Jj is for Jesus

This week we are listening and looking for Jj for Jesus. Our theme is candy canes because they are an upside down Jj.

Morning activities include experimenting with candy canes, coloring wooden ornaments, painting with candy cane cookie cutters, candy cane sensory boxes, ribbon and wrapping cutting, and candy cane patterns.

Small group activities include making a beaded candy cane ornament, decorating cookies, foam nativities and opening gifts.

On Wednesday, December 18th, the Monday/Wednesday/Friday class will be decorating cookies. I have enough for each child to decorate four cookies to take home or you can bring your own cookies to decorate. Parents, grandparents, etc., are encouraged to come, but they don't have to if they are not able to make it! I have powdered sugar frosting and lots of sprinkles. We will start decorating around 10:30. They will be doing their gift exchange on Friday.

On Thursday, December 19th, the Tuesday/Thursday class will decorate cookies at about 10:30. I have enough for each child to have four cookies to take home or they can bring their own to decorate. Parents, grandparents, etc. are welcome to attend! After we decorate cookies, they will be doing their gift exchange.

Jesus Time- This week we hear the story of the Wise men coming to see Jesus in Bethlehem. At the time Jesus was born, magi in the East saw an unusual star. They had been taught about the promised Messiah by people who had been around at Daniel's time. He shared the good news of a promised Savior with them. When they saw the star, they decided to follow it to see the new king. It took them about a year of traveling to make it to Jerusalem, the capital city of Judea, where they assumed the king would be. When they questioned citizens of Jerusalem, King Herod was alerted of a new king's birth and he was not happy. He, and he alone, was the king. Herod had  the wise men brought in and questioned them concerning the star. He had his wise men look up prophecies to see where the king would be born. They came upon a prophecy in Micah that said the king would be born in Bethlehem. He set the wisemen from the East on ahead to find the newborn king, with instructions to return and tell him where the child was. The wisemen continued to follow the star when it came to stop over a house where Mary, Joseph and Jesus were living. The wisemen entered, worshipped Jesus and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Then they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod because he wanted to harm the child. Joseph and Mary were also warned in a dream of Herod's coming and they fled to Egypt until King Herod was dead.

Books of the week are "Once Upon a Clear, Dark Night" by Jeffrey Burkart, "Candy Cane Christmas" by Helen Haidle and " J is for Jesus; The Sweetest Story Ever Told" by Crystal Bowman.

On Sunday, please come to church 15 minutes before your chosen service! We will meet in the 1st and 2nd grade room, which is down the hall, across from the girls' bathroom.

I will not be at school Wednesday-Friday this week because one of my daughters is graduating from college in Minnesota. I will be here on Sunday for the Christmas Service. If I don't see you, have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year! See you in 2020!!