Grace Garden Preschool

"You Got a Friend in Me", the popular song from Toy Story, was played a lot this week in our classroom.  The Dragonflies are familiar with this tune and embraced its simple message.  They were thrilled to pass out Valentines to all of their friends and place them in the special mailboxes that we made.   "Love is patient; love is kind” has been our class mantra and we have seen new friendships developing.  Hearts were still our focus this week.  We painted large pink and red hearts on the easel.  The Sensory Table had foam hearts hiding in sparkly shredded cellophane.  We made shaving cream pies and decorated them with hearts and fished out floating hearts with our nets.  Our project this week was to create a memento with our special friend and will be completed next week. 

For our Special Areas this week:

Garden:  We had a chance to check on our pansies and are all eager to see the  flowers bloom! 

Chapel:  Pastor Amy played the guitar, as she does each week, and we got to sing our favorites. The lesson this week was about us feeling love.  She had a basket of personal items that make her feel a certain way when she wears them; such as a funny hat that makes her feel silly, a shirt from a marathon in San Francisco and more.  Then she held up an invisible item for us to see.  It could become the hat of "kindness" or turn into the socks of "patience".  Finally, over all of our invisible qualities we wear the covering of "love".  Love is what we feel for Pastor Amy and her wonderful stories.

Music:  Ms. S taught us some great songs about love and friends, including “Love Me Do” by the Beatles, and "Sing Out Loud She always makes our time together fun!

Amy and Ava found delicious red snacks for us this week.  We enjoyed the strawberries, watermelon, grapes and other goodies to go with them.  We thank you from the bottom of our hearts and tummies.

Next week our Unit will be Dental Health, which comes at a perfect time after having all of the sweets from Valentine's Day.

With grateful hearts,
Ms. Mary and Ms. Jessica

"Love is patient, love is kind..."  1 Corinthians 13:4

This is one of our favorite passages in the Bible.  Pastor Amy used this chapter in Chapel this week.  It sounds easy but is difficult to practice daily.  The Dragonflies and their teachers have been focusing on this for the past few weeks.  We are hearing more kind words exchanged in the classroom.  The children are learning to take deep breaths before acting on impulse.  Patience is especially required during lunchtime when everyone needs help at the same time.  Our patience song helps them calm down until it's their turn.  This particular week we turned our attention to love.  Our students have enjoyed preparing for one of the biggest days of love, Valentine's Day.  The letter "V" was highlighted and words starting with that letter.  Play-doh was cut into hearts and formed into letters of the alphabet.  The big activity was making our mailbox for all our valentine cards.  We counted hearts, sang about them and even played a game with them.  The children were excited to marble paint hearts for the decorations hanging in our classroom.  We are just about ready for the big day.  Our new placemats were made today.  Love is definitely in the air.

For our Special Areas this week:

Garden:  Some of our pansies have blooms.  We are hoping to see some flowers next week.  The pink hyacinth is still in bloom.

Chapel:  Pastor Amy selected four Caterpillars to demonstrate the "resounding gong and clanging cymbal" from the Bible verse.  Without love this is the sound we hear.  With love in our lives we hear beautiful music.

Music:  Ms. S taught us some fun songs about Valentine's Day.

Daddy/Daughter Dance:  We wish you a fun night.  We are looking forward to seeing the photos.

A heart- filled thank you to Arden and Denise for the delicious snacks.  The rice cakes were a big hit!  We would also like to thank Leslie for organizing our new snack chart and our Valentine activity.

Next week we will continue the Love theme and add Friendship.

Lots of love,
Ms. Mary and Ms. Jessica

The Dragonflies enjoyed another week of dinosaur fun and exploration.  Everywhere you look in our classroom, you will see dinosaurs.  The Sensory Table was filled with sand and dinosaurs.  (The children never get tired of playing with sand!)  We have two large paper-stuffed dinosaurs hanging from our ceilings,  "Harry" and a new friend named "Lyla".  The dinosaur eggs are finished with baby dinos glued on.  The "long-neck" dinosaur art project was a hit with the children.  They were excited that the brads they used helped to move the neck, tail and legs.  In Circle Time we played "hot dinosaur" and changed out the dinosaur in the center to learn their names.  Another game we played was hide and seek with our large dinosaurs.  We also made fossils that will be ready to go home next week.  And we baked cookies with dinosaur footprints stamped on them.  To complete this fun week, Macey and Maya read us their favorite book called Dinosaurs.

