Blog for April 24 and 26

This week we are studying water and listening for the sound of Ww.

Our table activities include water play with sponges and cups and boats, making puddles of colored water with pipettes and soaking them up with cotton balls, playing "Itsy, Bitsy Spider" going down spouts (gutters).

Small group activities are making a rainy window painting and making cloud and raindrop names.

KDIs for the week are-

Alphabetic knowledge: Children identify letter names and their sounds- Listening for sounds that sound like their name and listening for sounds like Ww which is not in its name at all.

 Natural and physical world: Children gather knowledge about the natural and physical world.- Observing how water can be moved from place to place-carried in a cup, soaked up by a sponge or cotton ball. How water changes its shape.

Jesus Time- This week we are hearing about Jesus' ascension. Jesus had appeared to his disciples and others many times in the 40 days after his resurrection. He was on the beach one morning while his disciples were out fishing, just like they used to do before. They weren't having much luck. So he called out to have them put their net down on the other side. When Peter realized it was Jesus, he through off his coat and waded back to shore. After they had eaten, Jesus called Peter over and asked him three times if he loved him. Peter replied that, "Yes, Lord I love you!" Jesus asked him to feed his lambs and sheep. When the time came for Jesus to return to heaven, the disciples and others were gathered around him on a hill outside Jerusalem. Jesus gave them their mission- Go and tell the whole world about me! I will always be with you until the end of the world! As he raised his hands to bless them, he was lifted up into the sky and the disciples stood there watching until a cloud hid him from view. As the disciples were staring up, two angels appeared and reassured them that Jesus would come back the same way he went up. May God keep us in His word and in His grace until He returns!!

Books of the week- "Worm Weather" by Jean Taft and "Let It Rain" by Maryann Cocca-Leffler.

Hoping to still get an animal visitor in soon, but field trip to Camp Killarney on Wednesday, May 9th! Information coming soon!

Have a fantastic week!

Mrs. Schneck

Blog for April 17 and 19

We are rockin' it this week! This week we are looking at and talking about rocks, real rocks and rocks with pretend magical powers, metamorphic rocks and sedimentary rocks.

Table activities include rock explore, rocks and water, tracing letters with rocks and pop rocks in unsweetened whipping cream.

Small group activities are rock painting and making a metamorphic rock snack.

KDIs for the week are-

Observing: Children observe the materials and processes in their environment.- Looking closely at the rock with a magnifying glass, seeing what happens when you drop a rock in water.

Natural and physical world: Children gather knowledge about the natural and physical world.- We will be talking about how rocks form.

Jesus Time- This week we hear about Thomas. The first time that Jesus appeared to his disciples, Thomas wasn't with them. Even though we don't know for sure where Thomas was, we do know that he was a twin. I like to think that he was giving his twin brother a heads up as to what happened to Jesus and what might happen to Jesus' followers. When Thomas returned, he didn't believe that Jesus really rose from the dead. He stated, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”(John 20:25) 
The disciples were locked in the room once again when Jesus appeared one week after his first appearance. This time Thomas was there. Jesus went right up to Thomas and said, Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” (John 20:27)
Thomas proclaimed, "My Lord and My God!"
Jesus then gives a blessing to us by blessing those who have not seen, yet have believed! How blessed we are that the Holy Spirit works faith through the Word in us!

Our books of the week are -"Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" by William Steig and "Stone Soup" retold by Heather Forest and illustrated by Susan Gaber.

Have a fantastic week!

Mrs. Schneck

Blog for April 10 and 12

Welcome back! I pray you had a blessed Easter!

This week we are looking under! Underground, under water, under rocks, houses, under everything. We are listening and looking for the letter Uu.

Table activities are playing with dirt and looking for worm, making little habitats for dinosaurs, bugs and fairies, playing with "dirt" playdough and coloring under the table.

Small group activities are looking to see what's under the ground with a plant. We looked at what was above the ground like leaves or flowers and then guessed what was underneath. We saw lot of roots that looked like spiderwebs or strings hanging down under the plants. We will plant a seed under the ground and wait for it to grow.

KDIs of the week are-

Observing: Children observe the materials and processes in their environment.- We look and pay attention to things we don't normally see, underneath.

Pretend play: Children express and represent what they observe, think, imagine, and feel through pretend play- As week pretend to build homes for fairies and dinosaurs, pretend worms and bugs are real and use our imaginations!


