Book swap

We had a lot of fun at today's book swap, sponsored by the HVCS library. All books brought by our preschool students were put into one pile (actually, scattered on tables). The students who had brought books to swap were allowed to pick the same number of different books to take back home. Children who did not bring books from home were then allowed to go through and choose one book to take home. Our kiddos had the best time choosing and then "reading" their books.

After choosing our books, we enjoyed a special snack of lemonade and cookies.

Mrs. VanderHart took advantage of the fact that we were already outside and led us in a game of "Red Light, Green Light" ... in Spanish!

Little seeds

We've had a lot of fun this week learning about seeds and plants. We've done lots of crafts, started growing our special beanstalks, and even acted out what happens to a seed after it's planted!

One of our new favorite activities was this "Planting a Pattern" game. We used dried beans and seeds to make a pattern. Mrs. Connie or Mrs. LeeAnne would start the pattern, and our students would finish it. This is a pretty advanced skill, and we were so proud of the children who grasped the concept!

We also did a counting/graphing activity using the same sorts of dried seeds. We placed a few of each in a cup, then the students poured them onto the table, sorted them according to type, and graphed them on this laminated sheet. 

How does your garden grow?

This week we're beginning a new unit of study ... it's all about spring! We're starting with seeds and growth, and eventually we'll also cover flowers, bugs, butterflies, and birds. But today was all about seeds. We looked at different types of seeds and talked about the parts of a plant (stem, leaves, flower, and roots). 

We also looked at seeds in various stages of sprouting ...

But the real fun came when we planted our own seeds! To set the mood, we first read Jack & the Beanstalk. Then we added dirt to individual cups, and planted three bean seeds. 

Finally, we decorated a small trellis to look like our beanstalks are growing toward the sky.

Can you imagine how cute this will be when there's a stalk climbing up our trellis?

We hope our flowers turn out as pretty as this one! 

Cow-milkin' and wedding-goin'

It's been an interesting week in K3. Yesterday we did a little hands-on farming and milked a cow! (Ok, not really, since cows in East Brainerd are a little hard to come by. We got creative and used a rubber glove instead--it did the trick!)

Today we attended a very special wedding! Put on annually by our K4 schoolmates, this wedding celebrated the union of Q and U. (Since you never see them apart, it makes sense to unite them in matrimony, doesn't it?) It's a big deal ... it's held in the Hickory Valley Christian Church sanctuary, and Pastor Gary wears his robe and conducts a real -- albeit short -- wedding ceremony. One of our school employees and her husband of 40+ years were great sports in playing the lead roles of Queen Q and Mr. U. Wait until you see what they wore!! 

Waiting for the wedding to start.

These two were so cute snuggling together!

Queen Q on the left, wearing her Quilt and crown made of Q's, and Mr. U on the right wearing an Umbrella and, yes, Underwear.

We adore Mrs. Rose and Mr. Bill!

After the ceremony, Queen Q showed our students her Quill bouquet, her pet Quail, and her Quarter bracelets.

Spring is here!

Just before Spring Break, we celebrated the start of spring with an Easter party and egg hunt. Our third-grade buddies conducted the egg hunt for us, collecting candy-filled eggs and hiding them on the playground, then pairing up with us to help us find them. It was so much fun! 

Earlier that week, we learned about Christ's resurrection and then made "empty tomb biscuits." This is a great way to teach children this hard-to-grasp concept in a tangible way. First, we rolled out refrigerated biscuits, Each child got one, and these would become our "tombs." Next, we took a large marshmallow to represent Jesus's body. We "annointed" his body with oil and spices (butter and cinnamon sugar) as the disciples would have done for Christ. Then we rolled our marshmallow up inside its biscuit tomb, baked according to package instructions, and waited for a surprise.

When we took them out of the oven, look what we found ...

The tomb was empty! Praise God, Jesus is risen!

We hope you had a blessed spring break and Easter holiday with friends and family!