WWF, 3-15-2012

Hello!

We started our day off here at WWF by having music time outside! We gathered up our musical instruments and headed to the bridge. All of our friends loved dancing and singing in the beautiful sunshine! We did baby yoga as well. Our friends struck their poses very well! They worked on their flexibility as well as their balance.

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After music time was over, we took our musical instruments back inside and headed to the backyard. Olivia accomplished a big milestone today: she made it to the top of the wooden house! She loved doing it so much that she kept doing it over and over! The sandbox seemed to be the biggest hit of the morning.

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For breakfast, our friends had eggs and bananas. Lunch consisted of ham sandwiches on whole wheat bread, bananas, and mixed vegetables. PM snack was red peppers and fresh pears.

Hope everyone has a terrific evening!

-Mindy

WF Daily Explorations Thursday 3/15

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We started our day with a kite tutorial! Melinda explained how to assemble the kites and then paired friends as kite flying buddies. We learned a few verses to “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” and then off we went!

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Each friend had the opportunity to pull the string, run and experience the excitement of their kite being airborn!

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Kids ran across the field when Melinda’s kite flew high above! As we prepared to leave, Lisa started a game of “Duck, Duck Goose!” and friends took a long cold drink!

Breakfast this morning was Corn Chex and clementines. For lunch we are serving toasted chedder cheese sandwiches on whole grain tortillas, pear slices and green pea pods.

Have a terrific day!

 

 

 

 

 

WWF, 3-14-2012

Good Afternoon!

We started our sunny morning off at WWF by having some much needed music time! Clara was just bouncing around to the sounds of the guitar while moving her musical shaker up and down. Marina chose to have one shaker in each hand in order to make the sounds louder. Ellie and Jada both chose to listen to the music from a farther location: the jungle gym!

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After music time ended, a few friends strolled on into the kitchen where they worked with a cardboard carton divider. They divided the fluffy balls into each section. P.K. sorted the balls with his hands while Marina chose to use tongs to pick up the balls.

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We couldn’t waste another gorgeous day so we decided to take another walk! While walking, we noticed that more flowers had bloomed and were more mature than they were yesterday! Aiden had a blast in his stroller so much that he fell asleep!

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For breakfast, our friends had waffles and fresh apples. Lunch consisted of whole grain rice with chicken, apples/bananas, and mixed vegetables. PM snack was strawberries and orange peppers. Our late afternoon vegetable was carrots.

Hope everyone has a terrific evening!

-Mindy

WF Farm Day! 3.14.12

Good Afternoon!  We could not have had a better day for the farm.  Yeah for early spring time. I’m running short on time today, so I will give you the condensed version of our day.  For the full farm story through the pictures, go to flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/weefriends/sets/72157629585631847/!  

  We loved (see pic below if you think love is too strong of a word), fed, and watered many animals today including goats, chickens, turkeys & cows. It tooks lots of teamwork to do these jobs.

 

 

 

 

 

Our big work today was helping to clean out the shed that has filled over the winter with assorted farm tools and “stuff”.  The children made trip after trip clearing out all of the stuff which was extremely helpful to the farm! 

 

We took a long walk, exploring the woods, log cabin, and prairie.

 The kids helped Tami load a truck of logs for our playground.  Kai especially was focused on helping and he stuck with Tami until every log was loaded. (The little girl in the picture is a “homeschooler” that is a helper on Wednesdays at the farm.)

  On the way home, a few friends felt the impact of our busy morning…

 

 

 

 

Back at WF, Melinda and Lisa reported a spectacular morning!  Here are a few highlights that they reported to me:

  • Nate and Steven were fascinated by the seeds in the red/yellow/orange sweet peppers that were being cut for Wee Sprouts this morning.  The spent a good amount of time examining them then Melinda led them into planting them in soil.
  • Lisa led a small group of friends through a bear hunt outside.
  • They all took a long walk:  they collected pine cones, they observed the fire truck, ambulance and police responding to a call, and they went to the church to see/hear the church bells that signal our lunch time everyday at noon.

 

 

 

 

 

For breakfast we served whole grain oatmeal and fresh pear slices.  For lunch we served brown rice and chicken, corn, and applesauce. 

Have a great day!

Tami

WWF, 3-13-2012

Good Afternoon!

WOW! What a great way to start our Wee Wee day. We did a quick activity with play dough. Our friends used play-dough tools, straws, and circular tubes to manipulate the play-dough. Marina and Chloe enjoyed stacking the tubes and straws vertically.

