WWF 2.9.12
Author Archives: Wee Friends Teachers
WF Daily Explorations Thursday 2/9
Today we brought out the hearts!
Paulina shared a great sensorial activity with us: frozen heart ice cubes! We set them on the light table with heart cups and friends matched a cube with a cup. (FAB K.1.1 – Match sets of objects one-to-one) They watched them melt and slurped and crunched them, becoming ice-vores! They hid icy hearts under plastic hearts and guessed which cup was hiding the ice.
Many friends chose to paint heart shaped frames.
Various pairs of friends challenged each other to tic-tac-toe on our felt board.
Arleigh requested that we play Malificent. We played our Sleeping Beauty music and as friends touched the spindle they fell into a deep sleep. Many side stories were acted out: Alexandra dreamed of rainbows: Kai was Malificent’s tiger: Stephen (as Batman) turned Malificent to ice, among others! It gave us a chance to explore the idea of frozen/melted before we went to the light table.
Bob Books started the day!
Wee Sprouts today are green pea pods and grape tomatoes. For breakfast Lisa served whole wheat toast with peanut butter and clementines. For lunch, Tami is serving whole wheat tortillas with melted mozzarella cheese, cucumber slices and applesauce.
Parent/Child Conversation Starters
- What colors did you use to paint your heart frame?
- The habitrail has ladders and a fireman’s pole-which one is your favorite? Why?
- What is the part you are playing in the Spring Concert?
- Why did the icy hearts melt?
Have a good day.
Laurie
WWF, I Can Take Off My Shoes!, 2-8-2012
Good Afternoon!
**We just wanted to inform all of the families that we are going to start offering a late afternoon snack. This snack will consist only of vegetables. It will be offered but not required for the children to eat if they’re not hungry at this time. This snack will be offered between 4:30 and 5:00 daily. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!
We started off our day at WWF with play-dough. A track was made on the kitchen table where kids could take trains or cars and use the play-dough track. They loved the feeling of the play-dough and had a great time making sure that the cars and trucks stayed within the play-dough. We introduced some objects such as straws and marker tops for the kids to poke into the play-dough. Concentration was high while our friends drove their cars and trucks trying to make sure that they didn’t bump their car into the play-dough barrier!
After the trains and cars left the station, we indulged in music time. We started off with welcoming all of our friends to music time. Each child loved hearing their name and singing along to the music. The kids worked with drums, music shakers, scarves, and ribbons. A few children chose to interact with the music and the instruments while others chose to enjoy the sounds from a distance, whether they were reading books or playing on the jungle gym observing their surroundings.
Once music time was over, we bundled up our friends and headed outside. While chilly, the children were engaged during play such as riding cars, swinging on the swing singing with Ms. Paulina, or playing in the house with friends. A few friends even went on a nature hunt looking for wood and bark.
However, the cold started getting to all of us. So, we decided to come in which was right in time for lunch. Lunch was a favorite today! Ms. Tami made rice with chicken (which was gone by the end of lunch), mixed fruit including pineapple, banana, and oranges, and finally mixed vegetables including asparagus, carrots, broccoli, and peas. Our afternoon snack will be muffins and the late afternoon snack will be a vegetable.
To watch a short video of our little Clara mastering the art of drinking from a “big kid cup” click here!
Hope everyone has a wonderful evening.
WF Daily Explorations Wednesday 2/8
“Ah, but from where I am, among the great brains, I always know when magic is happening and am reminded to simply be delighted.” – Teacher Tom (teachertomsblog.blogspot.com)
Today’s big question was posed to the teachers: “What did you learn today?”
Lisa was inspired by the hour she spent with Kai (and Ada) identifying letters and counting and recording the numbers of like letters to the lyrics of “Hickory, Dickory, Dock”. She expressed that seeing how excited Kai was when he met success on his mission was incredible. She also made note that the confidence in which he approached this lesson inspired and encouraged her to keep challenging him.
Tami was delighted to have the opportunity to take time to observe and take pictures of our Wee Friends. She observed the close friendship that Umi and Alexandra are developing. Arleigh has stepped into a leadership role, organizing a group of friends to play “school”. She was “Mrs. Kelly” and Annie, Jane, Marta and Macy were her students. Mrs. Kelly instructed her class on how to write the letter “A”, upper case and lower case.
Tami saw Finn and Nate playing cooperatively with one another, as superheroes, over a long period of time.
When Elliott saw Finn feeding the dinosaur light table jewels, he shared the moment! That was after Tami observed him at the piano, plunking out notes and joyfully singing songs as he flipped through pages of music.
The last observation she wanted to share was the comfort Wee Friends feel snuggling up to Melinda when she reads stories.
