2016-2017++WHAT+HAPPENED+TODAY+IN+3K?

= = =WELCOME TO "WHAT HAPPENED TODAY?"= On this page you will find Mrs. Otten's blog of what happened in the classroom on a daily basis. Reading this blog will give you a snapshot of what your child experienced in school. Sometimes there will literally be snapshots (photographs) of things we did or made.

May 23, 2017
Really? Our last "regular" day? We welcomed Emma back, but were sorry that Neako was not at school. After table time and morning routines, we sang one of our favorite songs: //Stand Up and Clap Your Hands.// Our Bible story was about Peter and the miracle of Dorcas coming back to life. We had our dress rehearsal for our plays and performed them for the first grade students. We were a little nervous, but did well. Mrs. Otten had to fill in for Neako for one of the plays. We were able to enjoy outdoor time. Emma showed us a picture she drew of something special she did in Oregon. We had two stories about ducks. During snack we read the book with the photographs of children with some unusual pets. Then we had our last choice time.

May 18, 2017
Today Emma was on a trip with her family so we prayed for her. After table time today, we did our morning routines. Wesley pointed at the numbers on the calendar. We sang our song //Jesus I Love You// and "played instruments" on the musical parts between verses. We had the exciting story of Paul and how his friends helped him escape over the wall in a basket. We had a fire drill! We were very safe during our fire drill. We drew our bodies and then had book time. We went outdoors before snack...and it was a good thing because it just started to rain when we were ready to come in.We had show and tell and enjoyed showing the things we brought from home.During snack we hear a story about a boy who had to choose to wear what HE wanted or to wear what would make someone else happy. Guess what he chose? During choice time we also wrote our names and colored our book covers.

May 16, 2017
Parker and Neako were back! We had some different things out for table time and we also talked to Mrs. Otten during table time about some of our favorite 3K things. We had to teach Neako about our school voices and then we sang our hello song with mouse and cat voices. We counted with Parker pointing. We did the numbers and the patter with the "buzz". We sang //This Little Light of Mine// because we wanted to add light to our cloudy day. Just as we sang, the sun came out and brightened our day! We had the story of Paul's dramatic rescue from his enemies when his nephew heard about the plot to harm him. We had snack and then outdoor time. When we came in, we practiced each of our plays. We had a short choice time and then we had book time while Mrs. Otten weighed, measured, and photographed us.

May 11, 2017
Oh no! Two friends absent today! When it was time for table time to be done, we stopped and looked and listened like soldiers since Emily had chose the trumpet sound for our bell. When we started our circle time, we had our prayer song and then we sang hello sad for our absent friends, and happy for the friends who were healthy. We looked at our schedule and got our jobs, with Mrs. Otten doing the fish feeding and being the caboose today. We sang our song about friends loving and helping each other. We stood in a pattern: two girls, two boys, and two girls. Then we had the Bible story of Philip teaching a man about Jesus and baptizing him. After our Bible story and reviewing our Bible words, we learned about the new way **all the kids in school** are going to use their voices. We learned about hallway voices, which are silent like the turtle; bathroom voices, which are very quiet like the mouse; classroom voices, which are normal speaking voices like the cat; outdoor voices, which are louder like the dog; and emergency voices which are very loud like the lion. Then we worked on two projects: the envelope for our Fathers' Day gift and our monkey face for one of our plays. After a short book time, we went outdoors and enjoyed swinging, running, climbing, and hanging. When we came in (with turtle voices) we had our bathroom time and then our snack time. Mrs. Otten read a book about all the places you can read books. After snack, we went through the staging of our plays and practiced our parts. WOW! I hope we can do them the same way when we have our real audience! We learned our parts very quickly! Then we had a shorter choice time before our day was over. At the end of the day we talked about how we are allowed to have mouse voices when our grown ups pick us up at the end of the day in the hallway, but only then...otherwise we are turtles!

May 9, 2017
After table time, we began with our morning prayer song. Then we sang our hello song with sunshiny smiles! Mrs. Otten had to be the stop sign today because Neako was not at school. We counted the numbers with Emily pointing and then we counted again an said "buzz" when it was a number with a bee. We sang two songs with up and down movement: //Stand Up and Clap// and //Hallelu, Hallelujah// (with a part for the boys and a part for the girls: quite confusing, but we did well!) Our Bible story was about Paul and Silas singing in the jail and how the jailer and his family became believers in Jesus. We had a visitor join us during our Bible time and then he came and enjoyed outdoor time with us, too (he might be in 3K next year). During snack we talked again about our "play" stories and then we had our outdoor time. When we came in we did our ABC song, pointing at the letters with a special pointer: our finger with a happy face sticker on it! We did our project, making the card and envelopes for our moms. We had choice time and some friends played a new game.

May 4, 2017
We had a little longer table time today, as Mrs. Otten asked us questions for a project. After morning routines, we had the Bible story of a changed life--this time it was Zaccheus. We sang the Zaccheus song and practiced our Bible words. During snack we looked at the books that we will be acting out for our parents on the last day. We enjoyed outdoor time and most of us were warm enough to even take off our jackets. When we came in, we had show and tell. This is what we like to do with our moms: bake, play games, play with toys, color, garden, and read books. We did our project and then had choice time.

May 2, 2017
Good to have everyone in school today. Neako and Emma worked to make their May flowers for us to hang in our classroom windows. We had some different games and activities out for table time. Many of us also wanted to color during table time. We did our hello song //silent// today, just using our sign language. Then we looked at the special days on the May calendar. We counted 1-2 with Lauryn and then we taught Neako and Emma our //Friends Forever// song. Our Bible story was about Saul becoming a friend of Jesus and changing his name to Paul.We went over our new Bible words for May. We had a double snack today because Neako brought his snack from Thursday. After snack we took a photograph of us holding our bags for meals on wheels. We went outside for our moving time and enjoyed the tire swing, climbing, and running. We had a short book time when we came in and then worked on our project. After project we had a short choice time as well.

April 27, 2017
We had equal boys and girls today; unfortunately it was only 3 of each! Neako and Emma were gone today. After enjoying coloring and games at table time, we got into our morning routines. Mrs. Otten pointed to the calendar numbers with the baseball wand and we pretended to catch a baseball in our "mitt" with each number. We learned signs for a new song about friends and practiced it without and with the tape. Our bible story was of another Bible friend who would only pray to the true God and was punished because of it. It was the friend, Daniel, and how God kept him safe in the lions' den. We had activity stations in the gym. We worked on balance (balance beam and river stones); throwing over; bounce and catch; toss up and catch; hula hoop; pulling the heavy bag of bean bags and using the scooter board to exercise our legs. We all helped to clean up the equipment afterwards. After getting a drink, we had a story about Fran and her flower that would not grow when she fed it her favorite foods. The plant needed rain, and sun, and wind. We got directions for making our flower so we can replace our window "April showers" umbrellas with "May flowers". During snack we had a story about a triangle and a square and the sneaky tricks they played on each other. We had choice time and took turns making the project.

April 25, 2017
During table time, we played games, did some building, and colored. We did our morning routines, counting the calendar numbers with stomping because Judah was pointing with the dinosaur wand. We sang two songs about loving each other and then had our suitcase surprise. We had to think of what would make a fire. Then we had the Bible story of the 3 men who obeyed God and did not bow down to the idol even though that meant they were thrown into the fiery furnace. After reviewing our Bible words, we had snack. After snack we enjoyed outdoor time and then book time. We talked about finishing our bags for meals on wheels by adding flowers and coloring them. Then we had choice time with lots of dress up and pretend. During our last circle time, we learned about tornadoes and how to stay safe if we hear the tornado siren. We practiced "duck and cover."

