A Wonderful Winter Morning!

I must admit disappointment when I awoke this morning to NO SNOW...

I wanted it for myself, to run and play and build a snowman, but most of all for my kids.

They were SO excited and could even articulate that the weather man said, "He felt like it might snow". 

I chalked it up to a good lesson in meteorology, you just never can tell what the weather will do. 

Then we got in the truck to go to school and I noticed flurries!

They continued for the next hour, which allowed me to experience something that I have always wanted, 

snow at school!  Usually if there is snow, we stay at home- not this time!

So, I sat in my red rocking chair looking out the window, looking at the kids, and looking at the lesson plans.

It was time for literacy centers...

I suppose you can guess what happened next :)  

We bundled up and headed outside for a real education.

First on the agenda: catch a snowflake on your tongue.

Got it!

Then catch snowflakes on your clothes and hat!

All of a sudden, we made an amazing discovery.  Our fence was cold enough that the snowflakes were not melting when they landed there.  The black background allowed us to see the flakes so well.

These were the most amazing, magical snowflakes I have ever seen.  They were perfect, just like the ones we cut from paper a few weeks ago.  So perfect that I ran inside, grabbed a chair and some magnifying glasses so that everyone could have a look.

Then we had the idea to catch some on black paper and have an even closer look.

We were an outside classroom full of scientist making observations, discovering God's creation, talking about what we saw.

We brought the papers in and watched our snow melt.

Just like in our story, The Snowy Day, our snow did not last when we brought it inside.  

Doesn't matter though, we will remember it forever!

Celebrating Winter

Our 3s are making the most of the cold and enjoying their warm winter wear!

Since the real snow hasn't arrived yet, they are making the most of pretending.

Practicing letters in the snow is way more fun than on paper with pencil!

This frosty snack, complete with bottles of "melted snowmen" was a big hit!

Time to hibernate!

We have been learning about how different animals change their habits when the seasons change.  

I bet it was nice and cozy in that cave with those sweet bears!

Ms. Ashley her melting snowman with the children.

They built him in the morning...

and by the end of the day he had changed. 

Amazing conversation starter! 

Snowmen-O-Lanterns

We have been dreaming of snow here at SDS!  Our day hasn't come yet, but in the mean time, we are making our own!  We have had indoor snowball fights, rolled snowmen during math, read some super, snowy books, and sculpted with snow-doh.  Today we made more snowmen.  

Before we started, we discussed recycling and re-purposing.  We talked about how our class had kept 15 plastic milk jugs out of the trashcan.  We acknowledged that we can make a difference.  We learned that you can use things over and over.  

Our lesson started with a review of shapes.  Now that we recognize our shapes easily, we are digging a little deeper into what gives each shape its identity.  This means using words like long and short, straight and curved, and points and corners.  It involves counting sides and corners, and thinking!

To get us started I showed the boys and girls how I could change a square into a circle.  For beginning cutters, curved lines can be pretty tricky.  The technique of cutting the corners off the square until you get a circle is just one way we can scaffold this task.  

The job was to change 2 black squares into circles for eyes, and 1 orange rectangle into a triangle.

One of the things I love about this project is that no 2 snowmen were alike! 

And isn't that how it should be?!?  

Each artist started with the same materials and the same directions, yet each one was different.

I love that the artist got to show their own personality in their work.  I love that we  have created an environment where they are comfortable taking risks with their ideas and know that whatever they produce will be celebrated.

I LOVE the pride on their faces when the step back to view their finished product. 

Our goal was to stuff them with Christmas lights, but we did not quite get enough, so we provided each child with a push light.  Once we lit them up, the boys and girls immediately made the connection to jack-o-lanterns.  It hadn't occurred to me before, but now I see it!

We had a great time together completing this project.  The children we so on task and focused throughout the entire lesson.  I hope these snowman-o-lanterns are bringing joy to their new homes!

Our 4s Family Christmas

Once again, we were invited to have our Christmas party at the Blessing house on Main Street.

It is such a perfect place for this special time together, and has a become a welcomed tradition for our 4s.

The children rotated through 4 stations.

They decorated these reusable gingerbread houses.  

 They can be cleaned off and used again next year!

We made paper bag mangers, stuffed with hay for the baby's sweet little  head.

We made reindeer food...

And pine cone snow globe Christmas ornaments.

After all that work, it was time for a good snack! 

We had reindeer sandwiches, snowmen doughnuts, North Pole cupcakes, Santa hat strawberries, and a vegetable Christmas tree.

Finally, we headed out to spread a little Christmas cheer to the merchants on Main St.

We sang and rang our bells.

Mr. Charlie and Mrs. Harriet loved our visit!

We stopped by the DMV to make sure they were in the spirit too~

We attracted all kinds of attention and spread lots of Christmas cheer!

What a precious group of children!

After caroling, it was time to warm up with a cup of hot chocolate.

After a visit to the hot chocolate bar, we were all set to cozy up in front of the fire.

 We exchanged gifts and Mrs. Regina and I got SPOILED!

Thank you to the Coombs, Farrior, and Gillespie families for hosting our event.  Thank you to the kind folks at First Assembly of God for allowing us to use their space, and to all of the other family members who helped make our day so special!