Wonderful day....

We had such a special day today.
We read a Russian tale called Uncle Vova's Tree by Patricia Polacco and also have been reading The Nutcracker which has captivated the children's attention. After our reading this afternoon, we all used pastels on paper while listening to a fully Orchestrated version by Tchaikovsky. The children practiced saying this difficult name and we talked about what was happening during some of the pieces of music.
I also told a story about an evergreen tree that provided a home for a bird with a broken wing and we learned all about trees that stay green throughout the winter. We heard about spruce, pine, and juniper trees and looked at pictures of each of them.
This week we will be making winter bird treats to hang in our trees, drawing sketches of trees in our nature journals, learning more winter songs, poems, and fingerplays and talking about the third week of advent.

Second week of Advent, Love,, St. Nicholas, and St. Lucia Feast of Light

Light one candle, Advent's here
Light one candle, Advent's here
Light one candle, Advent's here
Christmas time is near (clap, clap)

Light two candles, Advent's here
Light two candles, Advent's here
Light two candles, Advent's here
Christmas time is near (clap, clap)

St. Lucia Verse
Night goes with silent steps
Round house and cottage
Over earth that sun forgot
Dark shadows linger.
Then on our threshold stands
White clad, in candlelight
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia

Santa Lucia
Santa Lucia, thy light is glowing
Through darkest winter night,
comfort bestowing.
Dreams float on dreams tonight,
Comes then the morning light,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia

The children have heard the stories of St. Nicholas, St. Lucia, and The Shoemaker and the Elves this week. We have focused on love and giving to our friends.
Today we sang "If you love somebody, clap your hands" to the tune of "If you're happy and you know it.."
We then made watercolor heart halves on paper and folded them over to make whole hearts.
We lit our advent candle and took turns giving hugs and love.

Books we have read this week include:

Lucia and the Light by Phyllis Root
The Light of Christmas by Richard Paul Evans
Celebrations of Light: A Year of Holidays Around the World by Nancy Luenn
Light the Lights by Margaret Moorman
Winter Lights: A Season in Poems and Quilts
The Nutcracker by ETA Hoffman
The Legend of St. Nicholas by Demi

We have talked about Christmas celebrations around the world and listened to a variety of Christmas songs from other countries.

Fun experiments with water and ice filled our afternoons and many projects involving snowmen!
The children enjoyed writing their own letters to Santa, friends, and family to illustrate their own ideas and wishes for the season.

We have played with dominoes, uno, and memory games at which the children are becoming quite skilled. Hide and seek was a popular game this week as well.

Join us next week as we celebrate St. Lucia day on Monday with wreath crowns for the girls and moon and star hats for the boys!

This week's reflection: Love

"Accustom yourself continually to make many acts of love, for they enkindle and melt the soul."
-St. Teresa of Avila (1515 - 1582)

"Love must be remade all the time to keep it new and fresh. Letting love sit inside of you without showing it in new ways deprives yourself and others of feeling its joy. Keeping love consciously alive in your mind, your actions and your words will change the way you see the world. How can you show your love in a new way to the people in your life this week?"
-Little Acorn Learning

WELCOME BACK

Welcome back to school!
It's great to have everyone here and we hope you all had wonderful Thanksgiving celebrations with family and friends.
Please update your mailing and email addresses and current phone numbers as soon as possible.
You may send this information to threeredleaves@yahoo.com.
There is a parent letter coming out this week and we would like to start sending these through email. There will also be a printed copy for you this week, along with our weekly lesson plan, and a new December calendar with important dates to remember.
Thank you and blessings upon you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing all of our families a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!
May your travels be safe and your celebrations filled with fun.
For those of you who will be here, this week we are only open on Monday and Tuesday.
There will be no school Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Payment schedules are the same for the week.
Thanks to everyone for all your support!
It is a joy and blessing to be working and playing with your precious little ones!

Native Americans, Thanksgiving, and Gratitude

We Thank Thee

For flowers that bloom about our feet;
For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet;
For song of bird and hum of bee;
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in Heaven, we thank thee!

For blue of stream and blue of sky;
For pleasant shade of branches high;
For fragrant air and cooling breeze;
For beauty of the blooming trees,
Father in Heaven, we thank thee!

For mother-love and father-care,
For brothers strong and sisters fair;
For love at home and here each day;
For guidance, lest we go astray,
Father in Heaven, we thank thee!

This next week will bring themes of Native Americans, Thanksgiving, and Gratitude.
Our projects will include a Tree of Thanks with Leaves of Gratitude, homemade cranberry sauce, corn cob painting, leaf garlands, Thanksgiving Day name cards, Native American bead crafts, games, and jewelry. We will be discussing all the wonderful aspects of Thanksgiving, being grateful for all we have in life, and learning about the history of Native Americans.

