Feb 19: Bible, Stars, and Dance

This week was full of wonder. The K-2nd and 3rd-6th graders wondered about Joseph, his ability to predict dreams, and his relationship with his brothers. The preschoolers wondered about stars. And, the infants and toddlers wondered where all the girls were! It was pure boy bonding this week.

In the 3rd-6th grade classroom, we started with a values exercise. I read 10 statements aloud, like “Is it ok to become jealous when your sibling gets a special present and you don’t?” and “Everybody deserves a second chance.” The kids had to choose whether they agreed or disagreed with the statements. Some of the kids had a hard time picking a side and others knew their answers right away. Then, Maeve shared what she knew about Joseph from the musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. After learning about his life and his relationship with his family, we returned to the 10 statements from the exercise. Our discussion led to more questions: Which actions deserve forgiveness and which ones are beyond forgiving? Do we always forgive family? To help us explore these questions, we sold Indigo to the K-2nd grade class. She did forgive us, fortunately! The kids are getting really good at grappling with difficult questions. This is a great time in their lives for them to be thinking about what they believe and what they value. I feel honored to be a part of the process.

This week in the K-2nd grade class, they also learned about Joseph. Molly and the kids talked about dreams, jealousy, and forgiveness. They listened to a couple of numbers from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and played with some decorations for their own dreamcoat. When the older kids sold Indigo to their class as a slave, Lauren and Leah were not OK with it, but Molly said “great!” and tried to put her to work. 🙂

In the Pre-K room, the preschoolers wondered about stars. Then Sandy traced their bodies onto big paper and they colored and glued stars onto them. They’re now their own constellation bodies!

In the nursery, Katherine was out of town and Courtney came down with a stomach bug, but we were lucky to have her husband, Nathan, fill in. He led the boys, Rylee, Arthur, and Logan, on fun barnyard adventures through the book, Barnyard Dance. The boys stomped their feet and clapped their hands. Then they played with toys and did fun boy-stuff! 🙂

If you would like to extend these lessons at home, here are some suggestions: for 3rd-6th graders, talk with them about forgiveness of friends and family. How do we forgive and trust again, especially those people we love the most? For K-2nd graders, talk about sibling rivalry and jealousy. Have they ever been jealous of their siblings? If so, how did they resolve those feelings? For preschoolers, decorate stars to put around their room so they can wonder about stars even when they’re inside. For infants and toddlers, sing and dance! Let those little ones explore their bodies, movement, and rhythm while having fun.

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