Good Afternoon!

*Just a reminder, that Wee Friends will be closed Monday, May 30th in observance of Memorial Day.

*Weather permitting, Group A will go to the farm tomorrow morning (Wednesday, May 25th).

*Weather permitting, Group A will also be heading to the farmer’s market Thursday, May 26th. Please have you child here by 9:45 as we are going to leave at 10:00.

Just a reminder: Group A is Jackson, Eren, Elliott, Elizabeth, Clara, Addi, Riley, and Emerson.

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We continued with our Kindergarten fab this morning as we talked about different states that we’re familiar with. After reading, “I am Planet Earth”, we had an open discussion about terms related to the topic ‘Earth’.

First, the term country was brought up. Clara spoke up and said, “We live in the United States!” We got out a map and referenced where the United States is. Elizabeth pointed out, “This is the Pacific Ocean and this is the Atlantic Ocean!”

Referencing our sign in board this morning, the term state was brought into the discussion. Everyone started speaking up with, “We live in Indiana!” A couple friends said, “Can you show me where it is on the map?”

Finally, the word city was discussed. However, with this term we had different answers such as South Bend AND Mishawaka!

We shared with the group where we were born! I joined them on the floor where we put the map in the middle of the circle to see how far away some of us were born! Since I was born in Michigan, I showed them how to represent that state: by putting your hand up!

Elizabeth and Emerson teamed up today and created the same journal. After finishing each journal, they wrote the words ‘me’ and ‘you’ without assistance!

Clara asked, “Take a picture of my journal. I drew a sleigh with a reindeer!”

We noticed this morning that we have some cocoons forming in our habitat. Miss Melinda made a chart for friends to reference because we know that it takes 21 days for the cocoons to hatch.

Children participated in many different activities this morning such as cars and housekeeping.

But when the option to help prepare a snack for this afternoon was given, friends rushed to wash their hands and head to the island!

We found a yummy recipe for ‘Oatmeal Banana Bars’. Using the written recipe we combined all of the ingredients into a bowl.

Each friend that was around the island pitched in! It was challenging to mash three whole bananas but we did a great job forging ahead and completing the recipe.

Once the ingredients were combined, we poured it into the glass baking dish.

This is the before.

This is the after. As you can see, it was quite a hit.

Max was super strong guy as he tried to carry a lot of buckets up the sand hill!

Breakfast– Kashi’s Blueberry Clusters and raspberries.

Lunch– Whole wheat english muffins with cream cheese and turkey, apples/oranges, and cauliflower/cucumber.

PM snack– Homemade oatmeal banana bars and cheddar block cheese.

Wee Sprouts– Cauliflower.

Have a lovely evening!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=A58B8C61670EC2D4!91148&authkey=!ABT5hwcRjOjr9e8&ithint=folder%2cJPG

Ruby and Sophia had a fun morning being active on the habitrail! They chased each other to the slide, slid down with big smiles, and then did it all over again!

While we were playing with blocks we noticed some of our older friends peeking through the side door. We all ran over to say hi!

The big kids were out helping with watering plants. Our friends were excited to see them on the bridge and were interested in what they were doing.

Breakfast was Whole Grain Cheerios and strawberries. Wee sprouts was corn. Lunch consisted of whole wheat tortilla with turkey and cheese, bananas, and corn. Afternoon snack was toasted whole wheat bagels with cream cheese.

Have a great night!

Amanda

Link to photos: https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=A58B8C61670EC2D4!91066&authkey=!ACvetDn7wz5OzCU&ithint=folder%2cJPG

Enjoy the pictures!

Breakfast was whole wheat toast with butter and cinnamon and grapes. Lunch consisted of whole wheat pasta with chicken, pears, and corn. Afternoon snack was cheese and homemade banana muffins.

Have a good night!

Amanda

Link to photos: https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=A58B8C61670EC2D4!90994&authkey=!AIOhMa8T5kGNbPk&ithint=folder%2cJPG

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend.

Our Kindergarten FAB for the week is: K.3.2 Identify maps and globes as ways of representing Earth and understand differences between a map/globe.

Our large group read, ‘Roosters Off To See The World!’ and then had an open discussion about the contents of the book. We made a web where we brainstormed about the Earth. Anything that came to mind, children shared. Topics such as the shape of the Earth, how to keep the Earth clean, and what we see around us were brought up.

After evaluating the previous knowledge of the group, that’ll gear where we are headed with the FAB this week!

Maddie and Lulu participated in the category game with Miss Katelyn this morning! They then chose to work with the memory card game. They both asked other friends if they would want to join!

