Schwartz ECS Hanukkah Light Lab

Please join us after Tot Shabbat for a Multi-Sensory Immersive Space for Discovery

The Schwartz ECS Light Lab opens its exhibit doors this month and will provide a space where young students will engage in a rich, multi-sensory environment for discovery, experimentation and collaboration. Within this immersive space, children will explore scientific concepts such as reflection, refraction, transparency, shadows and cause-and-effect relationships as they observe how light interacts with different materials, surfaces and even their own bodies.

Through creative and artistic expression, children will experiment with color mixing, projected light and shadow play to create both abstract and representational artwork, using light as a tool for storytelling and visual communication. These explorations naturally connect to Hanukkah, as children investigate the properties and symbolism of light through both scientific inquiry and cultural meaning.

The Light Lab also supports foundational literacy and mathematical development as children build vocabulary related to light. Such as glow, prism, spectrum and shadow, all while engaging with literacy-rich materials through a light-based lens. Mathematical thinking emerges through exploration of numeracy concepts such as matching, quantification, one to one correspondence and spatial reasoning using materials like mirror blocks and glowing manipulatives. Social-emotional learning is fostered as children collaborate, negotiate and engage in shared inquiry, building confidence, persistence and curiosity together. Physical and sensory development is strengthened through fine motor manipulation of delicate materials and sensory awareness heightened through contrasts of brightness, color and texture.

Let there be light!