Good Afternoon!
We set up a welcome activity that revolved around magnatiles. We added magnetic people and bells to the tuff tray and children got right to work building various structures, mostly houses! Children used the bells to place around the perimeter of their house. There were so many interesting creations that friends built with one of their favorite materials, with a few added items!
The rest of our morning was spent exploring various activities such as the art easel. A few friends painted several pictures, working with different paint colors. We beat the rain and headed out for the rest of the morning where we were able to run around, getting out a ton of energy!
We took our first trip to the farm today! We spent a lot of time naturally exploring gross motor movement! In the woods, kids have opportunities to move their bodies in ways they do not anywhere else. Kids practiced picking up and balancing very long sticks. They loved trying to pick up the longest one. They also enjoyed working together to carry long sticks down the path. This took a great deal of coordination, team work and balance. They also used the long sticks as fishing poles at the pond and made a game of using them to pick up leaves off the pond bottom. Kids get such a deep understanding of how their bodies, and the objects they are manipulating are moving in space in these environments. This is an experience that is often lacking in modern early childhood settings. When kids explore movement in these ways, it affects the whole brain in its ability to integrate all of the different parts. It is hard to imagine that spending time balancing on logs, hanging upside-down or using a long stick to pick up a leaf out of the water could effect children’s ability to focus, problem solve and use higher level executive function, but science supports evidence that it does.
If you are interested in reading more about these concepts, I highly recommend the book “Balanced and Barefoot, How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident and Capable Children”, which can be found on Amazon!
Breakfast– Overnight oatmeal with cinnamon and fresh strawberries/apples.
Lunch– Farm fresh scrambled eggs with whole wheat flatbread, fresh pineapple/cantaloupe, and fresh carrots/cucumber.
PM snack– Air popped popcorn with butter and raisins.
Wee Sprout– Fresh cucumber/carrots/pepper.
Have a great night!
-Wee Friends Teachers
Link to pictures: 2025-04-23