April 20, 2017 GRANDPARENTS' DAY
During table time we prepared for our special day by putting the special magnets we made for our grandparents in envelopes. We also wrote or traced our names on our activity papers. After some table time activities, we did our morning routines, singing hello in grandma and grandpa voices. We practiced our songs and then we had some run around time in the gym. We listened to the explanation of our activities and then read books while waiting for grandparents. We also did our jobs. Then our grandparents came!!!!! Here's our day in pictures:

April 18, 2017
WHOOPS! Sorry-I got busy with Grandparents' Day preparations and then rushed off to the library and forgot to update the wiki when I got home. Here is what we did today: all were present so it was great for practicing the songs we are going to sing to our grandparents. We had new things out for table time which we enjoyed trying. We did a goofy hello song: wiggly voices and "stiff" voices (like robots). We reviewed our story of Good Friday and then read the rest of the story with a story book. We practiced our April Bible words. During snack we read the book we wrote for our grandparents and a book about a bunny who got into trouble because all he could think about was soccer. We worked on the "April Showers" side of the bags we are decorating for the meals on wheels clients and then had choice time.

April 13, 2017
We had a special day because Mrs. Kiel stayed with us today! She was a special helper for Mrs. Otten since Mrs. Otten had a sore leg. We were missing Wesley, who was off to see grandparents for the weekend. We enjoyed table time. Judah and Parker were having a lot of fun with the magnet wands. We also did play dough and building with the kid k'nex builders. We sang a quiet/loud hello song today. Evelyn pointed at the numbers with the snow wand and we counted and made falling snow fingers. Our Bible story was of the time Jesus prayed in the garden and how he died on the cross for us. After a drink break, we practiced the songs that we will be singing for our grandparents. During snack we had a story about a cat and his favorite color. In gym we ran, did exercises and played with balls. Judah even got his ball to go through the baskets!. After gym we went to the 4th grade room and Judah showed us slides of his time in Thailand and told us all about the pictures. We especially liked the picture of him riding on an elephant and the pictures taken in front of the paintings that made Judah look like he was surfing or he was really tiny. We had show and tell next and enjoyed showing things that were our favorite color or things we liked. After show and tell, we finished the magnets that we are making for our grandparents and then we had a short choice time.

April 11, 2017
We were missing our friend, Evelyn, today. After our table time, we did our morning routines. We sang //shout Hosanna// and then had the story of the Last Supper. During snack we had a story with a friend's name in the title: //Emma and her Friends.// Each friend had a different favorite color. We also talked about our favorite colors. We had some outdoor time, running to keep warm and using the tire swing that was fixed. After book time, we had a story about grandparents and then we made 2 projects for our grandparents. Next time we will be working on the songs we will sing for them.

April 6, 2017
Today we started with a few table projects before our choice of table activities. After a short while, we had our circle time with a fast hello and counting with Emma, who chose the flower wand. We had the Bible story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the donkey while the people shouted "Hosanna". We sang a song with the same words. We had an early snack...with a BIG Mrs. Otten mistake! She thought Emily was supposed to pass out the snack. Fortunately, Emma came in and could finish the job! We did remember to thank EMMA for the snack. We talked about our field trip and then read a book about friends called //Bird, Balloon, Bear.// Then it was time to put on our special field trip nametags and board the bus for the John Michael Kohler Arts Center. While I cannot share photos of the art in the galleries, here are the pictures of our workshop: (I am sure that your 3K kid would //**love**// to take you to the Arts Center soon to see the inspiration for our projects and to get another look at the art.

April 4, 2017
Woot, Woot! Judah was back with us!!! Also Neako, Emily, and Wesley! It was fun to have everyone together. Now we have 4 boys and 4 girls! After having fun with play dough and other activities for table time, we had our first new bell sound picked out by Neako: the trumpet. We cleaned up and sang our hello song with Thai for hello to honor Judah's return. Lauryn picked the flip flop wand to point to the numbers as we counted them. We talked about the special days on our April calendar. We sang a new song (Mrs. Otten not realizing that it //was// a new song for us). We had the Bible story of Jesus stilling the storm and learned the verse //Nothing is too hard for God.// For snack we were at two tables now (today it was a boy table and a girl table) We listened to a story about a chick who had to take care of his unhatched baby brother. When his legs hatched out, he ran all over the farm yard...even in to the bull's pen! We did our moving time in the gym because it was wet outside. We ran and played with balls. We had some book time when we got back to our room. We did the first part of our project together and then finished it in groups during choice time. At the end of the day we had suitcase surprises...three of them! The children who were absent before break got their opposite books to take home and re read them together. Then Judah had gifts for each of us and we gave Judah the "suncatcher" umbrellas that we made for him.

March 23, 2017
We need spring break to get everyone healthy again! So same, same....but not the same because we got to talk to Judah for the first thing today! We went in the 4th grade room and saw Judah and his brother Josiah on the smart board via skype! We are so excited that he will soon be with us again! We also took some time to add our coloring to the Lent pictures in the hallway. Then we had 5 more minutes of table time before starting our day. Today Mrs. Otten got to count since Wesley was gone. She used the flip flop (because she is going to the beach soon!) We had a Bible story of Jesus feeding many, many people with just 5 little loaves and 2 little fish and we learned a song about it. We ate some of the bread for snack with our animal crackers. We had a story of a woodpecker learning to peck. Then we went outside to run and scream and climb and swing and get fresh air and exercise. We had book time when we came in and then learned more about birds before making our own birds using "Cloud Clay". It was awesome stuff and we loved how it smelled like lotion and was not sticky. Then we had choice time, which always goes by too quickly. Our suitcase surprise was really special-a new bell for a bell"job" It has 7 different sounds!!

March 21, 2017
A small class again today, and again Parker was the only boy! Everyone played with play dough for a while at table time, as well as name writing, coloring, and magnet creations. Parker used the hammer wand when he pointed at the numbers of the calendar while we counted. We sang//If You're Happy and You Know It// with opposites (happy/sad; shy/brave; tired/awake; little/big. We reviewed some of our Bible stories and how God provided for his people. Each time we also reviewed our Bible words. Then we had the story of God providing Manna in the wilderness. During snack we had a story of a brave little bird. We enjoyed outdoor time on the playground before coming in for some book time. After looking at books of our choosing, we learned a little about birds and their nests. Then we made a nest by weaving different materials in a berry basket. We will make our birds next time. We had choice time. We ended the day with our suitcase surprise: our number books. We read them together so we could read them to our families, too.

March 16, 2017
Everyone in school and we enjoyed some new (green!) play dough at table time, as well as the plastic bugs and the coloring sheets. We were still thinking about "opposites" so we sang with right hand and then left hand. We sang //Love Grows// with sign language and the taped music. We had a story of how God provided a wife for Isaac. Wesley brought a fun green snack for us today: Lucky Charms, green apple applesauce, and green milk! We enjoyed our snack with a book about opposites. In the gym we also did opposite stations. Our warm up song had us moving opposite ways and doing things in a circle or square. Our other stations were: fast/slow (running and balance beam); forward/backward (walking forward on the stones and backward on the mat); up/down (throwing a ball up and smashing a bug on the floor by throwing the ball down; upright/upside down (walking on tip toes on stones and walking like a bear); heavy/light (pulling the heavy bag around the cones and playing with a scarf) and high/low (climbing up on top of a big mat stack and crawling on the floor). After cleaning up our equipment, we went back to our room and had to quickly get directions for our black/white project that we worked on during choice time. At the end of the day Neako and Wesley got their school shirts since they were absent last Thursday.

March 14, 2017
Neako and Wesley were back, but Emma was feeling sick, so we had 3 girls and 3 boys today. We had different things out for table time and after playing together, we cleaned up and sang our hello song as quietly as falling snow. Lauryn used the snowflake wand to point to the numbers on the calendar and we counted and made our fingers look like falling snow. We learned a new song about love and then had a story about someone who showed love and had love show to her: Ruth. During snack, we had a silly story about a duck and a bird and an opposite day. We had run and ball play in the gym for our moving time. Then we had book time. We had choice time and Wesley and Neako were able to make their number books. The rest of us wrote our names on the cover and dedicated our books. When all the books are finished we will read them and then take them home to read to you!

March 9, 2017
Parker was our only boy in school today! Neako was sick and Wesley was getting ready for a family trip. During table time we got to show Mrs. Otten how we count and identify our numerals. For our hello song, we spoke and then //whispered//. We went over our schedule and jobs and then sang //The Counting Song.// We had the rest of the story of Jonah and reviewed our Bible words. During snack we read a book about opposites. In gym we warmed up with an opposite song and then did stations around the gym. After helping to pack up our gym equipment, we had a suitcase surprise: a school T-shirt **to keep!** Then we had show and tell and enjoyed showing a pink puppy, a Peppa Pig, a rock collection, a photograph of the Daddy-daughter dance, and a photograph with a pet dog. After show and tell, we started our number book about opposites and then had a short choice time.

