Pictured: Lower room students playing in the snow.

Eighty days. As of today’s writing, we have been able to have in-school learning for 78 days. We are thankful that we have settled into a “normal” routine, at least for now.

Morning Routine

This routine includes many highlights. One of the favorite highlights is our share time and devotions each morning. During the first fifteen minutes of school, the students have an opportunity to share something that happened the night before or an upcoming exciting event. It helps the students become more open and comfortable with one another and also more creative with dialogue. We hear about a range of things including the previous night’s dream, a baby siblings’s rash, house guests, mischievous pets, summer vacation plans, or what we had for breakfast.

Share time also includes our “homonym challenge.” If students bring in a new homonym, it goes up on the wall and they are rewarded with classroom dollars, aka, “Brands Bucks.” My original goal was to get 100 homonyms by 100 day, but we have far surpassed that. Who knew there were so many?

Our opening devotions include a practical story from an “older” Bible storybook. The lessons focus on applicable themes for an elementary student, such as walking as Jesus walked, the forgiveness of sins, how to be a good friend, and how to shine as lights in the world. Questions and conversations are generated from these stories as well.

Following this comes prayer and singing. Our little choir fills our classroom with joy to start the morning. We often sing selected songs to practice for upcoming programs or for memorization purposes.

The final part of our morning regimen is the calendar and feeding the fish. The calendar gives the first and second graders occasion for learning with the counting, filling in ten frames, place value, days of the week, and months of the year. Feeding the fish is always a favorite classroom job because that “employee” gets to decide what the fish are eating. Cinnamon rolls are usually the fish’s favorite (or so we think).

A New Year

We have not only flipped the calendar to a new month but began a whole new calendar once more. Perhaps it’s with a little trepidation that we venture forward considering what 2020 brought us. We are thankful for a faithful Father that guides and leads us into this next year.

Our classroom calendar for January looks a little more empty compared to the busyness of November and December. The schedule gets slightly transformed at the end of the month as we take the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. Otherwise, we really look forward to playing in the snow!

For a creative writing assignment the students imagined what it would be like if the snow was made of something else.

If snow was made out of leaves then I could make lots of leaf piles. I would jump in the piles.

Vera – K

I would like it if snow was made out of all kinds of nuts, even coconuts. Then I could watch the squirrels eat the snow all winter long. I would eat it too.

Constance – K

It would be fun if snow was made out of candy then the trees would be covered in candy. I would take a bite.

Gideon – 1st Grade

It would be fun if snow was made from special rice (rice with brown sugar and butter) because it’s so good. I would eat it and make a castle out of it. Dad would use a snowblower and I could watch it fall.

Colby – 1st Grade

It would be fun if snow was made out of cotton candy swirled with ice cream because I could take a bag home. I could eat it. I could build a store. I could donate it to charity. I could make cotton candy ice cream balls.

Joey – 2nd Grade

It would be fun if snow was made out of wood because I want to build it into a dollhouse. I would cut thin branches and make a toolbox for Evan and Dad. I would make a pot for mom’s plants in the summer.

Alice – 2nd Grade

It would be fun if snow was made out of foam because then you could jump in and it wouldn’t hurt. You can cover yourself easily. You can still play a foam ball fight. You can sink in. That would feel weird! You can dig easier. Do not put water on it or else when you jump in it would squirt on you.

Quinton – 3rd Grade

It would be fun if snow was made out of Legos because I like them. I can make whatever I want, a Star Wars Lego ship, a house. It would be pokey to do snow angels. I would make a whole city. I love them.

Arie – 3rd Grade

First grader Colby Brands and kindergartner Constance Fennema enjoying the snow.