Mrs. Kemp's Clubhouse: You've Got a Friend in Our Class

"A friend loves at all times." Proverbs 17:17

Welcome to Mrs. Kemp's T1 Class...

home of future astronauts, veterinarians, teachers, hairstylists and superheroes. Each student brings a unique set of talents, personality traits, and skill sets to our classroom community. Each one is valuable to God and to our class.

Our theme this past week was Friendship. As we begin a new year, the students are greeting some old friends and meeting new ones. They're learning what it means to be a good friend. An important element of early childhood education is social and emotional learning----learning how to control emotions and to develop positive interpersonal relationships. People who develop strong social and emotional relationships will benefit academically and professionally as well as socially.

We can learn a lot about friendships from children's animated movies. Take the currently popular Toy Story 4. Woody, Buzz, and the gang are on a mission to rescue Forky (a toy made from a spork and scraps of playdoh, wiggly eyes, pipe cleaners and craft sticks---in case you didn't see the movie.) I see a couple of important lessons in the movie: the intrinsic worth of the created to its creator, and the importance of loyalty in friendship. (As Mrs. Cathy reminded the students in our morning devotion, the Bible teaches us "A friend loves at all times.")

We set out on a mission to find our own runaway Forky, using QR codes presumably left by the runaway spork. Armed with an iPad and lots of imagination, we chased Forky around the school.

Once Forky was convinced that he wasn't "trash," he decided to return to the class to join his friends. The students then created their own version of Forky. And, in keeping with the Toy Story theme, we ate CranPop Caboom road trip trail mix for snack.

I hope that in the middle of all that excitement over Forky, the students were beginning to learn the importance of friendship. Navigating interpersonal relationships is not always smooth sailing; the kids still have a lot to learn about getting along with each other. But as the year goes on, I pray the students will learn to treat one another with kindness, consideration, forgiveness, and respect. As they work together, play, together, laugh together, and learn together, I hope this year will be the beginning of lasting friendships.