March 7, 2017
Our day started with some new things out for table time that we enjoyed. After we worked together to clean up our table time things, we began with our morning prayer and our hello song. We did singing voices/speaking voices for our song. Neako found our calendar number and used the walking stick to point at them so we could count the numbers. We sang our song with numbers and are getting the words in, even when we sing with the cd with its fast tempo. We "played a game" with opposites...doing the opposite of what Mrs. Otten said to do. This set the stage for our Bible story of Jonah, who went the opposite way from the way God had told him to go. We also did our March Bible words. During snack we had a story of quiet things. We enjoyed being able to get outside, despite the brisk winds. After our outdoor time, we had our own book time before our project and choice time. The "E" girls got to do the sun catcher project today!. After cleaning up from choice time, we read a story of loud things. Then we were reminded about show and tell for next time. We also all got to get a hand stamp from Neako for his hard work of making positive behavior choices today.

February 28, 2017
At table time we finished our fish pictures from last time. At calendar time, Parker did a great job pointing with the green dinosaur wand as we counted all the way to 28! We sang a song with numbers (which was very fast, so we may have to learn it without the tape!) For our suitcase surprise, we thought of things we would need if we were sick or hurt. After looking at the suitcase things (medicine, band-aids, wrist wrap, heating pad) we had a story about a man who got sick with a disease for which there was no medicine. We heard how his maid told him to go to the prophet Elisha. He did not like what the prophet told him to do, but he obeyed and he was healed! After our Bible time, we had some running and hoop play time in the gym. After gym we had book time and snack time. We got directions for the project, which 4 of us worked on during choice time. The rest will do the project next week Tuesday. We are making 2 projects: one for us and one to send to Judah!

February 23, 2017
We had a longer table time so Neako could finish his name train project. So we started with a very fast Hello song after prayer. We got our job assignments and Wesley pointed to the calendar numbers with the dinosaur wand. We sang //Father Abraham// and then had the rest of the story of Elisha and the Shunemite family. In today's story the boy who was prayed-for to be born was also prayed-for to be raised to life after he got sick in the field. He woke up with 7 sneezes! We had 10 stations in gym (but Mrs. Otten forgot the camera...sorry!) We did the balance beam up high, walking forward. Floor beams walking backwards and sideways. We did forward rolls and crayon rolls, We hung and pulled up on the pull-up bar. We pushed a heavy tire around a cone, did stretches, walk on balancing stones, and did a hand stand at the wall. We all worked together to get the gym equipment put away afterwards. We then enjoyed some of our own choice book time and then a story with many colorful, patterned fish. During snack we got directions for our project, which was making colorful fish prints and a finger paint ocean. It was a very quick choice and project time to end our day.

February 21, 2017
We had table time with coloring, memory game, stringing beads, and puzzles. Lauryn used the rose wand to point to the calendar numbers as we counted to 21. We sang our song about loving and helping friends and then had the Bible story of how the woman and man from Shunem were loving, helpful friends to the prophet Elisha by making a special room for him. The prophet said special prayers for them,too, and they had a baby boy. during snack we had a book with many differently decorated hearts. After enjoying outdoor time (swinging, sliding, and climbing) we had some book time. Then we beautifully decorated hearts with cray-pas crayons and painted over them with water color paint. We had a short choice time and then our day was over!

February 16, 2017 JAMMIE DAY!
We were sorry that Neako had to miss this special day :( Take a look at how we spent our day:

February 14, 2017
We were so excited about Valentines Day! There were lots of heart activities out for table time. Our day started differently because we started with our project so we could make our handprint valentine hearts for you! Did you like how our hands made a heart in the middle? We had a lot to do today, so we sang our hello song really fast! Emily counted our numbers with the heart wand! Good thinking, Emily! We sang our songs about love: Jesus Loves Me and Say to the Lord, I Love You. We had the Bible story of how Elisha prayed for a poor woman and she was able to pour many, many jars of oil from one little jar. After reviewing our Bible words, we played two running games in the gym: the mailbox relay and A-Tisket, A-Tasket. After gym we had some book time and a short valentine story about sharing with friends. During snack we had the story of Lilly and her one chocolate heart that she wanted to save. During choice time, we passed out our valentines. After clean up time, we talked about our next special day: Jammie Day!

February 9, 2017
We were sorry that Neako was out sick today. Wesley was back and he worked on his valentine bag during part of table time. We changed our schedule so we could get in and out of the gym before the middle school break since it was too cold for them to go outside. We got our jobs and Mrs. Otten did the name tag job for Neako (with a reminder from the 3K kids!) After Emma counted the calendar numbers for us, we sang a praise song. Then we pretended that our legs did not work and we saw how hard it would be to move from place to place by pulling ourselves. Our Bible story was about a man who had legs that did not work. When his friends brought him to the house where Jesus was, the house was full of people. They solved that problem in a very interesting way and Jesus healed the man. Instead of snack, we went to the gym. We did a warm up song: //The Freeze// and then we did activities with hula hoops. After a drink, we got our backpacks and did our show and tell time. During snack we heard a story of a boy who lost the monkey he wanted to bring to show and tell. After snack we worked on part of our project and then finished it during choice time. After we cleaned up from choice time we talked about remembering our valentines on Monday.

February 7, 2017
We started our day tracing our names on our valentine bags and playing with the new things that were out for table time. We were missing Wesley today, so Mrs. Otten did his stop sign job. We went over our schedule and then Neako chose the rocket wand for counting the calendar numbers. We sang two songs and then had the story of the little girl who was given life again after she got so sick that she died. This is the story that our Bible words came from and we heard them in the story. We took a drink break and then had some book time before going to the gym to run and play with balls. We had a story about friends after gym and a story at snack time about a rabbit and a badger who were friends. After snack, we decorated our bags for our valentines before choice time.

February 2, 2017
Today we had a little longer table time while several friends worked on the project from last time. We had some new games out that we enjoyed: a color matching puzzle game and a matching socks game. When our day started, we sang our hello song in a daddy voice/mommy voice. Then we looked at our February calendar, talking about the special days that we saw on the calendar. Parker used the dinosaur wand to count the two hearts. Then we learned about the tradition of the ground hog and his shadow. We did two finger plays for ground hog day (with our thumbs being the ground hog and our fists being the burrows). We sang two songs about friends and then had a suitcase surprise. It was a cd with a listening/guessing game on it. We listened carefully and identified the sounds we heard. We talked about NOT being able to hear and then we learned that Jesus healed a deaf man and then he could hear. Next we had gym. We warmed up with a song and then while Mrs. Otten set up our equipment, we tried different to copy different "monkey positions" from picture cards. Then we each took a turn at 4 other stations: a pull up bar (we hung and we lifted our toes to the bar); a squishy beam (we walked sideways); the mats (we did frog-bear-tuck and roll); and the "high" beam (we walked with arms like letter T and tried stepping one foot in front of the other). After we were at each station, we did a couple rounds of trying them all again. After gym we had a short book time and then we made videos of us reading our //Snow Everywhere// book to Judah. Mrs. Otten will send the videos to Judah. Finally it was snack time! We enjoyed Emma's snack while we watched our videos. Our time together was nearly done, so we skipped the project for today and went straight to choice time. We will finish our name trains next week Thursday.

January 31, 2017
Although our beach day was over, we still had some beach things available for table time and choice time (water tables, sand and shells, "water slide" and fishing pond). After our table time, we started our day with prayer and then sang our hello song //quiet as snow! !// We also sang happy half birthday to EmilyWe went over our schedule and got our job assignments. Wesley used the dolphin wand to count our numbers...all the way to 31! We sang e//Friends Love One Another// and then had our suitcase surprise. We each got a sock and hidden in the sock was a shape. We had to feel the shape NO PEEKING and then identify the shape. We talked about being blind and not being able to see. We had a Bible story about Jesus healing a blind man and we learned new Bible words. We then did some moving time in the gym. We went around the track doing different kinds of movement before getting a ball to play with. After gym, we had some book time. Then we had a story of two kids who became friends. During snack we had a second story with the same theme. After snack, we put on our giant fingers and reviewed where to start our letters for writing. Then we saw our project for the week. Today we just traced the letters of our name and we will turn our names into a name train next time (a few friends will be writing their names at table time since we ran out of time for everyone today). Emma and Lauryn got to take home classroom books today!

