It’s the season of LOVE, and we celebrated all week long in the Ladybug class!

Monday morning greeted the children with hearts taped on the floor, which was super exciting. One child even called them “dancing hearts,” so of course everyone standing in a heart had to show off their very best dance moves! Before long, our game turned into “the floor is lava,” and we found some special Valentine’s Day floor-is-lava music to make the fun even better. The giggles were nonstop.

Our opening book for the week was LOVE from The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and it was such a sweet way to begin our celebrations. The story reminds us that love can be shown in so many simple ways — through kindness, friendship, sharing, and caring for one another. The children loved seeing the familiar caterpillar spread love all around, and it sparked some great conversations about how we can show love to our friends at school.

Since we needed to make Valentine’s Day bags for our Tuesday and Wednesday exchanges, several of our centers focused on special Valentine art projects. In one center, we rolled marbles through paint to create unique and colorful heart designs for the fronts of our bags. In another, we tried “blank space art,” where a heart was placed in the center of the paper, and the children used their hands to paint all around it. When we lifted the heart away — voila! — a perfect heart was left behind. The children were amazed by the magic of it!

Since these kiddos seem to love painting so much, we also tried a fun heart-painting activity using toilet paper rolls bent into the shape of hearts. The children dipped them into paint and stamped beautiful heart masterpieces all over their papers. It was such a simple activity, but it brought so much creativity and joy.

As we continue working on letter recognition, one of our activities focused on finding the letters in our own names. The children strung those letters onto pipe cleaners, then chose extra beads to complete their creations. Some wanted bracelets, while others shaped theirs into hearts — such a fun mix of learning, fine motor work, and creativity.

Our sensory bin was also booming this week! It was filled with fine, super-soft sand, faux rose petals, 3D hearts, and plastic hearts. The Ladybugs scooped, sifted, sorted, and explored for long stretches of time. It was calming, engaging, and so much fun.

Our Valentine’s festivities in both classes were filled with fun and excitement! The Ladybugs were beyond excited to share and receive Valentine’s Day cards that they brought from home. Each child waited patiently while their friends passed out cards, and they could hardly contain their excitement as their bags filled up.

The Valentine bags were displayed for pickup at the end of each day, and we made sure every bag went home full of love. There were many big smiles, sweet hugs between friends, and so much kindness shared. Miss Phoenix, Miss Jenn, and I truly felt the love as well. Thank you so much for your thoughtful cards and gifts.

In Chapel this week, Pastor Lee and Pastor Brad shared a story from the Bible about a very special moment when Jesus showed His glory to His friends. Jesus’ face shone brightly, and a cloud filled the sky. Then God spoke and reminded everyone to listen to Jesus and follow His ways. We talked about how God’s voice is loving and comforting — just like the voices of the people who care for us. It was a beautiful reminder that Jesus is always with us and teaches us how to love and be kind.

In Music and Movement, the children moved their bodies to the beat, used their voices to sing, and were so excited to see something new — a parachute. They loved working together to make it float, ripple, and bounce as we played along with the music.

All in all, it was a joyful, love-filled week in the Ladybug classroom. The children experienced so many special moments together. We are so grateful for the kindness, excitement, and community that made this week so meaningful. Thank you for helping us celebrate such a wonderful season of love.

REMINDERS:

Our theme for the next TWO weeks will be on Community Helpers
- Thank you to those who volunteered to visit and teach us about their jobs during these next two weeks. We are so excited for the children to learn from you and explore all the different ways people help in our community.
- If you would like to come into our classroom and share the work that you do, we still have space available!
SCHOOL IS CLOSED ON MONDAY FOR A TEACHER WORKDAY
Pancakes and Pajamas has been rescheduled to February, 25th and 26th.
Preschool Sunday will be on Sunday, March 1st at 8:45.
Conferences will be held on March 11th (MWF class) and 12th (T/TH class). More information coming soon!
- I will be sending an email shortly with the link to sign up for March conferences. School will be closed during conference days, March 11th and 12th. Please make arrangements to have childcare during the conference, so that we can all chat as adults and without disruptions. We promise it will be quick! Often parents have arranged to watch each other’s children (play on the playground) while they have their conferences.