Ll is for leaf.

 

As fall arrives and leaves fall from the trees, we're going to look at and listen for the sound of Ll and play with leaves!

Our KDI for the week is the Natural and Physical World- Children gather knowledge about the natural and physical world. We will look at leaves and see what colors they are and where the veins are in our leaves and hopefully find some still bursting with chlorophyll. 

Table Activities- Table activities this week include making leaf prints, cutting leaves, a leaf sensory bin, painting on leaf shapes made of color diffusing paper, making sticky leaves, playdough leaves and leaf rubbings.

Small Group Activities- Our small group activities for the week include making a "Leafman", hunting for and sorting leaves, adding Ll is for leaf to our journal and making a leaf collage.

Large Group Activities- Large group activities this week include a leaf toss, a leaf hunt in the field, pounding a leaf, parachutes and leaves and an outside sticky wall.

Books of the week- "Leafman" and "Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf" both by Lois Ehlert and "We're Going on a Leaf Hunt" by Steve Metzger.

Bible Time- Our story this week is about David and Goliath. Last week we heard about Samuel and when he grew up he would be the last judge of Israel. Israel decided they wanted a king, just like the other nations around them. The king they chose was Saul. Saul was a tall, king-looking man, but that did not make him a great king! The Israelites were at war with a people called the Philistines. At the time of our story, the Israelites were camped on a hill on one side of a valley and the Philistines were camped on the hill on the other side. Several times a day, the Philistine's champion, a giant named Goliath, would come and challenge the Israelite army to send someone to fight him. He was over 9 feet tall and a seasoned warrior. Goliath mocked the Israelites' God and made fun of them and God! David was a shepherd who had already been chosen by God to be the next king of Israel. He was still a boy and his older brothers were part of the Israelite army. David's father, Jesse, had sent him to bring them supplies. When David arrived at the encampment, Goliath happened to be in the valley mocking God and daring someone to come fight him. The Israelites were all hiding in their tents. David could not believe his ears!! No one was fighting this God-mocker??!! No one was standing up to him!? David volunteered to fight him! Saul, the king, called David to his tent and encouraged him to put on his armor to be protected (maybe to make it look like Saul was doing the fighting) David refused, the armor was so heavy, he couldn't even move! David went up against Goliath in the same way he fought against the lions and bears who came to attack his sheep. He took 5 smooth stones and his sling shot and went to meet Goliath in the valley. Goliath laughed when he saw David- "Am I a dog that you come after me with sticks?" David proclaimed , "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head.
And David took one stone, put it in his sling and struck the giant in the head and down Goliath fell!
At that point, the Philistines began to run! The Israelites chased after them and defeated them. God had secured the victory for the Israelites through a boy named David!

God has secured our victory too, through his son, Jesus, who defeated death and sin for us on the cross!!

Here are some pictures from pumpkin week-

Pp is for pumpkin

 

This week we are listening and looking for the letter Pp and playing with and exploring pumpkins!

Our KDI for the week is Emotions- Children recognize, label and regulate their feelings. Faces on Jack-o-lanterns give us practice in labeling our feelings and getting to make faces on paper pumpkins give us the choice to match our feelings to the pumpkins.

Table Activities- The table activities for the week include pounding golf tees into pumpkins, pumpkin slime, a pumpkin sensory bin, creating paper pumpkins, pumpkin playdough, bead pumpkins and pumpkin and water play.

Small Group- We will investigate pumpkins, add Pp is for pumpkin to our journal and go trick or treating classroom to classroom.

On Thursday, we are going to go trick or treating from classroom to classroom. If you are not able to attend on Thursday, we will take the few that can't and go trick or treating with them. You can dress up in your Halloween costume either Wednesday or Thursday. We will be having Pumpkin themed fun all week long, so no one will miss out on everything!

Large Group- We will be doing some pumpkin bowling, pumpkin bucket toss and pumpkin dancing!