During one of these snuggly moments, while reading to Jane, Melinda was reminded of the absolute specificity in which our friends notice and process information. Melinda expressed that, while reading Cinderella out loud, Jane asked that she be the stepmother and the Fairy Godmother. Melinda stated “I will be the stepmother, but couldn’t I be a grandma for the Fairy Godmother, since I am a grandma?” Jane said, “NO! It says GOD-MOTHER, not grandma!”.
Laurie worked with Simon and Ada at the workbench for a portion of the morning. These friends worked meticulously and patiently on the multiple step process of building planes. They verbalized what they were doing as they created. They made decisions about what size nail to use. Ada advised Stephen to be careful. They hammered and hammered and continued to hammer. They were not rushed. They positioned wings, bumpers with exactitude, renailing as needed. After the construction was complete, they painted their planes as the final step in their process. When they finished, Ada took a deep breath, put her glasses back on, and with a smile on her face, started a new creation. To sit with these two friends over this long period of concentration and creation was a gift to Laurie and a reminder to sit still, and observe and guide the children as their needs arise.
Our Wee Sprouts today are carrots and sweet peppers. Breakfast was oatmeal and bananas. For lunch, Tami served whole grain rice with chicken, asparagus vegetable medley and fruit salad. Snack will be pretzels and cheese.
Have a terrific day!
Parent/Child Conversation starters:
- I noticed you were wearing your Superhero cape! Does your Superhero have a name?
- Which songs did you sing today? Can we sing one together?
- There are glasses at the workbench? Who uses the glasses? Why do they use them?
Have a great day!
Laurie
ps: Don’t forget to take your child’s soap boat home!
WF/WWF Pics on Flickr!
WWF Pics (585 photos):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/weefriends/sets/72157629218211793/
WF Pics (678 photos):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/weefriends/sets/72157629188581213/
Enjoy!
WWF, Bear Exploration, 2-7-2012
Hello!
We started our day off at WWF by conducting hands on experiences involving ice that was shaped like hearts. The kids loved playing with the ice and feeling it on their fingers. They could tell whether the ice was hot or cold. They also used the sense of taste by sucking on the ice cubes. Our friends loved how it slid around on the table! While a few of our friends were experimenting with the ice cubes, the rest of the kids were in the living room listening to music. We were jumping, stomping, and twirling to the different songs.
After the ice activity was over, our friends gathered in the living room to have music time. This involved singing and dancing. While the music was playing, children helped by playing the drums and shaking bean bags. They added another talent by twirling scarves around while the music was played. While learning about bears during music time, our friends went on a bear hunt. They came across different textures such as a fluffy green blanket, a rug, and foam tiles. A lot of our friends went through the tunnel and snuck into the bear cave. While having the bear hunt the kids got on all fours and walked around the living room like bears looking for food.
Following music time came outside adventures! The children got bundled up to go outside and say hello to their Wee Friends! Some chose to ride bikes and cars while others chose to play in the sand or swing on the swing set. After being outside for a while, we all started to get cold. So, we came inside for lunch!
Today’s lunch was a hit. All we heard was, ‘more’! :). We started out with pita bread with cream cheese, shredded cheese, and ham on top. Then came the fruits and vegetables which included corn and pears.
Hope everyone has a fantastic evening!
WF Daily Exploration Tuesday 2/7
Wee Friends love to read! Our library is filled with books appropriate for all developmental stages.
Yesterday Jane and Annie shared their journals with one another, describing what they drew and what they wrote.
Lisa seized another literacy opportunity by writing out “Twinkle, Twinkle” and inviting older friends to identify certain letters. Kai circled all the “A”‘s and Jane worked on “B”‘s. 
A small group of friends continued working on glitter stars that we will use as props for our Spring Concert. Today’s FAB (two-step direction) was to squeeze glue on the stick and attach the star.
We began a creative music session by gathering on the oval rug and, using dowels, tapped out rhythms in “Twinkle, Twinkle”. Friends called out names of other nursery rhymes (“Pat-A-Cake”, “Baa-Baa-Black Sheep” and “Hickory, Dickory Dock”) and we explored another FAB objective: counting syllables in each word. We offered friends different ‘shaker’ instruments and we determined which instrument sounded like a tick-tock, which sounded like mice running up the clock and which sounded like a chime. Later, when we practiced for our concert, three friends volunteered to play these instruments as we sing.
- Tick-tock: Macy on the rhythm sticks
- “Clock struck one”: Jane on the triangle
- “Mice run up/down the clock”: Ada on the hand cymbals
And then we just jammed out, as we have been doing, to WF new honorary anthem “Dynamite” by Taio Cruz. Annie organized a circle of friends who, at one point, put all their hands in the middle and danced together in a circle.
Simon and Kai worked collaboratively at the workbench for quite a while building a sailboat and flying machine, respectfully.
