Sleeping Under the Stars

“God is so great—higher than the heavens,  higher than the farthest stars."  Job 22:12 (ESV)

The class has been working hard. They've received lots of compliments, so we took a day to celebrate. The students wore their pajamas. brought their favorite stuffed animals, and enjoyed a "Sleeping Under the Stars" Day. Since they've been learning about objects we see in the Day Sky and Night Sky, all our activities had a space theme.

Ready to Do Some Star-gazing

Best Stuffed Animals in the Galaxy

Hanging Out Under the Stars

Beyond Our Wildest Dreams

Best Class in the Universe

Out of this World

God Made Planet Earth the Perfect Place for Us

 

Let's Take a Trip to Outer Space

 

Learning about Objects in the Sky

The Milky Way Is a Spiral Galaxy

Space Turtle

Writing What We Learned

   

The class worked together to create this picture of the solar system, complete with rockets, asteroid belt, smiling stars, and 3D rings around Saturn. 

Our God is a Great Big God

We're the next generation of scientists, inventors, builders, and designers.

We're ready to learn!

 

We're learning about constellations.

Little Dipper

Aquarius

Scorpio

Wow! There are lots of stars in the sky!

Orion

Sagittarius

Taurus

Leo

Big Dipper, Little Dipper

We're investigating how craters were formed on the moon.

Which objects will create the deepest craters?

Does the mass of the object (the meteor) affect the size of the crater?



I searched for information on the number of stars in the observable universe. I came up with various answers---numbers I can't even imagine. Numbers like a billion trillion. But maybe more. Scientists aren't sure. Information like this makes me realize my concept of God is way too small. God determines the number of the stars and knows each one by name. And better yet, he knows each one of us by name and loves each one of us individually. As the kids sing in chapel;
Our God is a Great Big God!

Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
    for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
    he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
    and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars;
    he gives to all of them their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
    his understanding is beyond measure. Psalm 147: 1-5 (ESV)

Music to my Ears

Teamwork

STEM work

Teaching a class is like tuning a guitar. It requires the right amount of tension to create beautiful sounds.

Like a guitar string, a class that’s too tense will be sound sharp and unpleasant. Too much tension will cause a string – or a student – to break. 

Finding Joy in Creating...

… and Building

But too little tension is equally problematic. If too little tension is applied to guitar strings, the sound will be flat. Similarly, when the class is too slack, too lazy, too careless, when expectations are low and misbehavior is ignored, the class suffers.

So as a teacher I’m constantly fine tuning my class. I’m listening and observing. Is the work too hard? Am I expecting too much? Are the students losing their joy of learning? Or do I need to tighten up and make sure I’m not lax in discipline? Do I need to push a little harder and insist on excellence?  

Working on Phonics ...

… and Listening

… and Reading

… and Writing

Word Work

I’m constantly making small adjustments to make sure all students are becoming the best they can be.

If you play guitar, you’re likely familiar with harmonics, the beautiful chiming sound you can produce if you position your finger on the twelfth fret and pluck a string. To create harmonics, the guitarist doesn’t press on the string, but rather touches it lightly with the fingertip, plucks the string, then quickly removes the fingertip from the fret.

I think of harmonics on a guitar when I imagine what I want in my classroom…  beautiful, harmonious music that happens when children are making new discoveries and getting along with each other---without a lot of pressure from me.

And I hear that sound sometimes.

“Mrs. Kemp, I read the Snow book all by myself!”

“Look, there’s the equator on this map. We learned about the equator!”

“Look there’s our spelling word on the menu. Rice!”

“He shared with me.”

It’s music to my ears.

 

Seeing God's Majesty in the Sky and on Earth

 This week, our study of the Arctic took us to the STEAM lab, where we learned how God designed arctic animals to adapt to live frigid habitats. 

Blubber keep polar bears warm when they swim in icy waters.

We designed habitats for arctic animals. (The kids are skilled at using their imaginations. The can and cracker box can be a snow-covered mountain. The white arctic fox blends into the scenery. In summer, his coat will turn brown in places where the snow melts and vegetation begins to sprout up.)

These animals are staying warm in their den.

We built igloos out of bio-degradable "peanuts."

In arctic regions, indigenous people used snow huts to keep warm.

Air pockets in the snow make the snow a good insulator.

Today hunters in the arctic regions sometimes use igloos for shelter.

The students learned that the Northern Lights are visible in the night sky in arctic regions. They painted their own interpretations of the Aurora Borealis. I love the way each child's artwork is unique, and each one is perfect in its own way.

I'm reminded of Psalm 8; the heavens proclaim God's majesty, and little children tell of the wondrous things He has done.

Psalm 8 (New Living Translation)

O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
    Your glory is higher than the heavens.
2 You have taught children and infants
    to tell of your strength,
silencing your enemies
    and all who oppose you.

3 When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
    the moon and the stars you set in place—
4 what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
    human beings that you should care for them?
5 Yet you made them only a little lower than God
    and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You gave them charge of everything you made,
    putting all things under their authority—
7 the flocks and the herds
    and all the wild animals,
8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,
    and everything that swims the ocean currents.

9 O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!