LI carnival at Yachad’s Ivdu

In the spirit of v’ahavta l’reiacha kamocha, students at Ivdu Long Island hosted an exciting carnival for the nursery class of Yeshivas Noam Hatorah, located in the same building.

Ivdu, a division of Yachad, is a special education school located in Congregation Ohr Torah in North Woodmere. The school provides an individualized academic and social curriculum in a small, supportive yeshiva class setting with a high staff-to-student ratio. Students also benefit from the services of skilled speech, occupational, and physical therapists.

In preparation for the carnival, the students thought of ideas for their booths and designed and created the materials that were needed. They also illustrated posters for each game. As the day drew closer, the students practiced encouraging younger children to play. They role-played teaching nursery students the rules of the game and giving positive feedback, like “Great job!” or “Try again!”

On carnival day, the Ivdu students excitedly set up their booths, and the nursery students lined up to play each game and earn tickets for winning. At the end of the activity, the students helped nursery children count their tickets and choose prizes. Finally, they switched roles and enjoyed playing the games that their classmates had created.

The carnival helped students gain and apply many practical social and academic skills. First, teachers modeled planning and organization skills. The students utilized “perspective taking” by thinking of game ideas that nursery students would enjoy playing. They also practiced following and giving directions in a natural environment. Basic math concepts helped them distribute and count the tickets.

Judging by the smiles on all faces, it was difficult to decide who had a better time — the carnival “staff” or the nursery students who attended.