The Monthly Peep

This January, we are excited to dive into the Book of Genesis and learn about God’s Creation. Through Bible study, science, math, language arts, and art projects, we’ll engage our students in a hands-on exploration of how God formed light and darkness, land and water, plants and animals—and finally, humankind!

Bible Focus: Genesis 1–2

  • We’ll read selected verses from Genesis 1–2 each week, highlighting how God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh.

  • Children will discover the richness of the Creation story, focusing on God’s power, order, and creativity.

Key Memory Verse: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

Science Highlights

  1. Light & Darkness

    • Shadow Experiments: Using flashlights to explore how shadows move and change.

    • Observation Journal: Noting sunrise and sunset times to see the difference between day and night.

  2. Sky & Water

    • Mini Water Cycle: Seal water in a bag and place it in a sunny window to observe condensation.

    • Cloud in a Jar: Demonstrating how clouds form using hot water, ice, and hairspray.

  3. Land & Plants

    • Windowsill Gardens: Planting seeds to watch them sprout.

    • Leaf Rubbings: Learning about the structure of leaves in a fun, artistic way.

  4. Sun, Moon & Stars

    • Sundial: Making a paper-plate sundial to track the sun’s movement.

    • DIY Constellations: Using star stickers or hole punches on black paper to create “night sky” artwork.

  5. Sea Creatures & Birds

    • Ocean in a Bottle: Observing how oil and water separate to mimic ocean waves.

    • Bird Feeder Project: Upcycling containers to feed and observe local birds.

  6. Land Animals & Humans

    • Animal Classification Collage: Sorting animal pictures into mammals, reptiles, insects, etc.

    • Human Body Tracing: Highlighting how humans are uniquely created in God’s image.

  7. Garden of Eden

    • Mini Terrarium: Building a tiny ecosystem in a jar or plastic container.

    • Stewardship: Discussing ways we can care for God’s creation.

Math Connections

  • K–2nd:

    • Counting seeds, measuring plant growth, and simple addition/subtraction with animals (“How many legs altogether?”).

    • Sorting words or pictures into light vs. dark, more vs. less, sky vs. water, etc.

  • 4th–6th:

    • Creating bar graphs of sunrise/sunset times or rainfall data.

    • Exploring fractions and ratios (moon phases, predator-prey relationships, spacing plants in a garden).

    • Budgeting for a pretend garden: calculating costs for soil, seeds, and supplies.

Language Arts Focus

  • Read & Retell: Reading short children’s Bible stories about Creation and retelling them in our own words.

  • Descriptive Writing: Journaling about what we see in nature (trees, birds, clouds), building vocabulary like bright, fluffy, sprout, shimmer.

  • Story Starters: Write a creative tale about a newly formed world, a friendly bird exploring the sky, or a bean seed’s journey underground.

  • Poetry & Acrostics: Crafting simple poems or acrostics (e.g., “C-R-E-A-T-I-O-N”) to celebrate God’s workmanship.

Art Projects

  • Shadow Art: Tracing shadows of objects on paper and coloring them in.

  • Sky & Sea Murals: Collaborating on large murals depicting clouds, waves, birds, and fish.

  • Constellation Creations: Punching holes in black paper to shine a flashlight through and project “stars.”

How You Can Help at Home

  1. Read Genesis Together: Spend a few minutes reading or discussing a few verses from Genesis each day.

  2. Nature Observations: Encourage your child to look for examples of God’s creation outdoors—birds, plants, clouds—and talk about them.

  3. Creative Encouragement: Provide art supplies (paper, crayons, markers) and let your child create scenes from the Creation story.

  4. Conversation Starters: Ask, “What did you learn about God’s creation today?” or “Which part of creation interests you the most?”

Upcoming Dates & Reminders

  • January 2: National Science Fiction Day

  • January 7: take January projects go home

  • January 11: Jayden’s birthday

  • January 15: Martin Luther King Jr Birthday

  • January 21: Projects are due TODAY!! International Sweatpants Day

  • January 22: Jameson”s birthday, Lunar New Year

  • January 24: School closes at 3p

  • January 28: Ms.Tracey”s birthday, National Lego Day

  • January 29: “Creation Celebration” display—students will showcase their artwork, journals, or terrariums. More details to come!

January Storybook STEM

Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

Martin’s Big Words by Doreen Rappaport

Animals in Winter by Henrietta Bancroft

Snowballs by Lois Ehlert