Preparing for Easter: Week 3

This Week's Hymns:

Wednesday: See Him in Raiment Rent

Thursday: Christ Is Risen!

Friday: Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross

Saturday: Sweet the Moments, Rich in Blessing

Sunday: He Rose! O Morn of Wonder!

Monday: Ere Yet the Dawn Has Filled the Skies

Tuesday: On This Morn We See the Dawning

This week’s special feature (thanks to Ace Collins’ book Stories Behind the Traditions & Songs of Easter): The History of Passion Plays

Toddler Word Wall

I spent a fun summer with some 16-22 month olds intending to return to 4-year-olds in August. But God knew better than I did, and when I found myself facing a school year as a toddler teacher, my mind exploded with ideas and possibilities… much like our toddlers’ vocabularies are exploding at an exponential rate!

Throughout the summer, I would smile as they said new words… some of them repeated “hot” when we went outside and said “hat” when I donned my large sunshade for the playground. I tried to remember the few new words I heard so I could share them with their parents.

But when I got ready for the school year, I knew I wanted to document their progress in language-learning. I turned to Pinterest, where surprisingly my search was fruitless. So instead I brainstormed and experimented, and this is what I came up with.

Monday Meals: Spiced-Up Spaghetti

The first thing I ever learned to cook was spaghetti. But I’ve come a long way since I cracked open the can of spaghetti sauce and spilled the dry noodles all over the counter because they wouldn’t fit in the pot.

Maybe it started one day when I looked closely at those pre-made spaghetti sauce jars. “With basil and oregano, huh? Maybe I can add that myself.” It was so fun that I just couldn’t stop! I added dashes and teaspoons of whatever sounded good. This meal has been fiddled with so many times, but we now have a tried-and-true recipe that we use pretty consistently.

I know everyone has their own way of making this classic meal; this is my version of spaghetti.

Heavenly Herb Bread

I love herbs. And I love bread. Put them together and it’s a sure recipe for love at first smell. Yes, smell. The fragrance of yeast mixed with all these incredible flavors is overwhelmingly intoxicating.

Friday Pie-Day: Raspberry Pie

This February’s pie of the month was an interesting but tasty combination that reminded us of summer!

Not too many ingredients were needed…

Preparing for Easter: Week 2

This Week's Hymns:
Wednesday: Ye Humble Souls that Seek the Lord

Thursday: In the Cross of Christ I Glory
Friday: It Is Finished! Man of Sorrows
Saturday: And Can It Be?
Sunday: Awake, My Heart, with Gladness
Monday: One Day
Tuesday: Hallelujah! Christ Is Risen

Welcome back to Easter heart preparation! Before sharing the daily hymns for this week (thanks to NetHymnal), here are some fun facts about the origins of Easter eggs and Easter bunnies. I am grateful to Ace Collins, whose book Stories Behind the Traditions & Songs of Easter I enjoyed and gleaned this information from.

THE HISTORY OF THE EASTER EGG:

Toddler Watercolor Triangles

After September’s circles and October’s squares, we were ready to learn about triangles in November! The art project we did for our portfolio was a 2-step process, and boy was it interesting!

Before I write anything else, please read my explanation of "shape of the month." It's not a rigid curriculum or one art project - after our conversations about triangles, the toddlers surprised me by pointing out the triangle in the parking lot on our way to the playground!