Week 1: September 1-3 - "It's Good to be Back"
It’s Good to be Back
Nothing compares to the feeling of the first day of classes. Getting the clothes on that morning. Hopping in the car and getting that little nervous feeling in the tummy that comes at the thought of seeing old friends and meeting new ones.
I’m not sure how the kids felt, but that was certainly what Viviana and I were going through this past Wednesday and Thursday as we launched SEEDS and THE GARDEN. We have been preparing for so long, that it was surreal to finally be with the kids…ALL of them…IN PERSON!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
But as always, both days were absolutely wonderful, full of the grace of God’s Spirit upon the Center, the smiles of children’s faces running through the re-vamped playground, and the delicious produce sent by more than one family that blessed our dinner table. Truly, this week was a delight.
THE GARDEN
What better way to kick off this new program than worshiping the One who created all things! We sang songs about creation and reviewed what God made each day. After saying goodbye to the parents, the children practiced how to properly wash their hands before going inside to have a snack. When we moved to our main classroom we discussed how to take good care of our classroom materials during our morning meeting as part of our introduction to our first activity together: drawing. We rejoiced at the end of the day when we heard an exuberant Juan Diego tell his mom, “we did many things!” May the Lord guide us as we work and play in the first year of The Garden.
“¡Hicimos muchas cosas!”
SEEDS
In Science this week we introduced the two themes of the year: Zoology and Botany. We have many animal lovers in our classes who are excited to learn more about animals and their kinds. On Wednesday, we worked on our first student sheets to review on what days God created animals and plants. On Friday, the kids were excited to decorate their Science journals (a class favorite) with animals and plants of their choosing. They will continue adding to this journal throughout the year.
We began our study of History with the age of exploration, specifically learning about the voyagers Leif Ericsson and Christopher Columbus. While almost 500 years separated the expeditions of these men, we saw how both of them experienced many challenges in their travels and were pioneers who did things no one (that we know of) had done before. We made our timelines and sailed some homemade ships to imagine the excitement of setting sail for the first time.
We hope that you’re kids had an amazing time as well. We look forward to seeing you all again next week.
SEEDS supplemental readings can be found below.
Supplemental Readings for SEEDS
The Last 500 Years - pages 6-7: “Exploring the World”
American Pioneers and Patriots - pages 1-5; 6-8; 9-12 (Chapter book great for read-alouds!)
Guide to God’s Animals - pages 8-11; 32-33; 68-77 (skim these)
The readings above are NOT homework. They are optional readings to reinforce and review with your children the topics covered in their previous classes. If possible, make these readings cozy, comfy, fun, and an activity that the entire family can enjoy together. Kids may even just enjoy skimming these pages on their own, and looking at the pictures. A post-it or an index card will help them find this week’s sections.
