He who comes to Me...will NEVER go hungry...

All of us know what it is like to feel hungry. In both The Garden and Seeds, we would venture to say that snack time may be one of the most favorite moments of the day for the kids! In fact, as we baked apple pies with the Garden kids and bread buns with the Seeds, we saw this all the more. Tummies rumbled, lips were smacked, and mouths watered. But just like our physical bodies crave food for survival, our spirits crave the spiritual nourishment that can only be provided by God through his Son, Jesus Christ. When Jesus said, ”I am the Bread of Life, he who comes to me will never be hungry and he who believes in me will never be thirsty…” we learn that there is a nourishment that goes beyond any we can receive in this world. To place our trust in Jesus means that for eternity, we will be cared for and we will have everything we could ever need, because we will have Him. HE is the bread. HE is the life.

In the picture above, Roi is seen eating the soft bread we made on Wednesday (along with the homemade butter we churned ourselves, pilgrim-style), which was very different from the hard unleavened bread we had on Friday, as we talked about the type of bread Jesus ate with his disciples in what is known as the last supper.

Keep practicing our hymn for this month: “Cuando Andemos con Dios” (in English - “Trust and Obey”)

“I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to me will never go hungry and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”

— Memory Verse: John 6:35

THE GARDEN

How to make an apple pie and travel the World!

Alicia mixing up the filling.

This week we had loads of fun! Starting with making some mini apple pies.

The children had the opportunity to cut apples, mix in the cinnamon, sugar and salt, give form to the dough, and set it in the baking pans. They were very excited for the results and they all commented on the delicious smells that came out of the oven. When they finally got a chance to taste the apple pies, there were 4 thumbs up approving of the pies and only 1 thumb down.

In worship, Mrs. Vivi had a fort prepared for a lesson on Psalm 91. The children learned how God is our refuge and strength in times of trouble and understood that in every moment, God’s protection is over them like the feathers of a mother bird. At the big park, the children got to play for the first time with the parachute. When they hid underneath the parachute we asked them "Who protects us?" And they would shout, "Jesus!!" The kids followed instructions so well at play time!

For activity time we introduced drama for the children. They had so much fun acting out the book: “Are you my mother?”. Also, the kids used playdough to make nests and placed eggs inside as we talked about the story.

SEEDS

Although we had planned on beginning the study of birds in Science this week, several students urged me to take some time to look at other favorite mammals, namely the Felidae (Feline), Canidae (Canine) and Equidae (Equine) families. We celebrated the diversity within each family or animal kind and discussed Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and natural selection in light of Scripture and God’s amazing design in the animal kingdom. Some were new to the concept of evolution but even those who had heard of this theory before were able to engage in a meaningful discussion as a class. At the end of the week, they chose which family they would choose to fill their last mammal page in their science journals. This was hard for many of them as these families hold many of their favorite animals! We also officially kicked off our Zoology presentations with Emma sharing about the Greater Bilby, a marsupial found in Australia. The kids were a great audience and listened attentively. We look forward to seeing more presentations in the upcoming weeks.

This week in History, we learned about a major event in British History, one that definitely affected the settlers in the Americas and that was the killing of a king! In the early 1600’s, the Catholic supporting King Charles I had been found guilty of treason after a terrible civil war and was executed. This was bad news for the settlers like Lord Baltimore of Maryland (pictured in Joshua’s drawing), who had been granted a charter to settle the colony of mostly Catholic people. England spent the next few years as a Commonwealth under Puritan law, which was favorable for many of the Puritans in many of the other colonies. Eventually though, England restored the monarchy, and Charles II was brought back to England to be king. The joy didn’t last long during his reign, as both the Black Plague and the Great London fire devastated much of England. On the continent of Europe, religious division was also the basis of a war that lasted 30 years! The kids were shocked by all these major events happening in a relatively short time, but began to understand how world events are always connected, even when they occur an ocean away. Yet despite all these things, we can trust that God is in control over all and ALWAYS has the whole world in his hands.

Supplemental Readings for SEEDS

American Pioneers and Patriots
- P. 52 - Learn the Names of the Great Lakes - H.O.M.E.S.
Trial and Triumph
- (This book is one from last year, but connects to some things we talked about this week; if you have it, see if you can squeeze these readings in)
  - p. 167 - Gustavus Adolphus
  - p. 181 - John Bunyan
The Last 500 Years
- P. 18 - The Thirty Years War
- P. 16-17
Guide to God’s Animals -
- pp. 16-19, 46-53
  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.