January 26, 2017 BEACH DAY!
After finding our monkeys in the sand, we had some table time, doing puzzles and playing with beach creatures, and coloring. We sang "I'm Hot!" for our hello song and then sang happy birthday to Evelyn who had a real birthday today! We listened to a story about going to the beach and the 5 things that Roxanne wanted to take to the beach and the different ways she tried to get to the beach. We acted out a beach song and then we read a book about beach feet. We picked up a shell in our toes, just like in the book! We put our feet in real sand! Then we had our snack time. After snack, we got to play with beach balls in the gym. When we got back to our room, we got a partner and did 10 different beach things.

January 24, 2017
We had some play dough time at choice time and also played some "go fish" and put together opposites puzzles. Wesley had a chance to sew his giant pointer finger so we can teach him the //At the Top// song next week when we get back to writing out letters. We got our job assignments and sang the song with numbers (//1-2-3, Jesus Loves Me).// We talked about being helpers and then had the Bible story of Jesus choosing 12 special helpers. We reviewed our Bible words and then had snack time. During snack we had a story of a mouse making a valentine. We went to the gym to run around and to use the scooters for a bit for our exercise time. We had part of a story of showing love and then talked about how our project would show love to the people getting meals on wheels. Our suitcase surprise was really special! We read the book that was made with the project we did last time. We dedicated our book to Judah and then we saw and listened to Judah! He sent a video to Mrs. Otten on her phone and we got to hear him tell us about Thailand and about how he misses us! We miss him, too, and are going to make a video for him. We will read our book to him and send it to him. Choice time was really short today and we ended the day talking about beach day.

January 19, 2017
Sorry for the late update! The website was down Thursday afternoon. We had a great day with everyone in school! We welcomed Wesley back from his cruise and learned that there was a water slide and a restaurant on the boat! After table time, prayers and going over our schedule, Emily chose the snowflake wand and we counted the calendar. We sang a couple songs and then learned about the baptism of Jesus. We reviewed our Bible words before doing our bathroom break and snack. During snack we read //The Snowy Day.// In gym we warmed up with the Looby Loo song and then we enjoyed throwing! We threw bean bags and swishy balls over the mat wall, remembering to face Mrs. Otten, stretch out our arms and point, make a muscle with our band hand, lift up our tape toe, then step and THROW! After throwing over, we went to the end of the gym and used soft balls and then hard balls to throw FAR! When we got back to our room we hear the story //The First Snowfall,// noticing the things that got covered in snow. We had a suitcase surprise of fake snow and things from our room. Mrs. Otten put one thing "under the snow" while we hid our eyes and we tried to guess what it was. Then we made a book page of things covered with "snow" before going to choice time.

January 17, 2017

 * NO SCHOOL TODAY! RAIN AND ICE!**

January 12, 2017
We were missing Evelyn today so we had 3 boys and 3 girls today. Mrs. Otten did Evelyn's job (shaking the good bye) Today was the last day our friend, Judah, would be with us :( We did our hello song quiet as snow and as loud as a snow plow. Right when we got done singing, we really heard a snow plow! We had the story of Jesus as a boy. During snack we had 2 books with opposites while we ate cheese crackers from Lauryn. We got bands on our writing/throwing hands and tape on our opposite toe so we could learn about throwing over in gym. We threw some funny pretend things (snowball, mud ball, and rice krispie treat ball) and then we really threw bean bags and koosh balls over the wall of mats. When we got back to our room it was time for show and tell! We saw a remote control car, a Star Wars scarf, a Poke binder and cards, and an American Girl doll. We heard about a special bracelet and a bow and arrow set. We got out our giant fingers for singing the ABC song and the //Where Do You Start Your Letters?// song. Then we saw an example of our project. We traced the letters of our names and got to add dot marker border to them. We did project during choice time. Then it was time to clean up and finish our day. We surrounded Judah in a prayer circle and we each gave him a big hug after we prayed. Our goodbye was also a hug so we did a big group hug!

January 10, 2017
Another special day! Today we met our new friend, Neako! We got to show him our classroom and show him how we act and move and listen and sing and have fun in our classroom. Since it was a new week, there were some different things out for table time. After our table time, we showed STOP!LOOK!LISTEN! for the bell sound. We cleaned up and then started our circle time. Since Wesley was gone on a family vacation, Neako got to have a job! His first job was to find number 10 and put it on the calendar. He chose the walking stick wand to point to the numbers while we counted and he changed the weather. We sang two songs from //our// first day and then we had a Bible story about the men who brought presents to baby Jesus and worshiped him. Emily brought blueberry muffins for our snack and we heard a story with opposites. Since it was so slippery and sloppy outside, we did inside moving time. We had our pretend snowball fight in the gym and we did a running relay. After gym we had a short book time. Then we sang our ABC song with music. We learned that when we write our letters we are going to start our writing AT THE TOP of the letter (our name cards have green dots to show us where to start). Mrs. Otten used a giant finger to point to the top of the letter and we got to make our own giant fingers for our project and will get to use them next time. Then we had choice and project time.



January 5, 2017
We had a different and fun day! After our usual table time, we started our day with a Thai hello for our hello song! We did our schedule, jobs, and calendar and then talked about our "trip" to Thailand with the fourth grade class. We also talked about welcoming and helping Neako when he comes on Tuesday. After getting our name tags, we "flew" to the fourth grade room (Thailand). We sat with our fourth grade partners and learned about where Judah will live. Mrs. Abel showed us pictures from Thailand. Then Judah taught us how to count to 10 in Thai. Since elephants are very important in the Thai culture, we then counted again, adding a dot to an elephant pictures as we said the numbers. Josiah then told us about a popular activity in Thailand: football! (which is soccer to us). We went to the gym to use soccer balls with our partners. When we got back to the room, we got to taste a Thai sweet (pinapple cookies) and a Thai salty (shrimp chips). We all tasted both of them and we all preferred the sweet! As we had our snack, Mrs. Otten read a book about another important thing in the Thai culture: umbrellas. The Abel family had actually toured an umbrella factory when they were in Thailand before so we saw some pictures from that, too. We did not have time to decorate our own umbrella, but we took a paper home so we could do that at home.Then it was time to "fly" back to 3K. We had our bathroom break and a snack that Emma provided. We looked at another book from Thailand. When we got to the circle, Judah got to sit in the author's chair and read a book he wrote for us!! We will get to take it home just like our other library classroom books! Since our day was quickly passing, we saved our Bible story and went right to choice and project time. We got to cut out our colorful coffee filters and turn them into snowflakes.

January 3, 2017
A great beginning to our new year! We enjoyed some new games at table time. We looked at our calendar when we got to the circle and noticed cupcakes for birthdays, suns for beach days, and a no school day. Mrs. Otten added two things to our calendar: a passport for our "trip" Thailand on Thursday (we will learn some things about where Judah is moving); and a smiley face for a new friend who will join us next Tuesday: Neako. Although our calendar was new, we sang about something that is always the same: Jesus' love for us! We also sang a song telling Jesus (the Lord) that we love him. We had a suitcase surprise but we had to WAIT for it! We talked a little about waiting and things that were hard to wait for. We had the Bible story of Simeon and Anna who waited a long time for Jesus to be born. It was even hard to WAIT for the suitcase surprise even though we did not have to wait until we were old people like Simeon and Anna. During snack we had a story about things that happen in winter. After book time, we had a story about snowflakes. We played with some pretend snowflakes for our moving time. We used rainbow color paints for our project (the rainbow that reminds us that God always keeps his promises) and we painted in a NEW way! We will be turning our rainbow color coffee filters into snowflakes next time. We did project during choice time and then at the end of the day we had another book with information about winter. Wesley shook the number 4 for our goodbye and most of us did a big "Packer wave" for our goodbye.

