Please note: Please bring in a couple sets of spare clothes for the spring and summer. We’re sending home all but one fall/winter outfit.

Franklin and David wore hats to school today. They liked them so much that they didn’t want to take them off! They thought they both looked pretty cool!

We put the new art table to use! It was a very popular spot outside today. Ruby and Emma joined our older friends and drew some beautiful pictures with makers.

Breakfast was whole wheat toast with butter and cinnamon. Wee sprouts was peas. Lunch consisted of whole wheat pasta with red beans, bananas, and peas. Afternoon snack was organic whole milk yogurt and crackers.

Have a great night!

Amanda

Link to photos: https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=A58B8C61670EC2D4!86335&authkey=!ALQSgLvgwlL0lr4&ithint=folder%2cJPG

Good Afternoon!

**Farm Trip Notice: We have two groups this spring who will go to the farm. Group A will be going (weather permitting) to the farm this Wednesday, April 20th. Please have your child here by 9:30 in the morning.

Group A: Jackson, Elizabeth, Addi, Riley, Clara, Eren, Emerson, Elliott, Daniel

Group B: Maddie, Lulu, Max, Lucy, Tate, Rosemary, and Anna.

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In Kindergarten today..

K.3.5 Describe and give examples of weather changes and illustrates how weather affects people and the environment.

In large group, we read a Robert Munsch book entitled, “50 below Zero.” We discussed different weather patterns, especially in the winter time. There was an ice cube scenario in the story which prompted a conversation about what would happen if we put an ice cube outside on a day like today. Here were a few answers that were given:

“If we put an ice cube outside today, the sun would melt it!”

“If we did it in the winter time, the ice cube would expand! I’ve tried it in my freezer before.”

“Could we do that here?!”

Lucy sat at the table at 9:00 this morning and said, “Can we do those pickles now?!” Last week, Miss Melinda had shared some of her pickles which sparked conversations about how pickles are made. A friend reiterated today, “We use cucumbers to make pickles!”

Before we tried them, we used our sense of smell!

Many friends tried different pickles, including Bread & Butter and Sweet pickles. The reactions were mixed .

While friends were taste testing them, a conversation was started about the similarities and differences between the two kinds we had. Elliott commented, “This one right here is 2d and flat while the other one is 3d!”

We took a vote: “Raise your hand if you liked the sweet pickle.”

“Raise your hand if you did not like the sweet pickle.”

Friends looked around the table and we counted the number of hands that were raised.

Our group is often very interested in trying new and interesting foods!

There were many different story time opportunities this morning! Our friends have been interested in Robert Munsch lately!

Holy moly was it a gorgeous day. Friends admired the new art table that Miss Tami made over the weekend!

Friends took a moment out of their day to smell this wonderful tree!

*We want to send a HUGE thank you to the families who came out Saturday to help with the garden and backyard. Michelle (Cassie’s mom), Bill and Amy with the help of Elliott and Lucy, and Andrei with the help of Daniel: we are SO grateful for all of your help! You rock!

Wee Sprouts: Broccoli/cauliflower.

Breakfast: Whole wheat bagel with butter and apples.

Lunch: Whole wheat pasta with red kidney beans, oranges, and carrots.

PM snack: Organic whole milk yogurt with fresh PPC peaches.

Have a great night!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 4/18

Happy Friday! We hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Breakfast was Cheerios and bananas. Wee sprouts was peas. Lunch consisted of whole wheat bread with hummus, bananas, and peas. Afternoon snack was string cheese and pears.

See you Monday!

Amanda

Link to photos: https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=A58B8C61670EC2D4!86125&authkey=!AF4UOp6NQhw_ebE&ithint=folder%2cJPG

This morning, a large poster of the solar system that a friend found in a book captured the attention of many children! The colorful poster sparked discussion about which planets were which and other spaced related questions.

Speaking of space, another friend realized it had been awhile since we had worked with moon sand! This being true, we promptly set out to make a fresh batch. First, friends gathered on the music rug to answer the question, “What color should we make the moon sand?” Green was the winning color with 6 votes. Clara was especially pleased with this outcome as she argued, “It should be green like grass in the summer!”

Next, we gathered around the art table to measure and pour our ingredients: flour, baby oil, and tempera paint powder.

“What colors do we use to make green?”—“Blue and yellow!!”

And voilà! Moon sand green like summer grass.

We were also super active in the habitrail today. Luckily the beautiful sunshine today meant lots of outside time.

Before heading outdoors this morning, I passed out a special goodbye gift to each friend: a homemade heart-shaped crayon. Thank you so much for letting me be part of your lives—I will miss each and every one of you! I’ll still be in South Bend so please keep in touch.

Wee Sprouts: Pea pods. Breakfast: Brown rice cakes with cream cheese and bananas. Lunch: Whole wheat bread with hummus, fresh broccoli/cauliflower, and bananas/oranges. Snack: Special homemade chocolate cake in honor of my last day and kiwi/mango.

Link to the photos: WF 4/15/2016

Have a wonderful weekend! Love, Miss Jessica

I hope you all had a great day! Enjoy the photos!

Breakfast was toast with sweet pea butter and bananas. Wee sprouts was mixed vegetables. Lunch consisted of whole grain brown rice with cream cheese, bananas, and mixed vegetables. Afternoon snack was crackers with cream cheese.

Have a good night!

Amanda

Link to photos:  https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=A58B8C61670EC2D4!85966&authkey=!AJZKjArd2BTQYro&ithint=folder%2cJPG

*Reminder: This upcoming Saturday (4/16) is the WF Garden Work Day. We will be working on tilling the garden and preparing it for planting. All families are welcome to join! We will be starting around 10 am. Please enter/exit through the side gate so as not to track dirt through the house. Thank you and hope to see you Saturday!

