Good Afternoon!
The conditions were PERFECT for some outside time this morning which we were so grateful for! Enjoy a few pictures from our time outside.
Breakfast– Whole grain oatmeal with honey and fresh raspberries.
Lunch– Scrambled eggs with whole wheat tortillas, fresh cantaloupe, and fresh carrots/green beans.
PM snack– Air popped popcorn with butter and fresh apples.
Wee Sprout– Fresh green beans/peppers.
Have a fantastic night!
-Mindy
Link to pictures: WF 1/16
Good Afternoon!
K/PREK1: Our story for group, titled ‘Ten Black Dots’, centered around the numbers 1 through 10. Friends helped me count the black dots that we saw on each page which lead into our activity. I had six cards with each child’s first and last name on it. They had to find their name and flip the card over where they counted the items that were drawn. After each child finished counting their items, they found the corresponding number on the chalkboard and taped it underneath the number. Each card had a different configuration: rectangular, circle, line, and scattered.
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.
In PREK2, children worked together to retell the story, ‘The Mitten’. Afterwards, children had to find the match. Each child had a number and had to find the mitten that had that specific number of items! Children used paperclips to connect the two matching mittens which was a challenging fine motor activity!
The welcome activity focused around dominos. On the lazy susan, several dominos were made available. Children used the dominos to find it’s match taped to the table. Maxwell took the dominos and was able to quickly find it’s match. Mack also tried to do this and Max was quick to jump in and help!
“Creativity is intelligence having fun.”
-Albert Einstein
Breakfast– Kashi Blueberry Clusters and banana.
Lunch– Black beans and shredded cheese on whole wheat tortillas, fresh oranges/banana, and fresh green beans.
PM snack– Whole grain bagel with cream cheese and fresh raspberries.
Wee Sprout– Fresh green beans/peppers.
Have a great night!
-Mindy
Link to pictures: WF 1/15
Good Afternoon.
“The child making use of all that he finds around him, shapes himself for the future.” ~Maria Montessori
Our friends absolutely love their new dramatic play center. Today, Evie and Daniel were cooking up a storm, making all kinds of yummy creations. Pizza, hot tea, coffee, toast, and veggies were all apart of their menu.
Meanwhile in other parts of the classroom, Jack and Zoe were utilizing their gross motor skills in the gross motor area. Climbing on the large, colorful big blocks and soft star climbers was their agenda. They both worked nicely together, took turns and socialized all while having a blast!
Breakfast: Whole grain Chex and Cheerios with Apples. (Kids choice)
Lunch: Whole wheat tortillas with refried beans and shredded cheese, peas, and oranges.
Snack: Whole wheat/grain raisin cinnamon bagels with cream cheese, and Apples.
Wee Sprout: Sweet Potatoes.
Have a wonderful evening.
Marty
LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljaZ0b779UifvTDnC4A
Good Afternoon!
**Our winter packet will be sent home this week that will include:
-2018 Tax Receipts.
-Parent-Teacher Conference Information for our conference day on Friday, February 15th (will include both a meeting time preference form & a form to communicate what you’d like to discuss at conferences).
-Re-enrollment forms for fall 2019 which will be due with the re-enrollment fee no later than Friday, February 22nd.
Thanks!
-Tami
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K/PREK1: While reading ‘Kitten’s First Full Moon’, I asked the group, “How many fireflies do you see?”. The fireflies were on the page in a sporadic fashion so children counted each firefly they saw and said the answer aloud. A few of our older friends were able to look at a picture of three fireflies and know that there was three without having to count them.
When we had finished the story, the word ‘syllable’ was brought up. I took six word cards out and each child was able to pick one word. These words looked familiar to us because they were in the book that we just finished reading. We read the word aloud to the group and using either the clapping method or the ‘hand under the chin’ method, each friend said how many syllables were in their word. They grabbed a piece of tape and taped their word under the correct category.
The ‘2 syllable’ group had the most words until the final word was put into the ‘1 syllable’ group which elicited children to shout, “It’s equal now!”. We talked about how the two groups had the same number of words while the ‘3 syllable’ group had none!
K.RF.3.2: Orally segment words into syllables.
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.
PREK2: Each child was given a mitten with a number on it. Using teddy bear manipulatives, they counted out the number that they were given. At this age, children usually use their index finger to count one at a time, also known as one-to-one correspondence.
