This week the RE children learned about Moses, the moon, and motion. The K-2nd and 3rd-6th graders discussed the life and calling of Moses. The preschoolers studied the moon and then made their own. And, the infants and toddlers read Go Dog Go! and put toys in motion.
In the 3rd-6th grade class, we started with an exercise that asked the kids to think about their callings in life. What do they really want to do and why? Some of the answers were work with animals, bake, skate, and study birds. Then we discussed Moses, his birth in tumultuous Egypt, his life being raised as the Pharoh’s grandson, his brave action to defend a Hebrew, his calling by God, and his ultimate bravery to set the Hebrews free from slavery. Our discussion led us to talking about defending others: when we step in, how we do it, and what the consequences (good or bad) might be. Our kids are still a little reticent about taking a stand or stepping in to defend someone, but they do recognize the bravery of those actions. And speaking of brave, heroic, and honorable people, next week Larry will resume his teaching position. Yay!
In the K-2 class, the kids talked about Moses’s life from birth until the parting of the Red Sea. Ronan commented: “This is definitely a story from the Bible.” The class then created a mural of Moses’ life and the ten plagues. Molly tried to get the kids to talk about how they would feel if they were asked to do something hard, but they wanted to concentrate on painting. Who wouldn’t want to paint a burning bush or plague of frogs? Next week they’ll try to come back around to that concept! Many thanks to Aimee Fowler who helped keep the paint off the floor and kids’ clothes.
In the Pre-K class, they learned that the moon is made of cheese. Really. And, you can get to the moon with a really, really, long ladder. Really. 🙂 Then they talked a lot about the moon, stars, space, and what they read in books. After that, they created their own moons out of paper plates and paint. Imagination is a wonderful thing so they finished up with lots of free play, which involved the doll house, chores, and a pet alligator.
In the nursery, the infants and toddlers read the book, Go Dog Go! Then they set in motion any toy with wheels. Rylee had a great time. After the mini-lesson, they played freely with toys.
If you would like to extend this week’s lessons at home, here are some suggestions: for 3rd-6th graders, follow up on our discussion of taking a stand. When should they stand up for someone on the playground or in class? What are potential good and bad consequences? For K-2nd graders, return to the discussion Molly started in class about how they would feel if they were asked to do something hard. You could even take it a step further and make it experiential learning by asking them to do a difficult task! For preschoolers, take a look at the moon every night and draw what it looks like throughout the month. It’ll be really neat to note how it grows bigger and smaller – and disappears – over the 30 days. For infants and toddlers, work on rolling, pushing, pulling, walking, and running, Get in motion!