Mrs. Ross’s Kindergarten

 Over the past two weeks, the children have studied Christmas around the world.  Germany was one of their favorites.  We learned that, on the evening before St. Nicholas Day, children put letters to the good saint along with carrots or other food for his white horse or donkey on a plate or in their shoes.  These are left outside, under the bed, beside a radiator, or on a windowsill in hopes of finding goodies from St. Nicholas, the Patron Saint of Children, the next morning.  During the night Saint Nicholas goes from house to house carrying a book in which all the children’s deeds are written.  If they have been good, he fills their plate, shoe, or boot with delicious fruits, nuts, and candies.  If not, they may find potatoes, coal, or twigs.  Last Monday, the children were delighted to discover their shoes had had been filled by St. Nicholas!

They also enjoyed learning about Sweden.  St. Lucia Day commemorates a young girl from Sicily in the third century who fed and tended to the poor.  The holiday began in Sweden, but has since spread to Denmark and Finland. The holiday, celebrated on Dec. 13,  is considered by many as the beginning of the Christmas season.  Today there are many festivals to celebrate the holiday. Traditionally, thee children dress in all white and serve coffee and Lucia buns to the adults.  The kindergartners had a great time dressing up and serving this traditional breakfast to the faculty and staff of Palmetto Prep. 

Thank you so much for making the feast such a huge success!  We never could have done it without you.  The children proved to be amazing chefs.  They made the butter, corn bread muffins, and the corn casserole.  Below are pictures of the children together and pictures of our families at the feast.  Thanks again for all of your help and support!

The children enjoyed their voyage with the pilgrims to the new world and their journey through their first year at Plymoth Rock.  They also had a gobbling good time studying turkeys and learning a variety of new facts.  The children decided the coolest facts were: a baby turkey is called a poult and that wild turkeys sleep in trees.  Their favorite story was, ‘Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving.  In the story, the children rescue eight turkeys from becoming Thanksgiving dinner and have them as guests instead!  Finally, the children enjoyed hearing from two veterans.  One fought in Desert Storm and the other just finished a tour in Iraq.  The children had many questions and were a great audience.

Jo 'Nae, a fourth grader, reads a story to the class.

Ries makes his Native American vest. After drawing symbols, he cuts fringe on the bottom.

Brady shows off his Pilgrim hat.

Mr. Kisler served in the Marine Corp. during Desert Storm.Lt. Ben Thornton just completed a tour in Iraq.

We had a fabulous week as we discussed three Native American tribes from different regions of the United States.  We discussed the Eastern Woodland tribe, the Southwest tribe, and the Plains Indians.  The children were most fascinated by the teepee.  They thought it was “cool” that the Plains Indians made teepees from buffalo skin and were able to easily transport them as they followed the buffalo, their main food source.  Today, they were excited to design their own Native American vests and headdresses using Native American symbols we studied throughout the week.

The children loved meeting Cool Can Dan during the assembly on Monday!