The art table was a creation station this morning! Children used different mediums such as marker and crayon. A group of friends made props for a show that they put later on in the morning.

Our younger peers headed up into the habitrail to watch the performance. Popcorn (yellow paper that was crumpled up) was provided to the audience.

Wow! It was a gorgeous morning.

Our gross motor skills were in action this morning once the bikes were made available. Our younger friends focused on pedaling today.

The balance bikes are the most popular BY FAR!

Breakfast– whole wheat toast with butter and pears.

Lunch– whole wheat pasta with chicken and shredded cheese, oranges, and green peppers.

PM snack– whole milk yogurt with pumpkin flax granola.

Wee Sprout– cucumbers.

Have a terrific evening!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 5/23

Happy Friday!

A sensory activity was made available this morning where children got the opportunity to paint using clothespins and pom pom balls. Friends made it known what color they would like to use first!

There were many different ways that children chose to use the pom pom balls. Some of us chose to do the stamping motion while others of us used it as a paint brush.

Children had many choices they could make during this activity: color, use of pom-pom, how much of the paper to paint. It was all up to them!

Lulu experimented with the mixing of colors. When she saw that yellow and blue created green, she took it upon herself to test different colors.

She commented, “Sometimes we get paint on our hands. We just clean it off after.” Oh the joys of being a child.

We used our new bug containers to search for creatures!

Most of us teamed up in pairs or with a few friends. This helped us find a whole lot of bugs!

Miss Clara took the lead of the gymnastics class that was offered outside this morning. She demonstrated a few moves and was quite good at explaining how we should be moving our bodies. 

Our week consisted of planting vegetables and watching our caterpillars continue to grow. So we read about a topic that’s been quite popular the last few days. How do things grow? We had an open discussion about the ingredients needed for things to blossom, to grow. Our answers varied but one thing is for sure: we were all sure that the most important ingredient was LOVE.

Our journal time has been quite colorful this week, incorporating the use of rainbow colors into our drawings. So, we dove deeper into what colors really are in the rainbow. I introduced R-O-Y-G-B-I-V and then found a couple samples off the internet of indigo and violet since those were newer words for us.

Breakfast– rice cakes with no nut butter and strawberries.

Lunch– refried beans and melted cheese quesadillas, PPC watermelon, and PPC red peppers.

PM snack– fresh pineapple, pretzels, and mozzarella string cheese.

Wee Sprout– broccoli and cauliflower.

Have a great weekend!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 5/20

Enjoy the photos and have a great weekend!

Breakfast was Chex and bananas. Lunch consisted of whole wheat flat bread with cheese and refried beans, grapes, and cauliflower. Afternoon snack was cheese and homemade banana muffins that Brycen brought in as a birthday treat!

Have a great night!

Amanda

Link to photos: https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=A58B8C61670EC2D4!90857&authkey=!ALttKG_Yk-k4nBY&ithint=folder%2cJPG

Good Afternoon!

Here is a letter from Miss Katelyn who is our current student teacher from IUSB:

Dear Wee Friends families,

I will be working alongside the staff at Wee Friends. I am currently a student at Indiana University South Bend pursing a career in elementary education specializing in early childhood education. In the past, I have worked with children ages 2-5 at early childhood development centers. I currently live in Elkhart with my husband and our 2 year old daughter. I have always loved working with children and have participated in different mentoring programs as well as volunteered in different classrooms. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family and playing outside with my daughter. For the next four weeks, I will be assisting staff members through morning activities and free play. I will be focusing on the importance of early childhood education as I interact and learn more about childcare and the development of children. I am very excited to be at Wee Friends and I know these next four weeks will be full of fun! I look forward to working with you and your children.

Sincerely,

Katelyn Baldwin

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Our Thursday morning consisted of choosing different stories that interested us! Reading stories with a group of friends or a teacher is always such a relaxing way to start off each day.

As I started to make the rice, it sparked quite an interest. A couple children joined me in measuring the rice and choosing different spices to add to the rice. This group of children is always so eager to learn and anxious to help with anything in the classroom!

Before heading outside, Miss Melinda gathered friends in the science area where we started talking about the caterpillars that are in our aquarium. A few friends had put a couple of leaves in the aquarium two days ago and the leaves are GONE! So, the book ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ was read which gave us some good insight into the caterpillars mindset .

Children were actively engaged as they listened and asked questions that they had.

A science book was retrieved to use as a reference. Children were able to see what the caterpillars are going to look like eventually.

We headed outside and enjoyed the absolutely beautiful day.

