Our Lenten Cross

This is our Lenten Cross. We made this on Ash Wednesday to mark the first day of Jesus' long walk to the cross. We used our own hand prints to make the cross since Jesus died for each one of us to live forever and because God forgives us each time we "mess up." This is the good news we share every day! Each Monday during Lent, we will add a heart to show Jesus how much his sacrifice means to us. (Remember we can't talk about Jesus going to the cross without talking about his escape from it on Easter Sunday. The hearts will remind us of the good news to come.) Since there are 40 days in Lent, we are going to see if 40 hearts will cover our cross. Watch for future posts to mark our progress.

God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

We Love Dental Health

Although this was our unit on health and fitness - it was upstaged by dental health. We had lots of fun learning about heart health and fitness - but really loved talking about our beautiful teeth. We had a visit from a dentist and learned how to best care for our teeth. We also talked about the tooth fairy and what happens to all of those teeth that are lost. These works of art are posted outside of classroom and will become a class book for all to see.
We also made our very own tooth fairy pockets to prepare the very "first lost tooth." The boys and girls are so excited about this big event - some of us even felt loose teeth today. They did their own decorating and lacing. Many in our class said they were going to practice sleeping with their pockets under their pillow, just to make sure they could sleep. We also read a very funny book about a "sweet tooth." Ask your child to tell you about this cute story.

Pet Show & Tell

Next week is pet show & tell week. Don't forget to contact me as soon as possible to schedule a pet show & tell time for your child and their pet. It will be a brief visit and don't forget that any pet visiting our class must be child friendly. These are our family kitties. If you are unable to have a classroom visit, please send in a picture(s) for your child to share.

We Love Puzzles

This class of boys and girls is very smart. We love to do puzzles and find them very challenging. In fact, the traditional puzzles in our room were too easy, so we have graduated to smaller and more pieces. Here you see some of the students and the "harder" puzzles. (100 pieces to be exact) We work in small groups and find success when working together. Here are two of the girls and the puzzle accomplishment. Hooray for problem solving and "sticking to it."

This Is Our Little Mardi Gras

Today we celebrated Shrove Tuesday with a little "Mardi Gras" flair. Since we like to learn about people & places around us, we used Shrove Tuesday to learn a little bit about New Orleans and Mardi Gras. The children made some crazy hats and wore beads to celebrate Shrove Tuesday. They understand that this is they day to have lots of fun before Jesus starts his walk to the cross. It is almost too sad and overwhelming for them to think about the death of Jesus on Good Friday and they had to end every sentence with "but Jesus escapes the cross on Easter." What love they have!!!!!One of our precious boys said "you know I can't tell my mom about today because hearing that Jesus will be walking to the cross will make her cry." So - even though we are little - we do understand what the season of Lent is about. It was fun to eat pancakes and be a little silly because tomorrow Lent begins.

Washington & Lincoln

Do you think George Washington & Abraham Lincoln were friends? The children in our class just know that they had to be because they both valued "honesty." As you can see from the pictures, we had some "look-a-likes" demonstrate "Presidential friendship."

Happy President's Day from Mrs. Laura & Mrs. Julie's Future Presidents and Scholars.

President's Day

We have been learning about President's Day and some of our famous Presidents. The children talked about what it means to be President and painted their very own "Presidential self portraits." We also talked about the duties of our President and came up with our own thoughts about what he really does.
It is interesting that the children have an understanding of the difficulty of this job and 10 of us agreed that it would be really hard to THE PRESIDENT. Their self portraits are wonderful, as well as, their comments on life if they were president. These are posted outside of our class. If you have time, stop by to compliment your child on their great work.

Love Was In The Air

Here are some of the valentines that we made. If you take the hands out of the pocket and measure the length, it should be the arm span of your child in 2/2009. The children thought it would be really fun to make this keepsake hug to measure their own arms again when they are "all grown." They did a great job decorating their "valentine person" and some even wrote "I love you." Aren't we so lucky to have such beautiful children? God gives so many blessings all the time. I hope that you enjoyed your valentine treat.

Love Bugs

Valentine's Day is almost here and we are full of love for each other. We made love bugs to decorate our door. The children had the opportunity to create a "bug" from hearts and other items. They are really neat and just like your children, none are the same. The children are excited about exchanging valentines with each other and can't wait for our Valentine's party. This year we have spent a lot of time talking about what it means to be kind to others and how nice it is to have good friends. Valentine's Day reminded the children about the overwhelming gift God's love is to each of them and are trying hard to always let their "lights" shine.

Space Creation

We concluded our unit on space last week, but these collages are too beautiful not to share. The children did such a wonderful job and were really creative. The collage includes many different concepts and textures. I think their favorite is the moon. Since each piece is different, I wanted to showcase few on the blog.

Aliens Are God's Creation Too

To conclude our unit on space, we talked about other things that might be in space. Some of us shared our scared feelings of "alien creatures" but we all agreed that God creates all things good - so of course aliens would be nice and friendly. It is fun to use our imagination and figure out how all of creation is a helper for God. We also read a book, The Way Back Home, that showed a boy and an alien being friends and helping each other. Here are some of our other world creations. We did lots of beeping for alien communication. Mrs. Julie and I are not sure how this translates to English - so good luck at home.
This was a great unit of study. The children loved every minute of "space." Please continue this discussion at home with a review of the night sky for constellations, shooting stars and the wonder of God's love.

Playing And Learning

This is what our class is all about. We are learning together and having a great time. These are our smiling faces showing God's bright lights shining in our hearts. Just like the Sun is the center of our solar system, God is the center of our lives shining so bright that we are bursting with his love.

Kindergarten Registration Is Here

Please check with your child's elementary school. Kindergarten registration has started at schools in our district. You should be able to get registration dates from the school's website. Children must be 5 years old on or before September 1st. You will need to bring the following documents with you for registration: your child's birth certificate, immunization record, current driver's license and proof of residence (most recent electric bill.) Here is the website for Lexington District One, http://www.lexington1.net/ There is an icon on the bottom right of the screen for schools. You can get website information, as well as phone numbers for your child's school. It is a good idea to take your child to the school for registration. It makes the transition exciting and helps them understand that they are really getting ready for kindergarten. You will not get information regarding assigned teachers or supplies at the time of registration. Your school will set a date in July to disseminate this information to you. Have fun and praise your child for this big step forward in their life.