PARTY REMINDER!

Our Christmas Party will be this Thursday. Please wear pajamas, bring a pillow or something soft to lay with while watching a VeggieTales movie, and bring a wrapped book (new or gently used) for our swap.

Also, check outside our classroom tomorrow for items you could contribute. Anyone is welcome to send goodie bags for our class...there are 15 in the morning class and 13 in the afternoon. And no nuts!

Thanks and Merry Christmas!

Christmas (Angels and Shepherds)

What a fun week! We continued the Christmas story, introducing Mary and Joseph's trek to Bethlehem, the birth of baby Jesus, and the angel's announcement to the shepherds. Our classes are in love with this story because of the baby, the animals, the familiarity, and the ease with which they are able to relay each event. Ask and you'll see, they love this story!

Lit Centers:

• Christmas books in the reading loft
• draw a picture of how you would "make the Grinch glad," then make a wishlist for Santa
• "A is for Angel" stamping letter A and images
• arranging letters to spell "Merry Christmas," then decorating
• complete the "Santa Express" by placing each car in alphabetical order, then matching the lowercase letter to the capital

Math Centers:

• Decorate a Christmas tree, then count and graph your decorations
• make a reindeer necklace
• color by number gingerbread man
• measure "How many Christmas trees tall?"
• use "cash" to purchase presents (this was a great game to use number identification, counting skills, basic addition and subtraction, and more/less concepts)

Additional Activities:

• completing parent gifts
• wrapping gifts
• make a Santa
• baby Jesus in the manger
• read "The Little Shepherd's Christmas," by Carol Heyer
• made a class graph "Would you rather be an elf or a reindeer?"
• ate snowman poop!

Favorite Songs from this week:

No Place to Stay

Clop, clop, clop went the donkey's feet.
Clop, clop, clop down the stony street.

Nod, nod, nod went Mary's head.
She was so tired, she needed a bed.

Knock, knock, knock went Joseph at the door.
Do you have room for anyone more?

No, no, no the innkeeper said.
We don't even have one more bed.

Wait, wait, wait the innkeeper said.
You can use my stable for a bed.

Sh, sh, sh what is that I hear?
The cry of baby Jesus oh so dear.

Jump For Joy Lyrics
Let's jump for joy, jump for joy, jump for joy,
Jesus is born (X2)

The angel said, don't be afraid
The angel said, don't be afraid
The angel said, don't be afraid
God gave us baby Jesus (X2)

Let's clap for joy, clap for joy, clap for joy,
Jesus is born (X2)

The shepherds said, hear the good news,
The shepherds said, hear the good news,
The shepherds said, hear the good news,
God gave us baby Jesus. (X2)

Let's twist for joy, twist for joy, twist for joy,
Jesus is born (X2)

Let's jump for joy, jump, jump, jump! (X4)

Let's clap for joy, clap, clap clap (X4)

Let's twist for joy, twist, twist, twist (X4)

Baby Jesus is born.

Let's jump for joy, jump for joy, jump for joy,
Jesus is born (X2)

Jump, Clap, Twist, Jesus is born!

Jade purchases a present from Palyn

Charleigh works on her reindeer necklace

The morning class enjoys chapel with Mr. Storm

Keaton searches for numbers to color the correct color

the bells were difficult to string

Ashley points out the present she wants to buy

the afternoon class plays their jingle bells during chapel

Ayla matches a lowercase to a capital letter

Brynn works to arrange letters in the right order

Kaylee looks at what bead she needs next

Isabelle counts her money

Tanner acts as shopkeeper while Hank chooses his present

dot, dot, not a lot!

Alexa searches for stickers to decorate with

Connor studies the letters in front of him

Cade colors his tree after measuring himself

Eric helps Ayla count how tall she is

more fun with letters!

Eric checks his friend's work as they copy "A is for angel"

Kacie colors the craft sticks to make her manger

Nicholas (our donkey), Micah (Joseph), and Brianna (Mary) admire baby Jesus

Kaylee begins to decorate her manger scene

Micah completes the Santa Express Letter Train

AM Green Day

PM Green Day

Christmas (Mary and Joseph)

We introduced the Christmas week with our story of Mary and Joseph, and the angel visiting each of them to tell them the Good News of the baby Mary is to carry and name Jesus, for He will be God's Son. The class is excited to get to the part they know best--the birth of baby Jesus--but we have broken down the Christmas story to give the full impact over time and emphasize each character's role in the story. Don't forget to be asking your child about these lessons we cover each day!

Our math and lit centers have taken on Christmas themes as well, and you'll begin to see reindeer, gingerbread, stockings, and all things Christmas decorating our halls and your homes. Check out what we did this week:

Math:

1. Gingerbread house glyph. Each child had to follow directions to color their pictures based on concepts like "If you are a boy, color the lollipop blue. If you are a girl, color it pink," and "If you are 4 years old, color the door red. If you are 5, color it orange."

