“A day without a friend is like a pot without a single drop of honey left inside.”
-Winnie the Pooh
Breakfast was Whole Grain Cheerios with oranges. Wee sprout was corn. Lunch consisted of chicken and avocado sandwiches, pear, and corn. Afternoon snack was graham crackers and string cheese.
Link to photos: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuliKpsrEBO_4y1GcrmeA
Have a good night!
Amanda
Our friends had so many opportunities to experiment with a variety of different art materials today. Research shows that art activities develop brain capacity in early childhood. Art engages children’s senses in open-ended play and supports the development of cognitive, social-emotional, and multisensory skills. As children grow, art continues to provide opportunities for brain development, mastery, self-esteem and creativity.
Breakfast was whole wheat toast with butter and pears. Wee sprout was peas. Lunch consisted of whole wheat pasta with shredded beef, pears, and peas. Afternoon snack was organic whole milk yogurt and oranges.
Link to photos: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuliKl2Hbr1CALK5l01uQ
Have a good night!
Amanda
Good Afternoon!
**We’re planning on having a PJ day on Wednesday. Thanks!
Every day, there are various places that children can go to meet their needs at any given time. No child is forced to do an activity, allowing them to choose what their body needs from moment to moment. This morning, we observed as children made decisions for themselves making sure that they were fulfilling their needs such as a sensory need or a gross motor need. Here are just a few choices that we offer throughout the day.
The reading area allows for a quiet space where children can read stories by themselves, with a group of friends, or with a teacher. It’s a place where friends calm their bodies after gross motor play or provides a space to snuggle up with a stuffed animal if alone time is needed.
The art table is always buzzing with our creative juices as they flow onto paper. It’s mostly a quiet space where children use a wide arrange of art materials to satisfy their creative needs.
The music rug offers us a space to get our body moving whether we’re dancing to the beat of the music or using a variety of instruments to make sounds.
We have many building materials so that our fine motor skills are met. We convert the music rug into a building rug when needed. When we’re building, it’s mostly a quiet activity but our creations can get us excited and talking with friends about what we’re building. Most of the time, it turns into a group activity sharing materials with one another.
Breakfast– Whole wheat bagels with cream cheese and apples.
Lunch– Whole wheat pasta with shredded beef, oranges, and cauliflower/carrots.
PM snack– Whole milk yogurt and plums.
Wee Sprout– Carrots/cauliflower.
Have a wonderful night.
-Mindy
Link to pictures: WF 6/26
**Reminder: Wee Friends will be closed Thursday, June 29th through Friday, July 7th. We’ll reopen Monday, July 10th. Thank you!
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“At the end of the day, the most overwhelming key to a child’s success is the positive involvement of parents.”
-Jane D. Hull
Wee Friends is incredibly lucky to have a healthy and enjoyable working relationship with each set of parents. By working together, we are bettering your child in many areas of their development.
Transitions can be one of those times where we work together, making sure that each child is ready to start or end the day on a positive note. There are a few activities that we implement to achieve this:
Sign in message (drop off)- Each day, there is a different sign in message on the welcome board that allow for you and your child to actively participate in. Most of the time, we gear the welcome message to the current FAB (WF Framework for Academic Balance) for the week. This is a great time for you to have conversations with your child before exiting the building. Plus, it’s a great routine to get into!
The welcome board is set up so that it can accommodate varying levels of writing development. Our older children get into the habit of writing their own name (always good practice) while friends who can’t write their own name quite yet can verbally tell you the letters of their name.
Pick-up- There is always water up on the island and most children enjoy getting a drink of water before leaving for the day. This is a great time to ask about their day. If children are having difficulty explaining what exactly they did, the blog is always a great resource. Sitting together with your child at the end of the night looking at the pictures on the blog may spark a conversation about their day. They always like to see themselves on the computer! Also, when parking spots are taken in front of the house, we welcome parents to park in the church parking lot, giving parents and children that extra three to five minutes of bonding time.
We want to send a huge thank you to our parents. It’s proven that only benefits arise when parents are actively involved. I’ve attached some articles that go deeper into parent involvement and how important it is! 
“The frequency of parent-teacher contact and involvement at the early childhood education site is also associated with preschool performance. Parents who maintain direct and regular contact with the early educational setting and experience fewer barriers to involvement have children who demonstrate positive engagement with peers; adults, and learning.”
(Taken from www.hfrp.org/content/download/1181/48685/file/earlychildhood.pdf)
https://www.naeyc.org/content/research-news-family-engagement
http://www.naeyc.org/blogs/understanding-power-parent-involvement
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Here are some pictures from throughout our day.
Breakfast– Rice cakes with no nut butter and pears.
Lunch– Shredded cheese quesadillas, grapes, and cucumber/peppers.
PM snack– A variety of fruit (grapes, oranges, pears, plums) and pretzels.
Wee Sprout– Cucumbers and peppers.
Have a wonderful weekend.
-Mindy
Link to pictures: WF 6/23
Please note: Wee Friends will be closed 6/29-7/10 for our summer break.
Enjoy the pictures from our day!
Breakfast was Kix with oranges. Wee sprout was peas. Lunch consisted of whole wheat tortilla with turkey and cheese, grapes, and peas. Afternoon snack was brown rice cakes with sweet pea butter.
