Happy Friday. What a gorgeous week!!!

This morning a friend was definitely on a mission to accomplish her task of taking the loose parts bucket people from their home to the side of the fish tank ledge. She was very pleased with herself once her task was complete.  

Teachers opened the moon sand sensory bin today and friends really enjoyed themselves feeling the soft texture of the sand. This sand is unlike our play sand outdoors. It is very soft and smooth with no gritty feel to it. Friends scoop, pour and simply run their hands through the soft sand.

During our outside play, we were very excited when the Wee teachers brought out a large bucket of corn that needed to be shucked. The big kids loved being able to share this experience with our little Wee Wee’s. Such great sports they are!

Breakfast: Whole grain brown rice cakes with peanut butter and pears.

Lunch: Whole wheat bread with turkey lunchmeat, sweet potatoes and strawberries.

Snack: Pretzels and mozzarella string cheese.

Wee Sprouts: Cucumbers

Have a great Labor Day weekend. Stay safe and we’ll see you next week Tuesday!

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES:  https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIulk5IM2D41WYKCAYU5Vg

Good Afternoon!

Not only do we follow the FAB’s (Framework for Academic Balance) throughout the calendar year, but we implement our MACK (Mindful Attention with Curiosity and Kindness Curriculum) on a daily basis.

While we are always talking about being mindful with our peers, we are intentional with the books we read and the conversations we have. If you’d like to read up on our curriculums that we focus on, please follow the link below:

https://weefriendskids.com/about-us/program-philosophy/

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Mack and Evie counted four different configurations. Once they had the items counted, they wrote the number on the line next to each configuration. We worked on number formation as well as counting 1-1 using their finger!

K.NS.4: Perform one-to-one correspondence tasks.

K.NS.5: Count up to 20 objects arranged in a line, a rectangular array, or a circle. Count up to 10 objects in a scattered configuration.

We’ve been working on a project this week that involves cardboard leaves to put on our tree in the art area. Today, children used ‘nature’ to decorate their leaf. They got to choose from a collection of leaves and sticks to add to their creation.

Children were quick to offer their help in the garden this morning. They helped weed and clean up the garden beds a little! We have such a helpful group!

Breakfast– Whole Grain Cheerios with fresh strawberries.

Lunch– Brown rice with shredded chicken, fresh watermelon, and fresh cucumber.

PM snack– Whole wheat crackers and peanuts.

Wee Sprout– Fresh cucumber.

Have a lovely night!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 9/2

Good Afternoon.

This morning we engaged in another magical morning filled with music. We added in the red rhythmic sticks to go along with our pianos, xylophones and shakers. We could hit them together or rub them against one another to hear the different sounds that are  being made.

 

Arthur and Emma have been big fans of the habi-trail these days. At times they enjoy looking out of the widows and other times they just simply enjoy crawling around in the space.

Meanwhile some of the older friends enjoyed looking out of the window to see the worker men place black tar on the cracks on the road. We really enjoy looking out of the windows. It’s really fun… we never knw what we’re going to see form day to day!

Breakfast: Whole grain Chex cereal and apples.

Lunch: Whole grain brown rice with butter and shredded chicken, cucumbers with apples and watermelon.

Snack: Sunflower seeds and Whole grain wheat thin crackers.

Wee Sprouts: Cucumbers. (They’re our favorite)

Have a splendid evening. These cooler nights are FABULOUS!!!

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIulk5AlO_naRNl2340DtQ

Good Afternoon and Happy September.

We started our day with a dance party! Friends enjoy listening to music and booging their bodies away to the beat. We LOVE to watch them get down!

Hannah was in the building center of the classroom today and built a very tall structure! She was quite proud of herself and her accomplishment. Such proven hand-eye coordination and cognitive skills being shown. Way to go Hannah!!

Friends enjoy babies in the outside environment just as much as the inside environment.

Breakfast: Whole grain oatmeal with cinnamon and banana.

Lunch: Farm fresh scrambled eggs, whole wheat butter toast, corn and banana.

Snack: Whole wheat flatbread with cream cheese.

Wee Sprouts: Cucumbers.

Have  lovely evening.

Marty

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LINK TO 9/1 PHOTOS  https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIulk4428_isND7wq6aoSg

LINK TO 8/31 PHOTOS https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIulk4wu4nKDUPT3SRG7VQ

First off—we want to wish a big happy 5th birthday to Evie! We are so glad we were able to spend your birthday with you!

Enjoy the pictures from our day!

Breakfast– Overnight oatmeal with fresh strawberries.

Lunch– Farm fresh scrambled eggs with whole wheat flatbread, fresh cantaloupe, and fresh cucumber.

PM snack– Evie’s birthday treat:

Wee Sprout– Fresh cucumber/pepper.

Have a wonderful night!

-Mindy

Pics from 9.1.2021: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIulk48weQdA7b-DYfdL5g

Good Afternoon!

We are apart of an early education research study and it started today! Four of our children were randomly chosen to be apart of the research study. Early Learning Indiana (ELI) is collaborating with the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers University on an Indiana early childhood education quality initiative that seeks to improve instructional practices and enhance learning outcomes for children.

In the Fall of 2021,  classrooms will be visited to assess 1200 children (about 4 per classroom) on a battery of standardized assessments to evaluate emerging language, mathematical and executive function skills. These children will be assessed again about 8 months later, in 2022, and we will also repeat the classroom observations.

We’re excited to be apart of this study!

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Evie and Mack explored their first and last names this morning during kindergarten sign in by counting the number of syllables.

We use two forms of syllable recognition. The first is clapping the number of sounds in a word. The second is placing your hand under your chin and counting how many times your chin moves up and down.

