Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Carpentry

 In January we spend a little time talking about Jesus as a little boy.  We talk about how his father Joseph was a carpenter and Jesus learned from him.  To reinforce the idea we surrounded the children with wooden items.  In the photo above, a Bunny is dying small wood pieces to be used in a class sculpture.
 We had colored pencils that were made of twigs in the office.
 We had wooden trains and tracks and by this point in the year we typically see some really intricate track creations.  This Bunny was just getting started, but eventually he used almost all of the track pieces to cover the rug!
We had wooden games such as this number numeral matching game.

In our modern world where plastic is plentiful, we strive to keep natural items in the children's hands as often as we can.  Wood feels different from from other materials, and working with wood is something people have done since the beginning of time.  It connects us to our past and gives children a glimpse into the life of Jesus in a tangible way.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Upside Down Day

Upside Down Day is an annual event in the Bunny Rabbit Class. We have a mid-January Monday holiday so when we come back on Tuesday, we celebrate Upside Down Day. The whole thing is based on the book, Silly Sally.
The Bunnies painted Silly Sally at the easel with thin paintbrushes.
Puzzles and games were under the table. Changing the orientation and position of the children's bodies requires them to use different muscles than they would use if they were sitting upright in a chair.

They had the opportunity to play with doll houses under the table.  I think I heard the words "secret hideout" a time or two.  :)
The real purpose of Upside Down Day is to have fun, celebrate the absurd, and shake things up a little bit.

Monday, January 6, 2014

Blessings




Mrs. O'Connor and Mrs. Quinn hope that each of you had a wonderful Christmas season and that the story of Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus lives in your heart and in your home all year long!

Happy 2014!