Happy Monday, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

“If you trust play, you will not have to control your child’s development as much. Play will raise the child in ways you can never imagine.” ~ Vince Gowman

We want to welcome Brittany to our classroom. She is an IUSB student working on her Early Childhood degree. Brittany will be joining us weekly on Monday’s for 9 weeks and will be in the classroom from 8:30- 10:30 AM. Our friends have already started to bond with her and enjoy her company. If you have any questions, please feel free to talk with either Rebekah or myself and we’ll gladly answer any questions that you may have!

Miss Brittany read us many stories this morning during her visit!

The sensory bin was opened this morning and our friends couldn’t have been happier. We added in some pine cones to the corn and black bean mixture, and they were a huge hit. Jack knew right away what they were, and told all of his friends. We utilized our hand-eye coordination, fine motor, and sensory skills while engaging ourselves in this fun activity!

Breakfast: Whole wheat toast with no nut butter and fresh peaches.

Lunch: Whole wheat pasta noodles with butter and shredded chicken, garden fresh tomatoes, and PPC banana.

Snack: Colby cheese slices and fresh PPC grapes.

Wee Sprout: garden fresh Cucumbers.

Have a fantastic evening!

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljOhbNxm3FWU8Y6xy6g

Good Afternoon!

Our welcome activity involved putting items into three categories based on certain attributes that the items had. For example, Franklin grabbed a ‘car’ square and had to decide if it belonged in the ‘air’, ‘land’, or ‘sea’. He said, “This doesn’t go in the sea!”. We took several squares and placed them into the correct category.

K.DA.1: Identify, sort, and classify objects by size, number, and other attributes. Identify objects that do not belong to a particular group and explain the reasoning used.

When we went outside, friends requested a different gross motor toy! Children sat on the scooters and used their legs to go either backwards or forwards depending on their body position.

Our pre-k/k group headed to the farm this morning where we focused on how to treat the animals. Specifically, we worked on how to pet the animals (from their head to their bottom). We practiced this technique with several animals including chickens, cats, and baby bunnies.

Out of the mouths of one of our four year olds: “These bunnies are so freakin’ cute!”

Once we were done with the baby bunnies, a few friends asked if they could jump in the pile of hay that was in the barn. We tested ourselves by moving our bodies on an uneven surface. Eventually, we got pretty confident and started jumping forward, landing on their stomachs.

To end out our morning, we each grabbed a bag and looked for ‘nature’. As Maxwell was walking, he shouted, “Hey! An ‘x’ marks the spot!”. We started talking about whether there was secret treasure buried underneath. As we walked back to the weehicle, a friend stated, “I found so much nature!”. We’re hoping to use the items that we found at the art table later!

Breakfast– Whole wheat toast with butter and PPC banana/fresh apples.

Lunch– Whole wheat pasta with turkey, PPC grapes, and PPC green pepper.

PM snack– Air popped popcorn with butter and raisins.

Wee Sprout– PPC peppers.

Have a great night!

-Mindy

Link to WF AND FARM pictures: WF 9/24

Good afternoon and Happy Friday!

“Sometimes the littlest things take up the most room in your heart.” ~ Winnie The Pooh

Today one of our friends asked to play with the tunnels. Tunnel play is so much fun and we are actively engaged in this activity for quite a while. Friends can play peek-a-boo with others and see who is coming out of the other side of the tunnel, we can crawl slowly or quickly to get to the other side, and we can even bring a friend in the tunnel to share in the experience.

A little later in our day we moved onto building with the waffle blocks. This a fine motor activity that also involves us using our cognitive skills to figure out what blocks we want to connect together to make whatever our imaginations lead us to build. Teachers also incorporate color recognition into our waffle block play.

Breakfast: Whole grain cinnamon raison bagels with butter and fresh peaches.

Lunch: Whole wheat tortillas with shredded cheese, corn, and PPC banana.

Snack: Pretzels and Colby cheese slices.

Wee Sprouts: Carrots.

Have a great weekend, and we’ll see you Monday morning!

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljOd8OctODRh2WRVjig

Happy Friday!

**Please make sure that you’re clearing out your child’s cubbie as well as their art cubbie each night. Thank you!

Enjoy the pictures from our day!

Breakfast– Rice cakes with peanut butter and PPC banana.

Lunch– Shredded cheese on whole wheat tortilla, PPC banana, and PPC broccoli/fresh garden tomatoes.

PM snack– String cheese and pretzels.

Wee Sprout– Fresh garden tomatoes/PPC broccoli.

Have a great weekend!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 9/21

Good Afternoon!

In pre-k/k group, we pulled out ‘A Light In The Attic’ by Shel Silverstein. On each page, there was a small illustration for each poem so we talked about what the drawing could possibly be telling us before we dove into the poem.

Yesterday, we worked together to sort shapes based on the number of sides. Today, we looked at the vertices of each shape and categorized the shapes by the number of vertices. Lucy told us what vertices are and demonstrated how to count the vertices in any given shape.

K.G.2: Compare shapes using informal language to describe their similarities, differences, and parts (e.g., number of sides, length of sides, and vertices.)

Children requested a couple different games this morning. Emma and several of her peers took turns interacting with the category game where different items are sorted into specific categories. For example, a friend put three animals onto the farm category and shouted, “This is my farm!”