December 22, 2016
With Emma gone for a Christmas road trip, we were 3 girls and 3 boys today! We sang our bell songs and learned how the candy cane can remind us of Jesus. Emily's mom came to help us play our party games. We did a group game ("Present, present, where's your bow?") and then we split into two groups for a finding game, a guessing game and a throwing game. We had snack and a story about Claude the dog. We played a "What's Missing" game and then we opened the gifts for the MOPS mart. We took them down to the office and they were super excited by all the great gifts. We had a choice time WITHOUT a project! Then we did an action rhyme and heard the story of Gus and Grandpa and the Christmas cookies.

December 20, 2016
We were glad to welcome back Wesley, especially since we were celebrating his half birthday today! He wroe a green crown and we sang to him. We had extra table time so we sang a fast hello song. We sang our Baby Jesus song and then had the story of the shepherds and the angels. We had snack and then took a group photograph. We went to the gym to get in our moving time and we took balls to play with. When we came back to our room, we had book time and then a story about a polar bear who had a wreath for a necklace (that he did not want to wear). We saw how to make the wreaths that we would make for our project during choice time. After project and choice time, we cleaned up and then had a story called //Stick!// We tried to figure out what might happen in the story before it happened. At the end of the day we sang Merry Christmas to Emma since she would be gone next time.

December 15, 2016
Ahh, winter: the revolving door of school attendance! Today Parker was back, but Wesley stayed home to help take care of a sick brother. After our table time and cleaning up, we started our day and sang our hello song with shivering for this cold day. We got our jobs and Emily counted the calendar for us with the snowflake wand so we did not clap with the numbers. Instead, we did gently falling snow! Our Bible story was about the birth of Jesus. Then we sang //Away in the Manger// and got to see a picture book that had pictures for the phrases of the song. During snack we heard the story again, this time through the voice of a fox. Our suitcase surprise was snow! (Well the kind of snow that does not melt: white paper) We made snowballs with the snow and then took them to the gym for our warm up song, which included a snowball fight! Since Mrs. Otten could not set up activity stations today (the middle schoolers use the gym for basketball when they cannot go outside) we did the parachute again! This time we made a big ball roll abour the parachute and we popped little balls in the air with the parachute. We had book time after gym and then the story of a silly moose daddy who did everything for getting ready for Christmas except **get a tree!** He turned himself into the tree with his marvelous "moosestach". We got directions for our project and then did our project during choice time. Here's a peak at some parts of our day:

December 13, 2016
We were sad to be missing Parker! After table time, we started with our morning routines. We sang our bell songs and a couple new songs with bells. We reread our story of Zachariah and Elizabeth and finished it with the exciting birth of John and Zachariah getting his voice back. We also talked about what John did when he grew up: helping people know what it means to repent of sin and baptizing people. Since it was too cold for outdoors, we played a running game in the gym "mailing" letters. Then we returned to our room to use the rhythm sticks. We had to listen carefully: first for when to play slow and fast, and then to listen to the pattern of taps. During snack we had a book about the animals in the stable getting ready for Jesus. After our own book time, we read a book called //Snowballs// and noticing what all the snow people where decorated with. We had project and choice time. Then we cleaned up, finished our day, and prayed for Parker and the rest of us with colds.

December 6, 2016
We were glad to have Wesley back! Today we got to practice one of our songs while wearing our costumes. We sang for the 5K class! Then we practiced the rest of our songs on our own. We had a Bible story about another angel visit. This time the angel came to tell Joseph about the baby that Mary would have that would be Jesus. During snack we ate Christmas tree pretzels and had a Christmas tree story. After our outdoor time (with lots of running and playing tag), we had our book time. Lots of children took books that had a wolf in the story somewhere! We got instructions for our project and then did our project during choice time. At the end of the day we got to add an ornament to our class tree.

December 1, 2016
A new month! We looked at the special things posted on our December calendar: Christmas tree for our Make and Take; present for our class party; cupcakes for birthdays and half-birthdays; NO SCHOOL days; and the 4K program. Today Lauryn was back and Wesley was gone. We practiced the songs we will sing for grown-ups next week. We had a Bible story about the angel appearing to Mary and about Mary's visit to Elizabeth. During snack, we had a story about a fox who wanted to "make friends". He was a little confused about what that meant, but while making "friends" he actually made friends with the other animals who helped him. After snack, we had gym. We got to use the parachute after learning a safety rule and how to hold the parachute. We made quiet and loud waves, crawled in the waves, looked at friends under the parachute and made a mountain, When we got back from the gym, we had book time. Then we clapped the sound parts in our names, first with hands and then with rhythm sticks. We did some other rhythm stick patterns with music. For our project, we decorated food bags that will be used to bring food to people who cannot cook or drive, or are just too old. They get special "meals on wheels" and will love our decorated bags. Finally we had choice time and we got to try on our costumes during choice time.

November 29, 2016
Today we were missing Lauryn and we prayed for her to get well soon. There were some different games and activities out at table time, which we enjoyed. We we all arrived, we started our day with our morning prayer and routines. Judah counted the calendar numbers for us and used the wrench wand. We practiced our Christmas songs and our suitcase surprise held the costumes that we will wear for one song. We also practiced our bell songs...with bells! We had the story of another baby who was promised. We already know the name: John. After snacks we went outside. While we were outside, the fire drill alarm rang and so we ran to the fence. We saw the other children leaving the building, too. Once the bell rang, we enjoyed some more outdoor time. When we came in we talked about things to get ready for Christmas and we looked at a book with more ideas. We made a project that will help us to count the days until Christmas, too. At the end of the day (after choice and project time) we had a story of Sam and his bunny, Jump.

November 22, 2016
In this season of thanksgiving, I am thankful for healthy 3 year olds! We were all in school today and heard the story of another baby that was prayed for and promised: Samuel! We started working on some songs that we will sing for the grown ups who will be helping us on Make and Take day. We read another story about the way the Pilgrims liven. We had some outdoor time, and some book time. We did a project that will decorate our hallway. We played a listening game and tried to find a ticking timer. Then we sang a turkey song and chose a turkey feather and did whatever was written on the feather. We were excited to take home our Thanksgiving placemats!

November 17, 2016
We had a couple different things in our schedule today. After table time and our prayer song, we did our hello with stiff hands and voices and with wiggly hands and voices. Evelyn found the number and counted out the calendar numbers with the hammer wand. We pretended that we were pounding hammers, too, as we said the numbers. We sang //Father Abraham//, reviewed our Bible words and then heard again the story of God being faithful to his promises to Abaham and Sarah with the story book //Sarah Laughs.// After doing our turkey rhyme, we had our suitcase surprise. It was food and we talked about where our food comes from. Then we had a book with pictures about the first Thanksgiving and some of the events that happened long ago (I am not sure how much of this they "grasped" since they operate in the "here and now" as 3 and 4 year olds!!) During snack we also had a book that was about a Thanksgiving play and a little brother who always snuck on stage. We went outdoors today instead of our usual gym time because I wanted to take advantage of the nice weather. There will be plenty days soon when we will not be able to get outside! When we came in we FINALLY played our listening game! First we read a farm story and made the animal noises. Then we took turns choosing an animal, hiding, and making our animal noise. Since the rest of us kept our eyes hidden, we had to listen to the sound and point to where we thought the sound was coming from. We were excited to go and find our hidden animal friend. We took turns doing our project during choice time. We cleaned up and then our day was over.

November 15, 2016
Today we enjoyed the new things that were out for table time. At our circle time we sang our hello song first with a scratch voice like Mrs. Otten! We looked at our schedule and got our job assignments. We sang songs from the beginning of school and then talked about growing up and the different things we do at different ages. We had the story of something unusual that happened to Abraham and Sarah-having a baby when they were old. When Sarah first heard she was going to have a baby, she laughed. So when God kept his promise and gave her a baby, she named him "laughter" or Isaac. We sang the Father Abraham song and took a drink break before talking about letters and letter pieces. We made some letters with the letter pieces today. We went out to play before snack today. At snack we did a turkey fingerplay. Then we looked at a book that told about what real turkeys are like. We talked about our project and then did project during choice time.

