Happy Friday!

Sensory was the name of the game this morning. Various sensory activities were made available throughout the classroom. Up in the science area, the water table was busy all morning long as well as the light table which offered a calm experience as children moved small translucent sensory beads with their hands.

At the tuff tray, three different colors of homemade playdough were made available to use as children wished. As Paige started putting small pieces of blue playdough into her yellow, she instantly shouted, “Let’s make green!”. It took a lot of mixing but with the help of a few peers, the playdough eventually turned green! Children used a variety of tools such as rolling pins, cookie cutters, and hammers to manipulate the playdough.

Playdough seems like such a simple sensory activity but there are so many benefits to it! This specific batch of playdough was made by a small group of children in the class so they take ownership over the playdough because THEY helped make it. Add in social skills with peers and fine motor control with our hands and there are so many things that children work on as they explore playdough. AND, it’s really easy to make. Here’s a recipe that I personally make with the kiddos and it lasts a long time .

https://welovebeingmoms.blogspot.com/2013/05/10-homemade-play-dough-recipes.html (recipe #1)

Quick article that goes into the tons of benefits of playdough and how to incorporate it in your household!

https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/playdough-power

We made it outside after the rain stopped but it was very humid so after running around for a few minutes, friends huddled up under the tree as it provides the perfect shade. We did a few rounds of the drinking fountain and a quick spritz from the water spray bottle!

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

Lunch– Ham on whole wheat bread, fresh watermelon/peaches/strawberries, and fresh cucumber/carrots/snap peas.

PM snack– Goldfish and string cheese.

Wee Sprout– Fresh cucumber/carrots/snap peas.

Have a lovely night!

-Wee Friends Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-07-11

Good afternoon!

Our friends noticed flashing yellow-orange lights coming up our street and they made their way to the Habi-trail windows to watch the trucks outside. They were city trucks taking down the cones from Tuesday’s cement pour.

We then made our way to the kitchen to engage with play dough. Our friends used their hands or fingers to initially explore the dough. Some friends made a fist to press down their dough while others used their fingers to poke holes. We then integrated tools from a basket where friends could select the items they wanted.

Our friends were busy with water play outside this morning. We explored flowers and leaves on the blue tray or helped water our plants with watering cans.

Breakfast: Whole grain Cheerios cereal with fresh peaches.

Lunch: Whole grain brown rice with shredded chicken, apple slices and cooked green beans.

Afternoon Snack: Sunflower seeds with wheat Triscuit crackers.

Wee Sprout: Cucumber.

Have a beautiful evening!

WWF Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-07-10

Good Afternoon!

There was a theme of reading and writing stories this morning.  One friend who scraped her knee inventively retold the experience as an imaginary story of a dog that scraped its knee and another dog that took care of and bandaged up the hurt dog.  One of our younger friends wrote her first story that included representative pictures along with a written description of each picture.  This is a new development for her and exciting to see!

Outside this morning we created a floral water table.  The kids were very excited about playing with flowers!  They are always wanting to pick them, so we gave them a way to have some of the experience they are looking for.  Dax was very interested in testing the smell of each flower.  He used great descriptive words to talk about the size color and scent of each flower, “The little purple one smells like honey!”.  Another friend inventively used the flowers as finger puppet :). Open ended activities leave the seed for creativity!

Breakfast– Toasted oatmeal squares with fresh peaches.

Lunch– Brown rice with shredded turkey, fresh watermelon/strawberries, and fresh snap peas/carrots/cucumber.

PM snack– Whole wheat crackers with peanut butter and banana slices.

Wee Sprout– Fresh cucumber/carrot/snap peas.

Have a wonderful night!

-Wee Friends Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-07-10

Happy Wednesday!

This morning several friends were busy climbing on the habi-trail ladder and laying underneath it on the tiny turf slide and stairs.  A few friends played peek-a boo with the friends underneath while laying on the carpet.

We then headed into the kitchen to engage with wooden shape loose parts and animals on our tray.  The friends were saying the names of the animals and shapes they had on their tray.  Some friends made towers with their shapes while others used their imaginative play skills while playing with the animals.

We then headed outside to engage in a variety of activities.  Charlotte explored a dandelion, many friends engaged in scooping rocks, driving the big and little construction vehicles around in the rocks or down the ramps of the Outlast block set, Eleanor engaged in water play and watched the water run through her colander and climbed up the climbing house, another friend rode her bike down the hill and Cece enjoyed standing, holding onto the post.

Breakfast:  Overnight Oatmeal with cinnamon/sugar mixture and fresh apple slices.

Lunch:  Farm fresh scrambled eggs with shredded mozzarella cheese, fresh peach slices, cooked broccoli and whole grain wheat bread.

Afternoon Snack:  Hummus and white corn tortilla chips.

Wee Sprout:  Mini sweet peppers.

Have a wonderful evening!

WWF Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-07-09

Good Afternoon!

Today we explored activities inside and out!  At the round table, we engaged in imaginative play with natural materials like sand, shells and wood.  We offered water where kids could explore volume and measurement.  In the art center, several friends painted while others made letters out of playdough.  In our habitrail, a group of friends built pirate ships and traps out of large wooden blocks.  Everyone was very engaged with a wide variety of materials and activity!  It made for a great day filled with playful learning!

I wanted to take a moment to share a couple of our younger group’s journals! They have become so purposeful and articulate with their journal entries!

Congratulations to Arthur who graduated to PREK1 with the big kids this week!

Breakfast– Overnight oatmeal with cinnamon and fresh peaches.

Lunch– Farm fresh scrambled eggs with whole wheat tortilla, fresh pineapple/grapes/banana, and fresh cucumber/carrot.