For our Special Areas this week:

Garden:  We had a chance today to see how our newly planted pansies are doing.  We are thankful for the rain.

Chapel:  Pastor Amy showed us five dinosaurs and talked about how each one is special in their own way.  By using their unique characteristics they learned how to live with each other.  She taught us that we all have gifts to help us to live with one another.  One of these gifts is our words and the other gift is love.  We sang "Thankful" and our favorite "Bub, Bub Bubbling" song.  We end our time together with the "Shalom" song.

Music:  Ms. S had our favorite dinosaur songs ready for us.  She is trying to include more action songs so we can get the wiggles out! The Dragonflies are always ready to move and dance. 

Next week our Unit will be Valentines/Love. 

Happy Groundhog Day,
Ms. Mary and Ms. Jessica

We have indeed had a ‘roaring’ good time this week learning about dinosaurs.  "Harry the Dinosaur" visited our classroom.  So far, he hasn't eaten anyone's snack or lunch.  Our Sensory Table has turned into a dinosaur dig with lots of wet sand.  The easel was used to paint a large cracked egg, and next week we will complete part two of this art project.  The Dragonflies use dinosaur stampers in our play-doh and used large play dinosaurs to create footprints in our clay.  One of our favorite messy art activities was sponge painting dinosaur footprints on a large sheet of paper.  We used brown paint and some of the children were sure it was chocolate.  Luckily, no one tasted it!  The letter "Dd" was highlighted in our dinosaur pocket activity with word cards.  To further enrich our learning environment on dinosaurs we read books, sang songs and completed a large puzzle.  To end this dinosaur week we created a friend for Harry.

For our Special Areas this week:

Garden:  We had to wait for a break in the weather to plant our pansies today.  Each child enjoyed digging and placing their plant in the bed.  We can't wait to see the flowers.

Chapel:  Pastor Amy told us the story of Creation using small beautiful paintings.  We then sang a thankful song using the names of three dinosaurs.  The Dragonflies sang the "bubbling song" all the way back to the classroom.  It's one of their favorites.

Music:  Ms. S had some dinosaur and activity songs prepared for us today.

Jay supplied us with delicious snacks.  Mamie had lots of help from Jay who picked his favorite treats.

Our classroom was blessed with some extra special visitors this week:  Maya and Hyder's grandparents were introduced to the class at pick up time.

Next week we will continue our adventure with Dinosaurs.

Have a "roaring" good weekend,
Ms. Mary and Ms. Jessica

Rrrrrrrr!! The sound of sirens could be heard in our room this week.  We started off the week learning about Firefighters.  On Tuesday, our Sensory Table had a fire station, firetrucks and shredded yellow paper for pretend fires.  We painted on the easel with yellow and red paint to create a fire scene complete with a firetruck to the rescue.  The children delighted in seeing what happens when you mix those colors together.  Then of course, we needed a firefighter's dog puppet to complete the experience.  It was fun to hear the names they came up with for their dogs.  Stop, drop and roll was practiced in the Fellowship Hall with a Circle game.

On Wednesday, our Sensory Table turned into a construction site with styrofoam pieces, golf tees, goggles, hats and play hammers.  Luckily the only thing that got hammered was the styrofoam.  We were excited to paint our half of a paper plate that was turned into a police car.  We had made a graph with the title, "Which would you rather be?" Police officer and firefighters were the class favorites.  Today we finished up the week learning more about dentist and taking care of our teeth.  The Dragonflies now have a large paper toothbrush with a poem to remind them to brush.  New songs and stories about Community Helpers added to our fun filled week.  We had a fire drill this morning and afterward our Birthday Pep Rally.  We had one Dragonfly who was honored at this event, Arden.

For our Special Areas this week:

Garden:  Our garden area is a little cleaner thanks to lots of little hands that picked up leaves.  We managed to fill a large leaf bag halfway after we compacted them.

Chapel:  We were blessed with the return of Pastor Amy.  She told us the story of Moses and the Laws God gave him for his people.  The two she concentrated on were Love God and Love your neighbor as you love yourself.  It was a joy to sing our favorite songs with her again.

Music:  "The People in our Neighborhood," a Sesame Street favorite was added to our song list.  Ms. S always comes up with the perfect songs for our unit of study.

Thank you Eli for the delicious fresh fruit and popcorn.
Next week we will have a "roaring" good time as we go back in time to the land of the dinosaurs.

