Holiday Cheer

A little something I made during my classes yesterday for you all: "MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!"

I have deemed this week the week of holiday "make and take" in my classes, so we have been creative, sat and chatted (love the conversations I have with 1st graders!) and listened to some Christmassy music.  And yes I've had Jewish and Muslim students in some of my classes, but I think it's important that all students see that celebrating together is a very human thing to do.  I talked to them about their big holiday celebrations and what they do and students in those little conversation groups chimed in about the differences and similarities.  At this school we have kids from ALL over the world, so it was even nice to talk about the differences in how we celebrate Christmas: what we have for breakfast, when we open presents etc in an informal way.

Anyway, this is my card to you, my dear patient blog readers.  I have missed being present in this space this year, and while I would love to say that I'll be here more often in the future, it's not a promise I can make!

A round up of things happening around here lately:

Ella got really sick with a tummy bug and had to have a drip as she hadn't eaten for 5 days.  In the midsts of all the crochet I was doing for the Christmas craft fair I made her a walrus and narwhale to cheer her up.

One of our 3 finished 1st grade collaborative collage pieces all to be hung up around the schoo

I don't often post pics of the kiddos from school, but I just love these ones at work on "free choice make and take"

One of the 1st graders choice: inventing superheroes.  I love Inviza boy.

My gorgeous youngest baby girl turned 14 yesterday, but celebrated her birthday a week early with friends 

And her birthday cupcakes that they maybe should have carried more carefully!  AKA cupcake carnage.

Matt flew off to NYC on Saturday for a week of work, so before he left he gave out birthday gifts to Ella and Kit's Christmas gift...  Now that they make vinyl records so cool and funky he's hit the jackpot with gifts!

Kit's Tyr album

ANOTHER rainy Singapore day with some of my 5th graders work drying on the window sill

From a first grade lesson emphasizing background (using Eric Carle creatures).  This collage unit seems to have gone on for EVER, but they were really excited to do the backgrounds...

And as much as I am just so excited to jump on that plane tonight and head over to snow and cold and people and places I love, I am so sad to leave this little love behind for 21 days.  Thankfully we have a lovely helper who is very sweet with her to look after her.