This week, we had a TON of cucumbers in our delivery from the Purple Porch. What to do with all these cucumbers? Let’s make pickles!

This morning started out with a discussion about what makes a pickle. We had some unique suggestions but finally figured it out: a cucumber. After a taste test of jarred pickles, both dill and sweet, we took a vote on which one friends preferred. The current count is DILL- 8 and SWEET- 6. We will take another vote after we taste test our own pickles.

How to Make Homemade Refrigerator Dill Pickles (Wee Friends Style)

Step 1. Cut the cucumbers.

                  

Cut off the ends.

Then cut them in half.

Step 2. Peel two heads of garlic. Boil them for 5 minutes in 10 cups of water.

Step 3. Add fresh dill, mustard seeds, dill seeds, and black peppercorns to large jars. (Smell each ingredient as you go)

Step 4. Add vinegar and pickling salt to the garlic and water. Pack the jars with cucumbers and add the water to the jars.

Step 5. Cover jars and refrigerate. Check how they taste tomorrow!

This afternoon we continued our pickle making extravaganza and made some sweet pickles with apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, allspice, mustard seed, celery seed and whole cloves.

The final jars of our dill and sweet pickles:

I’m sure you’ll smell pickles at pick-up!

-Jessica

Wee Sprouts: Sweet peppers. Breakfast: Rice cakes with peanut butter and oranges. Lunch: Hummus sandwiches on flatbread, fresh cauliflower and bananas. Snack: Blue corn tortilla chips and hummus.

Happy April!

We spent a beautiful morning outside! Friends started with hats and we quickly were able to take them off! It was quite the active morning outside. We saw two airplanes and heard a fire truck and train! Children were definitely able to use their senses.

Friends loved playing ‘catch’ outside with friends and teachers! Our hand eye coordination is steadily improving!

Nahla and Lucy were very determined to climb up the log in between the two slides. They did this multiple times! Gross motor at its finest .

It was tandem teeter totter this morning!

We were wore out. Sleep does the toddler body good!

For breakfast, children had kix and oranges. Lunch consisted of hummus on tortillas, cauliflower, and banana. PM snack was pretzels and raisins.

Have a great night!

Good Afternoon!

Here are a few pictures that were taken throughout the day.

For breakfast, children had cheerios and pears. Lunch consisted of cheese tortillas, broccoli, and pears. PM snack was whole wheat crackers with cream cheese.

Have a terrific evening!

*Reminder: Wee Friends will be closed Friday, April 3rd in observance of Good Friday. 

New toys often generate a lot of interest. This week’s most interesting toy is our new music box record player! It plays a variety of songs and friends love switching out the records and changing volume.

 

Elliott decided to have a dance party with the record player and wrote out invitations:

                              

We love dancing!

This morning we also read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. If you read that book to Wee Friends, they’re going to want to make their own cookies! We got out the play dough and got to work.

 

           

Hope you have a joy-filled day. –Jessica

Wee Sprouts: Orange and red bell peppers. Breakfast: Cheerios with pear slices. Lunch: Whole wheat quesadillas, fresh cucumbers/bell peppers/tomatoes, and honeydew melon . Snack: Cottage cheese with oranges. 

Happy Monday!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

**Just as a reminder, it is a short week here at WWF. We will be closed on Friday, April 3rd in observance of Good Friday. Thanks!

Friends worked together this morning to build with waffle blocks. A big hit was building a cube. Maya built a track with her blocks. Lucy pointed out the different colored blocks she had.

It was a gorgeous morning. The sun was shining so we got a lot of vitamin D! Looks like most of the week will be AWESOME outside weather .

For breakfast, children had toast with butter and cinnamon along with banana. Lunch consisted of whole grain noodles with kidney beans, apples, and green beans. PM snack was block cheese and raisins.

Have a terrific evening!

Among the many works that emerged today was alphabetizing letters. (FAB K.1.19- Learn and apply knowledge of alphabetical order (first letter) when using a classroom or school library/media center)

To support Jessica’s library book read alouds, we invited friends to make library cards to stamp with every book they read. The library cards sparked some interest, but the shape stampers definitely did.

Under the habitrail, friends investigated through movement the many ways their bodies could move on a straight/zigzag/squiggly line.

Have a great Monday! –Laurie

Wee Sprouts: Carrots. Breakfast: Buttered whole wheat toast and pear slices. Lunch: Whole wheat pasta with beans, green beans and orange slices. Snack: Whole milk yogurt with fresh apples. 

Happy Friday! See you on Monday. –Laurie

Wee Sprouts: Carrots. Breakfast: Malt-O-Meal and raisins. Lunch: Brown rice with chicken, bananas and cauliflower. Snack: Grapes/pears and cheddar cheese.

 

Hello!

Friends worked on their fine motor skills this morning as they manipulated waffle blocks. Maya rebuilt a castle that she had built earlier in the day at home. We’re pretty good at vocalizing when we need help but it’s also important for friends to try to work it out on their own.

At this age, we learn a lot of problem solving ideas and skills from other friends as well as family and teachers. Our toddlers are quite independent lately .

Anna and Annabelle, aka the pony tail girls, played in the kitchen this afternoon as their older friends took their nap. Annabelle took her bowl and banged it with her utensil making a loud sound. Anna soon imitated this!

BIG cheeses to end the day.

For breakfast, children had Kashi and kiwi. Lunch consisted of whole wheat english muffin pizzas, strawberries, and peas. PM snack was kiwi and graham crackers.

Have a terrific evening!

The language of a play-based curriculum: “I watched Elizabeth while she was creationing.” “I’m still working!” ”Can you save my work?” “Hey watch out! You’re stepping on my creation!” “Look at the book! There are some more destructions!” (instructions) “I just don’t know who to be today, or what to do.”“He said I can have that after him.”

 

Today’s big creationing was robots. Jessica first read (well, a stack of library books that ended with) Clink by Kelly DiPucchio and Matthew Myers.  First Wee Friends studied Clink’s blue print on the interior of the cover. Next, they brainstormed about what sort of robot they could make. They got to work with paper, markers and scissors. Using yarn and straws, Wee Friends made their paper robots fly. Great Wee work. Great Wee play. Great Wee creationing.

Great Day. –Laurie

Wee Sprouts: Pea pods. Breakfast: Corn Chex and pear slices. Lunch: Whole wheat English muffin pizza, broccoli, and oranges. Snack: Kiwi/oranges with nuts.

 

Good Afternoon!

Nahla, Tate, Maya, and Lucy had a fantastic painting experience this morning. We worked with many colors and friends were vocal about what color they wanted to paint with!

Maya used a certain pattern for one of her painting. She took the paintbrush tip and pushed it down all around her paper.

Lucy had some colorful hands at the end of her sensory experience!

For breakfast, children had toast with butter and cinnamon along with banana. Lunch consisted of egg salad on flat bread, pears, and cucumber. PM snack was string cheese and kiwi.

Have a great night!