PM snack– Hummus with tortilla chips.

Wee Sprout– Fresh cucumber/carrot.

Have a lovely night!

-Wee Friends Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-07-09

Good afternoon!

Our friends engaged in different activities this morning. They used their gross motor skills to climb the Habi-trail ladder and walk down the slide, built with Magna-Tiles and played with baby dolls.

We then made our way into the kitchen for an art activity. We used cookie cutters to dip into paint and then stamp on our papers. Some friends watched the shape outlines transfer on their papers and others used the cookie cutter like a paint brush to move back and forth on their papers. All of our paintings look beautiful!

We then headed outside to enjoy the sunshine. Our friends engaged in the housekeeping kitchen, explored dinosaurs in the sandbox, pushed construction vehicles in the rock area, and used watering cans for water play.

As we came back inside for lunch, our friends noticed a bright yellow cement mixer filling in a gap on the sidewalk across the street. Our friends watched intently as they poured the cement!

Breakfast: Whole grain Kix cereal with fresh strawberries.

Lunch: Refried beans and shredded mozzarella cheese on whole grain wheat flatbread, chicken/avocado salad, fresh watermelon slices and cucumbers.

Afternoon Snack: Whole grain wheat bagel with cream cheese and fresh pear.

Wee Sprout: Mini sweet peppers.

Have a wonderful evening!

WWF Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-07-08

Good Afternoon!

Our interest right now seems to be investigation of hands on exploration.  Using sand, water and an array of loose parts, kids made several discoveries today.  One friend used creative problem solving to find the best solution for getting sand into a tub.  He thought if he used the lid of the tub, he could pile the sand on top, then dump it in.  He applied creative out-the-box thinking to problem solve with the materials he had available to him.  That is some higher level thinking that will launch him into a successful future of confident creative problem solving!

Outside at our loose parts water activity, two friends discovered that when they put objects in the curved container of water, the objects appeared bigger.  The spoon looked not only larger, but displaced.  We talked about how the curve of the container along with the bending of the light from the object in the water gave it a magnified appearance.  We talked about how a magnifying glass is curved for a reason.  What a lot to discover through strategically planned but open ended play spaces!

At Wee Friends, we allow kids to explore in any direction they choose.  Katherine has been extremely self driven, innovative and business savvy this week!  Yesterday afternoon, she decided she wanted to create a custom cell phone business which she would offer to classmates.  She used a clip board to make her way around the classroom with an order sheet.  She offered the different features available for the cell phone decoration like pink or star buttons.  After her customers made their choices, she went back to the shop and made them to order.  She even thought far enough ahead to pre-cut several of the options so assembly was fluid!  Wow!  What an entrepreneur!

Breakfast– Puffins cereal with fresh strawberries.

Lunch– Homemade chicken avocado on whole wheat bread, fresh watermelon/strawberries, and fresh pepper/cucumber/carrots/snap peas.

PM snack– Whole wheat bagel with peanut butter.

Wee Sprout– Fresh cucumber/green beans/pepper.

Have a wonderful night!

-Wee Friends Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-07-08

Welcome back!  We hope everyone had a great summer vacation.

Everyone was very happy to see their friends and teachers this morning.  We engaged in the light table with shape colored gems.  We worked on our matching and sorting skills to make a pile of the colored shapes.  Clark and Eleanor held them up to their eyes and shared the colors they were looking through.  Another friend made a stack with their gems.

We then engaged with our big plastic blocks and made a path with them to walk across.

We then sat on the reading steps and looked at a book independently or listened to Miss Bekah read the books we chose off the shelf to us.

Breakfast:  Whole grain wheat bread toast with butter and cinnamon/sugar mixture and fresh apple slices.

Lunch:  Whole grain wheat penne pasta with shredded chicken, bananas and cooked carrots.

Afternoon Snack:  Whole milk yogurt and fresh strawberries.

Wee Sprout:  Sugar Snap Peas.

Have a marvelous evening!

WWF Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-07-07

Welcome back!

This morning everyone enjoyed getting back into the swing of classroom activities and friendships!  At the art center, we offered some watercolor paint for the kids to experiment with.  It was amazing watching their progress from some of their earlier paintings at Wee Friends.  They have developed so much with exposure to these kids of materials.  What once was simple exploration has become purposeful planning.  There has been so much growth in their executive function along side creativity!

Imaginative play with friends was a very popular activity today.  Kids built props using blocks to go along with long narratives that lasted all morning!  Through this play, they’ve developed abilities to work together, have conversations, share ideas and cooperate!

At the round table, friends explored loose parts practicing early math with pattern making and one to one correspondence, all though play.

Breakfast– Whole wheat bagel with peanut butter and banana.

Lunch– Whole wheat pasta with marinara sauce and shredded cheese, fresh grapes/banana, and fresh cucumber/green beans/carrots.

PM snack– Whole milk yogurt with granola.

Wee Sprout– Fresh cucumber/carrot/green beans.

Have a lovely night!

-Wee Friends Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-07-07

Happy Friday and Pajama Day!

Here’s a look at everyone’s beautiful jammies.

Today, we…

marched to “We Are the Dinosaurs” by Laurie Berkner,…

built with Magna-Tiles or held them up to our faces to look through them,…

explored musical shakers and bells with our friends,…

and enjoyed the sunshine outside this morning!

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

Lunch: Whole grain wheat bread with hummus, chicken/avocado salad, pineapple slices and cooked carrots.

Afternoon Snack: Whole wheat Goldfish crackers and mozzarella cheese stick.

Wee Sprout: Cucumber.

Have a wonderful two week break! We’ll see everyone back on July 7th.

WWF Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-06-20