Happy Monday!

Our paper mache project is in full swing. We let our paper mache creations dry over the weekend and today, we started to paint them. We focused on painting the outside while we’ll tackle the inside at a later date!

Paper mache is a process that majority of our friends haven’t had the pleasure of exploring. Throughout this process, children have become more accepting and excited about the sensory feeling of the materials. While we never demand children do an activity, we’re excited that most of our friends explored paper mache and are still interested in the overall process!

Our morning is structed in the way that children have choices. This morning, Franklin requested the coins. He took the coins out and sorted them. He was surprised when he found a ‘real’ Notre Dame gold coin! He was pretty shocked and immediately put it up to his shirt and said, “It’s like my Notre Dame shirt!”

Several friends sat at the circle table where they used their fine motor skills to place Legos onto their boards. One of our favorite things lately is rainbows. Friends have been using this new found passion in their art. Ruby and Sophia used a range of colors to extend their art drawings.

The amount of excitement when Maxwell walked outside could not be contained! Maxwell and his brother, Jackson, dropped off some new wood for our wood working bench! He quickly came out to say hi and give his friends a hug!

Breakfast– Whole wheat toast with butter and fresh pears.

Lunch– Whole wheat pasta with butter and shredded chicken, fresh cantaloupe, and fresh cucumber/snap peas.

PM snack– Whole milk yogurt with banana.

Wee Sprout– Fresh snap peas/cucumber.

Have a terrific evening!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 7/29

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend.

“If a child cannot learn in the way we teach, we must teach in a way the child can learn.” ~ Unknown

Please enjoy the pictures from our Monday!

Breakfast: Whole wheat butter toast with apples.

Lunch: Whole wheat pasta with butter and shredded chicken, peas and banana.

Snack: Whole milk yogurt with graham crackers.

Have a fantastic night.

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljqdtLlBUtbJZjBrKAw?e=eRTfmx

Lucy has been a Wee Friender since August 2013. We have had the privilege of watching Lucy tackle various milestones, form lasting friendships, and take on her Kindergarten leadership role with confidence this past year. We are so excited to hear about her adventures in 1st grade and will not only miss her but her supportive and amazing family as well. Once a Wee Friender, always a Wee Friender!

Enjoy the pictures from our Friday!

Breakfast: Rice cakes with peanut butter and fresh watermelon/cantaloupe.

Lunch– Peanut butter on whole wheat english muffins, fresh watermelon/pears, and fresh cucumber/snap peas.

PM snack– Lucy’s goodbye snack: homemade zucchini muffins and homemade watermelon sorbet.

Wee Sprout– Fresh cucumber/snap peas.

Have a terrific weekend!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 7/26

Happy Friday, I hope you all had a fabulous week.

“Early childhood education is the key to the betterment of society.” ~Maria Montessori

This morning we were able to watch and fully enjoy an exciting activity that our neighbors were having done to their home! They are in the process of getting a new roof. Our friends just sat and watched in awe. There’s nothing better than watching “worker men”.

We then headed out for a nature wagon ride around the neighborhood to see what else exciting we could find.   We started our walk by looking for colors and naming the colors we saw.  We then looked for objects.  We saw trash bins, cars and even saw a train on the railroad tracks and railroad signs. We had a great time!

Breakfast: Whole grain rice cakes with peanut butter and banana.

Lunch: Whole wheat bread with peanut butter, mixed veggies and banana.

Snack: Whole grain cheese crackers and cheddar cheese cubes.

Wee Sprouts: Fresh Peppers.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljqZVfTgnNKWVGd09RA?e=KZNVte

Good Afternoon!

For the last several weeks, we’ve been focused on emotions: our own emotions as well as the emotions of others. In both groups, we’ve been reading stories and exploring the emotions that characters exhibit.

Being able to identify feelings and emotions within ourselves can be challenging in the heat of the moment. Talking through problems, modeling the words needed to explain emotions, and being understanding/calm can help in situations where emotions are strong.

