Craft stick mangers

Preschool preparation is a little different than elementary preparation. Having done both, I don't know if I would choose which I like better. They're just different. Teaching fifth graders, I had to do abundantly more research, to make sure I passed on accurate information to the next generation. With preschool, I do not need research, but I do need preparation! First, there is a different state of mind in choosing projects that little, unexperienced hands can make, without the teacher ending up making the whole thing. Second, there is more cutting and preparing of the crafts, so that they will be at the stage that those little hands can finish.


Over the weekend, I spent far more hours than I care to admit preparing seven little craft stick mangers for our preschool this week. I had to get them to the stage where the children would be able to complete them (hopefully!) on their own. And a thought kept nagging at the back of my mind as I put so much energy into them: I'm making all these little mangers, and some of them will probably end up in the land fill after Christmas!

Well, I will hope that they last the families a few years, anyway. And besides, is the process, not the product that matters, right?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Meet Abel!

Image
We are praising God this morning!  After two unsuccessful court dates, we passed court in Ethiopia today! And what verse should I read this morning, but Psalm 34:3... "Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together."    (When I read it, I was hoping beyond hope that I would be able to post it on here after we passed court!) Now we are finally allowed to introduce our son to you!  His name is Abel (which means "breath").  We love his name and are so excited to raise our son in the legacy of the Biblical Abel, a faithful and righteous man, and the first prophet (Luke 11:46-51). These are the pictures I have been longing to share.  The first is the referral picture -- the first glimpse we got of our little boy. Here are the pictures we took of us with Abel's picture, which we put together on a ring to send to him.  (We're hoping he'll get to see those now that we have passed court!) The following are ones that families traveling t
Read more

Brotherly love

Image
For the two years we journeyed through the adoption paperwork and waiting, we wondered how Adrianna would adjust to the big sister role.  Almost five years with Mom and Dad to yourself is a long time for a kid to get used to being the only child.  Thankfully, God has been preparing that little girl for great things. Just last week, Adrianna and I had a precious chat at her grandparents' house.  "Hey Beautiful," I told her as she walked by.  "Did you know that you're beautiful?" I asked her.  "Yes.  You always tell me that!"  I picked her up, so that I could look at her in the eyes.  "Did you know what makes you beautiful?"  "Umm..."  "It's God shining through you," I explained. She looked at me seriously, considering what I said, and exploded with words, "I've asked Jesus into my heart like 16 times -- sometimes in my bed and this one time during room time..."  "You know what?"  I asked he
Read more

Teaching supplies

Image
I have an inkling that teaching supplies do not spark a wide-eyed wonder in most of the readers of this blog.  I also have a feeling that most people would wonder why I "wasted" my time, staying up until 1:00 am on Friday night and working another three hours on Saturday morning to reorganize the aforementioned supplies. Well, teaching supplies do spark wide-eyed wonder in me -- always have.  And over the years that my supplies have been in my garage, they have gone through times where they have become very hard to reach -- through the layer of lawn mowers, ladders, strollers, spare chairs, and so forth.  The whole reason I have these supplies (and have added to them from garage sale finds over the years) is to use with my children and with children whom I teach.  Having all these goodies available while teaching Adrianna and her friends preschool over the last two years has been invaluable.   But it reached the point with my supplies where that layer in front of them was
Read more