This morning started off with a seed sort exploration. Friends were given a tray with four different types of seeds: pea, sunflower, cucumber and pepper. Their job? Sort out all the seeds! Besides working fine motor skills, this activity invited children to ask lots of questions about the seeds and encouraged them to look at the similarities and differences between them. Many friends recognized the sunflower seeds as seeds we sometimes eat!

The easel was also open for painting!

Outside we had a blast writing with chalk all over the sidewalks. Many friends practiced writing their names while others drew pictures. We’re absolutely loving this sunshine and warmer weather.

Kindergarten: Today Elliott discovered the flip books we have where the ending of the word stays the same (-ill, –ox, etc.) while the beginning of the word changes (p-, b-, dr-, etc.) He did a great job sounding out the words by blending the two parts of the word. It was a little extra challenging because all the letters were lowercase!

Wee Sprouts: Tomatoes. Breakfast: Kix and fresh pears. Lunch: Whole grain brown rice with quinoa and mozzarella cheese, bell peppers, and apples. Snack: Whole wheat Triscuits and no-nut butter.

Link to the photos: WF 4/14/2016

Have a great day! –Jessica

Today’s kitchen activity was sensory paint bags! Each bag was filled with two different paint colors. Our friends loved squeezing and smooshing the bags and watching the colors move around and blend together! They also enjoyed the cool, smooth texture of the bag. Friends rubbed their hands over it’s surface and some picked the bag up to feel against their cheek.

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Breakfast was whole grain oatmeal and bananas. Wee sprouts was mixed vegetables. Lunch consisted of chicken avocado on tortilla, pears, and mixed vegetables. Afternoon snack was crackers with hummus.

Have a great night!

Amanda

Link to photos:  https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=A58B8C61670EC2D4!85807&authkey=!AEKCP7vm55uMq6Q&ithint=folder%2cJPG

This morning we put away our Easter-themed materials and brought up some new activities and toys from the basement, including this bunch of artificial plants. Children created their own bouquets using the plethora of flowers. At this sensory bin, one friend remarked, “I’ve seen this flower outside!”

Later, we took out the sand sensory bin. Children were immediately drawn to this activity with the introduction of funnels. Much time was spent pouring, scooping, measuring and watching the “sinkholes” made by the sand running through the funnel.

In keeping with our FAB for this week, K.4.2: Observe plants and animals, describing how they are alike and how they are different, Miss Mindy brought in a beautiful bouquet of flowers. (Have you noticed a plant theme this week?!) Friends were invited to the island to work on a still life drawing of the flowers from their perspective. This was a calm and focused project for all our preschoolers. However our kindergartners demonstrated a great attention to detail—Elliott observed and drew the lines on the jar and the specific water level in his drawing.

We had some gorgeous sunshine for our outside time this morning. Rosemary explored our bin of dirt using her hands. She pretended it was soap and said, “Look, I am washing my hands!”

Elliott found some unique seating:

Per friends’ request, we also brought out the bubbles today!

The WFs did a good job waiting for their turn with the bubbles. It’s a little easier to be patient when you can run after and pop bubbles while you wait!

Wee Sprouts: Cucumbers. Breakfast: Whole grain oatmeal and fresh pears. Lunch: Chicken avocado salad on whole wheat flatbread, tomatoes/snap peas, and strawberries/bananas. Snack: Blue corn chips with refried beans and homemade guacamole.

Link to the photos: WF 4/13/2016

Have a wonderful Wednesday! –Jessica

Our friends were exploring colors today with the rainbow stacking cubes and bright tissues. They love making funny faces from behind the blocks and tissues. They also enjoy watching how the tissues move when they use their bodies to wave them around and toss them into the air.

Enjoy the rest of the photos!

Breakfast was Whole Grain Cheerios and apples. Lunch consisted of whole wheat flatbread with cream cheese and turkey, pears, and cucumbers. Afternoon snack was toasted whole wheat bagels with cream cheese. Wee sprouts was corn.

Have a great night!

Amanda

Link to photos: https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=A58B8C61670EC2D4!85528&authkey=!AGMCwRJjsXRgzPA&ithint=folder%2cJPG

Good Afternoon!

Our Tuesday started with variations of music! Rosemary and Maddie sat at the piano and played a song together! In tandem, they used their fingers to play many keys!

Miss Melinda turned on music which allowed for our friends to move their bodies. Children followed directions as they danced!

Apples, oranges, limes, and lemons filled our classroom this morning! Literally, it smelled like lemons in our environment .

The fruit was cut into halves and the first thing we did was a smell test!

When friends closed their eyes, a fruit was put up to their nose. Using the sense of smell, they guessed what fruit it was! We found out that limes and lemons smell very similar!

 

After the smell test was complete, we moved to the art table where every child was given the opportunity, if they so chose, to create art using fruit. We matched the fruit to a specific color so we knew what fruit made what print!

Some friends made specific prints with the fruit while others smeared the paint around their paper.

We saw patterns that were made by fruit or color.

A friend even commented, “Hey, my paper smells like fruit!”

Once our art project was complete, there was leftover fruit. Since we’ve all tasted apples and oranges before, the lemon and lime were cut up and shared with friends who wanted to try!

To our surprise (!), friends in general liked the lemon and lime.

Some of us expressed our feelings through our facial expressions .

We went outside this morning. It was gorgeous! Children ran around to release some of their energy.

We hope you had a great day!

-Mindy

Wee Sprouts– Pickled beets.

Breakfast– Kashi’s Sweet Potato Flakes with kiwi.

Lunch– Whole wheat flat bread with turkey and cream cheese, strawberries/grapes, and cucumbers.

PM snack– Toasted whole wheat bagel/english muffin and cheddar block cheese.

Link to pictures: WF 4/12/2016