Good Afternoon!

‘The Purpose Of Learning Is Joy’ just happened to be the first blog entry on Teacher Tom’s blog. As I started reading it, I wanted to read more. Two ideas stuck out to me specifically on this post. The first thought that jumped out to me was:

“We waste everyone’s time when we try to put a pin in learning, to assign a purpose to it. This is a concept that we adults often have a hard time comprehending, I think, this idea that not only is all learning deeply personal and individual, but it is also ultimately unknowable to anyone but the person whose curiosity and, therefore, thought is engaged.”

Just because a child can’t explain in detail what they learned, doesn’t mean they didn’t learn something. Learning is different to every single individual. What people find joy in is vastly unique to that individual.

“We are born to seek joy and learning brings us joy, thinking brings us joy, understanding brings us joy. To the degree that we’ve made learning hard work is the degree to which we cheat children of their joy.”

Learning, at this age, should be child driven. During our day, children are engaged in activities that bring them joy, that they connect to, and they find fulfilling.

Enjoy the pictures from our day: a day in which children were completely fulfilled and happy!

http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-purpose-of-learning-is-joy.html

Breakfast– Whole Grain Cheerios with fresh strawberries.

Lunch– Brown rice with shredded pork, fresh pineapple/banana, and fresh carrots/cucumber/cherry tomatoes.

PM snack– Triscuits and peanuts.

Wee Sprout– Fresh carrots/cucumber.

Have a lovely night!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 3/31

Good Afternoon.

Today is National Crayon Day!

“It is a day to celebrate the creation of crayons and the joy of coloring. The origin of crayons dates back to the 17th century. In those days, the original crayons were not made of wax. The colors in those early days, were more limited, and not as long lasting or durable.”  ~holidayinsights.com

We were all happy to sit at the table and color away. We did add in some markers, as friends really do prefer them over crayons. It was good to experience the beauty of the crayons though as well. 

Arthur has been working very hard on climbing up into the rocking chair. He has much determination and skill. He has mastered the skill and is very happy about it and pleased with himself.   YAY, Arthur!

Breakfast: Whole grain Cheerios and apples.

Lunch: Whole grain brown rice with butter and red beans, mixed veggies and banana.

Snack: Pumpkin seeds and whole whet crackers.

Wee Sprouts: Fresh yellow pepper.

Have a fantastic night.

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES:  https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIullK8ZyvQyTF3TLRZk3Q

Good Afternoon.

This morning our two littlest Wee Wee’s were playing peek-a-boo with me through the bars of the habi-trail structure. They both thought it was so funny. This is a great spot for playing peek-a-boo.

Friends had fun engaging in the sensory table today!

Paige also enjoyed getting her hair done as she was focused on the rice and bird seed mixture. 

Breakfast: Whole grain oatmeal with cinnamon and oranges.

Lunch: Farm fresh scrambled eggs with shredded cheese, whole wheat English muffins with butter, cucumbers and oranges.

Snack: Whole wheat tortilla with hummus.

Wee Sprouts: Cucumbers.

Have a lovely night.

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES:   https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIullK4WsFmKla_-4Cqb3w

Good Afternoon!

Mack and Evie solved addition problems for their sign in. They had to count the configurations, write the number under each configuration, and add the numbers together! Not only did they work on number formation and addition but one to one correspondence as well.

K.CA.1-2: Solve real world problems, objects, or drawings that involve addition and subtraction within 10. Demonstrate the equation (e.g., 5=3+2 and 5=4+1)

In K/PREK1 group, we read, ‘What Do You Do With An Idea?’. We gathered in a circle after we read the book and each child was given an addition or subtraction problem. We read each word problem aloud and they had to write the two numbers in their equation. Some friends wrote the numbers by themselves while others traced dotted numbers.

A few children chose to try to add the numbers together in their head while others used counters as an aide.

K.CA.1-2: Solve real world problems, objects, or drawings that involve addition and subtraction within 10. Demonstrate the equation (e.g., 5=3+2 and 5=4+1)

Enjoy the pictures from the rest of our Wednesday!

Breakfast– Whole grain oatmeal with cinnamon and fresh strawberries.

Lunch– Farm fresh scrambled eggs with whole wheat tortilla, fresh cantaloupe, and fresh cucumber/carrots.

PM snack– Air popped popcorn with butter and fresh strawberries.

Wee Sprout– Fresh carrots/cucumber.

Have a great night!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 3/30

Good Afternoon!

Mack and Evie focused on vowels sounds for their kindergarten sign in this morning. They wrote a mixture of long and short vowel sounds that were missing in words such as cat (c___t).

K.RF.4.3 Recognize the long and short sounds for the five major vowels.

After we finished reading, ‘What Do You Do With A Problem?’ for K/PREK1 group, we worked together to solve four word problems: two addition problems and two subtraction problems. First, we wrote down the two numbers that we heard in the word problem. Then, we determined if it was an addition problem or subtraction problem before solving.

Tomorrow, we will scaffold this idea and each child will have their own laminated story problem to solve, using manipulatives if needed.

K.CA.1-2: Solve real world problems, objects, or drawings that involve addition and subtraction within 10. Demonstrate the equation (e.g., 5=3+2 and 5=4+1)

 

In PREK2 group, children used eggs to solve addition problems! One half of the egg had an addition problem on it. They used pompoms to solve the problem. Once they figured out the answer, they found the answer on the top egg part and put the egg together!