At the circle table, a STEM activity was offered. Using paper cups, teddy bears, and large popsicle sticks, children built a variety of bridges. Friends took the bears and placed them on the bridges that they built. A few of our older friends challenged themselves to see how many bears they could put onto their creation.
Miss Melinda gifted us a few new books and a new CD so we decided to listen to the new CD this morning! It had some great songs; it made us just want to grab a friend and dance! THANK YOU, MISS MELINDA!
Breakfast– Whole wheat cinnamon raisin bagel with butter and fresh fruit (grapes, cantaloupe, oranges).
Lunch– Whole wheat noodles with marinara sauce and shredded cheese, fresh fruit (pineapple, grapes, cantaloupe), and fresh veggies (broccoli, carrots, snap peas).
PM snack– Whole milk yogurt with banana.
Wee Sprout– Fresh veggies (Snap peas, peppers, broccoli).
Have a terrific evening.
-Mindy
Link to pictures: WF 1/14
Good Afternoon, I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. Thank you to all of you that came to wish Miss Melinda well wishes and a very happy retirement.
“What the hand does, the mind remembers.” Maria Montessori
Please Note: Our winter packet will be sent home next week and will include:
-2018 Tax Receipts
-Parent- Teacher conference information for our conference day on February 15th, 2019 (this will include both a meeting time preference form and a form to communicate what you would like to discuss at the conferences).
-Re-enrollment forms for Fall 2019, which will be due with the re-enrollment fee due no later than Friday, February 22nd, 2019.
Friends engaged themselves in a fun sensory project this morning. Miss Rebekah offered shaving cream with sparkles mixed in to make fluffy snow on paper.
Not only is this activity a sensory activity, but it also helps us strengthen our hand-eye coordination and the use of our fine motor skills as well as our color recognition.
Breakfast: Whole wheat bagels with peanut butter and banana.
Lunch: Whole wheat pasta with shredded cheese and marinara sauce, broccoli, and apples.
Snack: Whole milk yogurt with graham crackers.
Wee Sprouts: Peas.
Have a night night!
Marty
LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljaVsDsuRQLqMfmXWdw
Happy Friday!
We are looking forward to seeing everyone on Sunday at 2:00 (until 5:00) for Melinda’s Retirement Open House! If you haven’t RSVP’d yet, please don’t let that stop you from coming on Sunday. We can’t wait to celebrate Melinda and all that she’s given to Wee Friends over the past several years!
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Have you ever sat down at the dinner table and asked your child, “So, what’d you do today?” and they answer with a resounding, “Nothing.”?
Trust me. You’re not the only one 
.
After a day full of peer interactions, conversations with teachers, and stimulation, it can be hard for children to form thoughts about their day. One way to start conversation is to look over the blog (or EP!) to see if there are any pictures of your child! When a child sees a picture of themselves, it unlocks all of their feelings and thoughts from the day and suddenly, a five minute story spills out.
https://www.naeyc.org/resources/blog/self-directed-play-moment
Breakfast– Rice cakes with peanut butter and fresh grapes.
Lunch– Turkey/ham on whole wheat flatbread, fresh pineapple/grapes, and fresh broccoli/carrots.
PM snack– Our homemade applesauce from yesterday (YUM!) and goldfish.
Wee Sprout– Fresh broccoli/cauliflower and carrots.
Have a fantastic weekend!
-Mindy
Link to pictures: WF 1/11
Happy Friday! I hope you all have had a great week.
“ALL children can… explode into LEARNing.” ~Maria Montessori
Another engaging activity that was introduced into the classroom was the wooden blocks. Jack loves these blocks to build roads and towers. Jack and his friends will race their cars over the paths of blocks they have made and then park them.
This activity enhances hand-eye coordination, cognitive thinking skills, as well as fine motor growth.
While in the same direct area, we can also join with the wooden block activity, the Duplo blocks and little Duplo people. These two activities brought together add in many more opportunities to build an even more creative and engaging play time.
Later in the day, we made our way into the kitchen area of the classroom and engaged in puzzles and pegs with peg boards.
Fine motor, color recognition, hand-eye coordination, along with cognitive thinking skills are all being used within these two separate activities.
Breakfast: Whole wheat toast with peanut butter and banana.
