The Story of Christmas

About two thousand years ago, in the city of Nazareth, there lived a young woman named Mary. She was engaged to be married to Joseph, a carpenter. One day an angel named Gabriel appeared before Mary and told her that she had been selected to have a special baby. The baby would be God's son and she must name him Jesus.

Soon after the angel's visit, Mary and Joseph were married. Mary was due to have her baby when they were told they had to go on a long journey to Bethlehem, to pay a special tax. Mary had to ride on a donkey for a few days over the hills of Gallilee.

At last Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem. It was full with other people who too, needed to pay their taxes. Mary was very tired and needed a place to stay. All the public houses were full, and there was no room for them. Finally, one kind person said he had a stable and they were welcome to stay there.

A few hours later, Mary gave birth to baby Jesus in the stable. She covered Jesus in strips of cloth and placed him on a bundle full of hay. At that time, on a hillside near Bethlehem, some shepherds were watching over their sheep. A bright light was seen in the sky. They got scared. The light was an angel sent by God. The angel told them not to be frightened, because he had some good news for them. He said that the child of God had been born and the shepherds would find 'Him' in Bethlehem.

The shepherds went see the baby Jesus. When they arrived at the stable, they were filled with joy at seeing Jesus lying on hay. They knelt down and worshipped Him. They told Mary and Joseph how the angel had appeared in the sky and told them that Jesus was to be the Savior of the world. Far away in the East, Wise Men saw a new star shining high up in the sky. These men studied the stars and they knew this was a very unique star. They studied their holy books which mentioned that whenever a bright new star appeared, it means that a great leader had been born.

The Wise Men were determined to find the new leader. They went to Jerusalem to see King Herod, as they thought the baby would be in the palace. They asked to see the child that would be King of the Jews. The king was troubled. He thought this new king may take away his throne. He told them to return when they had found the baby so that he could worship the child himself.

The Wise Men set off to find the baby. They were guided by the star to the stable in Bethlehem. There, they knelt down and worshipped Jesus. They gave him gifts. That night, in the dreams of the Wise Men, an angel warned them that King Herod wanted to kill Jesus and told them not to go back to his palace. The Wise Men went back to their own country without meeting King Herod.

After the Wise Men left, an angel appeared to Joseph in his dreams. "Get up", the angel told him, "Take Jesus and Mary to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for King Herod is going to search for Jesus to kill him" So Joseph took Jesus and Mary during the night, and left for Egypt, where he stayed until King Herod died.

When King Herod came to know that he had been tricked by the Wise Men, he was angry and he gave orders to kill all the boys aged two or younger in Bethlehem and the nearby area. This was to try and kill the new King, as his plan to find the location of the new king from the Wise Men had failed.

After Herod had died, Joseph had one more dream in which an angel appeared to him. The angel said, "Get up, take Jesus and Mary and go back to Israel, for those who were trying kill Jesus are dead". So Joseph took Jesus and Mary and they went back to Israel. But when he heard that Herod's son was now king of Judea, he was afraid to go there. So instead they went to Galilee, and lived in their old town of Nazareth.

Hence, the birth of Son of God Jesus is celebrated years after as Christmas.

Regardless of exactly when and where Jesus was actually born, our hearts overflow with thanks and joy that God to send his Son into the world for our rescue and salvation.

Celebrate Christmas with Our Friends:









Our Optimistic Octopus.









The Enthusiastic Elephant.









The Thoughtful Owl









Our Rudolph.









Pretty Bird Header.

Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year.

Zid, the kid.

Story for the Day:

He is Zid.
Zid is a kid.
Zid has a bib.
The bib is big.
Zid sits with his bib
Zid has a bin.
The bin has a lid.
He hid the bib in the bin.
The bib is in the bin.
Zid has a kit.
He hid the kit in the bin.
Zid digs a pit.
He hid the bin in the pit.
The bin sits in the pit.
Zid has a wig.
He fits in the wig.
Zid does a jig in the wig.

Illustrations




He is zid.
Zid is a kid.




Zid has a bib.
The bib is big.
Zid sits with his bib.




Zid has a bin.
The bin has a lid.




He hid the bib in the bin.
The bib is in the bin.




Zid has a kit.
He hid the kit in the bin.




Zid digs a pit.
He hid the bin in the pit.
The bin sits in the pit.