Anna, Lucy, and Penny used different sized rocks in our outside environment. Anna commented, “These are our creations!”. We have loose parts all throughout our backyard which allows our imaginations to soar.

Breakfast– Kashi Blueberry Clusters and fresh apples.

Lunch– Brown rice with shredded pork, PPC mango/banana, and PPC cucumber/green pepper.

PM snack– Peanuts and triscuits.

Wee Sprout– PPC cucumber/green pepper.

Have a great night!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 9/20

Happy Thursday!

“The child is both a hope and a promise for mankind.”~Maria Montessori

Slides are so much fun. Both inside and outside slides bring so much joy to our little ones. We tend to receive big smiles and a lot of “Weeee’s.”

While outside time is a fun time in general, it’s even better when we unite with the preschool classroom! Some of our friend’s get to see their sibling and others just enjoy the company of the big kids and that they play with us.  

Breakfast: Whole grain Chex cereal, and fresh peaches.

Lunch: Whole grain brown rice with shredded pork, corn, and fresh PPC pears.

Snack: Whole grain brown rice cakes with sunflower butter.

Wee Sprouts: Peas.

Have a wonderful night!

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljOcRu-wrteEnHAobZg

Good Afternoon!

“Childhood is that state which ends the moment a puddle is first viewed as an obstacle instead of an opportunity.” ~ Kathy Williams 

Enjoy the pictures from our Wednesday!

Breakfast: Whole Grain Cheerios, and PPC banana, and pears.

Lunch: Farm fresh scrambled eggs, whole wheat buttered toast, garden fresh tomatoes, and fresh peaches.

Snack: Whole wheat Ritz crackers with hummus.

Wee Sprouts: Carrots.

Have a fantastic evening.

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljOYkJIO73Bf43a6bXg

Good Afternoon!

In pre-k/k group, we read the story, ‘Fredrick’ and looked for different shapes as we flipped the pages. After we finished the story, we looked at the different characteristics of several shape cutouts. We sorted them into categories based on the number of sides each shape had. As we finished up, several friends noticed that the group of 4 sided shapes had the most. As we taped each shape under the correct category, we collectively said the name of the shape.

K.G.2: Compare shapes using informal language to describe their similarities, differences, and parts (e.g., number of sides, length of sides, and vertices).

Our welcome activity enticed children once they finished breakfast. Maxwell and Grady took colored gems and used them to trace different shapes. Grady mentioned to Franklin that the shape he was working on had four sides which was called a square!

An art activity was offered at the art table for children who wanted to participate. Children took string and after dragging it through paint, transferred the paint onto the paper.

Breakfast– Whole grain oatmeal with honey and PPC banana.

Lunch– Scrambled eggs with whole wheat bread, PPC nectarines/pears, and PPC purple beans/cucumber.

PM snack– Organic tortilla chips with cottage cheese.

Wee Sprout– PPC purple beans/cucumber.

Have a wonderful night!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 9/19

Good Afternoon!

**Our 3’s/ young 4’s farm trip has been tentatively scheduled! Our farm date will be Monday, October 8th and our rain date will be Monday, October 15th. To be able to ride in the weehicle, your child must be at least 3 years old and fully potty trained. If your child is not potty trained, a parent/grandparent is welcome to transport to the farm and come enjoy the farm with us! We will plan to leave around 9:45 am and arrive back at Wee Friends between 11:45 and 12:00. If you have any questions, please let us know .

Children who got to school first thing this morning collectively played with the chains after breakfast. Anna and Maxwell used them on their bodies and as they were playing, Maxwell proclaimed, “I want to be a cowboy when I grow up.”

Mack brought in acorns from his house to share. Children took turns at the art table painting the acorns different colors. This activity required a lot of concentration as well as fine motor skills because of the size of the acorns!

“How can our kids really understand the moral complexities of being alive if they are not allowed to engage in those complexities outdoors?”

-Richard Louv

Breakfast– Corn chex and PPC nectarines.

Lunch– Hummus on whole wheat flatbread, fresh apples, and PPC purple beans/peppers.

PM snack– Whole wheat cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese and banana.

Wee Sprout– PPC purple beans/peppers.

Have a great night!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 9/18

Good Afternoon!

“Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.” ~Jim Rohn

Please Note: We unfortunately had a child go home early today with a fever. A doctor appointment was made and the diagnosis is as follows… It is a different kind of virus than the current one, most likely respiratory. The  doctor stated that the big virus running through currently is called, HRV (Human Rhinovirus) We will keep you posted on any changes.

Today was a great day for dancing while listening to fun upbeat music. Friends utilized their gross motor skills to clap, jump, and shake their bodies to the beat of the song being played. Music is also a great way to improve on a child’s coordination skills, as well as self-confidence and self-esteem. We LOVE to dance and listen to music  

Breakfast: Whole grain Kix cereal with fresh PPC pears.

Lunch: Whole wheat/grain flatbread with hummus, garden fresh tomatoes, and fresh Farmer’s Market peaches. (Thank you Ben and Jack!)

Snack: Whole grain cinnamon raisin bagels with butter, and fresh peaches.

Wee Sprouts: Corn.

Have a nice night!

Marty

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