All Aboard the Polar Express

All Aboard.....

the Polar Express!

Tickets are ready....

passengers are waiting....

We have Santas,

elves,

and kids in pajamas,

Even Mrs. Claus is here.

Don't forget the reindeer.

Our elf, Striker, paid us one last visit before returning to the North Pole.  Striker's notes provided motivation for sounding out words and using our emerging reading skills.  Goodbye, Striker!

Christmas Party

On Thursday we had our Happy Birthday, Jesus celebration, where we focused on the reason for the season. 

The girls came to school decked out in their Christmas outfits.

The boys arrived at school ready to party.

Fourth grade carolers led us in Christmas songs while we worked on crafts.

The children made Christmas cards to deliver to a nursing home, decorated cookies for the homeless, and wrapped books to give to the underprivileged. They made crafts that reminded them why we celebrate Christmas. We focused on celebrating Jesus' birthday and following His command to "love your neighbor as yourself."

My sweet and generous class gave me a lovely gift card tree.

Cheering for the Tigers

It's been a wild and crazy week, to be sure.  The children's level of kinetic energy was off the scale on Wednesday when the Early Childhood Division went to the Pete Maravich Assembly Center to watch the Lady Tigers play basketball. We went to support our woman's basketball coach, who is also a PBS parent, but to be honest, I have to say that I had my Grinch-y moments. ("All the noise, noise, noise, noise!") Being responsible for 16 very excited children on their way to a tumultuous activity such as a  basketball game is like driving through a mine field in a truck carrying flammable materials.  Something's bound to explode.   It seemed like the main purpose of the trip was fun, but it turned out to be quite a good math lesson for the kindergarten students. The boys and girls may not have understood the rules of the game, but they did keep their eyes on the scoreboard. I was pleased to see that most of my class recognized numbers to 100 (or at least to 89---the number of points scored by LSU). They learned to add on 2 points each time the team scored, and could answer questions like, "If we have 48 points, how many more points do we need to have 50 points?" They clearly understood that LSU had the greater number of points throughout the game.  Final score: 89-41.

Thanksgiving Feast

Waiting

Playing

Gathering

Praying

Feasting

Our Tribe

Always Something Happening

 There's always something exciting happening at Parkview Baptist. On Wednesday the school lined up to send our volleyball players off to the Championship. The kindergarten students are proud to be Eagles, and I'm trying to instill in them the Christian values that Parkview Eagles strive to exhibit: things like faith in Christ, diligence, cooperation, and the fruit of the Spirit.

 Thursday was Veteran's Day, so the children learned about honoring the men and women who have served in the military.  Wearing red, white, and blue hats and waving flags, the Early Childhood Division marched into Elementary Chapel where we watched the Veterans Day program presented by the third grade.

 In our classroom, we're practicing addition (as well as taking turns and sharing) as we play math games.  The students are doing very well with addition; taking turns is a skill we still need to practice, but I'm trying to convince the students that in order to have fun playing games with a group, it's essential to take turns, share, and be a good sport.  Most jobs require some form of collaboration, so we're continuing to work on this important skill.

 

Every other week, we go to Science Lab where Mrs. Bonaventure has prepared hands-on Science activities and encourages the boys and girls to investigate God's world.

 Middle School Bible Buddies visit us once a month to help us with various projects. Every other week, High School Big Friends also come to help our class.  The kindergarten students have plenty of opportunities to interact with and learn from the older students in our school, and the older students are learning how to help the younger students.

 Our Friday began with an impromptu dance party in the hallway.  I'm not exactly a morning person, so it was difficult for me to be enthusiastic about all that activity first thing in the day.  But brain research shows that exercise has physiological and developmental benefits on children's brains, so I have to admit that there is some merit to getting the children up and moving first thing in the morning.

   As you can see, there's no such thing as an ordinary day at Parkview Baptist.

Turkey Dressing