Let's stay healthy,
Ms. Mary and Ms. Jessica

The Dragonflies started the week off with a New Year's celebration.  Our Sensory Table was filled with bells, party hats and reams of shredded yellow paper.  We were so excited to see one another again which added to the party atmosphere.  Our students did a good job getting back into their school routine.  We painted large circles with ‘Happy New Year! 2012’ and silver glitter paint.  Our New Year's activities were completed with our megaphone craft project.  Then it was down to the business of Community Helpers.  We played a game matching the items each Helper uses in their jobs.  On Wednesday we talked about bakers and what they do for us.  Our Sensory Table was filled with the ingredients to make a cake including plastic eggs.  At Circle Time we listened to the story of the Gingerbread Man.  We sampled some gingerbread men cookies and then made a gingerbread man stick puppet.  The Dragonflies were ready to retell the story to their families.  Today we concentrated on the Postal Carrier and had activities and games to learn more on this Helper.

For our Special Areas this week:

Garden:  The Dragonflies were eager to see what shape our garden was in after such a long break.  They were amazed to see things growing.  We spotted some tulips just starting to come to the surface.  The children then cleaned up the area by picking up handfuls of leaves.

Chapel:  There was no school wide Chapel this week. 

Music:  Ms. S taught us a great 911 song and then we played a musical guessing game on Community Helpers.

A big thank you to Ava and Karen for the yummy snacks.
We will continue learning about Community Helpers next week.  So many Helpers and so little time, I'm glad we have more time to explore and learn.

Cedar season is in full bloom.  Let's all stay healthy.

Happy 2012,
Ms. Mary and Ms. Jessica

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in our classroom.  Our sparkly trees and poinsettias decorate the walls.  Stocking hang by the “fireplace.” Books about Christmas fill our bookshelf.  Holiday window "clings" decorate our glass doors. Hand crafted snowflakes dangle from the ceiling.  Laughter fills the air as the children played with toys.

This week, the children had fun searching for "presents" on the Sensory Table. The holiday book project was completed and ready to be shared with family.  We danced the Reindeer Hokey Pokey till we dropped from exhaustion.  The children practiced their songs to sing for our birthday celebration.

On Thursday, we were finally ready to celebrate Baby Jesus's birthday! Our decorated birthday presents were in the hall around our handprint Christmas tree. It was a sweet sight to see them gather around the birthday cake to sing "Happy Birthday" to Baby Jesus. What a special gift they gave to the grownups in the room, a gift to remind us of our own childhood memories.  What joy!

For our Special Areas this week:

Garden:  We cleaned up the bed and took out our freeze damaged squash and basil plants.  Some of the children really enjoy picking up the dried leaves and trash.  We look forward to planting more seeds and plants in the spring.

Chapel:  Ms. Sally graced us with her special energy. She tells great stories and amuses us all. The story was about the First Christmas with Mary, Joseph, shepherds, the angel and precious Baby Jesus.  Then we sang one of our favorites, "I Just Want To Be A Sheep".

Music:  Ms. S. had us singing some favorite Christmas classics.  We love to play with the jingle bells.

We thank Macey and Maya for the delicious cheese sticks and cheddar bunnies.

When we return on Jan. 10, our unit will be Community Helpers.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas with your family and friends. Our prayers are with you for safe travels. May 2012 be filled with blessings, joy and good health for all.

Ms. Mary and Ms. Jessica

We can feel the excitement building as Christmas approaches.  The change in weather adds to this festive time.  It was fun to see the Dragonflies bundled up in their coats, hats and mittens.  They came in ready to learn and play.  We have been finishing up our "Winter Holidays" project.  The children have enjoyed finger painting, painting with brushes on the easel, gluing and getting to use lots of glitter.  (Our floors are sparkly from all the glitter!)  Our Sensory Table was turned into a construction site with sand, small rocks and trucks. We used Play-doh to make "cookies" using Christmas shape cutters. We read lots of fun holiday books. One of our favorites was It's Christmas David by David Shannon.  Today we talked about holiday celebrations around the World.  The Dragonflies were amused to hear Merry Christmas in different languages.  Or maybe, they were amused by our attempts to say Merry Christmas in different languages.  Regardless of the reason, it was fun to hear them laugh.  

For our Special Areas this week:

Garden:  On Wednesday we inspected the damage done by the frost.  The children were shocked to see their wilted squash plants.  Our basil plant did not survive either.  Luckily, the peppermint and strawberries looked good. 

