Carpentry

In our talks about Jesus as a little boy, the children learned that Jesus was a carpenter and he learned carpentry skills from his father, Joseph.  In the Bunny Rabbit class the children have frequent experience with wooden things.  To learn more about carpentry the children painted wood and created a class sculpture.  We're pretty sure Jesus didn't have plastic paintbrushes or wood glue, but still we recreated what basic carpentry was like.

We read a book about tools and what each tool does and then we had tools to try out.  The children are very familiar with hammers - we use them often!  They also got to try out sandpaper.  By far the most favorite tool was the hand drill.  Oh my, there was a long waiting list for that hand drill! 

At home, don't be afraid to put real tools in your children's hands.  With some simple safety demonstrations, they can be quite confident with tools.  Using the same tools that adults use gives the children confidence and a sense of control.  Go for it!

Growing Up

Marking birthdays is a significant builder of children's self worth.  It proves to them that their entrance into the world was so wonderful it is worth celebrating.  We celebrate birthdays in the Bunny Rabbit class in a non-traditional way.  We don't share a big sugary snack with party napkins and balloons and treats.  There are other environments for that kind of celebration.  At school we send home a birthday journal for each family to add a photo and a simple explanation of how they celebrated the child's birthday.  The ways people celebrate birthdays are as varied as can possibly be!  Over the years we have read of simple poignant celebrations of grateful prayers offered on behalf of the child.  We have read of elaborate birthday parties with children, food and entertainment at every turn.  And we have read of everything in between.  Each is significant in the life of a child and we learn so much about families by sharing the journal.

Unfortunately we don't know how or even IF Jesus' family celebrated his miraculous birth and birthday.  During our talks about Jesus' childhood, we noted that he had birthdays, and we had a little wooden cake in the class.  We didn't sing or make a big deal of it, but the children had fun assembling and decorating this little cake.

Guess What? Jesus Grew Up!!

Through the years we have learned that most children know Jesus was a tiny baby born in a stable.  They also know Jesus was a grownup who did wonderful things. 

Most of them are super surprised that Jesus was a little boy!

We have a fantastic book called If I Had Lived in Jesus' Time.  It shows drawings of modern life and ancient life.  It's perfect for comparing and contrasting they way we live today with the way Jesus lived.  The Bunnies were amazed that Jesus probably slept on a mat on the floor - no bed!!!  Jesus' mother, Mary, probably wove mats and she probably taught Jesus how.  In our class, the children learn to sew.  With the right tools, they can be very successful.

We use burlap, a large embroidery hoop, a plastic needle with a big eye, and some colorful yarn or other fibers.   We use simple repetitive directions like "Go up from the bottom and down through the top."  Easy and fun!

 This little Bunny, who normally is rather soft spoken, said "Mrs. O'Connor, I realllly like sewing!"

We will have sewing out from time to time for the rest of the year.  By May, we'll have a lovely colorful mat.

5 Little Monkeys

At SLC we have some fantastic prop bags that go with some of our favorite stories for children.  The 5 Little Monkeys is popular one because everyone knows the song and story so after a short large-group experience, they can have fun independently. 

One little Bunny was brave enough to put on the Mama mask and boy is she CUTE!

Puzzling

One Monday morning Mrs. Magee and Mrs. O'Connor put out a huge pile of puzzle pieces. 

From this ridiculous pile, the children are supposed to create 15 smaller word puzzles.  Each piece has part of a picture and one letter of one word.  We gave them minimal instruction and walked away.  Thinking this was a conceptual stretch for the Bunnies, we had very low expectations. But guess what?!  We noticed a number of children floating over to this activity and we saw exciting things!

This photo shows the work in progress and a short while later every puzzle was solved!  Each child just did a little and the next built upon the work of the previous child - sometimes alone and sometimes in duos or trios.  We were surprised and delighted and we will absolutely be doing more of this kind of activity!

Fun and Games

We have been gradually introducing the Bunnies to simple childhood games, and they are really loving them.  Playing games may seem very simplistic and basic, but you'd be surprised at how many skills are required, both to even grasp the concept and to be a participant.
Here's a small list:
sophisticated turn-taking
impulse control
ability to follow multi-step directions
a developing sense of fairness
directionality
delayed gratification
sportsmanship
perseverance
ability to hold more than one attribute in mind at a time
sequencing - both of actions and movement of play
understanding of cause and effect
well-developed receptive and expressive language

Wow - playing simple board games can have a big effect on development and it is a powerful way to build relationships in a family.  Try it at home!