The+Kavana+Cooperative+(Seattle,+WA)


 * From the Kavana Cooperative, in Seattle, WA

Web: [|www.kavana.org] Email:** info@kavana.org

//__Our General language about family programming is like this:__//

Kavana is a family-friendly zone (and we're friendly to all types of families). Our vision for family education programming is to engage children and parents in dialogue with Jewish tradition to help families forge identity and generate personally meaningful Jewish life.

//__Our Vision and Mission for Family Programming (created by a group of our partner-volunteers) are:__//

Vision: Kavana’s family education programming engages children and parents in dialogue with Jewish tradition to help families forge identity and generate personally meaningful Jewish life.

Mission: Kavana’s family education program implements its vision in the following ways: By pursuing these goals together we foster a close-knit community.
 * It addresses the whole family with programs designed for children and parents to learn both together and separately.
 * It creates desire to participate in Jewish life through experiential, hands-on, and inquiry-based learning.
 * It cultivates self-sufficiency by teaching the rituals and skills for lifelong, personally relevant Jewish living.
 * It provides an opportunity for families to explore Jewish values together.
 * It helps individuals see themselves as part of a larger community by linking learning to social action and the wonder of the natural world.

//__Our publicity for Family Shabbat (on our web page, and in marketing materials) looks like this:__//

This monthly Saturday morning program is for kids and their parents. The program includes singing, learning and fun - there are Shabbat songs and prayers, plus activities focused around a different Jewish value each month.

The visionary behind this program is [|Darci Lewis] - she's great with kids, knows a lot about Judaism, and is as creative as they come. But Darci doesn't work alone - together with Shannon Cruzen and Sarah Adams, experts in early childhood education, we have a power trio that balances fun and creativity with serious Jewish content, in a way that both kids and their parents enjoy.

Cost per household:

Single Program $15/partners, $20/non-partners Series (Sept. - May) $60/partners, $120/non-partners

Time: Saturdays, 9:30-11:30am

Dates for 2009-2010 (other than Oct., this is the 2nd Shabbat of each month):
 * Oct. 17
 * Nov. 14
 * Dec. 12
 * Jan. 9
 * Feb. 13
 * Mar. 13
 * Apr. 10
 * May 8
 * Sun. June 6 - End of the Year Family Celebration

__//Our publicity for Prep & Practice (on our web page, and in marketing materials) looks like this://__

This program helps parents & kids prepare and practice for Jewish holidays through stories, cooking, building, and creative arts & crafts projects. Created & led by the indomitable [|Maxine Alloway], a talented Jewish educator, gifted in drama and storytelling.

Cost per household: Series: $60/partners, $120 non-partners Single progra​m: $15/partners, $20/non-partners

Time: Sunday mornings, 10am - 12pm

Dates for 2009-2010:
 * Oct. 4 - Sukkot
 * Nov. 1 - Shabbat
 * Dec. 6 - Chanukah
 * Jan 24 - Tu B'Shevat
 * Feb. 21 - Purim
 * Mar. 21 - Passover
 * Apr. 18 - Yom HaZikaron/Yom HaAtzmaut
 * May 16 - Shavuot
 * June 6 - End of the year Family Celebration

//__Additional Material Regarding Prep & Practice:__//

Description: Prep-n-Practice is an approximately once month program, taking place on Sunday mornings, focused helping families prepare to practice Jewish holidays together. It engages whole families in activities, including listening to stories, cooking, building, and arts and crafts programs. After an introduction and whole group teaching about the holiday, family units travel to different stations to complete activities. Prep-n-Practice concludes with a whole group activity to build community and reinforce t​he main ideas of the holiday being addressed.

Goals: Our hope is that as a result of this program, families will be more intentional about how they celebrate holidays as a family. This includes making choices about celebrating both within the larger Kavana community as well as in homes. It is also our hope that as a result of this program, families will feel connected to at least two other families and will spend time with these families outside the Prep-n-Practice programming.

Content Objectives: As a result of participating in Prep-n-Practice for at least two years, children over the age of 5 will be able to state the main idea of each major holiday as well as at least one fact about each holiday. As a result of participating in Prep-n-Practice for at least two years, the adults in the community will be able to state the main idea of each major holiday, as well as explain the major components of each holiday.

Additional Objectives: As a result of participating in Prep-n-Practice for at least two years, all participants (over the age of 3) will be able to name at least five other participants.

__//Havdalah Club, an offshoot of Family Shabbat, is advertised like this://__

Havdalah Club is a once a month, Saturday evening program for children ages 8-11. In addition to eating dinner together and participating in a short Havdalah ceremony, children are provided opportunities to participate in games and fun activities and are challenged to engage in discussion and debate around Jewish ethical questions. This program will help children develop critical thinking skills, provide a place for the building of community, and teach a variety of Jewish text.

Led by [|Maxine Alloway], who is talented at taking very difficult issues (like Jewish identity) and making them meaningful and exciting to 10 year-olds.



Cost per kid:
 * Single Program $15/partners, $20/non-partners
 * Series (Sept 2009 - May 20010) $60/partners, $120/non-partners

Dates for 2009-2010:
 * Sept. 12
 * Nov. 21
 * Dec. 19
 * Jan. 16
 * Feb. 20
 * Mar. 20
 * Apr. 17
 * May 15

//__Additional Material Regarding Havdalah Club__//

Goals: Our hope is that as a result of this program, children will have an ethical core grounded in Jewish tradition. While children may choose to agree or disagree with individual, specific Jewish texts, we hope that children will understand Judaism’s take on ethical dilemmas and can articulate a legal, caring take of their own. It is also hope that as a result of this program, children in this age bracket will feel a sense of community with their peers.

Content Objectives: As a result of participating in Havdallah Club, children will be able to explain Judaism’s take on different ethical dilemmas.