Blog for April 25 and 27

Our caterpillars are just about to turn themselves into chrysalises and we are looking at insects this week!

Table activities this week are bugs in beans, picking up rubber ants with tweezers, making bugs out of playdoh and creating paper bugs- three body parts, six legs!

Our letter this week is Ii for insect.

Some KDIs we are concentrating on are-

 Fine-motor skills: Children demonstrate dexterity and handeye coordination in using their small muscles.- using tweezers, writing, playdoh play, gluing all use those fingers and hands!

Classifying: Children classify materials, actions, people, and events.- Knowing the difference between bugs and insects- worms, millipedes, spiders- people call them bugs. Insects have 6 legs and three body parts- we look for that as we study bugs.

Jesus Time- Have you ever heard a story you just couldn't believe or you thought was too good to be true? That is where we see Jesus' disciple Thomas this week. The women were coming to the disciples with accounts of Jesus resurrection, the tomb was empty, the disciples were scared. Ten of the remaining disciples locked themselves in a room in Jerusalem out of fear of Jesus' enemies. Thomas was not with them, we don't know where he was, but he was a twin, perhaps he was warning his brother of what might happen. As the disciples were hiding out, Jesus appeared in their midst. He invited them to touch him, put their fingers where the nails had been, put their hand where the spear had entered. The disciples thought at first he was a ghost. He asked them for something to eat to prove he wasn't. They believed!
When Thomas rejoined the disciples, they told him what had happened and he didn't believe it. He said, "Unless I see the nail marks and put my fingers in them, touch his side and put my hand in the spear wound, I will not believe." Next Sunday evening, 11 disciples are locked in the same room, including Thomas this time, when Jesus appeared. He stood before Thomas and Thomas fell to his knees, and declared, "My Lord and My God!" Jesus invited him to touch and see and then he said, "Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed." That's us! We haven't seen Jesus, yet we believe in Him! We are blessed! Stop doubting and believe! May the Lord give us firm faith to weather any storm of doubt that may come our way!

Books of the Week- "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and "The Very Lonely Firefly" both by Eric Carle and "Diary of a Worm"  by Doreen Cronin.

On Wednesday, May 31st, at 6:30 pm- we will have Preschool Graduation. I would like to invite the three year olds to come and sing a song that they have learned also. It will be held in the church with a reception afterwards in the Multi-purpose room. The Graduation itself will only last about 1/2 an hour. An invitation will come home next Tuesday.

Have a blessed week!

Mrs. Schneck

Pictures

Last week we looked at eggs and I wanted to post some nice pictures of our friends playing with them! Thanks to all who came out to Domino Farms! It was a little damp, but still a fun time!

Blog for April 18 and 20

Happy Easter! I hope everyone had a wonderful day!

This week we are focusing on Easter on Tuesday. On Thursday, we will meet at 10am at Domino Farms for a petting zoo field trip. If you are not going on the field trip, there is no school.

Today in table activities we had an Easter sensory bin and baskets and printing with plastic eggs.

Our small group activity was making a chick with lots of gluing!

Our KDIs for this week are-

Diversity: Children understand that people have diverse characteristics, interests, and abilities.- We don't all do the same things or have the same traditions surrounding Easter, but we do all celebrate it!

Natural and physical world: Children gather knowledge about the natural and physical world. - As we pet animals on Thursday, watch our caterpillars, frog, guinea pig and plants grow and change and react to the world around them.

Jesus Time- He is risen! He is risen, indeed! We learn about Jesus' resurrection from the dead this week. Jesus was placed into a tomb provided by Joseph of Arimathea. The women who had followed Jesus to the cross made plans to further prepare his body for burial on Sunday morning, after the Sabbath. Jesus' enemies were still concerned that his disciples would try to steal the body and claim that he rose, so they pestered Pilate to place guards in front of the tomb and seal the stone. During the night, the ground shook, angels appeared and the stone rolled away. The guards fainted only to gain consciousness  later to see the tomb empty. When the women came, they worried about how they were going to roll away the stone, only to see angels who gave them the message that Jesus had risen and to go tell the disciples.
The disciples doubted the women's words, but Peter and John rushed to see what had happened. They saw the empty tomb.
Later, Mary Magdalene returned. She was weeping, trying to find her Lord's body, when he appeared to her and told her he was alive, just as he said!
We sang the song "Alive, alive, alive forevermore! My Jesus is alive, Alive forevermore! Alive, alive, alive forevermore, My Jesus is alive!!

