A Celebration of Light – The Winter Solstice

One thing we can see and feel in the children is that they are such happy kids!  What a sweet group of kids to be given the opportunity of a front row seat to watch them grow and flourish in such a beautiful and nurturing environment. 

This note to you comes at a perfect time of year for us to share how we speak about Santa in the classroom. The chat goes something like this: “The great thing about this world is that there are a lot of people in this world who think differently. People can believe what they want to believe. Can people believe in Santa? Yes! Can people not believe in Santa? Yes!” 

When the inevitable question about if Santa Claus is real, we respond with, “Santa is part of the magic of Christmas”. 

As we move closer to the end of the year we can turn our focus at school toward a Celebration of light- The Winter Solstice.  We will be celebrating the winter solstice and preparing for the new year by focusing on the interconnectedness of all living things on Earth. The earth gives us so much, and we can discuss and be grateful for the gifts we have been given. 

 

For each of the next 2 weeks of school, we will focus on a different aspect of our world and reflect on its gifts:

Week 1: We invite your children to bring in something from the mineral kingdom to remind us of the beauty of our natural world. Think rocks, seashells, and crystals.

Also, this week we will also appreciate the plant kingdom. Plants that give us life; the food we eat and the air we breathe. If you send in a native leaf or flower from a plant, we would love to add it to some of our Hawaiian words we’ve been practicing.

Week 2: We will reflect upon the animal kingdom and humans. The gifts animals bring to us: Honey from the bees, eggs from the chickens, love and protection from our favorite pets are important to consider. 

During the last week of school, we invite you to send in a family picture for your children to talk about and answer questions about special people in their lives. Photos of favorite pets in your lives, an animal figurine, or even just a picture or a book of an animal that has a gift it shares with the world are some ideas to share.

The children in our classroom come from a variety of incredible culture, backgrounds, and beliefs and invite you to please come share your traditions or read a story to the kids from 8:30-9:00 Monday-Friday. 

Aloha Kakahiaka Song Lyrics:

Aloha Kakahiaka 

Aloha ia oe

Aloha Kakahiaka,

Means good morning to you

Aloha, Aloha

Aloha Kakahiaka,

Means good morning to you.

Hawaiian Children Song