Below is an article that gives examples of how to talk to children about their emotions and how to assist them in the process of identifying their feelings.

https://extension.psu.edu/programs/betterkidcare/early-care/tip-pages/all/talking-with-preschoolers-about-emotions

Breakfast– Kix and fresh blueberries.

Lunch– Brown rice with shredded chicken and cheese, fresh watermelon, and fresh green beans/cherry tomatoes.

PM snack– Whole grain crackers and peanuts.

Wee Sprout– Fresh green beans/cherry tomatoes.

Have a fantastic evening!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 7/25

Good Afternoon and Happy Thursday!

“I think it’s necessary to let kids get bored once in a while – that’s how they learn to be creative. ~ Kim Raver

Enjoy the pictures from our Thursday!

Breakfast: Whole grain Cheerios and apples.

Lunch: Whole grain brown rice with shredded chicken, fresh cucumbers and banana.

Snack: Whole wheat Ritz crackers with cream cheese.

Wee Sprouts: Cucumbers

Have a wonderful evening.

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljqVsE77qHdWe30WAog?e=oCeBgv

Good Afternoon.

Today we dabbled in some fine motor and hand-eye coordination activities.

Pegs, puzzles and the colorful wall bead board were all a huge hit with big kid friends and our littlest Wee’s.

Breakfast: Whole grain Oatmeal with honey and fresh blueberries.

Lunch: Scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese, whole wheat butter toast, fresh orange peppers and blueberries.

Snack: Pretzels with Mozzarella string cheese.

Wee Sprouts: Fresh Cucumbers.

Have a nice night.

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljqR42bwR49s0w3_OTg?e=a36H1K

Good Afternoon!

Enjoy a few pictures from our day!

Breakfast– Whole grain oatmeal with honey and fresh blueberries.

Lunch– Scrambled eggs with whole wheat bread, fresh apples/oranges, and fresh peppers/green beans.

PM snack– Hummus and tortilla chips.

Wee Sprout– Fresh peppers/green beans.

Have a fantastic evening.

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 7/24

Good Afternoon!

In K/PREK1 group, we read, “The Invisible Boy’. It’s a new book so before we started reading, we looked at the cover and talked about the word ‘invisible’. Each group member came up with a feeling that the main character may feel at one point or another throughout the story based on the cover and their prior knowledge of the word ‘invisible’.

Throughout the story, we were able to identify every feeling that we came up with at different parts of the book! We observed Brian’s face at different spots throughout the book and how that correlated to how he was feeling.

We started a multi-step art project this morning that involved paper mache! Children were anxious to explore a new medium and create a fairly new concept! Stay tuned for the next step..

Lucy brought in stones and gems to share with her peers. Lucy, Anna, and Penny used magnifying glasses to observe the items at different angels and distances. Penny noticed, “This one has lines in it!”

“Children need the freedom to appreciate the infinite resources of their hands, their eyes, and their ears, the resources of forms, materials, sounds and colors.”

-Loris Malaguzzi

Breakfast– Chex and banana.

Lunch– Hummus on whole wheat tortilla, fresh cantaloupe, and fresh cucumber/peppers.

PM snack– Whole wheat bagel with cream cheese and fresh apples.

Wee Sprout– Fresh pepper/cucumber.

Have a fantastic evening!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF, 7/23

Good Afternoon.

“Play is our brain’s favorite way of learning.” ~Diane Ackerman

Today we enjoyed a brand new experience that was extremely enjoyable! We painted on bubble wrap.

Not only did we get to feel the different texture of the surface being painted, BUT… we heard pops when we pressed hard onto the wrap. We LOVED it!!! What a super cool and fun activity. 

During our outdoor play, Miss Annastecia asked our WWF’s if we wanted to help water the many flower pots around the environment. Well, that was an easy YES!!! Our friends love to help pull weeds and water the flowers.  

Breakfast: Whole grain Chex and banana.

Lunch: Whole wheat flatbread with hummus, fresh cucumbers and blueberries.

Snack: Whole wheat bagel with peanut butter.

Wee Sprouts: Corn.

Have a fantastic evening.

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljqN5E4j3NRQRrASjbA?e=VLd9cW