We are entering the Christmas season and are looking forward to enjoying the season with your children. This week, we will begin with the Bible story of the angel appearing to Mary and Joseph with the promise of a Saviour. Our craft activity will include painting glitter wings on an angel. Also, we will make a nativity scene with popcycle sticks, straw, and paper figures of all who were in the stable. We are planning to incorporate each child's Christmas crafts into a book called "Christmas Is . . ." to remind all of the true meaning of Christmas. We will be enjoying Christmas carols during our opening music and movement time and singing "Joy to the World," "Jesus Loves Me," "Away in a Manger," and "Jingle Bells" during our circle time. I am also bringing in a xylophone that we can have a sing-a-long as I try to tap out Christmas tunes. We will also have a new fingerplay called "Five Little Candles" (words below) which I have prepared five candles with red felt flames with one through five glittered on each. For our snack, we will have cinnamon graham crackers. During our opening time, we will be making a pine needle paintings with dark paper and white paint. Our storytime this week includes "Off to Bethlehem" about everyone hurrying to get to Bethlehem to see baby Jesus. Our second story, I am excited to finally have as it is on loan from Emporia Library, is called "Dear Daisy, Get Well Soon" about being a good friend to Daisy who has chicken pox. It reinforces the days of the week and counting skills as each day an increasing number of animals take increasing numbers of items to Daisy's house to cheer her up. If we have enough time and attention span, I also have another story called "Big Red Barn" by Margaret Wise Brown which is also another favorite, but it may have to wait until next week.

Please remember to bundle your children up as we will continue to play outside weather permitting and as long as the temps are above freezing.

Have a wonderful Christmas season,

Mrs. Shelly

FIVE LITTLE CANDLES

Five little candles burning so bright. (wiggle fingers)

The first one said, "We make great light!" (arms up)

The second one said, "The child is born." (rock baby)

The third one said, "Our light will adorn." (arms out in front, palms up)

The fourth one said, "We shine for Him." (palms forward at sides of face, fingers spread)

The fifth one said, "Let's not be dim." (cover pointer finger with other hand)

So they stood very tall and glowed very bright.

And the Christ child smiled that very night.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING--
This week will be our Thanksgiving week, and our Bible story will be "The 10 Lepers" and how only one remembered to return and thank Jesus for healing him. We will be painting "Thankful Turkeys" and using our cutout handprints for his feathers. Our songs this week include "I've Got Peace Like a River (joy like a fountain & love like an ocean)," "I'm in the Lord's Army," "Thank you, Lord for Saving My Soul," "ABC Song," and "I'm a Great Big Turkey" which we did last week also.

Our storytime will include an Eric Carle story, "Does a Kangaroo have a Mother too?" about 10 different baby animals and their mothers. "Thank You, Thanksgiving" is about all we can be thankful for at Thanksgiving time. We will be playing our felt board game of Turkey Feathers, which one is missing? as we say a rhyme and take one of the red, yellow, or green feathers away. The children then say the color that has been taken away.

This week, we will be learning to play the memory game using vegetable pictures at opening time. Also, we will trace their hands, and they can color and decorate and see how their handprint can become a turkey.

Please continue to dress your children so they can play outside warmly for about 30 minutes. Thank you.

Have a blessed (not stressed) week!
Mrs. Shelly

THANKSGIVING IS COMING SOON, and this week, we are planning on making a cornucopia full of fruits and vegetables. I am planning to bring in real examples of the paper foods that we will glue to our cornucopia so the children can see and feel them as we talk about the names of the foods and about thankfulness. Our Bible story this week is "Jesus Turns Water Into Wine." We will be learning a new turkey song set to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot" called "I'm a Great Big Turkey" (see words below). For our felt board, we have a turkey with different colored feathers which we will be singing a rhyme as I take a feather away. The children will guess which color was taken away from our turkey (see rhyme below). Other songs we will sing are "Praise Him," "This Little Light of Mine," Jesus Loves the Little Children," and "Itsy, Bitsy Spider."

Our storytime this week will be "Today is Monday," an Eric Carle story/song about the foods we eat on different days of the week. Also, "How are You Peeling?" which shares different fruits and vegetables with faces showing all the different emotions.

I'M A GREAT BIG TURKEY

I'm a great big turkey

'Cause I'm well fed.

Watch me spread my feathers.

Watch me bob my head.

When I strut around
I waddle, waddle, waddle.
And when I talk
I "gobble, gobble, gobble."

I'm a great big turkey
And I'd love to stay.
But Thanksgiving's coming.
So it's time to run away!


TURKEY FEATHERS

Turkey feathers, turkey feathers,
red, yellow, green, red, yellow, green.
Which one is missing? Which one is missing?
Name it now. Name it now.

Please continue to bring warm outerwear as the children play outside even as the weather is getting cooler.

Also, several weeks ago, we found a ring in our room on the floor after several children had been checked in. It seems as if it might have fallen off of one of those children. If you are missing a ring, please check at the office to claim it.

Have a blessed week,
Mrs. Shelly

PLAYING IN OUR BLACK TRUCK

Hello--This week our class Bible story will focus on the "Wise Man Builds His House on the Rock." I am planning to build a Lego house and place it on a rock and in the sand where it will crash as a part of the story illustration. We will be singing "The Wise and Foolish Man," (words below). We will also sing "Jesus Loves Me," "Twinkle Star," "ABC Song," and "2 Little Eyes." We will introduce another new song this week called "Johnny Works with One Hammer" (words below). We will show four paper shapes: square, rectangle, triangle, and circle to make our own houses for our craft time.

During opening time, we will use our Lego blocks to build a house. I am also bringing a tunnel in this week to crawl through and roll balls through. Our snack time will be animal cookies and fruit snacks.

Storytime this week will be the fun tale, "This is the House that Jack Built." We will also be singing/reading "Over in the Meadow," which the children always love the books with big animal pictures.

Thank you to the families who brought in extra wipes. We now have plenty for a while. Also, thank you to all the families who brought in special treats last week to make our week very sweet. And, a thank you from the teachers for the appreciation bags that we were surprised with last week. We really appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Also, the front wheel on our playground black truck has broken, and the children are sad about that. If you know of a similar "Little Tikes" vehicle or a Cozy Coupe that someone might want to donate or sell for a reasonable price, please let us know.

Have a wonderful, blessed week,

Mrs. Shelly

THE WISE AND FOOLISH MAN

1. The wise man built his house upon the rock.

The wise man built his house upon the rock,

The wise man built his house upon the rock

And the rains came tumbling down.

(Chorus)

The rains came down and the floods came up,

The rains came down and the floods came up,

The rains came down and the floods came up,

And the house on the rock stood firm

2. The foolish man built his house upon the sand,

The foolish man built his house upon the sand,

The foolish man built his house upon the sand,

And the rains came tumbling down.

(Chorus)

The rains came down and the floods came up,

The rains came down and the floods came up,

The rains came down and the floods came up,

And the house on the sand went SPLAT!

JOHNNY WORKS WITH ONE HAMMER

1. Johnny works with one hammer, one hammer, one hammer.

Johnny works with one hammer, then he works with two.

(Hammer one fist lightly on leg).

2. . . . two hammers

(Hammer both fists on legs)

3. . . . three hammers

(Hammer both fists on legs and one foot on the floor)

4. . . . four hammers

(Hammer both fists on legs and both feet on the floor)

5. . . . five hammers

(Hammer both fists on legs, both feet on floor, and nod head down and up)

Then he goes to sleep

(Rest head on joined palms, pretending to go to sleep)