We All Need Some Grace

As I am starting this post, I am looking for all the pics of preschool this week, but I only see Thursday's class.  I now realize Monday's pics are still on my camera...my camera is in Cambodia.  So, with that being said, I apologize for not having all the pics from the week.

This week was brought to you by the letter "P" and the number "10"!

MONDAY

We read about Jesus Healing the Sick Girl.  We talk about how God uses doctors today to help heal us and we played with a doctor kit.  We also used toilet paper to wrap arms and legs.  It was cute and the kids had fun! We also decorated letter P's with colored POPCORN!

THURSDAY

We started out with calender time.  I can't believe how much these kiddos are getting it! It was raining that day, so we actually got to put the the "rainy" card up (something we don't do very often in the desert).

We reviewed the Bible Story for the week.  I was impressed with the recall.  Annabelle remembered the little girl's father's name! "Jarius".

We also worked on memorizing our left and our right.  As you can see we made the left hand green and the right hand red.  We also put on red bracelets on out right hands to help us remember. 

Of course, FINGER PAINT! I always find a way to include it! The kids weren't as messy as they have been in the past. 

For snack, Peanut Butter, Pretzels, and Purple Grapes to honor the letter P.

The Wise and Foolish Teacher

This week we focused on The Wise and Foolish Man. On Monday, I felt like the foolish teacher, building my day on sand....and it all came crashing down. The kids did a great job listening to the story, but understanding the concept of the wise and foolish man may be over their heads.

The kids created towers out of legos and we placed them in a tub, some on rocks, and some in sand. Waves came crashing down, and so did the towers on the sand.  Hopefully the kids will remember this activity, and eventually understand to build their life on a strong foundation......Our Lord.  

Of course after the rocks and sand, I pulled out Chocolate marsh mellows and let them create towers with those. Yes....I let them eat it too!

CJ did an awesome job creating his tower too!

After we read the Bible story, the kids got to color the picture of the two homes built on rocks and sand. They even practiced writing their name on the paper....they are getting so big!

Look at that focus and concentration on Jack's face. 

Snack time! Best time of school! I created a sampler of each of the food groups and described the importance of each. The kids each had to try everything.....and they would get a marsh mellow if they did. Addison dove right in and ate everything on her plate! She loves her treats! 

Elly, Juliette, and CJ enjoyed their snack....where is Doc....uh-oh. 

For a fun active game, using a hula hoop, we played hokey pokey, and everyone joined in. 

We also focused on the Letter O, the kids did a great job making the octopus.

Fishers of Men

The first real week of school in 2013 was incredible. These kids are becoming so patient and eager to learn. Its rewarding and humbling.

We learned about Jesus' 12 disciples this week, along with the letter N and the number 9. The curriculum was pretty robust this week so I didn't feel the need to supplement as much. This was hugely helpful, as it wasn't just the first real week of school for the kids, but for the teacher also :)

Day 1, after calendar time, we read the story of Jesus and his 12 helpers. We then sang and acted out "Fishers of Men." This version from YouTube was great for kids.

CJ helping with the calendar

Fishers of Men

These girls know how to move

Our snack of Goldfish crackers kept the kids busy while we read our "N" book.

So concentrated for snack time

This week was the first week the kids were supposed to write or trace a letter. We have definitely fudged this rule, but we took it seriously this week and had the kids write the first letter of their name. For almost all the kids, this was pretty simple, but they had a good time using pencils for the first time.

The kids wrote the first letter of their names following the yellow lines, starting at the green dot, ending at the red dot

We also did a coloring project, drawing in clothes and faces for Jesus' 12 helpers

We finished day 1 with a few games: fishing and follow the leader

Follow the leader was HILARIOUS. Three year olds relish the leader role, but have NO IDEA WHAT TO DO. It's amazing to watch.

Following Jack...

There was a lot of marching, hopping and FREEZING!

On Day 2 we introduced Show and Tell. This was a great exercise for the kids: standing in front of a group and telling a story PLUS staying quiet while others are sharing. 

The highlight was CJ's harmonica. 

Following the curriculum we read "Hop on Pop" during our snack, which in keeping with the fishing theme involved fishing for Goldfish crackers with celery sticks dipped in peanut butter.

Day 2 was a bit more challenging than Day 1. We're finding that the more separate we keep the kids from the babies and toddlers the better. Even when the babies and toddlers are well behaved, they are a distraction for the easily distracted preschoolers. For the second half of the year I've got to find a better way to keep the two separated in my open layout house :) Not a small task.