November 10, 2016
Today we prayed for our friend, Judah, who was out with a fever. So we discovered when we came to circle time that there were 2 boys and 4 girls. We made a sitting pattern: girl, girl, boy, girl, girl, boy.We did a speaking and then whispering Hello song. Mrs. Otten was the caboose for Judah when we went over our jobs. Wesley chose the soft rose to count with and we counted to 10 (same as our fingers). We sang //Jesus, I Love// You and "played our instruments" during parts of the song. We had the Bible story about God leading Abraham and Sarah to a new land with good food and water. God kept his promise to Abraham. Then God made another promise about the many children Abraham would have. Abraham was old and did not even have 1 child. Will God keep that promise? Our story next time will tell us. During snack we had a story about being thankful. During gym we got to use bean bags. We had a parade with them and did some moving songs, and tossed them and tried to catch them. After gym we tried to remember our snack story and we compared it to another book about giving thanks. Our suitcase surprise was a turkey without feathers. Our project was to decorate a feather for the turkey. We had choice time and project time and then our day was over.



November 8, 2016
Welcome back to Wesley! Today we had new things to do for table time. We did our hello song singing and speaking. Emma found number 8 and counted with the rose wand. We sang our David song two times. Our new Bible story was about the promises God made when he sent the rainbow after the flood. During snack we read about about being thankful and we named some things that we were thankful for. We went outside for some swinging and running. We read a story about a turkey who was trying to escape from the farmer. We helped by reading the words, "RUN, TURKEY, RUN!" Then we looked at our turkey book project. We placed a turkey in different positions on each page. We made our project all at the same time. (Some of us had time to color our pages and some of us will color our pages at home). After choice and clean up time, we read our books together.

November 3, 2016
We were sorry that Wesley was not feeling well and was not in school. Table time (Tinker Toy construction; counting and comparing amount game; giant tongs and fuzzy poms for hand and sorting work; bug manipulatives to sort, observe, and pretend with) was first, followed by our circle time. We did our hello song with the opposites of serious and silly. Parker found number 3 and added it to the calendar and counted with the hammer wand. We sang //God Is Bigger.// Our Bible story was about one more scary thing that God is bigger than: giants! David used the power of the Lord and his slingshot to defeat Goliath. We got to lift up a heavy weight that was as heavy as Goliath's spear and we got to see how tall Goliath with a body traced on a paper that went from our ceiling to the floor. We learned the song //Only a Boy Named David.// Emma brought our snack and she prayed for Wesley, too. During snack we had another lion story. This one was about a lion named Dandelion. For our gym time, we showed Mrs. Otten how we could jump, balance, move, and walk on the balance beam. We also got to use beach balls while Mrs. Otten cleaned up the mats. We got hot with all our exercise and talked about how exercise gives blood to our brains so we can think. Our brains also need water, so we took a drink before we went to the circle to learn about our project. We made creations from lines and dots. After choice time, we read a book about a library field trip AND a book about OUR library field trip (Lauryn got to take it home first).

November 1, 2016
Well, wouldn't it be nice if the whole of November had weather like today! We took advantage of the nice weather and did our November fire drill. We looked at our November calendar and noticed that it started with the NO and there are two NO school days in November. Judah counted our calendar and we did 1 big clap when he touched number one. We sang two songs and then talked about what makes lions and bears scary. We also talked about how David the shepherd would take care of his sheep. He protected his sheep from a lion and a bear. He also wrote a song and said that the Lord was his shepherd. During snack we had a story called e//Andy and the Lion.// There were three parts to the story. After our outdoor time, we reviewed the three parts. Then we talked about finishing our line lions by cutting and gluing. We did project during our choice time. We did not have time for our last story because of our fire drill.

October 27, 2016
An extra special day! We had our first field trip and we helped Parker celebrate his //real// birthday! After a short table time we began our day. We were sad that Wesley was not in school today. We went over our schedule and then counted all the way to 27 with Lauryn. She used the pink rose wand. We learned the signs for "day" and "night" and "angel" and then we sang the chorus to //Angels Watching Over Me.// We had a story book from Psalm 139 that told us all the places and ways that God sees us and watches over us. We talked about our field trip and then we did our jobs. We enjoyed Parker's special snack with juice boxes, string cheese, and dipped pretzels while we listened to a story about manners in the library. Then it was time to put on our special field trip name tags, get on our coats and backpacks, and go on the BIG yellow school bus. Judah's mom went with us and bus driver Katie got us safely to the library. We each got to put a book in the return slot before riding the elevator up to the third floor. Mrs. Otten showed us around the "big kid" area of the children's room and then we met our librarian and she showed us the area with books just for us. There were also some things to play with, and we enjoyed a "choice time" before our library story time. We had stories and fingerplays about animals and we enjoyed listening and participating. We got to decorate a pumpkin with a face and stickers. Emily and Lauryn remembered how to make a lion face and drew that on their pumpkins. We waved good bye and our day was over.

October 25, 2016
Oh No! Two friends were sick! We hope to see Wesley and Parker back on Thursday for our field trip! We had some new activities out for table time and then we started our day. We made Emma our line leader (no caboose) and Mrs. Otten was the stop sign person. Evelyn found the 25 and counted the calendar with the flip flop wand. We sang two songs about how our God is BIG! Then we had the story of how God's people obeyed God's commands and he made the walls of Jericho fall down. We got to act out our story, too. during snack we had a story of a lion and a mouse. It ended up that the mouse was brave and lion was scared! After outdoor time and book time, we had a book about different kinds of lines. We drew some different kinds of lines on the white board and then we made 9 different lines on paper for our project. We also learned how to draw a lion face. We had choice time. After cleaning up, we listened to sounds. We had to try to remember the first sound we heard. It was hard to do! We talked about our field trip and prayed for our friends.

October 20, 2016
//**Another busy day!**// During table time, some of us played a game looking for same or different letters. Some of us built creations, and some of us did puzzles or matching. We started with prayer...changing our prayer ever so slightly to reflect what we know to be true. Instead of singing "Keep us always in your sight" we not sing, " WE ARE always in your sight"! We talked about our schedule and what we would learn. Today we were learning about spies and a red rope; how apples grow; things to do with a beach ball, "apple man's secret"; and what it means to "print" with paint. Our Bible story was the story of Rahab. During snack we got to see a BIG book that talked about how apples grow from the flowers on the apple tree. After snack we had the fun of using beach balls in gym-sorry, no photos :( We first did some things together like lift and lower our beach balls, sing //Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes// with our balls, spin them, roll them around our bodies, bounce and catch them, and toss and catch them. Then we had time to explore all the different things we could do with the beach ball (EXCEPT FOR TWO THINGS!) When we got back to our hallway, we took a much-needed drink break and then we had a flannelgraph story about a girl named Sarah and her grandma and a bushel of apples. Grandma made an apple man. Then she cut the apple in half to find the secret. You will see the secret on our apple prints! We learned about making apple prints and we had a chance to do a project with apple prints during choice time.

October 18, 2016
We had a busy day! After some table time, we started our day: prayer, looking at our schedule, getting our jobs, finding out what we would learn today, doing the calendar and the weather. We sang two songs and then had the story of how God's people ran out of water in the desert but the only water they came to was BITTER! We learned how God provided for them: making good water and then leading them to a place of water and palm trees. We reviewed our October Bible words and we know them very well. After doing our apple tree rhyme, we had a story about a family trip to an apple orchard. Pip, one of the characters in the story, had a surprise recipe that she wanted to make with her apples. Our suitcase surprise had the same recipe: APPLESAUCE! We talked about the steps, and saw the ingredients and the equipment. Then we washed our apples and Mrs. Otten cut them. We went outside while they were cooking. When we came in, we had another story and then we worked on our books that would tell you how we made our applesauce. It was a lot of work, but when we were done the apples were cooked and ready to be made into sauce. After our bathroom break and some cooling time, it was time to eat our applesauce! YUM!

