A few weeks ago, third grade rolled up their sleeves and dove into a hands-on activity. We have been studying the history of our great state and had the opportunity to travel to coastal Georgia where history came alive.  After we came back from our trip we created salt dough maps of where we traveled. The students had a wonderful time creating their maps and seeing geographically what they experienced. Enjoy the photos below! 

We Survived!

     Yes, that's right, the third grade class had a wonderful experience on our overnight field trip last week! We had the amazing opportunity to go on a three day, two night field trip to coastal Georgia. We started off the trip exploring the Okefenokee swamp where we saw almost thirty alligators, cypress trees, and other wildlife. We then headed to Epworth where we stayed until Friday morning. After a delicious southern-style dinner, coach Burnette led the group in organized games and a devotional. Thursday, we started the day off extra early as we traveled to Hofywl Broadfield Plantation, Fort King George, and St. Simon's Island Lighthouse. Friday started out even earlier as we packed our bus and headed for Savannah. We spent the day exploring the city by means of a trolley and then walking down River Street. The students had the opportunity to do some souvenir shopping at the Savannah market and they enjoyed a picnic lunch next to the famous Waving Girl statue. OK, enough writing, I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story! 

A big thank you to Mr. John and coach Burnette for taking time out of their busy schedules to come along on our trip! 

     Every morning before school begins Mr. Leatherman graciously leads the faculty in devotions. Monday through Thursday we work our way through the New Testament, book by book and verse by verse. Every Friday we go through Psalms and Proverbs. Last Friday we read Proverbs 2 and it spoke of the pursuit of wisdom.

  Proverbs 2

 ¹My son, if you will receive my words

         And treasure my commandments within you, 

    ² Make your ear attentive to wisdom,

         Incline your heart to understanding; 

    ³For if you cry for discernment,

         Lift your voice for understanding; 

    ⁴If you seek her as silver

         And search for her as for hidden treasures; 

    ⁵Then you will discern the fear of the LORD

         And discover the knowledge of God. 

    ⁶For the LORD gives wisdom;

         From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. 

    ⁷He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;

         He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, 

    ⁸Guarding the paths of justice,

         And He preserves the way of His godly ones. 

    ⁹Then you will discern righteousness and justice

         And equity and every good course. 

    ¹⁰For wisdom will enter your heart

         And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; 

    ¹¹Discretion will guard you,

         Understanding will watch over you, 

    ¹²To deliver you from the way of evil,

         From the man who speaks perverse things; 

    ¹³From those who leave the paths of uprightness

         To walk in the ways of darkness; 

    ¹⁴Who delight in doing evil

         And rejoice in the perversity of evil; 

    ¹⁵Whose paths are crooked,

         And who are devious in their ways; 

    ¹⁶To deliver you from the strange woman,

         From the adulteress who flatters with her words; 

    ¹⁷That leaves the companion of her youth

         And forgets the covenant of her God; 

    ¹⁸For her house sinks down to death

         And her tracks lead to the dead; 

    ¹⁹None who go to her return again,

         Nor do they reach the paths of life. 

    ²⁰So you will walk in the way of good men

         And keep to the paths of the righteous. 

    ²¹For the upright will live in the land

         And the blameless will remain in it; 

    ²²But the wicked will be cut off from the land

         And the treacherous will be uprooted from it.

     It is my prayer that my little ones seek after the Lord's wisdom as one who seeks after hidden treasure. However, the seeking starts with me. Am I seeking after the Lord with complete abandon and do my students see me doing this? This passage convicted and challenged me in more ways than I have time to explain. Thank you, Jesus, for your perfect and complete love when my motivations and intentions are far from honoring you. Thank you, Father, for your patience when I am blinded by my own self-deception. Lord, answer our cries for discernment that we may treasure your commandments and be fully satisfied in Your brilliance. 

"O Majesty unspeakable, my soul desires to behold Thee. I cry to Thee from the dust. Yet when I inquire after Thy name it is secret. Thou art hidden in the light which no man can approach unto. What Thou art cannot be thought or uttered, for Thy glory is ineffable. Still, prophet and psalmist, apostle and saint have encouraged me to believe that I may in some measure know Thee. Therefore, I pray, whatever of Thyself Thou hast been pleased to disclose, help me to search out as treasure more precious than rubies or the merchandise of fine gold: for with Thee shall I live when the stars of the twilight are no more and the heavens have vanished away and only Thou remainest. Amen." ~A.W. Tozer 

Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

Merry Christmas, third grade! Each year at the Heiskell School the teachers have the opportunity to give gifts to their students at Christmas time. This year I decided to give a simple, but important gift to my dear children. The candy cane is a special Christmas tradition that brings joy to people young and old. Do you know the true meaning behind such a delicious tradition? My third graders have learned it and they would love to share this grace-filled gift story with you. We also measured our hands and feet and made our very own, unique reindeer! Look for the picture below. 

 The Legend of the Candy Cane 

A Candymaker in Indiana wanted to make a candy that would help us remember who Christmas is really about, so he made a Christmas Candy Cane. He incorporated several symbols for the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ.

He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy. The white symbolized the virgin birth and sinless nature of Jesus. The hard candy symbolized Jesus- the solid rock, the foundation of the Church, and the firmness of the promises of God.

The candymaker made the candy in the form of a "J" to represent the name of Jesus. It also represented the staff of the "Good Shepherd".

The candymaker then included red stripes. He used three small stripes and a large red stripe to represent the suffering Christ endured at the end of his life.

The candy became known as a Candy Cane- a decoration seen at Christmas time. Although the meaning has faded, it still gives joy to children young and old.

Hallelujah, I'm Alive!

     As most know, I was out sick the first two days of the week. Unfortunately, a sore throat and fever aren't ideal teaching conditions, so the gracious Ms. Patterson allowed me much needed bed rest. Anyway, the point of my writing this blip are the smiling faces I saw yesterday morning. My dear children greeted me with open arms and bear hugs. My desk soon was cluttered with homemade "get well" and "I love you" cards. I'm so proud of the way these children love the people in their lives. They are not afraid to show their sweetness and they let you know, daily, how much you mean to them. The Lord uses each of my twenty-three students to teach me how to love and minister to others in my life. Thank you, my children, for your sweetness, encouragement, and constant love. Thank you for teaching me how to love better and more like Jesus.

 Matthew 18:1-3 

"At the time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 

Thank you, Veterans, for your service!

     To celebrate and honor the Veterans of our great country, we attended a school wide chapel service. Ms. Heiskell gave a brief history of The National Anthem, followed by our guest speaker, Master Sgt. Adams. The students learned who Veterans are, why they are Veterans, what they do now, and how we can show them that we are thankful for their sacrifice. 

     We furthered the discussion in the classroom by completing a special project. Each student had the opportunity to research someone in their family, or a close friend that is a Veteran. The students were instructed to interview and listen to the Veteran's stories and then write a brief summary of why they are their American hero. It was such a joy to see the students understand the concept of honoring our Veterans, as well as their pride for their family member's sacrifice! I am daily inspired by my students' sweet and willing spirit. It is my prayer that the Lord continues to cultivate within them an appreciation for selfless giving. May they always be aware and humbled by God's grace in and throughout their lives.

The Lord's Plan

The past few weeks we have been studying the genealogy of Abraham. Each student made a visual representation of the genealogy to map out the relationship between Abraham and his ancestors. This has been a wonderful time of discussing how God always had a plan and how it was set in motion. We also had the opportunity to talk about how the Lord uses both good and bad things for His glory and overall plan. Our God is sovereign and it was brilliant to see how each student understood this! We will be expanding our family trees as we learn more about the family God designed from the beginning!