Hello!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

We started our morning with excellent news! Eve is now a big sister. Rachel and Tzvi welcomed a baby girl Sunday morning! We’re excited to get to know Maya later in the summer and glad Mommy and baby are doing great! Congratulations Novick Family!

Our Monday got kicked off by having individual play this morning. Friends gathered as we played pretend and cooked in the kitchen. Friends were warned that some of the food was hot and we had to be careful when we tasted it.

Outside we headed as soon as snack was done. It was BEAUTIFUL day outside! The sun was shining and the temps were nice even in the morning. This allowed us to fully enjoy our outside time!

The sandbox was the place to be! It was crammed all morning long!

For breakfast, children had cheerios and oranges. AM snack was peas. Lunch consisted of whole grain macaroni and cheese, mixed fruit, and corn. PM snack was string cheese and raisins.

Hope everyone gets a chance to spend some time outside this evening. Have a great night!

-Mindy

baby boom n  (Sociology) a sharp increase in the birth rate of a population.

Well, this weekend was sure a Wee Friends baby boom!  We had 3 babies born on Saturday and Sunday! And we have another baby scheduled for tomorrow  For today, we send out congratulations to Amy and Bill for the birth of Lucienda (Elliott’s baby), to Pamina and Fabrizio for the birth of Chiara (Marta’s baby), and Rachel and Tvzi for the birth of Maya (Our wwfer, Eve’s baby).   

The excitement of the new baby additions translated into our curriculum this morning with baby message boards and new baby stories.

We spent most of our morning on the Blue Bus or enjoying the (finally) seasonable weather!  The highlight outdoors was watching the city pick up our rubble from the WF bathroom weemodel.  The bathroom moved to stage 2 and the drywall is nearly finished! Next step is installing our tiny toilets!

Also this weekend Charles and I spent a good deal of time with paintbrushes in our hands to transform the look of our WF and WWF exteriors.  We are getting there!  WF  is done and WWF is about 1/2 done. 

WeeSprouts were carrots and cherry tomatoes.  Breakfast was bran flakes and raisins.  Lunch was fresh strawberries/bananas. corn and Tami’s whole wheat pasta with homemade cheese sauce.  Snack will be whole wheat crackers with hummus.

Happy Friday!

Our day was full of play inside! The week was capped off on a great note! A few friends worked on their colors by looking around the room at different objects. Daniel and P.K. headed into the kitchen where they built structures using magnatiles. Eve, Emma, and Keerthi played with baby dolls while Eren was persistent as he climbed the habitrail ladder multiple times. Lu Lu spent some of her day using a teether because she’s getting a few teeth in! P.K. walked around letting people know, “Lu Lu teething!”

For breakfast, children had raisin bran and banana. AM snack was peas. Lunch consisted of cheese pizza, peas, and mixed fruit. PM snack was cheddar cheese slices and crasins.

Have a terrific weekend!

-Mindy

 

 

Today’s Big Inspirations centered Lisa’s Pick-up-and-Reach Tool and Wee Hair.

We learned that the Pick-up-and-Reach Tool is also an excellent early childhood fine motor tool. We learned that Wee Friends can comb their own hair and they think it feels really good.

How did we arrive inside these inspiring moments? Lisa used this tool during her convalescence and shared with the kids how it works. Their interest created a morning long study that required two developing skills: 1) use your strong fingers to press and strong arms to lift and 2) be comfortable sharing and taking turns.

We listened to “My Hair Had a Party Last Night”. Earlier in the day, we discovered we had a whole package of combs. We put these two materials together and created a surprisingly stimulating study…of combs! And brushes. We examined their differences (thin/thick, smooth/bumpy). We talked about who uses a comb or brush. We wondered where you buy a combs and brushes. Then we played “The Rainbow Connection” and had a Combing My Hair Music Meditation. Then we jammed out again to Trout Fishing in America.

These were the Big Inspirations experienced by large groups today. There were lots of one-on-one, two-on-two and smaller group Inspirations as well. Enjoy.

Wee Sprouts: Carrots. Breakfast: Oatmeal and pears. Lunch: Cheese pizza on whole grain crust with peas and pear/banana/pineapple fruit salad. Snack: Yogurt and Cottage cheese.

Have a great weekend.

Hello!

Even though the weather outside was less than stellar, our attitudes were great! Happy campers filled the Wee Wee house.

 

Friends are enjoying listening and watching the rain and the different weather actions that come with it such as lightning and thunder. Children are using their ears to listen to the rain. We found that it’s a soothing sound to us.

Even though our mood was high, there were times in the day where the rain made us sleepy!

We muddled through the weather and had a GREAT Thursday!

For breakfast, children had cheerios and banana. Lunch consisted of egg casserole with hash browns and cheese, oranges, and bread. PM snack was cottage cheese and pretzels.

Have a terrific evening.

-Mindy

Sloane to Lisa: “This says Hello back, Lisa!!”

As it turns out, we have Elliott to thank for Lisa’s safe journey back to Wee friends. Elliott created a map to Wee Friends and mailed it to Lisa so that she could find her way back to us!