October 13, 2016
During table time today we got to do some counting with Mrs. Otten. When we started our day, we did all of our morning routines and especially enjoy seeing what job we will have for the day. Emma helped us count to 13 by pointing to the numbers on the calendar. Then we got to sing the song with the instrumental part (and we pretended to play instruments). We reviewed our Moses stories and had the story of how Pharoah changed his mind and came after God's people with his army. We learned how God took care of his people by making a dry path through water walls. Wesley passed out the snack he brought after bathroom break. We read a book with rhyming words and then tried to make all kinds of rhyming words. We went to gym next. We warmed up with stretching and moving. Then we did a circuit of movement that included lots of kinds of jumping: jumping forward, jumping up, jumping down, jumping over, and jumping far. We did some hopping and balancing, too. We each had a piece of equipment to clean up and then we sat together and talked while Mrs. Otten picked up the mats. What good listeners and helpers we are! We had a story about fall and then we did a rhyme about two little apples. We got directions for our project and then had project and choice time. We did not have enough time at the end of the day for a listening game. Like Judah said, "Maybe next time!" Since our colorful leaves are hanging in the room, we got to take home our glittery bananas today.

October 11, 2016
We were all in school, but some of us with sniffles! Guess that will be the norm from now on! We had some new things out at table time. There were some different puzzles, games, and things to sort. After table time, we were ready to start our day. We prayed, sang hello, and looked at our schedule. We got our job assignments and Parker used the dinosaur wand to count the numbers. He had to change the weather from sunny to cloudy. We sang a song that had us moving up and down when we sang our part. The boys got to sing "Hallelu, Hallelujah" and the girls got to sing " Praise Ye the Lord." We reviewed the story of God talking to Moses in the burning bush and then learned about the 10 bad things that happened in Egypt. Nine times the Pharoah said, "No, No, You Can't Go" (we helped with this part of the story). Then finally, when his boy died, we said "GO!" We reviewed our Bible words, knowing that God was going to go with his people. During snack we read a book with a squirrel that moved through the pages looking for his nuts. We were able to enjoy outdoor time today. When we came in, we did some of our leaf rhymes and then we talked about rhyming words. We read a story about leaves with some rhyming words. We made colorful leaves for a room decoration for our project. We got to practice snipping paper and then learned about taking little "bites" before closing our scissors all the way for cutting wider pieces of paper.After our project and choice time, we played another listening game, trying to guess the sounds Mrs. Otten was making.

October 6, 2016
We had several new things today! After our table time and prayer to start the day, we sang our hello song //fast// and s l o w. We had a new song to sing called, //Jesus, I Love You.// In between the verses, we also "played" instruments. Our suitcase surprise was what was needed for a fire. We all guessed sticks, but had no other guess (I guess that is a good thing, since it means we do not have experience with matches!!) We also looked at what is left after a fire (ashes). We had a Bible story with fire that did NOT make ashes. It was the story of God talking to Moses from the burning bush. During our snack time, Mrs. Otten read the book she made with our photographs. It tell about our day in 3K. Emma is the first one to take it home! After warming up in gym, we did some activities with hula hoops. First we copied Mrs. Otten and then we had time to play whatever we wanted with the hoops. Our story today was about a squirrel who was collecting lots of things to eat for winter. We made our own bushy tailed squirrels for our project which gave us practice with our scissors. After choice and project time, we read our //All About Leaves// books so we could take them home today.

October 4, 2016
We had a busy Tuesday! We had some different things to use at table time. There was a 'Round the Castle game, some coloring pictures, some foam beads and foam leaves to sort; some patterns to make, and some things to build with. When we started our day, we had a new calendar to look at. We got our jobs and then sang //Jesus Loves Me// and //This Little Light of Mine.// Our suitcase surprise was things to take care of a baby. We guessed the blanket right away and needed some clues to guess the bottle and the diaper. We also thought of some things that were not in the suitcase like a crib and a rattle. Our Bible story was about a baby and God's plan. It started with a king with a bad plan-to kill the baby boys of the Hebrew (God's) people. But God's plan was greater and the baby was saved. We practiced our Bible words again. Then we had snack and did a listening game. After snack, we enjoyed outdoor time. When we came in, we heard a story called //Going On A Leaf Hunt.// After reading the story, we acted it out and even matched the leaves in the story to some leaves that were hanging on the "tree" in our room. We had another surprise, but not in the suitcase! We were given bags so WE could go on a leaf hunt. We walked around the block and looked for colorful, flat leaves for the cover of our leaf book. During choice time we added a leaf to the cover of our book and read it. We will get to take the books home next time!! Way too soon, our day was over!

September 29, 2016
Welcome back to Wesley! We found out that he was not sick (YAY) but he was visiting a grandpa who is sick (prayers!) At table time we played with the Connect Four game, made families with little people, made magnet creations, colored, made puzzles, and grabbed and counted "french fries". We are learning our morning prayers and every day we are able to sing a little more of it. We did a "Mommy voice/Daddy voice" hello song and then looked over our schedule and what we would be learning today. We got our job assignments and then Evelyn found 29 to add to the calendar and counted with the silver star wand. We sang //He's Got the Whole World// **with** music and then we did //Father Abraham// with music and much moving! We had our Bible story about how Joseph collected the food and then sold it when there was no food. Even his brothers came to get food, but they did not recognize him. In the end, he did tell his brothers who he was and he forgave them. We tried our new Bible words, which teach us that God is always with us. During snack we heard a story about fall leaves and animals. In gym we had to use our ears when we did our warm up song because we had to FREEZE when the music stopped. Then we did all the stations we did last week, only we did them individually.After gym we had some book time, getting to look at books of our choosing. We read our project book again and talked about how we would illustrate the last two pages. We used something in our suitcase called a paper punch.I took a lot of hand and thumb power! We had choice and project time and then we did a quick clean up and the rest of the jobs.

September 27, 2016
We were sad to be missing Wesley today. We hope he gets better quickly! We had some different things out at table time which we enjoyed as everyone came to school. We started with our morning routines and two songs://My God Is So Big// and //Father Abraham.// We had a sad part to our Bible story (Joseph being sold by his brothers) and a happy part (Joseph telling the king the meaning of his dream and becoming the king's helper). During snack we heard a story about a leaf that made a cow sneeze. We bundled up and enjoyed time out in the cool, fresh air. We did a lot of swinging and some running and hanging. After outdoor time, we enjoyed some book time. Then we did our leaf action rhymes and we listened to another story about fall leaves. We learned about using the glue sticks and we glued our colorful leaves into our counting book. Then we learned about using the water colors. During choice time, we used the water colors for another page in our books. At the very end of the day,we used our ears to listen carefully. We heard voices, shoes on the carpet, a bell, and even our own breathing. Then Mrs. Otten remembered to pick a stick for the class book and Judah got to take it home first!

September 22, 2016
We celebrated another birthday today! Today was Judah's real birthday! His crown was his favorite color: green! During table time, some of us tried doing some leaf rubbings. We also stacked the foam blocks, made designs with the plastic tiles, and strung beads. We opened our day with prayer and sang a happy Hello song. After going over our schedule and jobs, we counted calendar numbers with Wesley (using the basketball wand). We sang //If You're Happy and You Know It;// but then we changed the song for different emotions (sad, tired, silly, angry, etc). Our Bible story had a sad part. It was the part when Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the tree that God had told them they could not eat. They had to leave the garden. But we also heard the good news that God sent Jesus to take away that sin and all sins, even ours and that one day when we are with God it will all be very, very good again. During snack we read another book about leaves. Then we had gym. After warming up by moving our whole body, we did 7 different stations of activities. Then we helped Mrs. Otten clean up all the gym equipment (Mrs. Otten folded up the mats). After a drink, we read a book about what happens in fall. We saw how to do the project for today. We did project during choice time. We did not have time for our leaf rhymes today.

September 20, 2016
We are getting very comfortable with our schedule and routines. We started with table time and then we all worked together to clean up so we could begin our day. After our prayer and hello songs, we looked at our schedule and we got our jobs. We are starting to recognize the beginning letter or sound in our own names and in our friends' names. Emma chose the dinosaur wand and we had to count to 20! We sang an old song and a "new" song (which some of us knew) //My God Is So Big.//We had pictures of the things God created and we matched them up with the day that he created them. Then we learned how Adam gave names to the animals and how Adam and Eve enjoyed the garden and its foods.We enjoyed our food at snack time and we looked at and listened to our class book (//**which Mrs. Otten forgot to send home with someone!**// **Sorry!)** We enjoyed our outdoor time, although some of the play equipment was too wet to use. Our suitcase surprise was something God created that is on something that grows tall. Evelyn guessed it: leaves! We each had a green leaf that we looked at and touched and talked about. Then we read a story that showed us different leaf shapes. It told us about the job that the leaves have. It had pictures of how a tree changes throughout the year. In our suitcase was also the things we needed for our project. We started working on a counting book about leaves. We worked on our project during choice time. Then we got pretend leaves and did action rhymes with them.