Children are enjoying taking advantage of the new bug containers that we got! There were a few caterpillars found this morning with a TON of rollie pollies. At this point, I’d say most of us would be considered experts…

In Kindergarten today:

We read ‘My Many Colored Days’ which incorporated feelings and emotions into the FAB for the week. After discussing how each of us felt, each child was given a certain day. After looking at the calendar and dissecting the days of the week, we got into order! If a child wasn’t quite sure, their peers did a great job at figuring out what came next in the chain.

Journaling involved a lot of colors today! At this time during the day (among others), children are allowed to voice or write how they’re feeling, what they’re thinking, or maybe expressing a ‘favorite’ that they have. Not only do I get to know them on a deeper level but the conversations that they have with their peers during this time allows for the connections between one another to become that much stronger.

Breakfast– whole grain cheerios and PPC peaches.

Lunch– brown rice with shredded cheese, banana, and cauliflower.

PM snack– pumpkin seeds and ‘Simply Fit Baked Crackers’

Wee Sprout– cauliflower.

Have a lovely evening and hope everyone can enjoy this weather!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 5/19

Please note: We are almost out of plastic bags for dirty diapers. Please bring some in if you have extras!

Today we played with the musical instruments…

Developed our visual perception and fine motor skills while playing with pegs and puzzles…

Admired some nature that caught our eye…

Played dress up…

And had some silly time in the gross motor section!

Breakfast was Cheerios (we tried Raisin Bran, but it was not a hit) and mixed fruit. Wee sprouts was peas. Lunch consisted of whole grain brown rice with cheese, mixed fruit, and peas. Afternoon snack was pretzels and string cheese.

Have a great night!

Amanda

Link to photos: https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=A58B8C61670EC2D4!90488&authkey=!AAk_B77A8m-Cqs0&ithint=folder%2cJPG

The teeter totters are quickly becoming our favorite activity to do outside. Most of our friends have learned how to climb onto it on their own. They love to rock on it by themselves or with a friend!

This afternoon we pulled out the ball baskets. All the balls are different sizes, colors, and textures that our friends always enjoy throwing and chasing after. Today they enjoyed trying to toss the balls back into the baskets. We all cheered and clapped when they made one in!

Breakfast was Cheerios and pears. Wee sprouts was peas. Lunch consisted of homemade French toast casserole, bananas, and peas. Afternoon snack was mixed fruit with graham crackers.

Have a great night!

Amanda

Link to photos: https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=A58B8C61670EC2D4!90434&authkey=!APal1xbHQblXaMk&ithint=folder%2cJPG

Good Afternoon!

While the small group was at the farm today, our older friends stayed back and helped plant our seeds that have sprouted! After obtaining knowledge about planting, friends headed to the backyard to figure out where to plant our veggies.

Everyone pitched in and were GREAT helpers!

Rosemary, Tate, Anna, Max, and Lucy were so excited to ride in the wee-hicle! They did fantastic. Rosemary was the song leader on the way down to the farm.

We greeted Miss Charlotte once we arrived and discussed proper farm etiquette. Children found out that we have to be quiet around the animals so we don’t frighten them. Anna put her fingers up to her mouth and motioned for “quiet”.

Our first stop was the goat! We LOVED being able to feed the goat. A couple children said, “Ohhh! Tickly!”

After we were done feeding him, we were able to watch Miss Charlotte milk the goat! Once she was finished, we got to see the result!

We were given the opportunity to go into the fenced area where the chickens were. A few children noticed that the feathers were different colors. Our friends were so gentle when given the chance to pet an animal!

We were ECSTATIC about getting to ride the pony. When someone said, “horse”, Lucy corrected them because of course it was a pony!

Max opted not to ride the pony but he was a fabulous observer and asked all of his friends how they liked it! Rosemary got off and said, “I ride again?”

Our group headed to the barn where we saw a bunny and small chicks! Miss Tami showed us how to correctly pet animals at the farm: starting at their head and going down their body.

We also noticed that there were small sheep that were available to interact with! They were quite vociferous!

We spent the rest of our time at the farm admiring the beautiful nature that was around us. Children headed to the pond where we pointed out different things that we saw.

As we walked, a couple friends asked to pick dandelions which lead to..

Dandelion bouquets!

Breakfast– whole grain oatmeal with banana.

Lunch– homemade french toast casserole, fresh PPC watermelon and cantaloupe, and cauliflower.

PM snack– blue corn chips and refried beans.

Wee Sprout– carrots.

We all had a lovely day! Hope you did too!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 5/18