K.RF.3.2: Orally segment words into syllables.

We continued our exploration of syllables during K/PREK1 group. We read, ‘My Heart Is Like A Zoo’ and afterwards, we added our times to the correct syllable group. Then, each group member got to choose an animal from the story and we added their name to our list too!

In PREK2, children got a turn to roll a big blue dice. Once the dice came to a stop, they counted the number of white dots on the face of the dice that was up.

Here’s a sneak peak into the rest of our day!

Breakfast– Toasted oatmeal squares with fresh pears.

Lunch– Peanut butter on whole wheat flatbread, block cheddar cheese, fresh pineapple, and fresh carrots/cucumber.

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

Wee Sprout– Fresh carrots/cucumber.

Have a wonderful night!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 8/31

Good Afternoon.

I’m sorry for the inconvenience, there will not be a link to our Tuesday pictures, as there is an error we are coming across.  We are working to get the issue fixed ASAP. Thank you for your understanding. 

We began our Tuesday morning engaging in musical instruments and fun music to dance with to  get our bodies in motion.

We then had a fantastic time with a cold sensory activity. We Painted on our papers with water color ice cubes. We used a variety  of colors  to make our masterpieces. Such as purple, yellow orange and red.

Breakfast: Whole grain Cheerios and apples.

Lunch: Whole wheat tortilla with hummus, corn and apples.

Snack: Whole bagels with peanut butter and raisins.

Wee Sprouts: Cucumbers.

Have a nice night.

Marty

Happy Monday!

**Wee Friends is closed Monday, September 6th for Labor Day.**

Mack and Evie completed their kindergarten sign in which required them to identify numbers ranging from 1 to 20. Each laminated sheet had four numbers of it. One conversation we had was looking at the difference between 14 and 41, for example. While these numbers look very similar, they are quite different. It’s developmentally appropriate for children to mix up numbers like this so we have conversations about it and use manipulatives to explain why and to see a visual.

K.NS.4: Perform one-to-one correspondence tasks.

K.NS.5: Count up to 20 objects arranged in a line, a rectangular array, or a circle. Count up to 10 objects in a scattered configuration.

We took those same laminated number sheets and extended the activity in K/PREK1 group. Each member took one sheet and had to find the smallest number on their sheet. They took the gem counters and placed the exact number of counters on the smallest number which they identified.

Evie and Mack had to then identify the largest number that was on their sheet. They placed the correct number of gem counters on that number too.

In PREK2 group, children matched a scattered configuration to the correct number. First, children had to count the items in their configuration. Once they had the number, they found the matching number and checked to see if it was a match!

Our morning consisted of engaging indoor activities coupled with exciting outdoor activities.

Several children gathered at the circle table to explore wooden and foam puzzles. We have a variety of puzzles ranging in difficulty. Friends are always wanting to challenge themselves!

As we headed outside, a group of kids immediately noticed that our sunflower in the garden is HUGE! It’s so tall and full. Quickly, children asked for kale which has been so plentiful this season. Friends got two pieces of kale and enjoyed every bite!

We’re hoping to make some kale chips later on this week!

Breakfast– Whole wheat bagel with butter and fresh apples.

Lunch– Whole wheat noodles with marinara sauce and shredded cheese, fresh cantaloupe, and fresh carrots.

PM snack– Whole milk yogurt with fresh cantaloupe.

Wee Sprout– Fresh carrots/cucumber.

Have a lovely night!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 8/30

Good Afternoon.

Please Note: Wee Friends will be CLOSED Monday, September 6th in observance of Labor Day.

This morning friends engaged in a fun sensory activity. This activity also enhances our color recognition, hand-eye coordination and shape recognition skills. We glued small foam like shapes onto a bright colored piece of construction paper.

Arthur and Emily were buy looking out of the side door window to see if they could find their siblings from the preschool classroom.  

Friends and siblings re-united during outdoor play. The preschool classroom friends and the Wee Wee’s always love getting together and playing when we are all outside together.

Breakfast: Whole wheat bagels with butter and cinnamon with apples.

Lunch: Whole wheat Penne noodles with butter and shredded chicken, sweet potatoes and apples.

Snack: Whole milk yogurt with graham crackers.

Wee Sprouts: Cucumbers. 

Have a lovely evening.

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AtTCDmdhjIulk4pDCW-vNp3DOP1hjQ?e=iujFMy

Happy Friday!

We skipped our story today in K/PREK1 group and instead we played ‘Community Helper Bingo’! Each group member picked their own board and placed a red circle on the community helper that matched my description.

Children were quick to help their peers when they were stuck trying to find if they had the helper or not. For a handful of community helpers, friends shared a personal story that was connected to that helper.

Social Studies: K.2.1 Give examples of people who are community helpers (inside the classroom and outside the classroom) and describe how they help us.

Earlier this morning, Bo and William sorted our felt money and talked about how much money they had! Bo claimed, “I have $17!”

Children waited for a turn at the golf tee activity. Two peers worked together at a time by placing golf tees in strategic places on the black board.

James and Maggie explored our new-ish playdough! They loved taking the big playdough ball they got and cutting it up into tiny pieces.

While we’ve had a terrific time outside in the mornings this week, we cannot wait for cooler temperatures that are on the horizon.

We say…bring on Fall!

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

Lunch– Ham on whole wheat flatbread/bread, fresh pears/oranges, and fresh cucumber from Daniel’s garden (Thanks Daniel and family!).

PM snack– Goldfish and cheddar block cheese.

Wee Sprout– Fresh cucumbers.

Have a wonderful weekend!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 8/27