Joy of Obedience & Decisions - DAY TWO

Today was another great day. We received RULES & LAWS from last time with a visit from Joy Boy. Joy Boy asked the hard question, "Is there a rule/law for everything?" Some said yes, others no. We talked about different examples and how there isn't a rule for everything. The big word of the day: DECISION. We get to choose, or make a decision, when there is no rule or law helping us know what to do.

We practiced making decisions the entire time. Some examples:
* Joy School Rule Song -- each friend took turns choosing a rule to lead the group in singing. Some had ahard time choosing one, and JS friends were encouraging in positive ways. It was great to see.

* Dancing Partners -- at the beginning we had music on to get our wiggles out. The friends could dance using whatever moves they'd like (early practice making decisions). Jumping, gliding, twirling, stepping, etc. Emily & Isabel asked how girls dance in partners. I showed them holding out their skirt with their left hand, and raising their right hand. I showed that their partner holds their raised hand & puts the other hand lightly on their side. Kai dances at home a lot & asked to try, and Emily volunteered. Then Isabel & Eve wanted to join in, & persuaded the other boys. We stopped the song a couple of times & made a decision to switch partners. They could choose. I have a short video of it -- they all had a blast. We danced to the song "Decisions" on the JS CD. We heard this song probably 8 times throughout the day, so they should be very familiar. :)

* Decision Pizzas -- for snack, we made honey wheat bagel pizzas by making decisions what to put on them. The options: homemade marinara sauce, mozarella cheese, parmaseam cheese, cheddar cheese, broccoli, mushrooms, sliced honey ham, and pineapple. The kids all had different creations with all kinds of combinations. Joseph ate 3 bites before we got it in the oven. :) Kai and Grant both had big pieces of broccoli on top. Isabel liked the ham. Emily loved pineapple. Eve stacked her pizza with everything.
* Strega Nona -- while the pizzas were cooking, we read the book "Strega Nona" by Tomie dePaola. They were all captivated by it. We'd stop every so often and talk about the decisions being made. At the end, they didn't know what Strega Nona would do, but Evie was spot-on in guessing.

* Interest Centers -- This is why we were running late at the end. :) The kids LOVED this time, so I extended it. There were three centers where they could make a decision what they wanted to do. They could be in the sandbox outside, at the table with play-doh or puzzles, or in the toy room with trains or the pirate ship. It was quiet and everyone played SO well together during this time. We didn't have any yellow cards until the end, when a couple of the boys were tired and ancy. It was magical!


* Picture Frame craft -- the kids are making picture frames to use as they wish, but also to maybe have a Joy School friends picture to put in. We just did painting today--they were very creative in deciding which colors to use, and where to paint on their frames. Next time we will decorate by gluing things on top. I have a wooden letter for each friend to put on representing their name, as well as other small decor. We invited each friend to bring a small item from home to glue on their frame next time (decision practice).


Lots of fun! Looking forward to next time and we'll be on-time. :)