Jesus Time- This week we hear about how Jesus appeared to the disciples on their way to Emmaus and in the locked room in Jerusalem. The women had seen angels in the tomb and told the disciples what they said- Jesus is Risen!! The disciples still doubted the women's words. Ten of the eleven were locked in a room, fearful of the Romans, despondent over the death of their teacher, hopeless. Two other followers of Jesus were walking to the town of Emmaus, about 7 miles away from Jerusalem. As they walked, they talked about the events of the past week, Jesus triumphal entry, his betrayal, his trial, crucifixion and death. A third man joined them and asked what they were talking about. They  were amazed that he hadn't heard about the news in Jerusalem, so they filled him in. As they walked, he asked them questions about Jesus, leading them from Old Testament prophecy to prophecy, showing how Jesus was the fulfillment of the promised Messiah. They stopped to eat and invited him to sit with them. As he lifted the bread to bless it, their eyes were opened! THEY HAD BEEN TALKING TO JESUS THE WHOLE TIME! He disappeared from their sight and they ran back to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples what they had seen. Jesus also appeared among the 10 in the locked room. He showed them his hands, feet and side and asked for something to eat to prove he wasn't a ghost. Thomas was missing. Jesus blessed and encouraged his disciples! There is so much more proof, but we believe without seeing. Jesus calls us blessed!!

Books of the week are "Over and Under the Pond" by Kate Messner and "and then it's spring" by Julie Fogliano.

Have a spectacular week!

Mrs. Schneck

Blog for March 27 and 29

This week we celebrate Easter!

Our table activities include an Easter sensory bin, jelly bean graphing, egg towers and playdough eggs.

Small group this week is making watercolor eggs and matching the letter on the egg.

KDIs of the week are-

Alphabetic knowledge: Children identify letter names and their sounds.- Matching letters and the letters in our names.

Writing: Children write for many different purposes- We are going to start working a little harder to trace our names in the morning and holding in the right grip.

Jesus Time- This week we hear sad and glad news! We start off on Maundy Thursday, when Jesus shares a final meal with his disciples and gives them a new commandment- "Love one another". He also gives them his body and blood with the bread and wine at the institution of communion. He sends Judas on the way to betray him and takes his remaining disciples into the Garden of Gethsemane. In the garden, Jesus asks his disciples to keep watch with him as he goes further on to pray. Jesus prays and asks God the Father if there is any other way that he can pay for the sins of the world. He is in agony over his coming death. Even though he wishes there were another way, he submits to the will of the Father. He prays three times, each time coming back to check on his disciples, who have fallen asleep. Finally, he wakes them up and lets them know that it is time for him to be arrested. Jesus is arrested, taken before the court of the Jews and the Gentiles and he is condemned to death for claiming to be the Son of God. The Roman soldiers beat him and mock him, put a crown of thorns on him and force him to carry his cross. Jesus is nailed to the cross and hung between two thieves. Even now, he forgives those who nail him to the cross, he forgives and dies for the sins of those who mock him. He assures the thief who repents that he will see him in paradise. He suffers for the sins of all people of all time, your sins and my sins. The sky turns dark, the earth quakes, the thick curtain in the temple is torn in two, dead people rise and come out of their graves. "It is Finished!"
Jesus commends his spirit into his Father's hands. Two of Jesus secret disciples, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, take Jesus body, wrap it in linen and put it in a new tomb carved from the rock, like a small cave and roll a stone in front of the opening. Roman soldiers are sent to guard it so no one can steal his body and claim that he rose. Some women who are followers of Jesus plan to come and complete the preparation for his burial. When they return early Sunday morning, they worry about who will roll the stone away. When they arrive, the stone is gone and so is Jesus. One of the women is frantically looking for the gardener to ask him what happened. The other women approach the tomb. When they do, they see angels as bright as lightning who ask why they are looking for the living among the dead? "He is not here, he is risen just as he said. Go and tell his disciples." They do just that! Mary, who was looking for the gardener, sees a man and asks him where Jesus' body has been taken. The man says, "Mary." and Mary sees that it is Jesus!! He is risen!! He is risen, indeed!

Books of the week- "The Easter Story" by Allia Zobel Nolan, "Happy Easter, Little Critter" by Mercer Mayer and "An Easter Alleluia!" by Anita Stohs.

Next week- NO SCHOOL-SPRING BREAK! Classes for 3's resume April 10th!

Have a wonderful Easter! He is risen! He is risen indeed!
Mrs. Schneck

Blog for March 20 and 22

This week we are listening for quiet. Qq is for quiet, and what is quieter than a butterfly? Soft and silent, we'll learn about butterfly life cycles, their symmetry and colors.