Chapel:  Ms. Sally read us the story, God Gave Us You.  To illustrate the message of this book, she brought a large mirror for the children to see themselves.  They all enjoyed hearing how special they are.

Music:  Ms. S. taught us some new holiday songs: "Silent Night", "Feliz Navidad" and the "Twelve Days of Christmas".

Leslie, thank you for the snacks and organizing our new snack rotation.

Next week our unit is, "Christmas."  We'll celebrate with a birthday party for Baby Jesus next Thursday.  You will receive more info on this event next week.

Stay warm and healthy,

Ms. Mary and Ms. Jessica

The energy and excitement of the holidays could be felt in our room this week.  Thanksgiving was long forgotten and Christmas was the new topic.  Getting into our theme of "Winter Holidays" was easy.  The Dragonflies were introduced to two new holidays, Kwanzaa and Hanukkah.  We had fun counting the candles that represent these celebrations.  Our bookshelf had books that showed us more about these special times in December.  Our Sensory Table transformed into a winter wonderland.  The children had a blast driving their cars and trucks through snow created by foam.  We changed up the driving conditions by adding ice and sand.  The season of winter was seen in our art projects: new placemats, snowflakes and a snow scene with trees.  We will use the snow scene in a book we're making for the holidays. 

For our Special Areas this week:

Garden:  We took a train ride in our wagon to see the whole bed.  Our mint plants are coming back after the hot summer.  The basil plant is still growing.  Our squash plant has several blossoms.  We are eager to see the squash.  The Ladybug's radish plants are thriving.  Ms. Kym pointed out the lovely Passion Ivy that is wrapping around the fence.  We can't wait to see the purple flowers in spring.

Chapel:  Was canceled due to an event at St. John's Church.  Ms. Jessica read a Bible story from a special book given to her by her grandparent's when she was a little girl.  Then we sang some of our favorite songs.  We also said a prayer for Pastor Amy.  She has just recently had surgery and will return in January.

Music:  Ms. S. used our theme and found some fun songs for Kwanzaa, Hanukkah and Christmas.  We look forward to the visuals she makes to go with the songs.  She is truly a gifted artist.

Julie and Will, thank you for the delicious snacks.

Next week our unit is, "Christmas Around the World." 

Another book we read this week was Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney.  It's a great story about this busy time of the year and the stress we can all feel.  The antidote for this condition is cuddling with our Mama.  So remember to cuddle your little Dragonflies even more in the weeks ahead.

Take a deep breath,
Ms. Mary and Ms. Jessica

It is a time to pause, reflect and be thankful.  The Dragonflies are an active group of children; pausing was the hardest thing to do, but they did manage the other two.  One of the activities this week, the creation of the centerpieces for the Thanksgiving Feast, required the children to come up with things they are thankful for.  Each centerpiece has five turkey feathers; each turkey feather has an expression of thanks.  The children took their time to come up with their answers.  It was amusing watching their faces as they were thinking.  Our Thanksgiving tree is in the hall; it has leaves decorated by our students for all the people they are thankful for at Grace Garden.  The children enjoyed deciding where to place all those leaves.  It was beautiful to see that being thankful and expressing thanks came easily for all of them. 

In our classroom, turkeys could be seen in our Sensory Table, on our walls and among our toys.  We made a book, Where Is Turkey?, and then played an exercise game with "Tom the Turkey".  The Dragonflies learned a poem, as well as a new Thanksgiving song...and, now, we are ready for turkey day.

For our Special Areas this week:

Garden:  Due to the rain we saw our plants thrive, at least a little.  We were thrilled to see several yellow flowers on our squash, even though the rain had knocked off a few of them.  The children had a chance to smell the basil plant and some of them thought it smelled yucky.

Chapel:  Pastor Amy started us off with song and prayer.  She then told us the story of the "Five Grains" using five kernels of corn.  This helped us to remember the First Thanksgiving and how grateful they were for the bounty of food.

Music:  Canceled due to our Thanksgiving Feast.

Thank you for sharing your time with us on Monday for our Parent Conferences.  We enjoyed visiting with each of you.  We can never say it enough, thank you for sharing your children with us. 

The Dragonflies enjoyed the goldfish crackers provided by Jennifer and Merrill for snack time.

Our unit when we return after Thanksgiving will be Winter Holidays.

We wish you a blessed Thanksgiving,
Ms. Mary and Ms. Jessica