Mana’o 1: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ; he is a new creation; the old has gone; the new has come.” (II Corinthians 5:17)
Mana’o 2: I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.
-“Dr. Martin Luther King”
Mana’o 3: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (Ephesians 4:2)
Although we made our class stepping stone on the first week of 2012, the children are only now beginning to notice it. They enjoy stepping on it and bouncing a ball on it. What they are noticing the most, are all the children’s names on it. In a preschool setting, one of the first things children learn to “read” is each other’s names.
Today, the children proudly shared their “Not-a-Box” projects. It was very exciting to see the look on the face of the child sharing and also of the faces of the audience. I think some couldn’t believe what you could turn a box into. Great job families! At center time, the children got to play with each other boxes. It was a fun way to practice sharing. But more importantly, it was a great way to practice respecting and taking care of other children’s property.
The children enjoyed playing with the parachute today. Parachute play for preschoolers promotes teamwork and gets their large muscles working.
Our decorated boxes continue to be a popular choice to play with. Here, the children are pretending that the boxes are trains. Pretend play allows children to build confidence as communicators and find value and satisfaction in sharing ideas with others. 
Today was our field trip to Kualoa Ranch’s Aquaculture Farm. 
Today was the day that we tried our basil pesto sauce for snack. We served it with linguine, parmesan cheese, and a bun. The children had a dollop of margarine on their plate with which they could spread on their bun with a plastic butter knife if they choose to.
Our graph question was: “Did you like the basil pesto sauce?” The results are: Yes: 10, No: 4, I’m not sure: 2.
The experience of growing food is a natural motivation for getting children to eat more healthful foods or try new foods, and the process of how food is grown, harvested, and brought to the table is a mysterious one for most children. A garden can make this process real.
Thank you to Bishop’s ‘ohana for the basil plant donation. 
We painted and decorated three large boxes. During free choice time, the children use the boxes for play scenarios. Here, Julia and Camille pretended that the box was a crib.
Children love to play in cardboard boxes. Boxes can be changed and decorated into different things. Crawling into houses gives some exercise for their leg and hand muscles. These sort of activities are called Dramatic-play activities. Through these activities children learn more about the people and the world around them. They get chances to express their creativity. So let your children play with cardboard boxes before throwing them out.
Today, some of the children helped “harvest” our basil leaves. Right away, they noticed the fragrant smell of the basil. At center time, Aunty used a blender to make pesto sauce which we will put on pasta and eat for snack tomorrow. The ingredients we used were: basil leaves, olive oil, pine nuts, salt, garlic, and parmesan cheese. The finished product was met with “ill” and “yucky”. For some, trying a new food is easier when other peers are all doing the same around them.
Aloha e ‘Ohana ‘Ulu,
Papa ‘Ulu’s Blog will be taking a break and should return in a few weeks. Aunty Alison is busy working on reports and portfolios to share with families during parent/teacher conferences. Mahalo for your understanding. Blog you soon!