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Our morning only got better when we went for a long wagon and stroller ride throughout the neighborhood. The kids just loved it. Ellie stopped a couple times when she noticed that flowers were starting to bloom! She made sure to point out the colors of the flowers that she spotted. Clara and P.K. had a ball strolling along together. They were even humming together in harmony! Olivia and Marina were definitely aware of their surroundings. Whenever a car would pass, you could hear them saying, “Bye, Bye car!”. We stopped about half way through our walk for a little break. We clapped along as our friends sang a couple of songs.

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When we got back from our walk, we stayed outside since it was so beautiful out! A few of our friends played in the sand while others chose to slide down the slide or ride bikes.

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For breakfast, we had whole wheat toast with bananas. Lunch was whole wheat tortilla with shredded cheese, apples, and fresh cucumbers. PM snack consisted of crackers with hummus.

WF Daily Explorations Tuesday 3/13

FARM TOMORROW!

Because the forecast for tomorrow is clear, sunny and warm, Tami is scheduling a trip to the farm with our older Wee Friends. Here’s the group that will be going: Ada, Annie, Arleigh, Jane, Macy, Simon, Viv and Kai. Please make sure your child has layered clothing (Tshirt/sweatshirt) and if your child doesn’t have boots here at WF, a pair of old tennis shoes that you don’t mind getting muddy.

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The swimmers boarded the Weehicle at 9:30, but there were many explorations happening prior to their departure! What are the benefits of block play?

  1. Increases hand-eye coordination.
  2. Cultivates logical thinking.
  3. Cultivates spatial awareness.
  4. Improves socialization by building ‘something’ with friends and siblings.
  5. Enhances language skills by negotiating plans and talking about the end product.

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Nate worked with teachers to help fold the daily towels.

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Lisa invited a few friends to a message board to create patterns using letters, numbers and shapes.

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A Princess Puzzle book was discovered and our princesses worked hard to assemble these 24 piece puzzles.

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Simon came to school today excited about sharing his robot arm. Melinda created a lesson plan by setting out a variety of different objects and inviting friends to see which items the robot arm could pick up. Throughout this fine motor exploration, friends discussed the size and different attributes of the items as they went along.

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Macy brought a favorite book to share with her friends: Mother Goose, illustrated by B.F. Wright. When they began reciting “Baa Baa Black Sheep” they were surprised to discover a verse new to them!

“Baa Baa Black Sheep, Have you any wool?

Yes, marry, have I, three bags full.

One for my master, one for my dame,

But none for the little boy who cries down the lane!”

Originally written in 1744, a brief research indicates the above version was published in 1916!

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The swimmers went on their way and back in the classroom, we filled up the senses of our younger Wee Friends! First, painting with watercolors, and then chalk and drippy wet rags to squeeze and erase with.

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Next we pulled out a bag of frozen veggies and with tubs of warm water, explored what happens to the cold frozen veggies when soaked in warm water. They squished, ate, spooned and popped green beans out of pods. Additional Wee Sprouts were mixed veggies.

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FABS – Week of 3/12: Literacy: K.2.4-Identify types of everyday print materials. K.7.4-Recite short poems, rhymes and songs. Math: K.3.1-Identify, sort, and classify objects by size, number, and other attributes. Identify objects that do not belong to a particular group. K.3.2-Identify, copy, and make simple patterns with numbers and shapes.

Our Wee Sprouts today are carrots and cucumber slices. Breakfast was Kix and pear slices. For lunch, we served romaine salad, ham sandwiches on whole wheat rolls cantelope.

Enjoy this wonderful, WARM day!!!!

WWF, Spring Please!, 3-12-2012

Hello and Happy Monday!

It looks like spring may have sprung :). While it was warming up outside, we stayed busy in the Wee Wee Friends House. We started our morning off by reading stories and having our friends play with their favorite toys. Jada and Chloe shared a book that they both love, Walking Through the Jungle. Lea and Marina sat down to have some breakfast where they talked about what they were eating. P.K. loved playing peek-a-boo with his friends while he was playing in the cube. Elizabeth had a great time using her gross motor skills as she was running around the room with his purse while listening to recorded music. Clara sure was happy to be back at WWF as you can tell by the big smile on her face! Sloane was also happy to be back to see all of her friends. She got some snuggles from Miss Marty today!

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Miss Melinda brought in her accordion today! Not only did the children love it but the teachers loved it too! Everyone helped Miss Melinda make music by pressing buttons. We all danced around to the music. Since most of our friends had never heard an accordion before, they were very interested in the sound it made. Jada chose to dance along to the music with her doll. We all had such a great time listening to new sounds!

