The Gift of Oneself!

Shopping for holiday gifts is lots of fun. Our class certainly went all out with providing gifts for our needy family. What a huge pile of colorful gifts, including a shiny new bike, we had stacked up in the K hallway outside our classroom door. The class was very excited to walk to the athletic center carrying gifts to be placed on the gym floor next to our class family's number. It was amazing to see the gym floor covered with large piles of gifts for needy families all over the St. Petersburg area.

At Town Meeting this Monday, our guidance counselor, Mrs. Lippencott, challenged the students to do more than just shop for gifts for their families, but to think of meaningful things to do that would delight our parents. She suggested that the children volunteer to help with family chores around the house. She suggested thinking about their mothers and fathers, and deciding what would be something their parents woud really appreciate, such as washing the dishes, cleaning their own bedrooms without being asked, and pulling weeds in the garden. How about volunteering to set the table before dinner and clearing the table after dinner, making one's own bed, getting dressed without help, brushing your teeth without being reminded or doing your homework neatly without assistance? These are truly gifts from the heart. All these acts of kindness encourage the children to be to think about other people's feelings, needs and wants. It also encourages them to be more responsible and independent.

Dr. Bianco reminded the students of Mr. Murphy's challenge to us to have Shorecrest be the nicest school in the America, and for us to work hard, play hard, and to take good care of each other. Great words to live by!

Happy Holidays to all our families. Enjoy your special times together and safe travels to all. Mrs. Minke will be in Michigan at the family cottage up north and in Detroit visiting her grandson, Jaxon. Mrs. Keirnan will be with her family skiing in Utah. We are both hoping for snow!

Mrs. Minke and Mrs. Kiernan

From Seeds to Soup

Last September the kindergarten classes all helped to plant various vegetables, herbs, and flowers in the new Lower Division Community Garden. Each of our classes has their own garden bed filled with rich soil prepared by Shorecrest parents with the advice of parent, David Abbey. It's rumored that his special garden soil mix even contains dog food! For whatever the reason, all the seeds and tiny seedlings we planted in the fall grew like crazy! Each week showed a huge increase in the size of the plants.

Each day throughout the fall when returning to the classroom from recess, we were able to monitor how our garden flourished. Several times our class went to the garden to pull out the weeds and trim the rapidly growing plants. We harvested our herbs in November, and each child was able to take home a baggie full of fresh herbs.

Last Friday all three kindergarten classes contributed to the making of Stone Soup. Inspired by the award winning tale by Marcia Brown, each class contributed to our pot. From the Shorecrest gardens we included fresh herbs, egg plant, green peppers, cauliflower, green beans, tomatoes, and cabbage. The ingredients simmered and the air was filled with a delicious scent. Later in the day we all had a chance to enjoy the recipe created in our kindergarten kitchen by good will and sharing. Yum, delicious and nutritious!