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The children have been pondering the mystery of the Kingdom of God through the Kingdom Parables. Recently, they revisited the Parable of the Mustard Seed (which is definitely a favorite). The children quickly remembered how small the mustard seed is and how large it became as a tree. This past week received a presentation on the Parable of the Leaven. 
The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened. --Matthew 13:33 
One pan has just flour and water and the other has flour, yeast and water.
While we were waiting for the yeast to rise, the children went back to work both in the classroom and in small groups to the atrium. 
Receiving the presentation on the Adoration of the Magi.
Working with the Good Shepherd materials.
Working with the Tracing Packets.
Working with the Last Supper materials.
After reading again from the scripture booklet, the children were SO excited to see what had happened!
The one with the yeast has changed!
I wonder how the Kingdom of God could be like the yeast in the flour. The yeast cannot be taken out of the flour. And yet, the yeast has transformed the flour and water.
We offered the children a few moments of silence and a few of the children asked to share a prayer. "The length of the prayer time is determined by the children and often consists in long periods of silence, which are, themselves, authentic prayer. "* They were so thoughtful. Some prayers were audible, some a whisper and some were silent. "All who work with children, as catechists or as parents, have experienced the joy and the peace of children of all ages after a time of prayer."* *From "Listening to God with Children" by Gianna Gobbi, one of the co-founders of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.
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 For Valentine's day, the toddlers had a party with parents and made a special craft...  picture frames!    Enjoying a good book!  Friends riding in the boat.  A favorite toddler book!  Watering the rubber plant.  It took a while, but AC covered this whole paper in purple paint!  Working on pincer grasp with a knobbed puzzle.  In the Primary Casa, T works on grading colors with Color Box 3.  I love the look of determination on W's face!  I can almost hear her laughing in this picture.  D enjoyed discovering what made the digger work.  Hopscotch was a popular activity on this beautiful day.    Digging in the raised bed...soon we will plant for spring and summer!  E works on her balance  I enjoyed 'playing soccer'  More hopscotch!  Friends  M and some of the other children remembered the French words for numbers on the hopscotch board. Un, deux, trois...  It was a great day to play in the garden! 
Beautifying the environment through flower arranging.
Experiencing dimension and sequence with the Pink Tower.
Working with the Gold Beads offers the child the opportunity to experience the symbol and quantity for numbers through 9999. The child is also able to do addition, subtraction, multiplication and division with these materials.
Enjoying a book about various tools used to build a house in the reading area.
Our newest activity is a popular one! Sewing aids in developing the muscles in the hand for writing, develops coordination, concentration, aesthetic appreciation and attention to detail.
Enjoying strawberry slicing!
The Spindle Boxes aid the child in working with "loose" quantities and gives a clear impression for what zero means.
This material allows the child to experience various land and water forms, such as a lake and island.
Flower Arranging is definitely another favorite! The children love to create arrangements for the lunch tables and for our classroom.
Table Washing is a favorite Practical Life activity! It aids the child in developing the muscles in the hand for writing, concentration and coordination of movement. It also prepares the child for later work in the Language and Math areas.
This box of the Constructive Triangles allows the child to experience the different kind of triangles that go together to make equilateral triangles and learns the terms related to triangles-- height, base, median, midpoint and center.
This material gives the child the opportunity to explore with various phonograms and make as many words as she can think of with that phonogram.
The Stamp Game allows the child to write down his equations for the first time--experiencing the equals line and addition sign while adding numbers in the thousands!
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