Books of the Week- " The Happy Easter Book" by Josie Jones and "Today is Easter" by P. K. Hallinan.

See you Thursday at Domino Farms! 3001 Earhart Rd. Ann Arbor, MI

Have a great week!
Mrs. Schneck

Blog for April 11 and 13

Happy Easter, almost!
We aren't talking about Easter yet, I am saving that for next week. We are talking about and experimenting with something we see around at Easter and that is EGGS!

Table activities this week include play with and sorting plastic eggs, putting things in them, snapping them shut, finding their match, dot painting on Easter themed pictures, building with eggs and playdoh, and balancing eggs on straws.

Some KDIs we are focusing on this week are-

Drawing conclusions: Children draw conclusions based on their experiences and observations.- What lays eggs? Why are the babies in eggs? We took a look inside a chicken egg today and learned what was in it that helps babies to grow.

Fine-motor skills: Children demonstrate dexterity and handeye coordination in using their small muscles. - Matching eggs, putting them together, putting things inside them, building with them, all great for working fingers.

Jesus Time- This week's story is a difficult one- Jesus is before Pilate and is crucified. After Palm Sunday and his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Jesus spends the week teaching and preaching in Jerusalem, in the temple courts, all over! Jerusalem is packed full of people ready to celebrate the Passover, their annual remembrance of God leading the enslaved Israelites out of Egypt long ago. On Thursday evening, Jesus and his disciples are celebrating their Passover meal. Judas leaves to report to Jesus' enemies where he is and betrays him in the Garden of Gethsemane later that evening with a kiss. Jesus is arrested and taken to the Jewish leaders, but they do not have the power to condemn him to death. He is taken to the Roman ruler, Pontius Pilate, and Pilate is told that he claimed to be a king. Treason against the Roman Caesar! Pilate is stuck, he knows Jesus is innocent, but if word gets back to Rome that he let a man who claimed king go, he would be in trouble. He has Jesus whipped and beaten to try to evoke sympathy from the gathered crowd. Instead he is confronted with demands of "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" Pilate washes his hands to demonstrate that he is not taking responsibility  for Jesus death and hands him over to be crucified.
Jesus is so weak, he can't carry the part of his cross that they give him. He is nailed to the cross, but says, "Father, forgive them, they don't know what they are doing."
The only disciple who remains with him to the crucifixion is John. He gives his mother, Mary, into John's care. He asks for a drink. He tells the thief on the cross next to him that he will see him in heaven after that thief comes to faith. He cries out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" during the time of darkness from 12noon until 3pm. He proclaims "It is finished" when he has suffered for our sins and then says "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." Then he dies. All for us! We talked about Jesus being buried in a cave by Joseph and Nicodemus. But the kids would not let Jesus stay there, they wanted to know the rest! He is risen!! We will talk more about the next part of the story next week!It is a hard story to hear and understand. God bless your Holy Week! 

Books of the Week- "National Geographic Kids Ducklings" by Marfe' Ferguson Delano and "Daisy and the Egg" by Jane Simmons

You should have received a permission slip for Domino Farms today. That field trip takes place April 20th and the cost is $6 per student, which includes admission and animal feed.

The address for your GPS is 3001 Earhart Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48106.

There is no school on Monday due to Easter! Have a blessed Holy Week!

Mrs. Schneck

Blog for April 4 and 6

Hickory, Dickory, Dock, the mouse ran up the clock, the three year olds have just begun learning nursery rhymes, what fun!

We are talking about nursery rhymes this week.

Table activities are sensory bins this week- Humpty Dumpty, Itsy Bitsy Spider, I'm a Little Teapot and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star are represented.

Some KDIs we are concentrating on this week are-

Phonological awareness: Children identify distinct sounds in spoken language- Rhyming words and sounds especially this week.

Book knowledge: Children demonstrate knowledge about books.- As we read more books, which are true, which are stories, which are poems. They "read" them by themselves.

Jesus Time-We are listening to the story of Palm Sunday this week. This Sunday, April 9th, is Palm Sunday. We celebrate Jesus entering into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey which signifies peace. He came to bring peace between God and man by his sacrificial death on the cross. We talked about how the people shouting "Hosanna" were the same ones shouting "Crucify Him!" on Friday. Thanks be to Jesus that he continued on his journey to the cross for us.

Books of the Week- "The Itsy, Bitsy Spider" by Iza Trapani, "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep" and "There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe" both by Jane Cabrera. Mother Goose, of course!

Have a terrific week!!
Mrs. Schneck