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Thankfully this afternoon we were able to head outside. Marina and Ellie both loved sliding down the slides. Ellie wanted to see how fast she could go. Olivia and P.K. used digging tools while playing in the sand. They sure had to use their muscles since the sand was a little wet from this morning.

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For breakfast, our friends enjoyed corn bran. AM snack consisted of green beans. Lunch was whole wheat noodles with black beans, mixed fruit (bananas and oranges), and mixed vegetables (carrots and peas). Afternoon snack was apples and cupcakes (happy late birthday Sloane!). Our late afternoon snack was bananas.

Have a great evening!

-Mindy

WF Daily Explorations Monday 3/12

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Happy Monday! The Blue Bus came and friends built tunnels, walked the balance beam and jumped on the trampoline. Miss Jennifer set up the swing and friends were able to swing from the ceiling of the bus!

While our older friends (first group) waited for Miss Jennifer to come get them, they sang a new Wee Friends life skills song called “Nosey Snacks” and recited “Rain, Rain Go Away.”

While our younger Wee friends waited for their group, Lisa played an object identification game. Using plastic gingerbread people and red counting rods, she created patterns. Friends identified which objects belonged and which didn’t, as well as the pattern they created.

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Other friends worked on the oval rug creating the first letter of their name with wooden dowels.

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While our younger friends were on the bus, a small group of children worked at the art table with paper, glue and two paper shapes: pink circles and blue triangles. Friends wrote the first letter of their name on the paper and glued the shapes, in a variety of patterns, to their letter and the paper.

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While Lisa played cards with a small group of friends, Kai and Simon began studying our several Jack and the Beanstalk books to find a picture to use as inspiration for a 3D model. Once they got started, several friends joined in to create their own. Each friend completed the first step today: painting the floor/ground of their model.

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A big thank you to the Guisinger-Nickerson family for the rock donation! Tami is still looking for logs of all shapes and sizes!

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Our Wee Sprouts today are cherry tomatoes and carrots. Breakfast was whole wheat toast with peanut butter and clementines. For lunch, Tami served whole wheat pasta with black beams, fruit salad and carrots/peas.

“Nosey Snacks”

“Just Say No to Nosey Snacks, No! No! No!

Just Say No to Nosey Snacks, No! No! No!

Carrots are yummy in my tummy.

Cookies are yummy in my tummy.

Chicken is yummy in my tummy,

But Nosey Snacks? Pick, pick, pick, chew, chew, chew…

EEEEE-OOOOOO!!

“Just Say No to Nosey Snacks, No! No! No!

Just Say No to Nosey Snacks, No! No! No!”

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Have a great day.

 

 

WWF, 3-9-2012

Happy Friday!

On this sunny Friday, our friends began their day by reading books and playing with their friends. Jada and Lea sat together and read a book together. They took turns reading and helping each other. Chloe had her favorite book, Today is Monday, read to her. She loves listening to the book!

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After reading a Dora book about counting fruit, our friends gathered in the kitchen to peel oranges and then eat them. They used their fine motor skills to peel the orange and used their sense of taste to taste the orange.

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The experiment for the day involved ripping orange paper and then immersing it into the water. Our friends then took markers and wrote on the paper while it was still in the water. The children loved how the marker bled out into the water. Everyone worked on using their sense of touch by touching the wet water and to see how the marker looked on wet paper.

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For breakfast, our friends enjoyed chex with milk and apples. AM snack was snap peas. Lunch consisted of grilled cheese with whole wheat bread and shredded cheese, pears, and hummus with crackers. PM snack was rice cakes with soy butter.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

-Mindy

WF Daily Explorations Friday 3/9

Using our three bean collection, we created art.

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Kai led a round of The Ladybug Game.

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Umi was thrilled that her buddy Max came to spend the day with us. Together, they sorted and patterned bugs (and hid them in the cubbies!)

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There’s no better place for a story than on a WF teacher’s lap.

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We wrapped a piece of paper inside a Mason jar, tossed in a few beans and a couple drops of watercolor, tightened the lid and sang “Shake, shake, shake…shake the beans..yah!”

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We set out a long green sheet and asked “What should we do with this?” Annie got up, pointed to the hammock hook and smiled. With close teacher supervision, many Jacks climbed up this beanstalk.

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Our Wee Sprouts today are carrots, cauliflower and broccoli. Breakfast was Chex/Kix and raisins. For lunch Lisa slow cooked a pot of pinto beans, adding shredded chicken and rice…….mmmmmmmm!!!! So good! We served peas and fruit salad with it.

Have a terrific, restful weekend.

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