Week 12: November 30 - December 3 - A Humble Dwelling Place
A Humble Dwelling Place
This house has stood the test of time…and is still greatly loved.
It was the surprise gift of 2014. Olivia, Joshua, and Emma’s grandfather had brought it over and the twins, ages 5 and Emma, aged 2 couldn’t wait to play inside. They entered the little house, played, imagined, and the rest is history.
The house pictured above that you see Eden and Elena playing in has been with us quite a while. It has been a much-loved part of our family and now is a staple at The Well Center of the Arts. It’s been through a lot (In 2017, Hurricane Maria hit and that little house was 2 feet under water!), but we love it and LOVE to see new children play in it still.
In fact the other day, I commented to Viviana how of all the new equipment we have purchased or built for the Center, this piece seems to get the most attention from the kids. They love it just the way our own kids loved it way back when.
In this time of year when so much of the world remembers that in a little town of Bethlehem, Jesus was born into the world, this humble house reminds me of the humble dwelling place in which our Lord chose to come. I’m not just talking about the humble stable in which he was born, but the fact that the God of all creation came in the little body of a Jewish baby…and not many people even noticed.
Pictured: Little Emma, giving her smile of approval at the store; the house in the river of water outside of our front door; the kids doing laundry in the months after the storm without electricity; the girls having a spa day; the house as a lookout for exploration and adventure.
Even though our playhouse is old and slightly broken, its worth comes from the fact that it is loved greatly. In this time of remembering the birth of the Savior of the world, let us remember that even though we are broken by sin, our worth comes from the fact that we are greatly loved by the Father whose love was so great that He gave his only begotten Son that whoever believed in him would not perish, but have eternal life. He has made his dwelling place among us. Our Emmanuel.
Our current memory verse:
““Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us).”
THE GARDEN
The kids watch as Miss Vivi uses her muscles to pour lots of water into the water table.
COOL DISCOVERY THIS WEEK! A plant growing inside of the compost bin!
Something special happened at the Well Center on Garden day. The well had water! It was awesome seeing Elena’s face as she saw Olivia filling up a bucket of water with water from the well.
This week at the Garden, Miss Vivi started discussing the story about Jesus being born, our Messiah. She taught how in the beginning, after God created the world, for many years the people were waiting for their Messiah, their Savior. There were messengers called prophets who announced Jesus’ birth to the people. God also used an angel as a messenger to tell Mary that she would bear a child and it would be God’s son, the Redeemer. At worship, we also learned new songs the children really enjoyed.
This week we had fun at the big park and introduced at activity time: the collage. At play time in the Garden patio, the children enjoyed playing pirates and the princesses. For the collage, the kids ripped paper using their hands and made a piece of art. On another day, they made their collage art using coil paper. The children also enjoyed activity time at the water table which was filled with water beads. How fun!
SEEDS
Isaí makes his presentation on the African Pangolin.
It was the amphibian’s turn this week in Zoology class. We discussed the characteristics of amphibians and the three major groups of amphibians: frogs and toads, salamanders, and caecilians. This last group of amphibians were intriguing to all since there is not as much information about these limbless, snake/worm-like creatures. The kids loved looking at videos of how they move around and eat. They were also mesmerized by a unique salamander called the Axolotl. It’s permanent smile and cute eyes were a sensation! It was no surprise that this amphibian was included in many of the kids’ journals on Friday. Isaí also shared a lively and interesting presentation of the Pangolin to the older students.
We had an awesome time this week in History learning about India. In the 17th and 18th Centuries, India went through many changes. From being an incredibly wealthy independent nation ruled by strong sultans and shahs, to collapsing and falling under the control of the British, we went through a lot of history in a short time. But the kids mostly enjoyed learning that the classic game, Parcheesi, finds its roots in India. In fact, the kids made their own board games to take home. We also learned about the amazing history of the Taj Mahal. The kids in class were inspired by the amazing architecture of this famous mausoleum and built their own versions with blocks. Derek and Cedrick, although being away, sent some pictures to add to a new feature that we will be calling: “Our Virtual Timeline!” Click on the timeline to watch a short video about the Taj Mahal.
Click on the image above to watch the video. - Credit: MocomiKids
Our Taj!
Emma, Elise and Carolina work on their palace.
Supplemental Readings for SEEDS
The Last 500 Years
pp. 10-11
pp. 38-39
American Pioneers and Patriots
Now that we’ve learned what’s been going on in Europe in the change from the 1600s-1700s, read about French pioneers in the Americas during the same time period:
Unit 5: pp. 53-66
Guide to God’s Animals
pp. 80-81
Special Prayer Request! - Please pray for our upcoming missions trip to Spain. Miss Ana will also be joining our family…December 27-January 8.
More photos from the Week
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