Zid has a wig.
He fits in the wig.
Zid does a jig in the wig.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Self-dependence

Self-dependence is one of the finest gifts parents can bestow on their children. To ensure that your children are independent, and are able take care of them selves wherever they are, as adults, is the major responsibility for any parent. Children whose parents encourage them by giving them freedom without being intrusive, and yet guiding them, only not only grow up be independent individuals, but also turn out to be dependable, contributing and winning adults in the future. But to make them independent and successful as adults, we need to start while they are young.

Encourage

Encouraging independence in children should start from the early stages. Encouraging your child's urge for freedom and giving opportunities to do things on their own even if it means that they may not do perfectly or as per your expectations.

Permit

Let your children make decisions about things that directly affect them. Allow them the freedom to discover their surroundings and make sure you avoid doing things that curb their sense of enthusiasm. Allow them the freedom to think and act for themselves, even if they make mistakes. Allowing children to understand failure and accepting it's consequences, increases their ability of being self-sufficient.

Model

Parents can be perfect role models to children. They need to be positive in their attitude and behavior as their children are constantly watching them. With time, parents can leave an influential impact on their child's life.

Build

Parents should avoid regular interference. This helps children to build their confidence. Children who work their way through tough times, achieve personal goals, while considerably improving their decision making and problem solving skills, are likely to be better at decision making as adults.

Observe

Parents should supervise their child's growth from time to time. It is vital to make a note of their developments, and encourage their interests. This means keeping a close check to determine whether they are headed in the right direction, and inspire them with positive feedbacks.

Celebrate

Celebration of achievement can be very encouraging. Children enjoy the thrill of being successful, however small the achievement may be; it gives them the chance to share their happiness with their family and encourages them to be successful in the future.

My mother taught me what I know has been my best lesson. By holding me she guaranteed that she would always be with me and by cheering me, she assured that I could believe in myself and can manage of my own. She taught me that when I fall, I can pull myself up and start again. Her faith and trust in me has helped me become an independent and an emotionally healthy individual.

The 'i' family

Following our regular study pattern, we shall learn the words of the 'i' family.

Write down 'ib' in colored ink, on a flash card. Then, write down individual consonants as b, f, n, and r on separate flash cards. After doing so, place the 'b' flash card in front of the 'ib' card and read aloud the word, 'bib'.

b + ib = bib

Now, replace the 'b' flash card with the 'f' flash card to make the word 'fib'. Say it aloud several times, till your child is able to blend 'f' and 'ib' sounds to make word 'fib'.

f + ib = fib

By the end of this excercise, your child should be able to read these words with ease:-

Bib
Rib
Nib
Fib

Did
Kid
Hid
Lid

Big
Rig
Dig
Fig
Wig
Jig

Dim
Him

Bin
Tin
Pin
Win
Sin

Hip
Lip
Nip
Zip

Bit
Fit
Hit
Kit
Pit
Sit

Fix
Mix
Six

The 'i' sound:



Story of the day:

Zig, the pig.

This is Zig.
Zig is a big pig.
Zig can dig.
Zig digs a big pit.
He sits in the pit.
He does not fit in the pit.
Then, Zig gets a bin.
He sits in the bin.
But he does not fit in the bin.
Then he digs a big pit.
Now, he fits in the pit.

Take care.

Shapes

A child begins to recognize shapes around two years. Ways to help your child learn shapes easily:

1. Start visual learning through play with shape sorter toys. As the child plays, call out the names of each shape. Encourage repetition.

2. Prepare colorful shapes using dough. Involve your child. Make the shapes and then, name and match them.

3. Cut out various shapes from newspaper or color papers. Prepare a collage using the various shapes.

4. Talk to your child about shapes while he eats, plays. "The shape of the sandwich you are eating, is triangle", "Your car's wheel is a circle".

5. Singing beautiful 'shape' rhymes, "Round is a pancake, Sammy is square, Tommy is a triangle" are a few such examples which are helpful.

6. Hide several objects of different shapes around the room. Let your child search and recognize them.

These methods will help to make your child recognize shapes faster.

By Ms Shreya Dhruv.
Shreya is a teacher at kindergarten classes of K. J. Bhalodia School at Rajkot, Gujarat.

