“In the Potter’s Hands”

There is nothing like playing with clay. It’s amazing when the imagination runs wild and you realize all the wonderful things that can be created with this simple material. We used clay in pretty much all of our programs this week, as well as talking about a Terra Cotta discovery in China. But did you know that the Bible tells us that we are but “clay” in the hands of the Father? And Scripture tells us that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made?” What a great reminder that no matter what happens in life, we have a God who is a Master Potter — He know who we are and He knows what He’s doing.

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Family Book Package Readings

The readings listed below are optional, but are great ways to reinforce the lessons taught during this week. The entire family, from the youngest to the oldest, can explore new topics and enjoy great stories together.

Our Family Memory Verse for this week can be found at the end of this page.

The Bible - the Book of Matthew

Matthew 21: 23-46
Matthew 22: 1-14

Window on the World

pp. 162-163 - Tibetans

Additional Read-Aloud for this week:

Living World Encyclopedia

pp. 20-23

Christian Heroes: Then and Now - GlaDys Alward

THE GARDEN

This week for worship, we studied Jesus’ final Passover. We learned what Jesus taught His disciples to do to remember Him. He told them to break the bread as His body would be broken and to drink from the cup to remember His blood being poured out for them. And for us. Some of the children said they had seen this done before in their churches. They also drew the part that stood out to them the most. “Judas está llorando porque se murió Jesús”, said Gillian about her drawing. Isn’t it wonderful to know that we can belong to the body of Christ? This truth is being taught in our new song: I am not my own. Some of the words say, “I belong to the Lord, I am not my own”. What a beautiful reminder to us all!

This week at the big park, the kids found a big palm branch and said they had captured a shark and were going to cook it in a campfire. 😂 They played dress up and doctor Gillian helped Miss Nicole “give birth,” while the astronauts Emiliano and Estela took their adventures to outer space.

During activity time, the kids played with clay as you can see with Hallel’s creation in the photo. They also used blocks and recreated, in different ways, the Passover feast the disciples shared with Jesus. “Esta es la casa del party”, said Emiliano. It’s awesome to see all the things they remember about the story and to see it re-enacted through their perspective.

SEEDS

Worship

Our study of Matthew this week brought us to the Triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. The students role-played the people as they laid down palm branches and shouted “Hosanna!” We talked about how sometimes, people can get carried away by what a crowd might be doing without really understanding what is happening. We don’t know how many people that day in Jerusalem truly understood who Jesus was, but the challenge was for US to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. He truly is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and it is good to praise Him with all of our hearts. He rode into the city that day to do the will of the Father and one day, the King will return again. We were also able to give thanks for the life of Angelica, who was honored this week and received her birthday book.

Science

We could truly spend a whole year learning about the oceans! This week, we “dove” into this fascinating biome filled with the most ecosystems of all. We began by learning about the different ocean zones: the sunlit, twilight, and midnight zones. A short video from SciShow kids provided the students with pictures and examples of different animals that live in these zones. The students are always fascinated with the cool animals that live in the midnight zone, especially the angler and bob fish. (We will focus on these creatures and bioluminescence this week). We discussed the different living organisms of the ocean and labeled the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic and Southern/Antarctic oceans on our world map.

Geography

This week, we took a turn to the east as we pulled out our passports and crossed the border from India and into China. China, who just recently lost the top spot to India as the most populated country in the world, is a fascinating place. From the Grand Canal to the Great Wall of China, there are so many amazing sites to explore there. This week, we learned a bit about China’s history through the discovery of the TerraCotta soldiers, a collection of sculptures buried with the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. These were discovered in 1974 by farmers. These amazing sculptures have since been an important part of understanding the times and ideas of China’s first empire. The students also learned how to write a few Chinese characters and played a traditional game called jianzi (or shuttlecock.) Watch the video below to see some amazing people playing this fun game. Try it yourself at home!

Art

Since tangram puzzles originated in China, we chose to focus on this fun activity during studio time. We gave each student a print out and had them cut out the seven shapes needed. Then Mrs. Vivi showed several images from a book and challenged them to make the pictures with their pieces. After that, the students were invited to create their own pictures using the shapes. Some even worked in pairs asking each other to come up with the image they chose. After playing and exploring, the students received a ziploc bag so they could take their pictures home and continue to work with them. This is a great activity to integrate into your studies at home during reading–alouds or even as a mental warm-up before math work at home. “Like building blocks or Lego, Tangrams are wonderful for teaching about spatial relationships. In addition, they are a powerful tool in mathematics. Students learn geometric vocabulary and strong communicators in math concepts. They also become capable problem solvers, confident in their critical thinking skills.” (https://www.steampoweredfamily.com/tangrams-for-kids/) Check out Steam Powered Family’s website for free tangram challenge cards or consider purchasing an inexpensive set for your homeschool.

THE OAKS PROGRAM

Worship

We are in the final chapters of the book of Matthew, and we see how clearly Jesus was preparing his disciples for his death and resurrection. Even though he spoke specifically as to what would happen, the disciples, based on their responses, showed that they still did not fully comprehend what would take place. This was the case as James and John requested, through their mother, special places in God’s kingdom. Their request wasn’t necessarily the problem, but it revealed that they, and the other disciples, still struggled with the concept of superiority. It seemed as if each one wanted to be above the rest. And yet, Jesus lovingly corrects this error in thinking, by reminding them, AGAIN, that the first shall be last and the last shall be first. That even HE did not come to be served, but TO SERVE and to GIVE HIS LIFE as a ransom for many. This is an important lesson for us today as we challenged each other to look for ways we could serve the people around us, as it says in Philippians 2, not looking out for our own interests, but each one looking out for the interests of others. We also had the opportunity to celebrate and honor Joshua and Olivia, who are turning 14 this week.

Science

This week we labeled the world map with the five oceans, all the while highlighting that it really is one large ocean. We learned about the different ocean zones and the living organisms that live throughout the ocean. Lastly, the students read about the geography of the ocean floor in class. After discussing the vocabulary terms, the students worked in pairs to shape the bottom of the ocean with play doh. Elisha and Joshua even chose to add paper shapes to show where the water would be.

Geography

This week, the class was able to identify and pair up for their country reports. We will be working on this more next week as we all continue to study China. We had a lot of fun outdoors trying to play jianzi. (See the SEEDS section above and the video to know more). Back in the classroom, the students worked on not-taking as they listened to the information about China and completed their Chinese character assignment. This calligraphy is absolutely beautiful and interesting to study as many “words” are formed by combining other symbols to create something new. This we learned through the word “righteousness” which interestingly enough is the symbol for a lamb over the word “me.” How true it is that righteousness can only be attained through the Lamb of God covering us, through the atonement work of His death on the cross! For as He took the weight of the sin of the world upon Himself, He imparted His righteousness on those who would put their faith in Him and believe that He truly is the Son of God.

Art

Our hands got dirty this week as we created our own terracotta warriors out of the terra cotta clay in our studio! After watching a short video on the history of the warriors, the students began to shape their lump of clay. Some students made the full body and others just focused on the face of the warrior.

Memory Verse #24

“It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

— Matthew 20: 26-28