Lunch: Whole wheat flat bread with turkey lunchmeat, peas, and fresh pineapple.
Snack: Whole grain cheese crackers and Colby jack cheese cubes.
Have a wonderful weekend, and we’ll see you on Monday morning.
Marty
LINK TO PICTURES:https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljaROOrFiaE3Y7b1IDg
Good Afternoon!
Miss Kim had several helpers this morning at the island! By working together, a fresh, homemade batch of applesauce was made. After Miss Kim cut up the apples into medium sized pieces, children used a chopper to cut the apples into smaller pieces which eventually went into the crockpot. We are so anxious to try it! Our friends take great pride in helping out in the kitchen.
Children made decision after decision today as they decided what activity to start. The setup of our classroom allows children to make their own decisions depending on their interests at the time. Emma and Sophia stood at the easel where they painted several different pieces of art while David completed five 24 and 48 piece puzzles. Our schedule is extremely loose to where we can change things up depending on how the class as a whole is doing.
Throughout the environment, there are several ‘quiet’ spaces that are available for children who need a quiet moment or even alone time. The habitrail offers children a chance to move their bodies and get some energy out by climbing and jumping even though we’re inside! It is the perfect gross motor area, especially during the winter months. We utilized every space today, making for a well rounded Thursday!
Breakfast– Kix and banana.
Lunch– Brown rice with shredded pork and cheese, fresh oranges/banana, and fresh broccoli/cherry tomatoes.
PM snack– Pumpkin seeds and whole wheat crackers.
Wee Sprout– Fresh broccoli/cauliflower.
Have a wonderful evening!
-Mindy
Link to pictures: WF 1/10
Good Afternoon.
“We shall walk together on this path of life, for all things are part of the universe and are connected with each other to form one whole unity.” ~Maria Montessori
We absolutely love our new reading center. Friends consistently visit this area multiple times throughout their day. Maybe it’s the larger space, maybe it’s the soft cushiony feel of the carpet, or maybe it’s the ease of placing our books back onto the shelf?!?! I’m guessing, it’s all of those things wrapped into one! It’s AWESOME!!! 
Early literacy is a crucial part to a child’s early years and beyond. We are very fortunate to have a great space to read to our friends as well as having their desire and love for reading.
Why is Early Literacy so important? According to, Raising readers.org, “Children introduced to reading early on tend to read earlier and excel in school compared to children who are not exposed to language and books at a young age.
Reading, writing, singing, and talking – beginning from birth – profoundly influence literacy and language development, the foundations for all other learning.” (www.healthychildren.org)
Our friends also have a great passion and love for working with puzzles.
We have many different age appropriate puzzles for each age range of child. Jack engages in the more difficult foam puzzles with many pieces, while Daniel is working on a smaller puzzle with less pieces and that are larger in size.
Puzzles are a great activity to enhance hand-eye coordination, fine motor and cognitive skills.
Breakfast: Whole grain Kix with clementine’s.
Lunch: Whole grain brown rice with shredded pork, peas, and oranges.
Snack: Mozzarella string cheese, and graham crackers.
Wee Sprouts: Broccoli.
Have a wonderful Thursday evening.
Marty
LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljaNnv2qh8N46RqqQ7g
Happy Snowy Wednesday!
“The essence of independence is to be able to do something for one’s self.” ~Maria Montessori
Please Note: With weather quickly changing, please allow enough time to safely pick your child/ren up by 5:30. The roads are an ever changing circumstance and we want you all to arrive safely and not be rushed to make it by closing time. Also, if you would like to speak with your child’s teachers, please arrive by 5:15 or so, so that there will be enough time allotted to freely talk and able to exit the classroom by 5:30. Thank you for your attention on this matter.
Today was a great day to engage in a sensory activity. Miss Rebekah offered our friends’ to paint snowflakes. She used coffee filters with blue glittery paint and our little ones were so excited! We finally are able to enjoy the beauty of fresh snow falling, so what better activity than painting a “snowflake?!
Breakfast: Whole grain oatmeal with honey and pears.
Lunch: Scrambled eggs, while wheat butter toast, peas, and pears.
Snack: Wole wheat Ritz crackers with hummus.
Have a nice night, and drive safely.
Marty
LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljaJy0pJgSFSVCH7Z5g