Grace Garden Preschool

The Caterpillar room has been bustling with activity this week as we decorated our classroom for Christmas! The beautiful garland that the Caterpillars made last week is now joined by a Christmas tree, made of everyoneʼs handprints, and a cozy fireplace.

Over the next several days, weʼll be making ornaments to decorate our tree and
stockings to hang by the fire. We have also been learning about how other countries and cultures celebrate Christmas. The Caterpillars now have a fairly good understanding of the globe, so we looked for the different countries we talked about. On Tuesday, we made poinsettias and talked about how they are a traditional symbol of Christmas in Mexico. We also got a visit from Felixʼs mom, Nina, who taught us about Swedenʼs St. Lucia tradition. We even got to taste an authentic St. Lucia treat, lussekatter, a sweet roll made with saffron and raisins. Finally we talked about the German roots of the tradition of Christmas trees. The children loved hearing the story Mr. Willowbyʼs Christmas Tree by Robert
Barry, which tells the story of a tree too big to fit in Mr. Willowbyʼs house. He solves the problem by cutting off the top, which starts a chain reaction of Christmas cheer. Other books enjoyed by the children this week include Who is Coming To Our House?  by Joseph Slate and Ashley Wolff and Christmas Tree by Florence Minor.

Our big activity this week was attending the Scottish Rite theaterʼs presentation of A Very Fairy Christmas Carol. The Caterpillars were so excited to go on their first field trip and we all enjoyed the performance.

Next week will be super busy! Weʼll be talking about reindeers, gingerbread and other fun ways to celebrate Christmas. On Thursday next week, weʼll have a Pajama Day and decorate gingerbread houses! Thank you to all of the parents for donating all the ingredients for the gingerbread and the candies for decorating! It will be so much fun!

Have a wonderful weekend,
Ms. Katie