Good Afternoon!

**Tomorrow we will be heading to the farm! The weather looks fabulous so therefore make sure friends dressed appropriately. We’ll apply sunscreen on everyone when we get there. Our friends are extremely excited to see the farm (especially the animals)! We will be leaving at 9:30 a.m. so please to ready to go in farm attire by that time . Make sure our friends are in clothes that you don’t mind getting a little dirty. Thanks!!

Our Wednesday morning started off with learning about fire trucks and firemen! Our Wee Friends were kind enough to invite us out with them to enjoy the red fire truck. Children got to hear the engine’s horn as well as look at the gear of a real fire fighter. Thanks Wee Friends for sharing your exciting morning with us!

For breakfast, children had whole grain toast with soy butter and banana. Lunch consisted of pasta salad made with whole grain noodles and veggies, mixed vegetables, and oranges. PM snack was hard boiled eggs and pretzels.

Have a great evening!

-Mindy

This morning, at 10am, Firemen Pete, Doug and Dave, from the South Bend Fire Department came to Wee Friends. Before we went outside to check out the truck, they talked to us a bit about fire safety. Here are some of the questions they asked Wee Friends:

1. Do you know who to call if there is a fire in your house?
2. Have you ever heard “Stop, Drop and Roll?”
3. Does your family have a meeting place in your house, to gather all together if a fire starts?
4. Do you know your neighbors?
5. Do you play with matches?
6. If you see a pack of matches, what do you do with them?
7. Remember, if there’s a fire in your house, just find a way out-only worry about getting yourself out! The firefighters will go back in if your pet is still in the house. That is their job.
8. If your favorite toy is still in the house when there’s a fire, the firefighters will go back in and get it.
9. Remember-get yourself out and the firefighters will worry about pets, toys and even mom and dad.
10. And now, not only do we Stop, Drop and Roll, we STOP, DROP, COVER YOUR FACE and ROLL.

We presented our new friends with the fire truck we’ve been working on.

Then the firefighters took us outside to see and sit in the fire truck!

We also got to see one of the firefighters in full fire fighting dress.

We held the water hose and learned about the different parts of his firefighting suit.

Then Kevin came along, delivering our mail! Community Helper #2 passing right by our firefighters.

Lastly, we took pictures in the back of the truck…and held a fire tool….an ax.

When the fire truck drove away, it sounded the alarm and flashed the lights.

Since our neighbor Les was on his porch, we decided to cross the street and get to know this terrific neighbor a bit better.

We learned that Les has been in his house on 29th St. for 48 years. He said when he moved in, there were lots of families, and once again, he’s starting to see young families moving back in.  He also has an 8 year old dog named Rusty.

We sang our Thumbelina songs and then made our way back to our own house.

As the summer progresses, we will be learning more about River Park’s Community Helpers.

Who are the people in your neighborhood?

Wee Sprouts: Carrots. Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese and apple slices. Lunch: Whole wheat pasta with tuna and mixed veggies, orange and cucumber slices. Snack: Yogurt and animal crackers.

Have a great day.

Hello!

This morning friends got a chance to color using markers. While this isn’t as messy as say painting, it allows children to explore their creative side. Most of our friends are getting to that stage where drawing or coloring means something. Whether they’re drawing a picture of mommy or of a lion, they relate it to themselves which makes it more meaningful.

This is an example that Daniel drew that showed us he’s past the scribble stage and making meaningful marks. He has clear intention throughout the process. Our older friends are doing a great job at this as well as the fine motor aspect of coloring: control and good grip while holding the marker. Some of us even held two markers at a time!

 

For breakfast, children had Chex and oranges. Lunch consisted of pita bread with soy butter, banana, and broccoli. PM snack was cottage cheese and goldfish.

Have a terrific night!

-Mindy

On Mother’s Day, Ellie and her family went to the park! The Tribune was there to catch her photo with mom!

While the swimmers were at the Y, we ignited more fire talk. We began creating a fire truck and, after reading The Firefighter Book, we came up with a list of firefighter words.

This Thursday, Tami is planning on taking Group C to the farm: Leo, Ben, Clara, Eve, Daniel, Zoi and Keerthi.

Wee Sprouts: Carrots. Breakfast: Cheerios and oranges. Lunch: Peanut butter on whole wheat bread, broccoli and bananas. Snack: Goldfish and raisins.

 

 

Have a great day.

Happy Monday!

**Tentative: WWF will be going to the farm this upcoming Thursday, May 16th. Please dress your child in farm attire (clothes/shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty). If the forecast calls for rain, we won’t go. Children under the age of two will need a parent to come along. If you have any questions, please ask!

Our Monday started off terrific!

Monday is an important day in the week. Not only is it the first day back to school after the weekend but it’s a crucial time for friends to reconnect and spend time with one another. We can always tell that friends miss each other. As friends walked through the door this morning, P.K. was heard asking, “Where’s Clara Rose?” Friendships blossom daily in the Wee Wee house and it sure is wonderful to watch those relationships grow into something that these toddlers cherish. Children sure got reacquainted with one another after the weekend. It was a great start to the week.

