October 2015

We are thrilled to introduce you to our newest Advisory Board member, Patty Marcum. She has been the founder, director, and teacher at Gateway Preschool in Richland, WA for the last 28 years. She wrote and developed her own curriculum and has a passion for early childhood development. She loves to involve the parents and teaches them to come alongside their children to create a rich learning environment at home. Patty and Bonnie both love the quote, "Life is a Classroom." As our Educational Consultant, Patty is committed to keeping us updated with the latest early childhood development ideas and curriculum, and we couldn't be more excited to have her on board.

One of the ways Patty contributes to CGC Costa Rica is through a fun activity called the
"Bonnie Box". She encourages her staff to share their favorite lesson plans, stories, games, crafts, and other ideas in this special box. At the end of the school year, Patty gives the contents of the box to Bonnie to share with the school in Costa Rica.

Speaking of boxes....

Can you connect these 9 dots using only 4 lines and not lifting up your pencil?

If you can't figure it out, go ahead and Google "9 dots" to see how it's done. You'll find that you must go outside the box twice to connect all of the dots. As a whole, Costa Rican students aren't typically encouraged to leave their comfort zones and discover that there are choices beyond what their parents had or know. We encourage our students to step outside of their boxes in order to use their God-given gifts to the fullest extent. This dot activity is just one of the many warm-ups we use to encourage conversation in our classrooms. It not only stimulates their minds, but also increases their English vocabulary.


Soccer is Costa Rica's favorite sport. Anytime a game is happening, people look for a place to watch. Last week, the top two Costa Rican soccer teams competed and the game was televised. Several friends came over to Cornelio and Cailene's house to watch the game. There was lots of laughter, fun food, and cheering. Cornelio uses soccer as a way to build relationships and provide opportunities to share his faith. Through this outlet, he's able to offer words of encouragement to some of the young men in the community.


This month in Cailene's girls group, she gave them a challenge. They were discussing how media can influence us and can consume too much of our time if we aren't careful. Even though media can be a good tool, it can also become an addiction. Cailene first asked the girls to note how many hours per week they really spent using technology. She then challenged them to go without any form of technology for 24 hours. The girls were completely shocked that they spent an average of 30-40 hours of their week using technology! During their 24 hour fast, they discovered how much time they actually had in a day to accomplish things when they weren't distracted by their phones, computers, or television. Cailene would also like to challenge all of you to do the same and discover how much extra time you could gain in your day.

 

Cailene, Cornelo, Bonnie and Mekhi

Thank you for your prayers and support