September 15, 2016
Table time was foam towers, coloring at the easel, making patterns, and matching shapes. When our day started we sang our morning prayer. We are starting to know some of the words and singing along. We used one of our hands for "Hello, how are you?" and the other hand for "I'm Fine, thank you!" We looked at our schedule. Instead of gym today, we were going to take advantage of the nice weather while we have it and get our exercise on the outdoor playground. We also were going to work on a project together before choice time. After a couple songs, we reviewed the things God created. When we got to the animals, we read our fingerprint books together! We pointed at and read the words and we counted the animals. We are readers! Then we learned how God made man and woman differently. He used his God-hands and his God-breath to make people. Then he and Adam and Eve enjoyed the garden together and God was finished with his creation. During snack we read about the wonderful body parts we have and we matched the inside pictures to the cover of the book. We did a moving song with body parts and then we used them to move, move, move out doors.When we came back in we read //From Head to Toe// and we moved like the characters in the story. Our suitcase surprise was the parts we would need to make a special body: Mat Man. We each got to put a part on Mat Man. We then drew our own bodies for a classroom book. Then it was time for choice time. We got to use play dough during choice time, too. After our clean up time, we finished our day talking about OPEN HOUSE tonight and how "night" school would be different than our regular school day.

September 13, 2016
We celebrated another birthday in 3k today! Lauryn turned 4 and she got to wear a pink crown, and pick a birthday book, and she brought cupcakes for our snack today! After our morning routines (with a //fast// hello song and singing to Lauryn), we sang a new song to begin our Bible time://God Is So Good.//Then we learned about the good things God created on day 5 and 6: all the animals! He created birds and fish on day 5 and all the land animals on day 6. During snack we read an animal ABC book. We only got through letter F, but we learned interesting things about the alligator, the bear, the chipmunk, the duck, the elephant, and the frog. After snack we did a moving song since it was too wet to go outside. We had to move very fast for our song. We had a story about some monkeys, their fingers and thumbs, and some instruments they played. Then we saw how we were going to use our fingers and thumb to make ink prints for a book about some animals God created. We worked on project during choice time. It was STILL too wet outside, so we had a suitcase surprise: finger puppets. We put a different color puppet on each finger and did //Where Is Thumbkin?// and we learned names for our fingers.

eptember 8, 2016
Our day started with 6 friends, but we were happy that Wesley's grandma could bring him to school. We hope his mom feels better soon! We got a fish! Judah was the first person to have the job of feeding the fish and we learned how to get just a small pinch of food for the fish. Lauryn found number 8 and counted the calendar numbers with the pink rose wand. We sang about and talked about the first 3 days of creation. Then we learned how God made the sun and moon and stars. We played a flashlight game. We made the room dark and then took turns "hiding" but shining the flashlight on the ceiling. We followed the light and found the hiding friend. During our snack we read a book called //Things I Like.//In the gym today, we reviewed moving in a circle and then we practiced running straight across the gym so that we don't run into each other. We also took turns running and moving other ways. Then we practiced moving in the "track" around the gym and practiced stopping our moving with the whistle. After gym we learned that our project was going to be to practice our glue dots and add glitter to a starry sky. We had project during choice time. There was also a Lite Brite and a light table with magnet blocks to use during choice time. At the end of the day, we talked about "book time" which we will add to our day from time to time. We collected our cubbie things and then it was time to go!

September 6, 2016
Whoa, summer does not want to go away! We will take it! Although it was warm in our room, we love the opportunity for outdoor play during our day. Today we again settled right into table time. We did some coloring, some building, some counting, and used our fingers to open all sorts of latches. When our day started we had our morning prayer, our hello prayer, and then went over our schedule and jobs. Our Bible story told of what God created on day 3.Then we sang //He's God the Whole World// with verses light and sky; water, land, and plants. We went to the table to see the water and "land and plants" that would be out for us to use at choice time. Then we reviewed hand washing and did our bathroom break During snack we heard a story about all different kinds of water in the world that God created. We had our outdoor time. Our suitcase surprise was something to wear during our project to keep our clothes clean and we learned a special way to wear it. We did a project during choice time. After cleaning up, we learned about practicing to stay safe if there was a fire in our building. We learned about "fire drill" and what we would do. We must have listened well because we walked, we were quiet, and we said "here I am" when our name was called. We got to get a happy face sticker on our fire drill paper.

September 1, 2016
Our second day of school ran as smoothly as our first day! It was great to be greeted by such happy faces this morning! We settled right in to table time this morning while Emma got her birthday crown, her birthday book, and her birthday photo. When the bell rang, we did STOP! LOOK! LISTEN! We helped clean up from table time and then did our pretzel legs on the blue carpet. After our prayer and hello songs, we got to sing Happy Birthday to Emma. Since she already had a party, she told us that she got Barbies for a present. After going over our schedule, we got to see what jobs we would have today. Everyone gets a job! Emily got to count the calendar, but we only could count "1" today! We sang the songs we had on the first day and we sang //If You're Happy and You Know It.// We learned that God made sky on the second day. That was also very good! After reviewing our hand washing, we did our bathroom break. For snack, we had a special treat from Emma: string cheese, cupcakes (with rings!), and juice bags. There is a lot to learn when we have a BIG snack like that, and so we took our time to do that. We heard a story during snack about clouds (that were shaped like a lot of other things). After cleaning up our snack table and our frosting faces, we learned about what to do when we go to gym. We took a loooong walk in a line behind Judah and found the big black circle on the floor where we stand for our warm up song. Emma turned the stop sign for us and Parker was our caboose and turned the lights off in our room. We tried lots of different movements and we learned about moving safely around the big black circle. After gym, we had our suitcase surprise! It was the things we used for our project: stickers, and glue, and glitter. We learned about "Dot, Dot, Not a Lot" when we use glue. During choice time we took turns working on our project. During choice time Wesley took down the name tags and Evelyn helped by watering a plant (since we did not have a fish for her to feed yet!) After our clean up time we had a story that we helped read! Then it was time to end our day with another prayer song and say goodbye. Emily shook the number 2, so we gave hugs today.

August 30, 2016 FIRST DAY OF 2016-2017 3K!
We had a great beginning to our year! NO TEARS! (at least on the kids' part) We settled in to our table time routine and did some coloring, some CandyLand Bingo, some magnet shapes, some people chains, and some bead stringing. We got to see the street sweeper come down our street and the truck driver waved at us! The first thing we learned was what to do when we hear the classroom bell: STOP! LOOK AT MRS. OTTEN! LISTEN (with a finger on our lips and a finger pointing to our ear)! We practiced it a couple times and then cleaned up our table time things. We found a spot to sit on and then learned our second thing: how to sit "pretzel" legs. We moved with a song and sat pretzel legs every time the music stopped. We started our day with prayer and our hello song. We went through our schedule-12 things to do today! Each time we did something, we turned over the card. We learned about the jobs we will having starting next time. After a couple songs, we had our Bible story and we learned that once everything was just dark! But God spoke and created the light. We learned about bathroom time and hand washing and then we did our bathroom break. After a short time reading books, we sat at the table and Judah passed out the snack he brought. Mrs. Otten and Mrs. Kiel showed how to walk in line, which we got to try for the very first time when we lined up to go outside. We played outside! We walked in a line to come back in and then got a drink. We sat (pretzel legs) on the blue carpet and tried to guess what was in the suitcase. It was something Mrs. Otten was going to use during our choice time. We had choice time and used dress up clothes, the kitchen, the tools, the dolls, the blocks and the cash registers. When we heard the bell we had to STOP! LOOK! and LISTEN! We cleaned up our toys and then had a story. It was about a girl named Rosie who went to preschool, which is like 3K. She did many of the same things that we did today! Then it was time to learn our good-byes and our end of the day prayer. We got things out of our cubbie and were very excited to see our grown-ups again!