Some of the books we will share together:

Thanks a Million by Nikki Grimes
Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message by Jake Swamp
Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes
Cranberry Thanksgiving by Harry Devlin
Squanto's Journey by Joseph Bruchac
The Gift of You, The Gift of Me by Nila J. Webster
Grateful: A Song of Giving Thanks by John Bucchino
The Secret of Saying Thanks by Douglas Wood
The Circle of Thanks by Joseph Bruchac
Moonstick: The Seasons of the Sioux by Eve Bunting

This week's refection is Gratitude.

"If you have no friends to share or rejoice in your success in life - if you cannot look back to those whom you owe gratitude, or forward to those to whom you ought to afford protection, still it is no less incumbent on you to move steadily in the path of duty; for your active excretions are due not only to society; but in humble gratitude to the Being who made you a member of it, with powers to save yourself and others."
-Walter Scott

"How often do you look at your life and all of the things in it with gratitude? Often, we find ourselves focusing on how things could be better in our lives or on what we are lacking rather than the good that is surrounding us. What an amazing purpose you have in this world! It is no mistake that these little souls have been placed gently in your care. They were led to you for guidance. You are here to show them all the beauty and good the world has to offer. You were chosen to be their guide. Be grateful for this wonderful responsibility and remind yourself daily how special the work you do truly is!"
-Little Acorn Learning








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Other fun things

Our week has been full of wonderful fun and learning!
The children were deeply moved by the stories of St. Martin and were especially inspiring as they acted out the helpful ways of this great man. Taking turns being St. Martin, everyone had a chance to bring blankets and food to poor, cold, and sick individuals outside. We also sang "This little light of mine" and our lantern song that we sing in November:

"The sunlight fast is dwindling
My little lamp needs kindling.
Its beam shines far in darkest night,
Dear lantern, guard me with your light."

We talked about the light we all have inside and how it shines brighter whenever we help those around us. Making a list of tangible expressions of kindness helped the children see how they could show love and get along peacefully with their friends.

Monday is music day and this week we have been listening to Mozart and reading books about him as well. We also read the book My Family Plays Music by Judy Cox and talked about the many types of music and instruments that were shown. Our music basket came out and we all took turns with the different sounds and made up our own songs!

Friday is art day and this week we read Katie and the Sunflowers by James Mayhew. His books are a wonderful way to expose children to great artists within the context of a lively adventure!
Focusing on Vincent van Gogh, we picked his work, Sunflowers to imitate in our own art for the day as we made paper vases with stems and flowers and glued them on a background of colored construction paper.

We will be focusing closely on Mozart and Vincent van Gogh for the remainder of the year so the children can have a fuller grasp and understanding of the works of these artists.

Other books we looked at this week:

Children's book of Art
I Spy a Freight Train by Lucy Micklethwait
The Children's Book of Faith by William J. Bennett
Mozart: Scenes from the Childhood of the Great Composer by Catherine Brighton

The Wind, St. Martin, Living Peacefully

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The Playful Wind

The wind came out to play one day.
He swept the clouds out of his way.
He blew the leaves and away they flew.
The trees bent low and their branches did too!
The wind blew the great big ships at sea.
The wind blew the kite away from me.

This week we will be discussing the wind with stories, circle time songs, poems, and activities.
We will hear a story told, called " The Wind and the Sun."
Exploring the many aspects of wind we will experiment with fans and kites and observing the many results. We will read and look at photos of windmills and discuss the importance of using this natural source for our energy needs.

Books we will look at include:

When the Wind Stops by Charlotte Zolotow
Wind Says Good Night by Katy Rydell
How the Ladies Stopped the Wind by Bruce McMillan and Gunnella

We will also be hearing about St. Martin, who was said to be a man of peace and generosity. He did not want to fight but obeyed the law . He took his earnings and gave it to needy families. One story tells of how he cut his own cloak in half to warm a homeless beggar on the street who was Christ in disguise.

Monday: A special afternoon tea
Tuesday: Kite day
Wednesday: Windy wind chimes
Thursday: The Windmill Game
Friday: Game of the Weather Vane

Nature Walk verse for the week:
"Whichever way the wind doth blow,
Some heart is glad to have it so;
And blow it east or blow it west,
The wind that blows - that wind is best."

This week's reflection:

"Do not judge men by mere appearances; for the light laughter that bubbles on the lip often mantles over the depths of sadness, and the serious look may be the sober veil that covers a divine peace and joy." - Edward Chapin

" In times of conflict, it is important for us to approach the situation without judgment. This requires us to be conscious of our ego's desire to make our point of view 'right' and the others 'wrong'. We do not know what experiences have formed our opponent's opinion. We cannot tell what lies in someone's heart from outward appearances or actions. The answer is to step into their soul and see outward through their eyes. Only then can we move forward with peaceful action."
-Little Acorn Learning