Enjoy the pictures from the rest of our day!

Breakfast– Corn Chex and fresh watermelon.

Lunch– Hummus on whole wheat flatbread, fresh pears, and fresh cucumber/carrots.

PM snack– Whole wheat bagel with cream cheese and block cheese.

Wee Sprout– Fresh cucumber/carrots.

Have a lovely night.

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 3/29

Good Afternoon.

We had a very fun and very busy day today! We love staying active and engaged in the classroom. We did many inside activities that brought us much joy today!

First, we danced and acted out movement’s in the interactive songs we heard.  We enjoyed the Ants go Marching, Listen and Move and The Hokey Pokey songs along with many other songs that we enjoyed just simply dancing too.

 

We LOVED listening to two new stories. Some of us learned we have the same books at home as well at school.

Then, we painted with forks at the easel.  

Breakfast: Whole grain Chex cereal and apples.

Lunch: Whole wheat warmed tortillas with refried beans and shredded mozzarella cheese, sweet potatoes and pears.

Snack: Whole wheat bagels with peanut butter.

Wee Sprouts: Red pepper.

Have a fantastic night.

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES:  https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIullK0cDPZtHh6h9ojG9w

Good Afternoon and Happy Monday!

PLEASE NOTE: WWF WILL BE CLOSED APRIL 15, 2022 IN OBSERVATION OF GOOD FRIDAY.

Today was all about what our friends wanted to engage in. As you can see, we were a little bit of everywhere. 

Breakfast: Whole wheat English muffins with butter and cinnamon with pears.

Lunch: Whole wheat noodles with butter and shredded roast beef, broccoli and oranges

Snack: Whole milk yogurt and grahams.

Wee Sprouts: Fresh green beans.

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIullKwKGIcTqVr0lQqeyA

Happy Monday!

One of our FAB’s this week focuses on addition problems within 10. We read three word problems together and to start, Evie and Mack wrote the two numbers that were identified in the word problem. They added the two numbers together and wrote the total after the equal sign!

K.CA.1-2: Solve real world problems, objects, or drawings that involve addition and subtraction within 10. Demonstrate the equation (e.g., 5=3+2 and 5=4+1)

An art activity was made available this morning. Using materials like puff balls, glitter glue, pinecones, tissue paper, yarn, and paint, children made abstract fairies to display in the classroom!

A new outdoor activity got delivered today and we were so excited to be able to watch it be moved off the delivery truck. One friend said “My mind is BLOWN!”

We can’t wait to explore it later on this spring!

Breakfast– Whole wheat english muffins with peanut butter and fresh pears.

Lunch– Whole wheat noodles with marinara sauce and shredded cheese, fresh watermelon, and fresh cucumber/pepper.

PM snack– Whole milk yogurt with mini fruit bars (That’s It brand).

Wee Sprout– Fresh peppers.

Have a lovely night!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 3/28

Happy FriYAY!

**Wee Friends will be closed on Friday, April 15th for Good Friday.

Evie and Mack used two dice for their sign in. They rolled both dice, wrote the numbers on the spaces and added them together. They wrote the total after the equal sign. They did this five times!

After reading, ‘The Three Little Pigs’ in K/PREK1 group, we used our ten fingers to solve a few math problems. The first problem was 7 + _____ = 10. We all put up our fingers and made seven fingers available. We looked to see how many fingers were hiding and after counting, friends yelled, “It’s three!”

K.CA.4: Find the number that makes 10 when added to the given number for any number from 1 to 9 (e.g., by using objects or drawings), and record the answer with a drawing or an equation.

The light table was made available in the science area while playdough took up the art table. Both spaces were busy throughout the morning before heading outside. Friends got down a few different manipulatives to use at the light table!

Even though it was a little chilly this morning, children still had a terrific time playing several rounds of Simon Says! It’s one of our favorite games to play outside.

Breakfast– Brown rice cakes with peanut butter and fresh apples.

Lunch– Ham sandwiches on whole wheat tortillas, fresh oranges/banana and fresh cucumber.

PM snack– String cheese and goldfish.

Wee Sprout– Fresh cucumber.

Have a wonderful weekend!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 3/25

Good Afternoon and Happy Friday!

During our play today a friend noticed something tucked away by the two swings and asked what it was. So I happily got it down for her to see. It was the sheer curtain for us to walk through.  We all loved walking and calmly running through it. We could even play peek-a- boo with our friends and teachers.  

We engaged in a fun art activity to brighten the classroom windows with flowers. We took our pre-cut paper plate circles and used dot paint markers to decorate them. You can see them all through the environment.

As I was preparing for our lunch, Ms. Bekah read us all teachers stories in the colorful big blocks we used as boats! What a great adventure.

Breakfast: Whole grain brown rice cakes with cram cheese and bananas.

Lunch: Whole wheat tortillas with turkey lunchmeat, peas and banana.

Snack: Pretzels and cheddar cheese slices.

Wee Sprouts: Red pepper.

Have a fantastic weekend! Lets hope for some warmer weather next week!!

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIullKpo7Saqe-Clv2V37A