Christmas Carols and their Origins

Silent Night

The origin of the Christmas carol, we know as 'Silent Night' was a poem that was written in 1816 by an Austrian priest called Joseph Mohr. On Christmas Eve in 1818 in the small alpine village called Oberndorf it is reputed that the organ at St. Nicholas Church had broken. Joseph Mohr gave the poem of Silent Night (Stille Nacht) to his friend Franz Xavier Gruber and the melody for Silent Night was composed with this in mind. The music to Silent Night was therefore intended for a guitar and the simple score was finished in time for Midnight Mass. Silent Night is the most famous Christmas carol of all time!

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth "

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

“The famous Christmas song Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer started life as a poem created by an American advertising executive called Robert May. He was requested to produce a poem that could be given away to children by the Santa Claus employed by Department Stores at Christmas! Working as an Advertising Executive Robert May had a natural flair with words and was able to compose the Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer poem which was specifically designed to appeal to children. This marketing ploy was a massive success and approximately 2.5 million Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer poems were given away in the first year of its publication! In 1949 the singer Gene Autry recorded a musical version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer composed by Johnny Marks.

Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer
had a very shiny nose.
And if you ever saw him,
you would even say it glows.

All of the other reindeer
used to laugh and call him names.
They never let poor Rudolph
join in any reindeer games.

Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say:
"Rudolph with your nose so bright,
won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"

Then all the reindeer loved him
as they shouted out with glee,
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer,
you'll go down in history!

Reference www.carols.org.uk

The Hen

Story for the Day:

I have a red bed.
It has 4 legs.
I have a pet.
It is a hen.
I put the hen on the bed.
The hen is wet.
So, I put the hen in the pen.
The hen runs out.
I put a net on the hen.
The hen is in the net.
Some men see the hen in the net.
They put it back in the pen.

Illustrations for the Story:

I have a red bed.
It has 4 legs.



I have a pet.
It is a hen.



I put the hen on the bed.
The hen is wet.



So, I put the hen in the pen.




The hen runs out.
I put a net on the hen.



The hen is in the net.
Some men see the hen in the net.



They put it back in the pen.



Download, print and solve this worksheet.

Take care.

Sensory Development

A child's learning starts through the senses of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Babies develop their senses even before they are born; they gain sensory awareness from the world around them when inside a mother’s womb. Sensory development is vital and a constant process. The mind learns how to obtain inputs from the senses in order to act together with the surroundings around them.

Toddlers react to their parent’s voice. They enjoy holding their toys and other attractive things. They chew on their fingers. As they grow older, their taste buds develop and hence their choice of food keep changing. Children continue to use their sense of taste to develop love for some foods and a dislike for others.

You can help the development of sensory skills in a child by providing them with a lot of stimulation through these activities:

1) When in the womb, talk to your baby. Read to your baby and even play music, directed to your belly.

2) Introduce children to fun songs and a variety of different genre of music. Play classical music for infants. Teach your children to dance. Sing to them.

3) When your children are old enough, take them in the kitchen with you while you bake and cook. Give them different spices to hold, feel, smell and taste.

4) To develop the sense of smell, encourage your children to smell flowers and different plants that have distinct smells. Ask your children to smell the different perfumes and fragrances that you wear.

5) Buy books that are made with special textures for a child to feel. Buy toys with different colors and shapes. Teach them to recognize different shapes, alphabets by keeping their eyes closed and feeling with their hands.

6) Teach them to enjoy the different sounds of nature like the chirping of birds, the falling rain or the whistle of the wind. Teach them to 'listen' rather than just 'hear'.

All these activities will help children carefully discover the world they live in through their different senses.

Be loving to your little ones and take care.

The 'e' family

Following our regular study pattern, we shall learn the words of the e family.

Write down the 'ed' in colored ink on a flash card. Then, write down individual consonants as b, l, r and w on separate flash cards. After doing so, place the 'b' flash card in front of the 'ed' card and read aloud the word, 'bed'.

b + ed = bed

Now, replace the 'b' flash card with the 'f' flash card to make the word 'fed'. Say it aloud several times, till your child is able to blend 'f' and 'ed' sounds to make word 'fed'.

f + ed = fed

By the end of this excercise, your child should be able to read these words of the 'e' family with ease.

Bed
Fed
Led
Red
Wed

Beg
Leg
Peg
Keg

Ten
Men
Hen
Den
Pen

Bet
Get
Jet
Let
Met
Net
Pet
Set
Wet

Illustration cards

Bed



Red



Wed



Beg



Leg



Ten



Men



Hen



Den



Pen



Jet



Net



Pet



Set



Wet



Next week, it shall be story and worksheet time for the 'e' family.
Take care.