For Students in 1st – 6th Grade
The Adventure Judaism Congregation has been providing innovative ways to engage Jews with Judaism since 2001. Our youth education program lives up to our reputation.
This is not the religious school you dreaded as a child!
- Outdoor Components
- Conveniently scheduled classes
- Excellent and carefully designed curriculum
- Opening Day at Camp Granite Lake includes kayaking!
- Teachers include Rabbi Jamie Korngold, Jayme Sneider, and as a substitute teacher, Rebecca Shavit-Lonstein
- Innovative and engaging teaching techniques
- High-quality instruction
We can’t wait to welcome your family into our community!
What to Expect of Ark in 2024-2025
- Each class will begin with a 15-minute all-group session with singing, teaching by our rabbi, skits presented by our interns, and other fun activities. Parents and siblings are welcome/encouraged to join us.
- We will offer three all-school programs celebrating Shabbat, Chanukah, and Purim. Parents and siblings are welcome/encouraged to join us.
Curriculum
In 2024-2025, we will be learning from our Jewish Values curriculum. We will use outdoor activities, craft projects, storytelling, drama, and discussions to learn about the Jewish values that can bring meaning to our lives.
In our first class, we have a song session (parents and siblings are welcome to join for this part), and then break into our classes to kayak, stand up paddleboard and play community-building games. Our goal for this session is to create class cohesion. Parents are welcome to enjoy the camp grounds and take a walk or simply relax by the lake. PLEASE: leave your dogs at home.
It’s our version of “back to school night!”ARK families join the Adventure Judaism congregation for a 1-hour, song-filled, outdoor service at the Sunrise Amphitheater on Flagstaff Summit overlooking Boulder, followed by a BYO picnic dinner. This is a great chance to meet other families and make connections. Services are free for ARK families. If it is raining, we will be in the Wood Shelter, which is covered. If it rains, please bring chairs or blankets to sit on. Warning: It can be cold up there! Bring layers!!! More info>>
Shalom Bayit – Peace in the Home
Our homes can be an oasis to the tumult of the world. What can we do to help create a peaceful home?
The concept of shalom bayit, or peace in the home, is an easy one to understand, but can sometimes be much more difficult to bring about. We’re going to explore how we can help bring shalom bayit into our homes and lives in a way that feels more organic.
We all know that acts of lovingkindness make us feel good both to give and to get, so today we’re going to explore why that is a Jewish value, and also how we can turn this idea into action.
Some decisions we have to make and situations we come upon require us to summon up our courage. We’re going to talk about what Judaism says about courage and learn about the courage we all have inside of us.
Whether we’re the recipient of good hospitality or the provider, it’s a fun thing to be a part of, and it makes everyone feel good, so let’s explore how we can be the best hosts and guests!
Parents and siblings are invited to join us for our all-school Hanukah celebration. We will light menorahs, sings songs, and play games.
Generosity is one of the most fun values because it is one that we can express every day in hundreds of different ways. Today we’ll explore different groups of people we can be generous to, and a few ways that we can be generous.
The Purim Carnival is a highlight of the year. Parents and siblings are welcome to join us in the Bear Creek gym, which will be transformed into our carnival space. There will be games, prizes, and even treats! Parents and kids come in costume and you might like to bring some hamantashen to enter in the hamantashen contest.
We use a four-year rotating curriculum so that as students move through the program, they can re-meet the lessons and learn them through a different lens.
- Year 1: Judaism through Time: The Study of Important Jewish Figures 2023-2024 (2012-2013 & 2015-2016 & 2019-2020)
- Year 2: Values 2020-2021 (2013-2014 & 2016-2017 & 2020-2021)
- Year 3: Tour of the Torah: Stories from Genesis 2021-2022 (2014-2015 & 2017-2018)
- Year 4: Jewish Holidays (2018-2019 & 2022-2023 )
There are three core components to the curriculum: Values, Tradition, & Community.
1. Values:
Think of it as mensch training! We learn about Jewish people from history and contemporary Jewish role models. We talk about the choices they made and the values they held. When do we agree? When do we disagree? In what ways do we want to be like them? In what ways do we want to be different? Building relationships with characters from our Jewish People’s past will firmly ground our students in their past while preparing them for a healthy, strong, and vibrant Jewish future.
2. Tradition:
Students will explore new and traditional ways to celebrate Jewish rituals. We will discover meaningful Jewish practices and rituals appropriate for our busy and technologically active lives.
3. Community:
Adventure Judaism is known for our ability to build a community quickly. We feel that being a part of a Jewish community is one of the most important elements of the Adventure Rabbi Kids (ARK) experience. To that end, our experiential education techniques allow children to make friends quickly and easily. If your child needs a little extra coaxing to feel comfortable participating or making friends, please let us know. We try to be especially diligent about keeping an eye out for students who need a little more help engaging socially.
Some of our meetings will involve the whole school and parents so that students can experience being part of a larger community. Although there is no obligation, we hope that your entire family will enjoy becoming involved in Adventure Judaism’s additional events, such as our High Holiday and Passover Retreats, and meet our fabulous multi-age community.
