her put the coin in the tz’dakah box. The children petted and fed the animals. The students especially appreciated the connection between the story they learned in class about Noach and his teivah, and what they saw for themselves.
How did the weather affect the event?
Though it didn’t rain for 40 days and 40 nights, we knew there would be no canceling this activity despite the rainy day. The children really got to feel what it was like when Noach and the animals boarded the teivah.
What types of animals did Noach bring?
In addition to Poochi the Monkey, there were snakes, llamas, bunnies, goats, and fish.
How do you think this event impacts the students’ understanding of the parshah?
Our younger students learned about the rain, and that Noach had to choose and take two of each animal onto the teivah. During this program, the students got to see what the teivah might have looked like by climbing aboard a model teivah, in addition to meeting and petting many different species of animals.