2. Graphing different colors of Christmas lights, then totaling and examining most and least.

3. Counting poms onto elf numbers, then putting in numerical order.

4. Estimating "How many candy canes?"

5. Creating patterns using stocking, ornament, and gift pictures.

Lit:

1. Sorting rhyming and non-rhyming word pictures onto different Christmas trees. Record the rhymes onto your paper.

2. Find Christmas story words hidden throughout the room and write them on your dry erase board. Try to guess what some words might be!

3. Christmas books in the reading loft.

4. Using fine motor skills to decorate sight words.

5. Make a birthday card for Jesus.

Additional activities:

1. Begin parent Christmas gift.

2. Create a reindeer using your handprint. (This was trickier than it sounds--they had to trace then cut their own handprint!)

3. Read "Happy Holidays!" by Kindergarten teacher Deanna Jump. Discuss the importance of family over gifts, then draw a picture of our families to display our love for them and their significance in our lives.

Songs we enjoyed this week:

Reindeer Pokie (Sung To: Hokey Pokey)

You put your antlers in,
you put your antlers out,
you put your antlers in,
then you shake the,em all about.

You do the reindeer pokie
And you turn yourself around,
That's what it's all about.

You put your hooves in,
you put your hooves out,
you put your hooves in,
then you shake the,em all about.

You do the reindeer pokie
And you turn yourself around,
That's what it's all about.

You put your tail in,
you put your tail out,
you put your tail in,
Then you shake the,em all about.

You do the reindeer pokie
And you turn yourself around,
That's what it's all about.

You put your red nose in,
you put your red nose out,
you put your red nose in,
then you shake the,em all about.

You do the reindeer pokie
And you turn yourself around,
That's what it's all about.

You put your whole self in,
you put your whole self out,
you put your whole self in,
then you shake the,em all about.

You do the reindeer pokie
And you turn yourself around,
That's what it's all about.

S-A-N-T-A (Sung To: B-I-N-G-O)

There is a man we know so well,
And Santa is his name-Ho
S-A-N-T-A, S-A-N-T-A, S-A-N-T-A
And Santa is his name-Ho

There is a man we know so well,
And Santa is his name-Ho
Ho-A-N-T-A, Ho-A-N-T-A, Ho-A-N-T-A,
And Santa is his name-Ho

There is a man we know so well,
And Santa is his name-Ho
Ho-Ho-N-T-A, Ho-Ho-N-T-A, Ho-Ho-N-T-A,
And Santa is his name-Ho

There is a man we know so well,
And Santa is his name-Ho
Ho-Ho-Ho-T-A, Ho-Ho-Ho-T-A, Ho-Ho-Ho-T-A,
And Santa is his name-Ho

There is a man we know so well,
And Santa is his name-Ho
Ho-Ho-Ho-Ho-A, Ho-Ho-Ho-Ho-A, Ho-Ho-Ho-Ho-A,
And Santa is his name-Ho

There is a man we know so well,
And Santa is his name-Ho
Ho-Ho-Ho-Ho-Ho, Ho-Ho-Ho-Ho-Ho, Ho-Ho-Ho-Ho-Ho,
And Santa is his name-Ho

Five Little Christmas Trees

Five little Christmas Trees (Hold up Five Fingers),
Standing all alone
Their hearts were very sad (Make Sad Face)
'Cause they hadn't found a home
Then chop went the axe (chopping)
And down fell the tree (clap)
And off she went with a happy family! (Make Happy Face)

Four little Christmas Trees (Hold up Four Fingers),
Standing all alone
Their hearts were very sad (Make Sad Face)
'Cause they hadn't found a home
Then chop went the axe (chopping)
And down fell the tree (clap)
And off she went with a happy family! (Make Happy Face)

Three little Christmas Trees (Hold up Three Fingers),
Standing all alone
Their hearts were very sad (Make Sad Face)
'Cause they hadn't found a home
Then chop went the axe (chopping)
And down fell the tree (clap)
And off she went with a happy family! (Make Happy Face)

Two little Christmas Trees (Hold up Two Fingers),
Standing all alone
Their hearts were very sad (Make Sad Face)
'Cause they hadn't found a home
Then chop went the axe (chopping)
And down fell the tree (clap)
And off she went with a happy family! (Make Happy Face)

One little Christmas Trees (Hold up One Fingers),
Standing all alone
Her heart was very sad (Make Sad Face)
'Cause she hadn't found a home
Then chop went the axe (chopping)
And down fell the tree (clap)
And off she went with a happy family! (Make Happy Face)

No little Christmas Trees
Standing all alone
Their hearts were very happy
'Cause they all found a home

Alexa and Charleigh make Christmas patterns

Following directions on our Gingerbread House Glyph



Kaylee works on a Nativity puzzle after fininshing her counting game.

Mrs. Nanette helps Micah and Ashley complete their graphs.

Eric and Keaton work together to put the elves in numerical order.

Thayer finds another word hidden in our room.

Lydia concentrates on writing her rhyming words.

