Tt is for tree.

 

This week we are looking at trees! Tt is for tree. Trees have so many different parts- bark, branches, leaves, seeds, homes for squirrels, birds and bugs. 

Our KDI for the week is Observing- Children observe the materials and processes in their environments. We will look and examine all the different parts of a tree and how wonderful a creation they are!

Table Activities- This week we experience a tree sensory bin, try leaf rubbings, play with sticks and playdough, button trees, log exploration and creating with leaves.

Small Group-This week we will use our fine motor skills to rip paper and make a tree, make a nature collage and add Tt is for tree to our journal.

Large Group- Bark rubbing, being like a tree and tree stump play are our large group activities this week.

Books of the Week- This week our books are "LeafMan" by Lois Ehlert, "Our Tree Named Steve" by Alan Zweibel and "As An Oak Tree Grows" by G. Brian Karas.

Bible Story- This week we hear the story of Abram/Abraham. Years pass after Noah and his family left the ark. The world fills with people and God chooses a family to set His plan of salvation in motion. God tells a believer named Abram to be the father of this new people. God instructs Abram and his wife Sarai to move to a new place that He will lead them to. Abram and Sarai pack up along with their nephew Lot and go where the Lord leads them. They have no idea where they are going, but they follow. God promises to bless the world through Abram. God leads them to a place called Canaan. He tells Abram that this is where he will stay and live and the land will be his family's after him. Abram was confused, he and Sarai were old, past the age of having children, and they didn't have any children. How would his family have this land if he had no family? God took him outside at night and asked Abram to count the stars. Abram couldn't! God promised Abram that he would have as many offspring as there are stars in the sky. God promised Abram that he would have a child! God promised Abram that he would be His God. God changed Abram's name to Abraham which means "father of many nations". When Abram was 100 years old and Sarai, who's now Sarah, mother of nations, was 90, they had a son. They named him Isaac because Sarah laughed when she was told she would have a child at the age of 90. God kept His promise to Abraham. We are the children of Abraham by faith! We believe that Jesus is our Savior, just like Abraham believed in the promise of Jesus.  Faith is a gift given to us by God through which He makes us His child! WE are children of Abraham and the children of God!

Ss is for superhero!

 

This week we tap into our super powers and explore how we handle our feelings and abilities!

The KDI of the week is Emotions- children recognize, label and regulate their feelings. This week we will look at our feelings and how we express them. If we are upset or angry, it is okay to have those feelings. How we act when we have those feelings is what is important.

Table Activities- This week we will have a superhero sensory bin, make superhero cuffs, use stickers  and paper to make a superhero scene, play with green hulk slime, superhero clay mats, matching superhero games and puzzles, superheroes and playdough and popsicle superheroes.

Small Group Activities- This week we'll decorate masks and capes, add Ss is for superhero to our journals and decorate our own superhero shield/frisbee.

Large Group Activities- We'll have a superhero obstacle course, run to the rescue races, role play in a box city and knock over cup towers with our shield/frisbees.

Books of the Week- "Even Superheroes Have Bad Days" by Shelly Becker, "Be a Star, Wonder Woman" and "Good Morning, Superman" by Michael Dahl.

Bible Story- Our story this week is Noah and the flood. Wow, Noah was a super hero! He stood up against evil and rescued his family through faith. By the time of Noah and his family, they were the only believers on earth. Everyone else had rejected God and gone their own way. God told Noah to build an ark. God gave Noah specific directions- what materials to use, how big to make it, etc. and Noah and his sons did what God said. This project took them a long time! People made fun of them. They weren't near water, why were they building a boat? Noah and his sons continued doing what God commanded. Eventually, the ark was finished and great quantities of food were stored. God sent the animals, at least two of every kind, to Noah to put on the ark. He then commanded Noah to get on the ark with his family. God shut the door behind Noah and kept him and his family safe. It rained on the earth for 40 days and nights. The earth was fully covered with water for 150 days. Finally, the ark came to rest on top of a mountain. There Noah waited for the waters to recede. He sent out doves and ravens to see if it was okay to leave the ark. When the dove returned with an olive leaf, he knew the time to leave the ark was close. When he sent out the dove and it did not return, he removed the cover from the ark and saw the ground was dry. God told Noah and his family it was time to leave the ark. Noah took some of the animals which he had on the ark and built an altar and sacrificed them to God to thank Him for taking care of them. God placed a rainbow in the sky as a promise that he would never again flood the earth and destroy it. Humans still did not listen to God, we still don't today. Yet, God extends our time of grace to see and know Him and believe in Him on this earth. We see God's judgement and law at work in this story, but we also see His grace. He saved Noah and his family and promises to send a Savior who will save us all!

