Ash Wednesday

We Rise Again From Ashes

We began our Lenten season today with Mass together to receive our ashes.  It was interesting to see the reaction of all the munchkins when Father stepped out of the sacristy wearing his violet vestment.  We have been talking about this change so much the past weeks that it was nice to see they remembered when they saw him. 

After our Mass, we spent the day exploring Ash Wednesday. 

What did Father say to us when we received the ashes?

What are the ashes made out of?

When can we take them off?

Why do we get them in the first place?

It is always beautiful to listen to the innocent and trusting discussions that come from little ones that are still so new from God.  They have such a wonderful and simple faith!

We made a neat project that went home today.  Each munchkin created a cut paper version of his or her own face. 

It's always fun to see what color hair and eyes they choose for themselves!

Each munchkin made sure there was an ashen cross on the forehead.

Can you see the little tell-tale signs on the munchkins, too!  A definite testament to what day we did these projects!

And then everyone wrote those words...

"Remember you are dust."

That was a great lesson on how to break apart a big word into syllables in order to spell it correctly.  Most of the munchkins were able to spell it conventionally all on their own:  re-mem-ber.

Piece of cake!

They turned out very nicely.

(Love the orange hair!)

As everyone finished, there was the opportunity to complete a coloring page too.  Most of the boys did it even though it was of a little girl getting her ashes.  My favorite part was that everyone remembered to make the cuff of the priest violet!

"She looks just like me!"

(even down to the colors in the headband!)

Many blessings to all of you as you begin your Lenten Journey.

May it bring you closer to Jesus through the Cross.

Until next time...

Giggles,

Mrs. D.

Mardi Gras

Fat Tuesday Fun!

What could be more fun than having Grandma & Grandpa at school with you?  Having them there on Mardi Gras!  We had a great time with our special visitors during a morning of fun, food and fellowship...but our day didn't end there!  Our fantastic PTO organized a Fat Tuesday extravaganza for the whole St. Mary's parish & school community. 

Our gym was absolutely transformed!  It was amazing!

Each class learned about some of the history of Mardi Gras and how it bridges The Feast of the Epiphany and Lent.  The junior high created a great power point presentation to hi-lite what they learned.  They also created the coolest masks, all of which were on display for our guests.  The elementary kids all had a special role in our Mardi Gras Parade.  Some classes made miniature floats, others made tambourines and noise makers, and I think we all had masks, jester hats and (of course) baubles & beads!

Our munchkins were all decked out and they learned the cutest little song about being in a Mardi Gras Parade. 

Waiting to perform was sooooo hard!

But it was well worth the wait.  The munchkins did an amazing job!

(And they were so cute!)

 

Happy Mardi Gras!

Until next time...

Giggles,

Mrs. D.

Grandparents' Day

 A Gala for Our Grandparents

Our Grandparents' Day celebration was originally scheduled in February, but we had to cancel after we received about 12 inches of snow!  We were so disappointed then, but it ended up being even better in March.  We rescheduled our day with our special visitors for March 8...Mardi Gras.  It became a Grand Mardi Gras Gala!

It was so nice to have all the Grandparents visit our classroom and the munchkins so enjoyed showing their special guests all the nooks and crannies.  Some even spent some time doing an art project together.   Then we moved everyone into the gym for a yummy snack (compliments of some of the PTO moms ~ thanks ladies!). 

It was a beautiful day to make special memories!  Here are a few...





Many thanks to all the beautiful Grandparents that joined us for our day. 

We love you!

Until next time...

Giggles,

Mrs. D.

Dog's Colorful Day

Our Days with Dog

As we finished out the month of February and began March, we had some fun with a crazy dog and all the trouble he gets into on an adventure outside.  Of course, we are talking about the book Dog's Colorful Day by Emma Dobb.   The munchkins really enjoyed the story and all the cute activities that went with it. 

We began by creating a neat little bag (a "doggie" bag!) in which to keep some of the games and books that we planned to make over the next two weeks.  The munchkins really had to think about the sequence of the story as they picked out the correct colors to put the "spots" on their dogs.

You can see the wheels turning as they consider which colors to use.

Then it was time to cut and glue!

There was a red spot and a blue spot.

There was a green spot and a brown spot.

There was a pink spot and an orange spot.

There was a yellow spot and a gray spot.

There was a purple spot and, of course, a black spot.



Our finished bags, with faces and all ten spots!

Well, one of the first games we created for the bag was an addition game.  We used Dog's spots to practice putting together sets.  We used addition cards and colored poms to decorate the dog on the game board with spots.  It was a great way to practice the strategy of "adding on".   

First we played a class version of the game at the rug.

Then we made our own mini-version to put into our Doggie Bags.  The most fun was picking out colors of poms for the game!

When they were finished, the munchkins had time to play their own game before packing it away.

And since our story seemed to revolved around numbers (as well as colors) we took another opportunity to practice spelling our number words for one through ten.  The munchkins created a cute little book of Dog and his spots, writing a number word to match the number of spots he had.  I am so happy to say that the munchkins have really mastered writing their number words...

even "e-i-g-h-t"!

Well...about half way through all our fun stuff, the munchkins began wondering about what our recipe might be!  Knowing that I had two, I decided to pull one out for our first week and save the other for the second week. 

So we decided to make "Dog's Day Pudding"!  Yum!

The munchkins helped mix...

pour...

and stir.



Then came the fun part.  Everyone added M & M's spots!

Well, I suppose the real fun came even after that! 

Eating!

That brought us to the end of our first week of Dog activities.  There's still much more to come, so be sure to check back soon!

Until next time...
Giggles,
Mrs. D.