Helping Others Flourish

This week we completed our Lenten service project by delivering our pennies to Haven Savings Bank. Each child has sorted, counted, and rolled 100 pennies. Some children met the abacus as a tool for counting in tens.

The children tried lifting a bag containing all 26 rolls of pennies. They really had to use their muscles to hold it up high.

At the bank each child held two rolls of 50 pennies, making one dollar. When it was their turn they handed the pennies to the cashier.

As we have watched our seeds in the classroom grow and flourish, we hope, through the charity Heifer International, our Lenten gift will help other farmers' crops to flourish.

Another part of our walking trip was a visit to the park to release the ladybugs and use pretend binoculars. As The Nest serves children growing up in urban environments, we try to connect with nature whenever possible, whether it’s playing in the dirt at park or raising ladybug beetles from larvae in the classroom.

Before we left school, children wondered what we might use the binoculars for:
- Finding things that are very far away.
- Bird-watching.
- Seeing places that are really far away, like Gigi's house!

After playing and enjoying Watson's birthday snack, we released the ladybugs. We even used our binoculars to find the ladybugs in the grass.

The unexpected highlight of the morning was all the fallen cherry blossoms on the grass. We made blossom angels, used sticks to draw pictures in the blossoms, and threw the petals high in the air.

Thank you to the four parents who chaperoned our trip. We had a wonderful time and have grown so much since our last walking trip in the Fall.

Looking Ahead:
The teachers have begun to think about celebrating the children and all of the growing they have done this year. During the last three weeks of school, we take time during worship to celebrate the children, making note of the unique qualities each child brings to our community. More details will follow in an email, including the date on which your child will be honored. Each child should have at least one family member in attendance.