Some pictures from our muddy week-

Mm is for mud!

 

I don't think we'll get quite as muddy as the little boy in the picture, but we will have fun playing with mud and exploring outdoors this first week of preschool! Bring an extra towel just in case!

Our KDI (Key Developmental Indicator) of the week is Initiative- Children demonstrate initiative as they explore their world. This week we are encouraging curiosity and exploration. Looking around at the different toys inside and outside, exploring the ways to play with nature-rock. mud, sand, sticks, etc. What can we do with...? How can we play with ...?

Table Activities- These are the activities provided at the tables at the beginning of the day- usually themed to go with the week's theme. They are also available throughout the day at free play time. This week we have mud playdough, nature sensory bin, mud slime, mud bricks to build with, mud/swamp play and making stone soup.

Small Group Activities- These are what we do together as a whole class at the same time. Tuesday we will fingerpaint, Wednesday we will add "Mm is for mud" to our journal, Thursday we will make mudpies.

Large Group Activities- These are activities we often do together that exercise our whole body (gross motor skills) and are often done outside. This week we will have mud play and a nature scavenger hunt.

Books of the Week- "Mud" by Mary Lyn Ray and "Harry the Dirty Dog" by Gene Zion. We'll read these books each day at meeting time. 

Bible Story- This week we hear about how God created the world and people. At the beginning, there was nothing! God said, "Let there be light!" and there was! God separated the light from the darkness and there was morning and evening, the first day. The next day God separated the water on the earth and the waters above. He called the space between them sky. And there was morning and there was evening, the second day. On the third day, God separated the water and dry land on the earth- he made oceans, rivers, streams, and dry land. On the dry land, he spoke and plants of all kinds began to grow, seed bearing plants, fruit bearing trees, all kinds of vegetation and there was morning and evening, the third day. On the fourth day, God make the sun to shine during the day and the moon and stars to shine at night. The sun, moon and stars would signal the seasons, days, months and years. It was morning and it was evening, the fourth day. On the fifth day, God spoke and fish and swimming creatures filled the waters and birds, insects and flying creatures filled the air. It was morning and evening, the fifth day. On the sixth day, God created animals, reptiles, mammals, amphibians, every thing that moves on the earth. Then he took some clay and formed a man, he breathed life into the man and named him Adam. God gave the man the job to take care of the garden He had planted and told him that he could eat of any tree in the garden, except for the two in the center- the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life. He also gave Adam the job of naming every animal. When the man had finished, he found there was no one like him. God knew it was not good for man to be alone, so he put Adam in a deep sleep, took his rib and created Eve to be his companion. God declared His creation to be very good. On the seventh day, God stopped creating and rested.  Adam and Eve lived happily in the garden, working for and talking with God. 

The Bible says that God created the world we live in in six literal days- morning and evening, each day. Adam and Eve were created perfectly at peace with God and with each other. We don't know how long that peace lasted, but it didn't last long. God desires that peace with all human beings, that is why He sent His son, Jesus, to restore that peace through His perfect life and innocent death on the cross. The restoration is made complete by Jesus rising again from the dead! We get to be just as close to God as Adam and Eve were through Christ! We are re-created through faith into New Adams and Eves! Every day we walk with our Father!

What a blessing!

God created the world with His Word in