Brianna decorates a card for Jesus.

Eric and Keaton relax in the reading loft.

More pattern making!

Hank, Charleigh, and Alexa count the number of candy canes in the jar.

Kaylee and Kacie decide if a pair rhymes or doesn't rhyme.

Connor shows off a picture he drew.

Sharing is caring in our classroom!

Joseph (Tanner) goes to see Mary (Charleigh) after the angel (Palyn) visits him in a dream.

Nicholas made cars for Jesus' birthday. He thought Jesus would like to play that with him. I think he's right!

Ashley completes sight word "in."

A change of toys meant lots of dinosaurs during free play!

Native Americans, Pilgrims, and a Thanksgiving Feast

I want to start by apologizing for getting behind on my blogging. I hope you enjoy the plethora of information and photos contained in this post, and it helps you see all your child has learned throughout this thanksgiving season. Hopefully you were also able to take a peek into our "Thankful Book" and see all we are thankful for!

Native Americans

Math Activities:

• Sort feathers with shapes on them onto the turkey with a matching shape drawn on. Shapes used: rectangle, square, oval, circle, triangle, star, heart.
• Pies labeled 1-15 needed dollops of "whipped cream" (cotton balls) to correspond with the number on the pie.
• Lacing criss-cross and stringing beads to create a dreamcatcher.
• Estimating "How many corn kernels?" and counting to 100
• Measuring how many turkeys tall each friend was.

Literacy Activities:

• Writing our thankfulness book
• Sorting rhyming words into the correct pot to make a "soup"
• Sorting pictures to their beginning sound to "stuff" a turkey
• Thanksgiving books in our Reading Loft
• Create a stamped placemat with our Bible verse for the week (1 Thess. 5:18)

Other Activities:

• Create a thankfulness pocket
• Practice songs for our thanksgiving feast
• Create an Indian headdress and give an Indian name

Pilgrims
Math Activities:

• Number match using divided playing cards hidden in the sensory table
• Using large and small marshmallows to measure a line
• Use a light box to mix colors, then try on your own using paint
• Complete puzzles
• Use images to create a pattern of your choice

Literacy Activities:

• Thanksgiving books in the Reading Loft
• Use Playdoh to form the letters in "Thanksgiving"
• Sort alphabet crackers by letter in ABC order
• Create a Thanksgiving card to give to someone you love
• Make a placemat by painting with corncobs and adding our verse for the week (Ps. 100:4)

Other Activities:

• Use coffee filters to color and water to blend to create turkey feathers
• Make a pilgrim hat
• Construct the mayflower
• Practice feast songs
• Graph "Would you rather be a Pilgrim or a Native American?"

Thanksgiving Feast
For such a special week, we broke out of our math and literacy routine and had a time of free choice from the following activities:

• Create a turkey headband
• Decorate a cross to remind us to be thankful for Jesus
• Paint using feathers
• Turkey Bowling
• Pin the feather on the Indian
• Pin the hat on the Pilgrim
• Turkey bean bag toss

We also did the following group activities at other times:

• Make centerpieces
• Play "Pilgrim, Pilgrim, Indian" and make Indian cries as each child was chased
• Make Indian corn suncatchers
• Read Stone Soup, by Marcia Brown
• Play "Hunter and Turkeys," a version of "Shark and Minnows" where the turkeys tried to make it safely across a line without being tagged by a hunter and winding up Thanksgiving dinner

Thank you so much to all of our parents who helped make our Feast so special! In addition to all
of your contributions to make our delicious meal, I know several of you assisted in set-up, tear-down, and meal preparation. Without you, our feast could not have happened. Thank you!

Also thank you to each of your children for their hard work and practice each day to give you such a special performance. I am so proud of them!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and look forward to seeing you November 30!

Kacie constructs her first pattern





Jade counts the number of marshmallows covering her line

Alexa adds more yellow paint to create another color



Cade works on all those letters

Our class creates colorful turkey feathers out of coffee filters

Hank celebrates his bean bag placement

Aw, so close to that turkey's belly!



Nicholas shows true concentration as he mixes red and yellow to make orange

Brianna lines up her marshmallows

Ayla searches for the next letter's spot

Brynn carefully forms her "h"

Thayer traces his hand to make a turkey



That's quite a few turkeys that just got bowled over!

Ayla shows off the turkey hat she made

Lydia works to cover all the clear space to create a beautiful suncatcher

Connor searches for the Indian that lost his feather

Owen helps spin Cade before pinning his pilgrim hat

Playing "Pilgrim, Pilgrim, Indian"

Who will be the next to chase?

Brynn, Ayla, and Cameron give one last snack to our turtles before Thanksgiving break

Look at all those hunters!

Eric has a lot of turkeys to catch

Looking around before our program begins

Jade kept her listening ears while other classes sang

"Albequerque Turkey" was our favorite, but "Enter His Gates with Thanksgiving" gave the most volume!

Great job, everyone!