December was a joyous time in Kindergarten as the boys and girls prepared for Jesus' Birthday-and Santa Claus too!
During the Advent period the students made a concerted effort to be kind to one another, just as God is kind to us. Placed near our Advent wreath was a Kindness Jar in which they, as well as teachers, could place the name of child who was seen being kind to another student. From helping someone to tie their shoes to sharing a snack, our jar quickly filled up. Not only were the students more aware of what nice children they are this also gave them the opportunity to practice the spelling and writing of their classmates names.
We spent much of December learning about the symbols of Christmas and what they mean. For each symbol, a holiday project was completed, giving the boys and girls a lot of things to take home and to keep as mementos of Kindergarten. The Christmas tree, "Flores de la Noche Buena"-poinsettias, stars, gifts, candy canes, ornaments and candles, were some of the symbols that we took a closer look at during the month.
The holiday program showcased our Kindergarteners dressed up as carolers and singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". One of the verses mentioned figgy pudding, and since none of us have eaten it we decided to make it during one of our cooking sessions. It turned out quite different than any of us imagined, more like bread than a pudding. But it was delicious!
One of the highlights of our month was the birthday party we had for Baby Jesus, on our last day of school. Each student brought in a wrapped "gift" for Baby Jesus. The "gift" was to be a picture of something they thought Baby Jesus would need when he was born in the stable. At the party each child opened his gift explaining why they had brought that for him. During another of our cooking sessions we baked him a special cake and during the party we read the description of it.

"Let's have a birthday cake for Jesus,
but this one has to be special.
We'll make it round like the world that
God loves.
We'll make it chocolate like the darkness
our sins bring to us and others
We'll cover it in white frosting,
like his purity covering our weaknesses
We'll top it with a yellow star and put on an angel.
We'll put twelve red candles on top
like the twelve months Christ is our light.
And will encircle the loving cake with evergreens,
the symbol of everlasting life.
And we'll sing Happy Birthday, Jesus the Lord."
-Author Unknown-

It was a wonderful birthday party for Jesus, and a wonderful way to end our year!
January will find us starting a new adventure as we explore the oceans of the world.
Mrs. Meister