Merry Christmas!

Well, there wasn't a dull moment today but then again, with a class full of boys I don't think there ever could be.  They were busy and wild and constantly touching one another.  Maybe in some ways, they were just getting into the Christmas spirit. 
Today, we celebrated Andrew's birthday and Jesus' too.  Laura supplied the pizza and the cookies for all of us to enjoy. I do think that we all enjoyed it. 

We read about the star today and we discussed why we still put stars on our Christmas trees today.  The children decorated star ornaments with their pictures on them. I took pictures of the finished product but had forgotten to do so until Ryan and Logan left. Also, I remembered the journals today but left all of my sheets inside that were supposed to go in the journals.  I'll add that when we are back together in January. 

Our print script activity today was about Christmas.  I asked each child what makes Christmas special to him/her.  Here are the responses: 

"My choo choo train that I got when I was three-years-old.  I like playing with it."  Andrew

"Opening Presents."  Ryan

"Santa Claus brings me a Percy train." Bennett

"God and my family, Christmas cookies, and Christmas trees."  Logan

"Going downstairs and seeing what presents are there."  Jackson

I hope that the children sleep well tonight.  I know that I will.  We had a busy day together and although it was somewhat crazy, it's times like today that I learn about how patient my Heavenly Father is with me.  He never gives up on  me and he's more than patient as I grow.  I'm thankful for what he's done in all of our lives this year, over the past four months.  Thank you for sharing your children with me.  I love each of you and your children.  Merry Christmas!  See you back at preschool in 2010.   

What God Wants For Christmas

Today we read the story, Ordinary Baby, Extraordinary Gift.  This story makes me tear up every time I read it.  Fortunately, we listened to the author's recording of the story so my voice only cracked when I sang the song at the end of the tape.  The book has beautiful illustrations and tells the story of why Jesus came as a baby.

Prior to reading, we opened seven boxes to find out what God really wants for Christmas.  Each box included a figurine such as Mary, Joseph, and Gabriel.  Each figure tells a story about the first Christmas.  The 7th box was a mirror.  What God really wants for Christmas is us!  Before we did this activity, I asked the children what they thought God wanted for Christmas.  Here are their hilarious responses:

"A bubblemaker."  Bennett
"A small thing." Ryan
"A big jacket like him."  Andrew
"Good smiles on our faces when we open presents."  Jackson

We finally were able to go outside today.  Jackson and Andrew found a stream of water in the woods and all of the children enjoyed seeing it.  I did wish that I had raincoats and rainboots for all of them so that they could play in it.  It reminded me of my childhood when we used to go outside after a big rainfall.  Maybe we can do that another time! 

Even though we went outside today, we did a lot of music and movement.  The boys seems to benefit so much from this.  We ended the day with a calm activity, shaving cream.  I think everyone will sleep well tonight.

Enjoy the posted pictures.  See you next week! 

We kicked off our Christmas crafting activities this past week.  The boys sure seemed to enjoy our first craft/art project of the month.  Each one decorated pine cones with shimmery sequins, Christmas buttons, and white snowy glitter.  I was so impressed with how much attention they gave to this project.  They worked a lot longer than I thought that they would.  Check out the picture that is posted of the finished product. Didn't they do a wonderful job?

Our story for the day was, O Christmas Tree.  We learned how the evergreen reminds us of how God's love for us lives on forever.  We learned about the tradition of decorating Christmas trees which was started by the pastor, Martin Luther.  We learned how he puts lights/candles on his tree, a tradition that continues today.  We talked about how the lights remind us of how Jesus is a light in a dark world. So many of our traditions actually have religious meanings. 

We played a Christmas matching game in which the children had to match the number of stars on each card to the corresponding card with the same number.  We also used flannel board Christmas pieces for the children to pretend with and during music, we rode on a sleigh with our jingle bells.  Now, if I can just remember to put the Christmas tree in the classroom this week! 

This upcoming Wednesday, we will decorate glass Christmas ornaments.  This is an activity that the children enjoy every year.  We have one more Wednesday left after this week.  That's our extended day so plan on getting your last minute shopping in that day.  I'll have the kids from 9:30-3:00. We'll be celebrating Andrew's birthday that day with pizza and desserts and we'll watch a Christmas movie together.  Mark your calendars!

Check out the music and movement pictures.  Due to another Wednesday rainfall, we had to do some extra music, movement and tumbling.