Link to photos: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuliKdHIb8j45ZYGxMXVQ
Have a great weekend!
Amanda
Good Afternoon!
In large group, we read a book titled, ‘Polar Opposites’. In the story, we learned about two friends, Alex and Zina. Alex and Zina were completely different in everything they did. For example, Alex was tall while Zina was short. They even lived on different ends of the Earth!
After we finished the story, we talked about the word ‘opposite’. Lucy commented, “Opposite means different”. The words in the left column were already put on the chalkboard. We took the other set of words and tried to match them. The first word was ‘quiet’. I asked what the opposite of ‘quiet’ was. Everyone shouted, “Loud!” I went through the spare words to see if they could identify the word ‘loud’ by recognizing and identifying the first letter of the word.
We continued to do this until we found all of the opposites.
I’ve attached an article that talks about the importance of BOOKS in a child’s life; not just reading them but bringing them to LIFE.
http://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/10/books.aspx
We journaled today after large group. Most children take up all of the time allotted for journals, making sure to get all of their thoughts down on paper. At this stage, most children are continuing/starting to write on their own while a few still need scaffolding with letter sounds and the formation of letters.
There are so many stages of writing we see within a given day. Being multi-age, knowing what is developmentally appropriate for each age and child is crucial. Below is another article which lays out the stages of writing (pictures which are helpful)!
http://www.mecfny.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/StagesofWritinghandout.pdf
This morning, Miss Melinda interacted with an older group at the circle table. The game involved pictures cards and boards which specifically talked about the words ‘see’, ‘hear’, ‘smell’, ‘touch’, and ‘taste’. Each child had a stack of cards and ultimately had to decide to what sense it belonged.
The rest of our morning was full of art table creations and outside time. We’re lucky to have the space outside to move our bodies in a positive and engaging way.
Breakfast– Corn squares and plums/peaches.
Lunch– Brown rice with cheese and shredded turkey, banana/oranges, and cauliflower.
PM snack– Whole wheat crackers and no-nut butter.
Wee Sprout– Broccoli and cucumber.
Have a terrific evening.
-Mindy
Link to pictures: WF 6/22
Today we did puzzles in the kitchen…
Buried our feet in the sandbox…
Took trucks on a road trip…
And showed how big we’re getting by taking good care of babies!
Breakfast was toast with butter and cinnamon and banana. Wee sprout was fresh cucumber. Lunch consisted of whole grain brown rice with shredded beef and cheese, grapes, and cucumbers. Afternoon snack was string cheese and pretzels.
Link to photos: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuliKZzKUKoorb1qOv6Ow
Have a good night!
Amanda
We started our morning in the kitchen playing with shaving cream. We added some watercolor to the shaving cream to make it bright and colorful for our friends to paint with.
Then we went outside and hopped on the bikes! Even baby-dolls had a turn!
After snack we moved to the bookshelf and grabbed our favorite books. Friends exclaimed over the illustrations and Sophia sang Frosty the Snowman to us.
Breakfast was cream of wheat and banana. Wee sprout was corn. Lunch consisted of farm fresh eggs with cheese, bananas, and peas. Afternoon snack was wheat crackers with sweet pea butter.
Link to photos: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuliKVIc0TTuQrqMYzWag
Have a good night!
Amanda
Good Afternoon!
…and HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SUMMER! In large group today, we read a story titled, ‘Mama, Is It Summer Yet?’. Throughout the story, we learned of various ways to tell when it’s going to change from spring to summer. For example, when the buds on the trees start to expand, that’s a sign that summer is on it’s way!
After we finished the story, we came up with a web of items we see in the summertime. We distinguished between things we see mostly in the summer time while other things we see all the time such as animals.
This morning, a few friends drew treasure maps and hunted for treasure throughout the backyard. Lulu combined that with what she learned about summer and drew a journal about it. She wrote ‘Map to sun’ without any teacher assistance, solely by sounding out the words.
So, about that treasure hunt! A group of friends headed to the art table once we got outside to draw individual treasure maps, each looking a little different. Together, they searched through the backyard looking for their treasure while using their maps as clues.
Before we went outside this morning, Miss Melinda played her accordion for us! Friends immediately gravitated toward the music, anxiously waiting to touch the keys that they saw. Miss Melinda showed us how the accordion makes music and let friends touch several keys to see what type of sound came out. Of course, we moved our bodies and danced to the music as well.
It was quite the morning outside. We frequented the drinking fountain to make sure we were staying hydrated..always important!
Breakfast– Malt-O-Meal and plums.
Lunch– Scrambled eggs with shredded cheese, whole wheat bread, banana/plums, and cucumbers/cherry tomatoes.
PM snack– Air popped popcorn and plums/banana.
Wee Sprout– Cherry tomatoes/cucumber.
Have a fantastic evening.
-Mindy
Link to pictures: WF 6/21
Today we covered ourselves in sand…
Played with every truck we could find…
And sang silly songs with friends!
Breakfast was Kix and oranges. Wee sprout was peas. Lunch consisted of whole wheat bread with hummus, cantaloupe, and peas. Afternoon snack was toasted whole wheat bagels with cream cheese.
Link to photos: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuliKQq0N4WcDhm8iRiQQ
Have a good night!
Amanda