Time and Dates
-1st* Sunday of the month from 2-3:30 pm Aug-April
-Each class begins with a 15-minute all-group program. For example, sometimes it will be a song session led by Rabbi Jamie Korngold
*Exceptions to 1st Sunday are Aug (we start after the BVSD school year begins) and Sept (Labor Day). Opening Day is longer than the regular classes.
2024-2025 Tentative Schedule
Aug 18 Camp Granite Lake, from 9-12 noon. PLEASE: leave your dogs at home.
Aug 23, Back to School Shabbat Service and Picnic on Flagstaff Mtn More>>
Sept 8, 2-3:30 Bear Creek Elementary School
Oct 6, 2-3:30 Bear Creek Elementary School
Nov 3, 2-3:30 Bear Creek Elementary School
Dec 1, 2-3:30 Bear Creek Elementary School
Dec 15 Hanukah Party 4:30-6 Bear Creek Elementary School
Jan No class
Feb 2, 2-3:30 Bear Creek Elementary School
March 2, 2-3:30 Purim Carnival Bear Creek Elementary School
April 6, 2-3:30 Bear Creek Elementary School
Location
Our South Boulder location at Bear Creek Elementary School provides us with both indoor and outdoor access.
The Opening Program location is at Camp Granite Lake, a 35-minute drive from South Boulder. We will be offering stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, and other fun group-building activities.
Teaching Style
We combine outdoor and indoor settings as well as innovative and traditional teaching techniques. We are aware that not all students learn the same way and we will use a variety of teaching styles to engage them.
Our students will engage in experiential and traditional learning experiences to provide them with tools to explore the richness of our Jewish heritage. We will learn about Jewish values, Jewish personalities, and Jewish culture. We will build meaningful and genuine relationships with our tradition and each other. All this and more will firmly ground their Jewish identity while helping them become people with whom we all want to share the planet.
| Grades | Teacher | Max # of Students | Time | Intern | Is there room? |
| 1-3 | Rabbi Jamie Korngold | 15 | 2-3:30 pm | TBD | Yes |
| 4-6 | Jayme Sneider | 20 | 2-3:30 pm | TBD | Yes |
Early Bird Tuition
$650 for members
$750 for non-members
After August 1, 2024
+$50
Scholarships are available for those in need.
We offer a monthly payment plan, spreading your payments over three months, for $35/student. If you need the payment divided into more months, please just let the bookkeeper know and we will accommodate you. Today, you will be charged $235. The remainder will be divided into three payments. Payments begin the month after you register. If you register before the 20th of any month, payments begin the month after you register. If you register after the 20th of any month, your 1st monthly payment will occur on the 1st after a 30-day billing cycle has passed (e.g. if you register May 21st, your first payment will occur on June 1st).
Refunds are not available unless you purchase $35 tuition insurance per student. If you purchase tuition insurance, we will refund the remainder of the classes. A $50 registration fee, the late fee (if applicable), the payment plan fee (if applicable), and $35 tuition insurance are not refundable.
Note: Cell phones and other similar electronic devices are not permitted at Adventure Rabbi Kids classes. If your student needs to bring a phone so that they can contact a parent at the end of class, they can keep it out of sight in their backpack/bag. If they use it during class, it will be taken away and returned after class.
Discounts and Additions:
Bypass the 3.5% credit card fee by using ACH
Monthly Payment plan is $35/student
Tuition Insurance is $35/student
Please consider a membership for you and your child to our congregation.
Membership Benefits:
- Discount tuition
- Discounted attendance to our Passover, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur retreat
- Free attendance to Fridays on Flagstaff
- Help sustain our congregation
- Attend member-only events
- Convert unused portions of membership payments into an end-of-year tax deduction of up to $250 for your child and $499 for yourself.
We can’t wait to welcome your family into our community!
Our Staff
Rebecca Shavit-Lonstein, Substitute Teacher
Rebecca is Adventure Rabbi’s main educator. She teaches private and small group lessons in Hebrew and other Jewish subjects to over 35 of our students. Kids describe Rebecca as fun, patient, and encouraging. They actually look forward to Hebrew lessons with her!
She is thrilled to be able to work with students in a group setting for ARK. Her priority is to create a fun, safe environment, in which kids can make deep and lasting friends, even if they came in knowing no one.
Jayme Sneider:
My name is Jayme Sneider. I am from Philadelphia and have traveled to all seven continents studying volcanoes. I have over 20 years of working in education and outreach in many different countries (and cultures). My family and I have been connected to Adventure Rabbi Kids for the past two years. As a family, we enjoy whitewater rafting, kayaking, hiking, and mountain biking.
As part of ARK, I am looking forward to creating a welcoming and fun environment for students to enjoy the outdoors while also learning about Judaism.
Rabbi Jamie Korngold:
Rabbi Jamie is known for empowering students to think for themselves while awakening their Jewish identities. She brings her love of education, youth, and community to each lesson.
Rabbi Jamie is passionate about building community and works to build a class in which kids and interns gell into a cohesive group. This is difficult to achieve with classes meeting only once a month, but she is tenacious in her efforts.