Books of the Week- "Pumpkin Heads!" by Wendell Minor, "Spookley the Square Pumpkin" by Joe Troiano and "Pumpkin, Pumpkin" by Jeanne Titherington.

Bible Story- This week we jump way ahead, the Israelites have been in the promised land for some time, even though it took forty years to get there because of their lack of faith and disobedience. God has been ruling them through judges who tell the people exactly what God wants. They don't listen and many troubles have come to them as a people because of their disobedience. Our story today is about the last judge, Samuel. Samuel's mother was a God-fearing woman named Hannah. Hannah had no children for a long time and it made her very sad. Each year, she and her husband would go to the tabernacle (church) and worship God. They would bring offerings and she would beg God for a child. One year, she was sobbing and distressed and the priest came to her to find out what was going on. The priest's name was Eli. When Hannah told Eli her troubles, he assured her that God had heard her prayers and at this time next year, she would have a baby. Eli was right and Hannah had a baby that next year! For the next 5 years, Hannah stayed home, raising her son, Samuel. During Samuel's 5th year, Hannah went with him to the tabernacle again and gave him into God's service. From now on, Samuel would live at the tabernacle with Eli and learn to be a priest and servant in God's house. Hannah would come visit him every year and bring him a new coat to replace the one he had grown out of. Can you imagine?? Begging God year after year for a  child and then, when they are 5, sending them to live away from you? That's what Hannah did and she loved Samuel so much. Even though we don't send our children away from us, it is so important to keep in mind that they are God's children, not just ours! WE have a responsibility to raise them for service in His kingdom and to stand for what is right in a world filled with what is wrong. Only by being in the Word of God daily can we have the strength to raise up men and women for God!! They have battles to fight that we know nothing about in the future! Make sure they know who their creator is and what he did to save them!!

God be with us as we try to meet this task!

Have a super week!

Just a couple photos from this week!

Ff is for feathers.

 

This week we are listening for the sound of Ff and exploring with feathers.

Our KDI of the week is Fine Motor-Children demonstrate dexterity and hand-eye coordination in using their small muscles. We will bead feathers, cut feathers, lots of small muscle practice this week!

Table Activities- Table activities this week include sticking feathers in colander holes, looking at feathers with magnifying glasses, cutting feathers, experimenting with oil and water (like ducks preening their feathers), feather beading, feather sensory bin, and cutting paper feather shapes.

Small Group- We'll look at different feathers and their uses, paint with feathers, add Ff is for feathers to our journal and glue feathers on a bird shape.

Large Group- We'll try to make wind with flight feathers, catch feathers as they fall, dance with a feather and play feather hide and seek.

Books of the week- " Feathers: Not Just for Flying" by Melissa Stewart and "Birds" by Kevin Henkes.

Jesus Time- Our Bible Story this week follows Moses as God has now given him the job of asking Pharaoh to let God's people go. Moses asks Pharaoh and Pharaoh refuses. After each refusal, Moses tells Pharaoh that God will make something bad happen to Egypt and he does. God sends 10 plagues to fall on Egypt- the water turns to blood, frogs cover the land, small insects infested everything, flies filled houses, sickness killed many animals, people came down with painful sores, a powerful hailstorm came, thousands of grasshoppers came and ate the crops, and complete darkness covered all of Egypt. After each of these plagues came, Pharaoh asked Moses to pray to his God to make it go away and then he would let the people go. Each time, Moses prayed and Pharaoh changed his mind. Finally God sent a plague that would take the life of each first born child in Egypt. After this Pharaoh told them to go!! Still he changed his mind and pursued them to the Red Sea. There God made the sea part so that his people could pass through, but made it come crashing down on the Egyptian army and Pharaoh himself! Finally, God's people were free!! The children of Israel continue to celebrate God's deliverance each year on Passover! We also are set free, not by Moses, but by Jesus, who shed his blood and covered us with his grace!!

Pictures from our bubble week-