Teddy Bear Day

This week we had "Teddy Bear Day"!

The kids each brought in a teddy bear (They even laughed at me for bringing one too!)

Our Teddy bears sat with us during calendar time and Bible time. 
I laid a blanket on the floor and we had a picnic for snack time.  

We played "Teddy Bear, May I?"... played like "Mother, May I?"

We had a "Bear Foot Race"... I tapped the ends down and cut an x in the front of 4 cereal boxes.  I cut out construction paper bear prints to put on top... the kids put them on their feet and raced walked quickly across the room :)  So fun!

Before the kids left, I had them put their bears to bed, because they were having a "sleep over".

When they got back to Preschool the next morning, the bed was empty and their bears were found around the room eating breakfast, drawing pictures, and playing in the toy area. :)

Oh! and the student who found his bear said to me "No! He didn't do that!" as he snatched the crayon away from the bear.  I worked hard not to laugh out loud. :)

A Preschool Christmas...

I figured it's about time I update you on what is happening in my preschool classroom.  If you are a parent of one of my students you have seen some of these things and some of them you have not. If you read this, you have to promise me that you will act surprised at the things you have not yet seen. Deal?

So... without further ado, I present Christmas in Preschool. 

The Bulletin board. 

It says "Do you know his name?" and then lists the names of Jesus from Isaiah 9:6 which just happens to be the verse we're learning. :) 

The gifts we made for our parents.  We talked about how Christmas isn't just for getting, it's for giving.  So we made something to give.  

These are the gift bags I found at walmart for $.25!  I punched holes in them and I'll tie ribbon through them once the kids put the ornaments in them.  I had them color these cute tags to add a little more of a personal touch {parents love that stuff... or so I'm told ;)}

So, that's what we have for now.  Next week we will have a little birthday party for Jesus and hopefully I'll remember to take pictures and share them.  

Merry Christmas!

What I have learned...

So, I realized that it has been a while since I've written about what God is teaching me.  Then I realized I wouldn't know where to start because it's been a LOT lately. There have been many changes in my life in the last six months {hard to believe it has been that long already!}.  

I graduated from college. 

I got married. 

I moved to Michigan. 

I am teaching Pre-K. 

A few of these changes have been unexpected.  If you know me, you know that I am a planner.  I also am not a fan of big changes.  And I can't say that it has  been an easy transition for me.  But what I've learned is that God is, once again, faithful through it all.  I don't know why I ever forget or doubt that fact.  He has never failed me yet. He isn't going to start now.  He's got things under control. I really don't have to be the one in charge, even though sometimes I think I do.  I've always been told "He's God and we're not." So, I'm learning to "let go and let God".  I'm being flexible and trying my best to just follow {which is not an easy task for an oldest child}.  

I am just glad that no matter where I go in life, God is already there. I don't know what I would do without Him. 

I know that was a little bit of rambling, but it's what is in my heart. 

You might call it an Echo of my Creator. :)

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds... Our new favorite

Now, before you decide not to read this post because you don't like roasted pumpkin seeds, hear me out.  I am not a pumpkin seed lover.  I remember trying them a few times when I was a kid, but was never a big fan... until now.  

I found this recipe on my new addiction...time-waster...Pinterest (feel free to follow me!).  I was planning on making them and taking them in to my class to let my kiddos try them.  

You can go to the original blog post here.

I started with rinsing my seeds to get most of the pumpkin goop off of them.  Then I drained them and let them dry on paper towels over night. 

They stuck to the paper towel a little bit, but I just peeled them off and put them in a bowl. I had almost 2 cups.  I put all the seeds in a bowl, then mixed the seasonings together.   

3 Tbs butter, melted

2 tsp worcestershire sauce

3 shakes garlic salt (this cracked me up when I read it!)

3 shakes onion powder

*If you are an exact measure kind of person, just let it go for this one recipe :)

Then I poured the mixture over top and stirred until all the seeds were covered.

I preheated the oven to 250 degrees and lined my baking sheet with foil (this made for easy clean-up!). I placed the seeds in an even layer on the baking sheet and popped them in the oven. I stirred them every 20 min and baked them for a little over an hour.  Next time, I'll probably let them go a little longer.  They were not quite as dark as I wanted them. You may need more or less than an hour depending on your oven. 

Here is the finished product. They tasted like chex mix and were delicious!

In just a few hours the bowl looked like this... needless to say, my kids didn't get to try them. oops! ;)

Happy Fall!

Going back to Preschool

I know I sort of dropped off the planet for the last couple months and I will try to fill you in soon... The short story?  

{I got married in May and am now a "MRS"...}   

{My husband and I spent the summer working at camp in Michigan. He also did an internship at a church here too.}

{At the end of the summer, Jerrod became the full-time "Children's Ministry Director", and I became the Preschool Teacher at camp.}  

This brings you basically up to date, and to the reason for my post today... I have never taught Preschool officially (although I've worked with kids of all ages for years!), but so far it has been going pretty well, I think.  My mom has been a HUGE help with ideas and advice, since she is teaching K-3 this year and has experience in K-4 as well.  It is perfect because I have 3 and 4 year olds in my class!  

Here is a little peek at some fun things I've done so far... 

 This is my "seasonal" bulletin board.  I'm planning on changing it throughout the year. This is how we started off the year...

This is what my "seasonal" board looks like now.  The kids made the apples and leaves (yes, I know the leaves are huge).  The paper bag owl in the corner was inspired by my friend at An Aroma of My Savior.  The kids loved making them, and they all turned out adorable wish I could show you all of them!

Well, just thought I'd catch you up on life... I figure if I start somewhere I'll probably get back to doing this a little more, and I'm sure I'll have ideas and funny stories to share this year!