Table activities this week include butterfly collage, butterfly matching, The Very Hungry Caterpillar hole punch activity and making a butterfly suncatcher on contact paper.

Small group activities are painting and folding a symmetrical butterfly and making a butterfly life cycle.

KDIs of the week are-

 Phonological awareness: Children identify distinct sounds in spoken language- focusing on the unique sound of Qq

Natural and physical world: Children gather knowledge about the natural and physical world.- We will learn about symmetry and life cycle this week. 

Jesus Time- This week our story takes us to the beginning of Holy Week. Jesus is welcomed as a King on Palm Sunday. Jesus plans to go to Jerusalem with his disciples where he knows he will be put to death. The disciples don't really understand what is happening yet. Jesus asks his disciples to go borrow a donkey for him to ride into Jerusalem on. A King riding on a donkey symbolized that he was coming in peace. Jesus was coming to make peace between us and God. Jesus rode into Jerusalem, people lined the streets and waved palm branches at him, shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord." They thought that Jesus was coming to overthrow the Romans, but he was really coming to overthrow death, hell and the power of the devil for us. As he rode into the city further, some Pharisees (men who opposed Jesus) criticized his followers. Telling Jesus that he needed to tell them to be quiet. Jesus told them if they were made to be quiet, the very rocks would cry out! Hosanna means 'save us'. Jesus was ready to go to the cross to save us all!

Books of the week- "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle and "The Butterfly Book" by Michael Berenstain.

There is a lot going on this week-

Tomorrow, Tuesday is Kindergarten Round-up. Invite friends to come see what our program is all about from 6:30-8:00pm. 

Thursday and Friday- Parent Teacher Conferences- if you wish to have a conference, please sign up at
 http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a4aa8a82fa6fc1-parent

Saturday- Easter for Families- Come start your Easter celebration together with the Easter story, crafts, songs, snacks and games that the whole family can enjoy! 9:30-11:30am

Have a fantastic week!
Mrs. Schneck

Blog for March 13

Even though it is a short week, we still filled today with fun experiments!

Table activities were mixing oil and water, a marble track and some sensory bottles.

Our small group activity today was "The Humpty Dumpty" experiment. We took hard boiled eggs and each student chose a substance to put in a ziploc baggie, we then added Humpty and predicted whether he would break or not. Then we dropped him to see if our guesses came true. We had bags filled with playdough and jingle bells, pompoms and foam balls, duplo people and feathers and rocks! We had fun experimenting!

Our KDIs for the week are-
Observing: Children observe the materials and processes in their environment.
Classifying: Children classify materials, actions, people, and events.
Experimenting: Children experiment to test their ideas. 
Predicting: Children predict what they expect will happen. 

Jesus Time- This week we hear about the ten lepers that Jesus healed. Leprosy was a horrible disease in ancient times. There was no cure, you had to leave your family and friends for the rest of your life so they wouldn't catch the disease. You lost your ability to provide for your family. It was horrible. Ten lepers had heard the stories of Jesus of Nazareth healing people and they thought it was worth the chance to ask to be healed. They came upon Jesus and his disciples walking along the road and called out to him, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on us!" Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priest, that way they could be made clean. As they walked toward the priests, they were healed. Only one man turned around and ran back, fell at Jesus feet and thanked Jesus for healing him. Jesus asked, "Weren't ten men healed? Where are the other nine?" Jesus told the man his faith had made him whole. 
How often aren't we like those nine men, so busy to be on our way that we forget to thank Jesus for all the little miracles he gives us every day. Thank you Lord for this fine day, right where we are!

Our books for this week are "Ada Twist, Scientist" by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts and "What is a Scientist?" by Barbara Lehn.

Field trip to the Michigan Science Center on Thursday. Book order due Friday.

Also, Saturday, March 24th we are having Easter for Families! This is a family Easter event- we are having storytelling, songs, games, a craft and a snack- all for free. It will run from 9:30-11:30am. Tell your friends! A flyer will be sent home next Tuesday!

Have a great week!
Mrs. Schneck

Books of the week for experiments

Our books for this week are "Ada Twist, Scientist" by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts, "What is a Scientist?" by Barbara Lehn, and "Odd Boy Out, Young Albert Einstein" by Don Brown.

Also remember to sign up for Parent Teacher conferences if you wish to at- Parent Teacher conferences

Thanks!!