When other friends heard about Elliott’s map, they rushed to the table to make their own maps. Among the many welcoming moments we shared this morning, it was the anticipation of a treasure hunt that captivated friends’ imaginations. After the maps were created, we used them to play a hunting game in which each friend searched for an object that was included on their map.

From red trucks to baby bottles to lower case ‘e’, friends hunted high and low and were ecstatic with their success!

Alphabet letter matching, good books, and ballerina buns were among the other ways we celebrated a return to the Wee World as we know it!!!

HELLO BACK LISA!

WS:

Breakfast: Peanut butter toast and orange slices.

Lunch:

Snack: Pear slices and cheddar cheese slices.

Have a great day.

 

Good Afternoon!

Our Wee Wee Friends got a special treat this morning! We heard a fire truck with our ears so we looked out the window and it was right down the street. The bunch was gathered up and we headed out to the front lawn. A nice fireman invited us down to take a look at the fire truck! Carefully, we held hands with friends and teachers as we headed down to take a look at the big, red fire engine! The nice fireman asked our friends if anyone wanted to be a fireman when they grow up. We talked about what fireman do and how they help people.

One of the fireman took a group picture of us standing in front of the fire truck! It was sure fun learning about fire trucks and meeting the nice firefighters . They told us to wait outside and they would honk their big engine as they drove by!

It was sure loud! We waved to them as they passed on by. Thanks South Bend Firefighters!

For breakfast, children had oatmeal with cinnamon and pears. AM snack was peas. Lunch consisted of rice with beef, mixed vegetables, and bananas. PM snack was hummus and crackers.

Have a terrific evening.

-Mindy

*The weather forecast tomorrow calls for an 80% chance of rain and thunderstorms. Tami will not be taking friends to the farm as planned. She is devising the farm schedule as we speak and, mostly, waiting for the weather to cooperate so we can get out there ASAP! Stay posted for the next farm date.

*Here’s a new phone messaging system, so if you anticipate a late pick up, or need to communicate something to a teacher during the day,  you have no trouble reaching us: Please call the Wee Friends land line first. If you have an emergency or immediate need, please text or call Lisa or Tami, who keep their mobiles on their person.

Wee Friends landline: 574-288-4560

Lisa’s mobile: 574-250-2785

Tami’s mobile: 574-234-6037

Thank you! Feel free to share feedback as we work this out!

AND!

Lisa has the green light to return to work tomorrow, for a few hours a day! The Wee World has missed her and are excited for her to return.

The big excitement today was bugs. The bugs are out and watch out, friends have resumed their springtime ritual of bug hunting…..

Wee Sprouts: Green beans. Breakfast: Whole wheat tortillas with peanut butter and pear slices. Lunch:

(that’s whole grain rice with shredded beef). Snack: Cottage cheese and orange slices.

Have a great day.

Hello!

The sun started to peak through the clouds this afternoon just as we were headed outside! We enjoyed experiencing new things, playing with friends, and pushing our limits outside today!

The buckets were a big hit today. In the morning, the sand was too wet to play with but this afternoon it made for excellent packing sand! Keerthi rubbed the sand between two fingers. The sensory opportunities in the sand box are endless!

P.K. ended his day searching for worms with some of the older Wee Friends. He found two!

For breakfast, children had eggs with cheese and pears. AM snack was corn. Lunch consisted of whole wheat bagels with hummus, watermelon, and corn. PM snack was animal crackers and cheddar cheese slices.

Have a great evening.

-Mindy

Just a reminder that today was the last day of the current swimming session. Next Tuesday begins the new session.

We watch for/create/study patterns all day at Wee Friends. From poker chips to wee behaviors, patterns are developing all around us.

Patterns cultivate order, creativity and also offer a daily predictability that we think our Wee Friends enjoy! Understanding our Wee Friends’ patterns helps us create a Stimulating and Happy Wee World.

Here are a few patterning development ideas to enjoy with your Wee Friend.

From www.earlychildhoodireland.ie

Language –Think about the language you use with children when describing and creating patterns:
before, after, follow, next, start, finish, between, copy, same, different, middle, again, repeat,

Sing-Sing songs that rhyme, repeat, or have numbers in them.  Songs reinforce patterns (which is a math skill as well).  They also are fun ways to practice language and foster social skills like cooperation.

Make music-Use clapping, drum beats, animal noises, and various sounds to make and explore different rhythms and patterns. Also use percussion instruments to accompany singing.

Get Moving-Create movement patterns as you move across the back yard, down the street or through the park. For example walk, walk, jump; walk, walk, jump. Or make up dances that use a repeated sequence.

Go Outside-Recognize, explore and create patterns, shapes and colors, eg with leaves, pebbles and 2D shapes; Nature provides patterns in flower petals, colorful gardens, and even in the coats of animals such as tigers and zebras at the zoo. Help children to grow plants in the garden and point out the cyclical pattern of planting, growing etc….

For young children identifying and creating patterns is just the beginning of the mastery of life-long mathematical skills. Once children are aware of patterns they will begin to see them in everything.

How do you encourage your Wee Friend to explore patterns?

 Breakfast: Chex and bananas. Lunch: Hummus

Snack: Bananas and peanuts.

Have a great day.