Week 8: Going Big!
Two of our Garden girls think BIG as they draw on the outdoor chalkboard in our back patio. This was a recurring theme in many of the activities, as the Seeds kids went big, performing all their history plays and pretending to be an orchestra in Studio Time. Finally our Oaks were aiming big during science as they attempted to knock down cups with a ping-pong ball during their review game.
SUGGESTED AT-HOME READINGS VARY PER PROGRAM. PLEASE GO TO THE SECTION OF YOUR PROGRAM TO SEE THE SELECTED PAGES.
The Garden
How can we show love to those around us? How do we respond when a friend does something we don’t like? How do we speak to our parents and teachers? These were some of the questions we asked the students this week as we learned about some additional fruit of the spirit: joy, peace, and patience. It was fun to learn the melody and movements for a new song called “Peace Like a River.”
Some of our activities this week were: making patterns with different kinds of blocks, exploring in the light and rice tables, and drawing our first family portrait of the year. Kai said, “Esta es mi mamá con muy largo hair!” Emmanuel added numbers under his family as he said, “somos cuatro.” Aubrey even added her cat and dog. At the end of the week, we also played some board games and “The floor is lava” when it was raining outside. The kids had a great time balancing on the “rocks.”
Our books this week were: Vegetable Soup and How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World.
The Seeds Program
In our study of the life of Jesus, we spoke about how as a young child, he would have most likely attended school just like all of us. One of the things that we learned is that in the synagogue schools, the children would have been given honey as they began the reading of the Torah every year. We did the same on Wednesday this week remembering what Scripture says: “God’s word is perfect...sweeter than honey and the honeycomb” and “How sweet are your words to my taste! Sweeter than honey (Psalm 119:9-10). The kids enjoyed very much dipping some apple slices in honey while repeating these verses.
On Friday, we honored Mercedes for her birthday and read the book, My New Friend is So Fun. We also continued exploring the childhood of Jesus as we read from Luke 2, when he stayed at the temple during the Feast of Passover. Although his parents didn’t know where he was, he reminded them that he was in his Father’s house. This is a good reminder to us today that Jesus is now with the Father and we can always find him there.
BIBLE Readings
DK Illustrated Bible
pp. 226-227
Bible
Matthew 2:13-23
Luke 2:41-52
SCIENCE
This week we wrapped up our study of the sense of hearing by playing a listening game. I played several tracks and the kids had to identify the sound. I also brought in a classic plastic cup phone to experience how the sound travels in waves. Finally, we learned more about how the ear helps us to keep our balance. They learned that there are tiny “rocks” inside their ear that move around their semicircular canals. We also did a balance challenge with a beanbag on their head. On Friday, we began learning about the sense of touch. We focused on the three layers of skin, what they are made of, and how they help us. The younger group was able to play a game where they had to put their hand inside a bag and choose a random object inside. They had to guess what they were holding using only their sense of touch.
History
This was a very fun week in that we learned about the Roman armies. They were divided into groups called centuries, cohorts and legions and the kids practiced military exercises in these groups. The younger students also had a great time reviewing all the history plays we’ve developed over the year so far.
HISTORY Readings
Encyclopedia of the Ancient World
pp. 92-93 - Roman Army
The Roman Empire
Pp. 54-59
Studio Time
During studio time, we learned some more brain gym exercises that challenged our balance and coordination. We also played a fun music game and began learning our new song: “Cristo Mesías.” On Friday, we had our first “Open Studio” day where they could choose from a variety of activities in our downstairs multipurpose room. They were able to choose from the sensory table with rice, the light projector, the play kitchen, drawing, or watercolor painting. They were able to move and choose different stations although not all of them were able to go to all the stations. They will all have another opportunity to do so this week.
The Oaks Program
In our time at Oaks, we continue reading through the book, More than a Carpenter, and some really great questions have come out of it. How can we know that we can trust the Bible? Was Jesus really Lord, or a lunatic or even a liar? These are great questions to explore and the author gives compelling evidence as to why we CAN trust that Jesus really is who he says he is, why the Bible IS a text we can believe and ultimately how we can defend our faith.
Science
In Chemistry, the students prepared for Test #2 by playing another round of the riveting review game--Verdad o Falso? The students mastered concepts about the periodic table, the mole, and ions. They all did excellent on the test and should be very proud of themselves!
In Pre-Physics, the students continued to practice how to convert meters per second to miles per hour and vice versa. Also, they practiced how to calculate average speed and velocity. And in preparation for their Test # 2, they also got to play Verdad o Falso with the added element of the mini cup pyramid. Every time they got an answer correct, they had a chance to knock the pyramid down with a ping pong ball. They had a blast!
History
In Oaks History, we also learned about the armies of the Romans and how they actively defended the borders of the enormous Roman Empire. Along these borders, lived the Germanic tribes, which we learned migrated from the east and settled in the northern and western edges of Europe. These peoples, although much smaller than Rome, would eventually contribute to the fall of the empire.
HISTORY Readings
Streams of Civilization
pp. 187-189 - Roman Law (stop before Foundations of Christianity)
pp. 193-196 - The Germanic Tribes (stop before the Roman Influence)
Memory Verse
“Therefore I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. for this is your spiritual act of worship.”