 

For breakfast, children had whole grain bagels with cinnamon and raisins. Lunch consisted of whole grain noodles with black beans, pears, and mixed vegetables. PM snack was cheddar cheese slices and graham crackers.

Have a wonderful evening.

-Mindy

 

Not only is our Wee garden growing (despite last night’s freezing temp!), but an interest in fire grew today. But before either of these were mentioned, a few friends wanted to continue creating costumes for today’s 4:30 showing of Thumbelina.

Then we gathered and talked about last night’s weather. We headed outside to check on our garden and to take the covers off the tomatoes. Thank you Garden Committee!

We came back inside to talk about our neighborhood.

Firefighter talk ignited so we set out to create a fire station and fire truck under/around/inside the habitrail. We made a hose and found some terrific firehouse music. We stopped, dropped and rolled.

Other friends worked at the art table to create our Wee Friends Garden sign.

And still, others worked with Lisa and the Feely Box. With their new babies.

Both groups rotated through the Blue Bus.

And then Tami pulled out the Wee fire costumes, and oxygen tank. 

And we’re off. Wee Friends, Wee Friends, Mighty Mighty Wee Friends! We play games, we sing songs! Wee Friends, Wee Friends Mighty Mighty Wee Friends, we grow friendships (and fires and gardens) all day long.

Wee Sprouts: Carrots. Breakfast: Whole wheat peanut butter toast and bananas. Lunch: Whole wheat penne pasta with black beans, mixed veggies and pear slices. Snack: Homemade banana bread and cheese slices.

This blog is from yesterday (Thursday) but our internet was down!

Today, we celebrated Clara Rose’s 2nd birthday! Happy birthday to you!

We started out our morning with a little hokey pokey! Not only did our friends find out that it’s extremely fun, but it’s a great way to learn our body parts. We talked about right and left along with arms, legs, and our entire body!

For breakfast, children had chex and oranges. Lunch consisted of hummus on tortillas, green beans, and homemade applesauce. PM snack was Clara’s special birthday snack: a fruit tart and a small lemon or raspberry cupcake along with string cheese. Thanks Clara and family for our wonderful snack! We loved it!

Have a terrific evening.

-Mindy

We had another lovely weather day, “medium cool” (as described by Ada).  Melinda and Tami took group B to Prairie Winds Farm and we: held baby chicks, fed the goats, watched Magic (the horse) get first aid on the cut on his leg, we swung on the rope swing (even Mel did too), we collected dandelions and made our noses yellow, we drank out of the hose, and we walked through the woods and through the prairie (and collected more dandelions). 

Back at WF, Miss Laurie and Miss Lisa worked with the remaining children on costuming for tomorrow’s Thumbelina performance at 4:30.  (Rain or shine the show must go on!  We’ll simple do an indoor performance if the weather isn’t cooperative!)  The children and teachers later worked together to do a deep clean of our WF toy shelves.  Everyone pitched in with towels!

Breakfast was PB toast/Pears.  WeeSprouts are carrots today.  Lunch was hummus on whole wheat tortillas, green beans, and our homemade applesauce (from the apples the children peeled and sliced on Tuesday afternoon!).  Snack will be peanuts and bananas.

Have a great day!

Tami

 

The garden has given us plenty to talk about and create. There’s also a secret project underway. And there’s BIG NEWS to share as well!

THUMBELINA is finally ready to go and, in honor of Mother’s Day, we would like to invite you all to come to Wee Friends this Friday, May 10th, at 4:30 to watch our outdoor performance. We have worked hard on our play over many months! Please come join us! To recap:

THUMBELINA- Friday, May 10, 4:30 on the Wee Friends playground.

Please let us know if you have a scheduling conflict so that we can schedule a private performance!

 

We talked more about things we are thankful for, wrote them on ribbons and tied them to our garden fence.

We became seeds growing from deep within the earth-we sprouted and danced!

We sang “Johnny Appleseed” and encountered pollinating bees.

We hung our Veggie Peace Banner.

We talked about peaceful play and peaceful words…and peaceful touches. And we rehearsed Thumbelina on our new stage: Mother Earth!

We are counting the days until Friday and do hope you’ll join us for the 4:30 performance!

Wee Sprouts: Broccoli. Breakfast: Applesauce Malt-O-Meal. Lunch: Turkey slices, carrot sticks, tortilla slices and pineapple. Snack: Pretzels and Cheddar cheese.

Have a great day.

Good Afternoon!

Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.

-Helen Keller

Cooperation happens everyday here at WWF. Sometimes it doesn’t come easy but it’s an important aspect of play throughout our day. Whether we’re play with one other friend or five other friends, cooperation and understanding happen.

It can occur when we’re building a Lego tower and sharing our Legos with one another. It can also happen when we loan our friend our shovel for a little bit. Whatever the case, cooperation leads to happy play and happy wee wee’s .

For breakfast, children had raisin bran and oranges. Lunch consisted of egg salad, whole grain bread, cheese slices, apples, and green beans. PM snack was goldfish and string cheese.

Have a lovely evening.

-Mindy