I Love Hello Kitty

As a mother of two boys, living in a house with lots of male energy, my secret love is Hello Kitty. She is the cutest little kitty and her "pink" energy just brightens my sometimes totally camouflage world. Mrs. Holly drew this little card for me and I had to share it. She is such a talented artist. Thank you so much this wonderful gift.

Smiling Faces & Happiness

These pictures make me smile. Even gusty days can be fun on the playground. I know that I say it many times, but this class is so loving. We take care of our friends and work together. It is obvious that God's love abounds in our room.

Rocket Boys

Our moms are on the ball. These t-shirts fit our theme perfectly. Way to Go Moms!!!

Shape Rockets

Who can learn about space without making a rocket? We practiced our shapes by using them to create a rocket for our space journey. Our rockets are hanging above us in our classroom, to inspire us as we continue on our trip around the universe... tomorrow - the milky way.

It Is All About Space

We are learning about space this week and are making our first unit folder. It is such a great theme and the children are excited about learning amazing facts about God's creation. They did a great job with the cover of their folders - this is the space window and this is what they imagined they would see.

Do You Know Your Telephone Number?

Our check in has changed!!!It is now our phone number. We made these really cool phones to practice. The children can't wait to bring these home on Thursday. They have been practicing calling each other and even had to make a phone case to keep them in.

Time For Kindergarten Already?

Yes, it is already that time. It is time for kindergarten registration. I honestly cannot believe how quickly this year has passed. If you did not already register your child for the language immersion program, it is now time to enroll your child for public kindergarten. You may check the Lexington District One Web Site for registration information. (http://www.lexington1.net/) To enroll your child, you need to take your child's birth certificate, immunization record, your most recent electric bill/statement and your South Carolina driver's license. This is a big step for you and your child. (The tardy bell rings at 7:45am - really!!!! And dismissal isn't until 2:20 pm) It is a good idea to take them with you as you start their "big school" journey. Make it a fun event and take pictures. The mother in me will advise you that you really will never pass this way again with your little one, because they will grow over night and look totally different. Love them, Love them, Love them....they grow up so very fast.

Do We Look Lost?

These little guys turned out so cute. This was part of the unit on penguins and the children just love them. We let these guys practice sliding on their tummies, waddling and even swimming. (In our imaginations of course.) They work with the little reader that we practiced reading in class. They were so just cute all huddled together before sending them home. I think the expression is "how did we ever arrive here?" I can't believe that I didn't have the camera when the children were introducing their penguins to each other and having such wonderful imaginary conversations with each other. They were all playing on the rug, sharing conversations and making their penguins do all kinds of exciting things. If you can believe it, most of them couldn't wait to get these penguins home to introduce to their sock snowmen we made two weeks ago. This is the business of childhood...just playing.

Our Class Has A Dream

After talking about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. we did this art project. It is so funny to see how completely foreign this subject is to the children in this class. They do not understand why people are treated differently based on looks, socioeconomic status, disability, etc.... They just love each other and all people. Now - they do have their moments of controversy, but overall - we are the same. It was really inspirational to hear them share their thoughts on "getting along with each other" (as I finally had to explain.) Children are much wiser than we give them credit. God made us all special and wonderful and unique - so who would think that was a bad thing, right? Embrace differences and grow in His love - that is what it is really all about!!!!

Can You Find Your Last Name?

This school year is flying by quickly and we are now putting everything together. Morning check- in is changing from finding our initials to our phone number and we are seated on the rug by our last name. Little things are hard to learn and master - so take some time to practice these at home.

"Overwhelmed by the Brightness"

Our family took advantage of the long holiday weekend and went snow skiing. It has been a long time and I had totally forgotten how bright the snow can be. It made me think about our Bible verse for the month - "When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy." Matthew 2:10-11. Of course, this was during the day, but I was just overwhelmed with the beauty of it all. I imagine that is how the star of Bethlehem appeared to the shepherds and wise men on that Christmas night long ago. Here are my handsome boys in their warm, snow gear. They are ready for the Winter Olympics. Go Team USA!
If you are interested, this slope is located in Maggie Valley, NC. It is not a long drive (about 3 hours) and is a small, safe, family friendly environment. This is Cataloochee Ski Slope. Lodging is not expensive and it is worth your time. If skiing isn't your thing, there is also a family "tube" run at the bottom of the mountain. If you think your children are too small to learn, lessons are free if you rent your equipment at the slope. (Ask me about the three year old snow boarder.)
http://www.cataloochee.com

Jesus Loves The Little Children...

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr., here are some friendship pictures. It is such an amazing thought that Jesus loves us all - no matter what, no matter where, no matter what we look like. We teach our children to show this kind of love to everyone, it is crazy to think that Dr. King had to work so hard to get this idea across. Children show us how to get along - they see things so differently. We are blessed with such a loving class. Thank you parents for a wonderful job.

We Love Snowmen

These smiling faces will brighten any cold winter day. These are some boys and girls showing off their art work.

Well, At Least It Snowed In Our Room

We had a family of snowmen, snow women, snow boys and snow girls invade our classroom. The children loved making these sock snow friends filled with rice. Since we don't get much snow around here, this was a fun way to bring the "snow" inside. (And these little guys will last longer than winter - no risk of melting.)

We made snow globes with glittery snow. Since we didn't get any snow yesterday, this will have to do. Happy Weekend!

It Is COLD

We took a quick trip to the playground to break the "cabin fever" of our classroom. We weren't out long, just enough to get some fresh air and do some much needed running. These are our freezing "polar bear" faces.

Warm and Cozy

During this cold month of January, our classroom is warm and cozy. The door is covered in mugs of hot chocolate and the ceilings are dangling with fuzzy mittens. Isn't preschool the best? The children are so excited about learning, especially since they know that the year 2010 holds the biggest even of their lives - KINDERGARTEN!!! Love every second with your child - see how time flies...?

Ice Skating?

If your child tells you we went ice skating today, we really did. Well - we used our imaginations and some paper plates. It wasn't bitterly cold and we had a lot of fun gliding and sliding around the gym. Since it is unusually cold here this week, we are using our gym time for some winter activities. Skating was a big hit and it was actually quite a work out. Stay tuned for more winter fun....

Snow Friends

We made some silly snow friends today. The children are so excited about the slightest chance that it might snow this weekend and are wishing really hard on their snow trees we made before Christmas. If you happen to come upstairs, take a minute to find your child's art work. We named our snow pal and even talked about fun things we could do if we had a snowy friend. Below is a classmate with his snow friend, Crayon. He said that if he had a real snow friend, they would play freeze tag together. If you had a snow friend, what would you do together? Happy Winter!!!