Week 27: April 1-5 - "Lord of Creation, Savior of the World"
“Lord of Creation, Savior of the World”
Last week, we had a few days off to remember the greatest event in all of history…we have received forgiveness of sin by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. These have been good days to reflect on this and also good days to spend with family and friends. One of those days, we got together to learn about manatees ar a conservation center in Bayamon. Read below to learn more.
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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 22:15-46
Window on the World
pp. 80-81 - Japan
Additional Read-Aloud for this week:
Living World Encyclopedia
pp. 24-27; 30-31
Christian Heroes: Then and Now - GlaDys AYlward
THE GARDEN
Jesus is risen! The tomb is empty. What a sight for Mary when she recognized that the man talking to her was Jesus. He paid our debt and we can have everlasting life now! The kids were so enthusiastic about this reality. They kept saying “He is not dead. He is alive” What joy to see them proclaim this and believe it in their hearts.
On Tuesday, Miss Nicole made figures using the colored shapes and the kids tried to remake her creation. This is great for them. As they recreate patterns, they are learning invaluable math skills in a fun way. They also had the chance to continue developing their drawing skills following Mrs. Vivi as she drew the bunny from a favorite book they recently read called Not A Box.
On Thursday, we worked with clay once again. The students worked on making coils, balls and slabs. They had to practice what they should do if the clay gets too dry. When it happens, they can dip their fingers in a tiny bowl they each have so they can help smooth out the cracks. Some of them decided to make faces. “It’s Mr. Pancake!” Emilio exclaimed and giggled. In blocks, the kids loved using the tomb from the story to put Jesus inside.
SEEDS
Worship
Studying the book of Matthew during worship time has been incredible. Jesus continued teaching the people about the kingdom of heaven and in chapters 21 and 22, he used three parables: two sons, the tenants, and the wedding feast. In each we saw examples of what it really means to respond to God’s voice. In the parables, we see some who pretend to honor God with their words, but whose actions reveal that they are far from Him. God is calling all of us to repentance and obedience and these parables helped us to reflect on exactly how this looks in each of our lives. For He alone is The Way.
Science
After reviewing ocean zones and the organisms that live in the ocean, the classes worked on a few demonstrations to learn more about the composition of seawater. We called sea water a “salty soup” that has many minerals but the most notable of them all is, of course, salt. We used water and salt to mix the proportion of salt to water in the ocean. We tasted the water to see just how salty it had become. Afterwards, we used an egg to test the density of salt water and discussed how things can float better in the sea water than in fresh water. Finally, we enjoyed learning about bioluminescent animals in the ocean, particularly the plankton in Mosquito Bay in Vieques. We learned from the video that Mosquito Bay is the brightest bioluminescent bay in the entire world and we marveled at God’s amazing design in the beautiful light that this plankton emits when touched..
Geography
We completed our study of China by listening to John 3:16 in Mandarin and trying to learn how to pronounce it phonetically. The students listened carefully and came up with ways to write out in English letters what they heard on the recording. This was a pretty interactive lesson. The students were also able to watch the Torchlighters episode of Gladys Aylward, a missionary to China in the early 20th Century. Watching this amazing story may have inspired some of the students during our outdoor time to play superheroes. Pictured here is Javvah and Eli striking their poses.
Art
The students worked with clay to shape their own terracotta warriors this week just as the Oaks students had done the week before. Some tried different strategies to see what they thought would help their warriors stay upright. Others opted to have them laying down or to just make the face of the warrior. They couldn’t wait until they were dry on Friday so they could take them home!
We finished the week learning about the Philippines through a visit from Mrs. Catherine (Eli, Isaiah, and Isabelle’s mom) who was born in the Philippines and is part Filipino. She started the class with a lively quiz to see how much the kids knew about the Philippines. The kids enjoyed these fun facts so much! She also taught them how to say several phrases in Tagalog, one of the official languages of the Philippines. Finally, she led a cooking class where the children were able to make “turon,” a sweet fried plantain egg roll. Each student cut a piece of sweet plantain, rolled it in brown sugar, and then wrapped it in an egg roll. Then, Mrs. Catherine deep fried them all. This traditional Filipino dish was a hit with the students and was so fun to make..
THE OAKS PROGRAM
Science
In science we focused on the ocean surface and the animals that live there particularly the zooplankton and phytoplankton. Then, we learned about two additional zones that scientists study that go even deeper than the midnight zone: the abyss and the trenches. Lastly, as part of our discussion on bioluminescent animals in the ocean, we watched a video that gave a great overview of what is considered the brightest bioluminescent bay in the whole world: our very own Mosquito Bay in Vieques. The plankton that live in this bay have a special bacteria inside of them that produces an amazing reaction when touched. The movement causes the plankton to emit a beautiful blue light! The video was so exciting and definitely made us all want to visit!
Geography/CULINARY Arts
The Oaks students have begun their research papers and were paired up to begin collecting information about their assigned country. As a break from this, we had time to make Chinese rice. The students learned that this is a very simple recipe to make and is very delicious. They each made their custom versions with ingredients of their own choosing. This is one of the best ways we have explored countries and cultures this year; being able to try the different foods and flavors that are famous in each.
Our Trip to the Manatee Conservation Center during Break Week
Memory Verse #25
“And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.”
Drama and Art Club photos from the week.
