Our gingerbread baking finished up with gingerbread decorating this week. The cookies would not have been complete without some icing, candy, and sprinkles - some liked lots and some liked a little, but everyone enjoyed their own gingerbread creation for snack! We used these gingerbread cookies as inspiration to create a new gingerbread character for a class story. We hope that when your family has a turn with our big book, you will get to the ending without eating all the yummy characters!
Reindeer
This week we also learned a bit about real reindeer and made some comparisons to deer and caribou. We borrowed some deer antlers from Mr. Jacobs, the 7th grade science teacher, so that we could study the antlers up close. We were excited to see the "velvet" still in some places, and we loved touching them to feel how hard they were - pointy too, so we had to be very careful just like scientists! We read non-fiction books about reindeer and watched some short videos of them being raised on a farm and some in the wild. We learned that both female and male have antlers, they have fur on their noses, and that they are good swimmers, really! We also read a silly story, Imogene's Antlers, about a girl who woke up with antlers on her head. We took funny pictures and wrote about what we would hang in our antlers if that happened to us - quite amusing!
Traditions Connect Us
Best of all, we enjoyed learning more about our classmates' families and their traditions this week. It is always interesting to learn what special ways families celebrate together for a big holiday or just for any day of the year. Marcus and Mrs. Lacy shared their tradition of planting bulbs indoors to bloom in winter and remind them of spring. We were fascinated by the appearance of the forced bulbs and enjoyed planting our own. We are keeping a watchful eye on them in the sunny window. Marcus also brought his "Snowman on the Shelf" to watch us do our planting! More traditions included...
Meredith shared her tradition of lighting their beautiful and colorful Menorah. She told us about the "helper candle" that lights the others for eight nights of Hanukkah.
Lucy shared her wooden house for Advent. She and her brother each have a house with little doors. She opens a door each day and finds a little surprise - all the way until Christmas Eve.
Nora shared her Advent calendar from her grandma. Her calendar has a Santa picture on it with hidden doors and numbers. When she opens a door, she finds another picture and chocolate - yum!
The tradition sharing was very meaningful to those who shared and those who listened. It was neat to hear the children's questions about something new or about something that they did at home in a different way. Their interest was evident, and we all learned more about our friends. If anyone else would like to share next week or at any other time throughout the year, please let me know! Again I am reminded to tell you how much I appreciate this caring group of children and their supportive and interested families. Hug your children tight, and I will see everyone back on Monday for the last few days together before we begin our Winter Break! Peace, Mrs. Jeffers
1 comment:
Thanks, Mrs. Jeffers. Even more special to see those smiles!
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