November 29 - December 5, 2009: The Start of the Holidays

This week was quite the eventful week. We started off Monday with a Family Home Evening where we brought out the Nativity and I told the kids the story of the Nativity as we got them out of boxes and put them together. Then we read the story of the Shelf Elf and named him "Zeekee". Then we got out our advent calendar so we could start counting down the days until Christmas. The kids are quite obsessed with Zeekee. If I had realized how hilarious this was going to be, I would have gotten on board sooner. It does help that I am done with all of my shopping and everything is wrapped, so I don't have that stress and can just enjoy the Holidays!

Clara as "Santa's Elf". I still have the song in my head and it is driving me nuts.

Clara and her little dancing friend, Alyson.

On stage for the first time! This was right before the music started.

After a costume change, she turned into a reindeer.

The dance performance was at Festival of the Trees, so afterward we wandered around looking at the different trees that people had designed to sell. The proceeds went to Primary Children's Hospital.

Josh and Clara love the Grinch.

After weeks of listening to Josh spout off nursery rhymes, Providence Hall held its 2nd Annual Nursery Rhyme Festival! Josh decided to be the mouse in "Hickory Dickory Dock" so this was the costume I came up with. Headband courtesy of the Sudweeks about 10 minutes before school started.

Josh the mouse

The Nursery Rhyme Festival consists of all of the Kindergartners memorizing 25 nursery rhymes. They then choose one, dress up, and perform for parents and all of the older grades. They had stickers on them, and when you pushed the sticker, they had to recite their rhyme. There were huge backdrops hung all over the classrooms and common area.

You can see the little sticker on his shirt that you had to push for him to say the rhyme.

Eden is one of Josh's really good friends. I pick her up from school twice a week and she is one of my favorite kids to have come over because she is easy and loves my waffles. We practiced her rhyme a few times.
This is in the common area where they have computers and reading centers. The Kindergarten and First Grade classes are in the same wing.

I found Josh's nursery rhyme collage with a list of the rhymes that he did in watercolor. I love his school! They do so many wonderful and challenging things. Josh has had a fun time learning the rhymes, and it's amazing that he actually knows so many!