Stephen and Ada ended their morning work with Lisa adding (counting out loud) and taking away gingerbread men.
WEE FRIENDS SOCK COLLECTION-To achieve our Math FAB objectives for the week, we are going to invite friends (and families!) to bring in any out-of-commission socks. We will count them, match them, discover patterns and colors, and graph and record our findings (and who knows what else!). Thanks in advance!
Thanks, too, to the parents, who have contributed to our daily Wee Sprouts!
Our Wee Sprouts today are grape tomatoes and broccoli. For breakfast Lisa served Cheerios and apple slices. Lunch was whole wheat cream cheese and ham pizzas, corn and pears. For snack, we will serve yogurt and apples.
Have a terrific day!
Laurie
WWF, Welcome Back Monday!, 2-6-2012
Happy Monday!
We’re going to start off the week with great pictures of activities that occured throughout the day!
Hope everyone has a tremendous evening!
WF Daily Explorations Monday 2/6
FAB (Framework for Academic Balance) Week of February 6
Literacy: K.1.13 Count the number of syllables in words, K.7.1 Understand and follow one and two-step directions – Math: K.1.1 Match sets of objects one to one, K.1.9 Record and organize information using objects and pictures.
Stemming from the feedback we received at last week’s curriculum meeting, we are going to start including weekly FAB objectives. These objectives, taken directly from the Indiana Academic Standards for kindergarteners, will serve as the underlying framework that we use to stay academically balanced without compromising the emergent curriculum already in place at Wee Friends. Be assured that the activities that emerge are always met with a developmentally appropriate approach to include all of our Wee Friends!
Melinda started the day by inviting friends to join her in the reading area for a read aloud of two books: Curious George and the Boat Show (thank you Elliott!) and Goat’s Book of Making and Doing Things.
Afterwards, everyone gathered at the art table to create their very own soap bar sailboats! Melinda guided friends through four steps:
- Measure and cut a straw 6″ in length
- Cut a triangular sail out of construction paper
- Tape the straw to the sail
- Place the straw sail into the bar of soap by whatever means possible!
Among the many singular directives given was Melinda’s request “Please, don’t shout out when you are ready for a bar of soap, but raise your hand so I know.” A few friends managed their impulses by covering their mouths as they raised their hands.
There were many discussions had as friends created their sailboats. The first question was “Will our sailboat float?”. We compared/contrasted a bar of soap and an empty glass and determined that, yes, the soap will float. Wee Friends explored how the soap smelled and what it felt like after it got wet. After their boats were finished, they tested, again, if it would sail. There was lots of scissor work and lots of collaboration as older friends assisted younger friends. Elliott and Jane were buddies during this activity and stayed on after the boats were completed to further explore the fabulous smelling ooey gooey soap!
Tami spent time with a few friends reading Bob Books.
We began our Spring Concert rehearsal with a warm up:
“Macy is here today, Macy is here today. Let’s all clap together, Macy is here today. Ma-cy…one, two”, exploring how many syllables (claps) are in each friend’s name.
We sang through eight nursery rhymes!
Parent/Child Dialogue Starters: (Open ended questions to inspire daily conversation with your child. *Our aim is to avoid asking questions that elicit a “yes” or “no” response)
- When you held the soap in your hand, was it slippery?
- When you saw that your boat was floating, how did it make you feel?
- When Melinda read Curious George and the Boat Show, how did you feel when George broke his friend’s boat?
- What would you do if someone broke your boat?
Today, Wee Sprouts were broccoli and carrots. For breakfast Mel served whole wheat bread with peanut butter and bananas. Lunch was homemade mac/cheese with whole wheat penne pasta, bananas and mixed veggies. Snack will be whole wheat crackers and apples.
Have a terrific day!
Laurie
Curriculum Meeting Summary
- Education is not the filling a bucket but the lighting of a fire. ~William Butler Yeats
We had a great turn out for our first Curriculum meeting! Since there were a few families who wanted to attend, but could not make the scheduled time, I thought I would take a few minutes and blog about our discussions last night. Email me if you would like me to schedule another evening for those who missed. If we have enough interest, I will be happy to set a date.
I started the meeting last night by raising the question, “What are you looking for in your child’s Early Childhood Education?” The WF families responded with:
- individualized pacing for my child
- happy, content, stimulated children
- teachers with expertise on my child’s development
- creativity integrated into curriculum
- teachers who understand my child’s temperament
- love of learning
- knowing that my child is loved
- my child is given respect
- my child is given compassion
The next brainstorming question was, “What are your future goals for your child?” The WF families responded that they wanted their child as a young adult to be:
- passionate and confident
- generous
- comfortable in their own skin
- self disciplined
- resourceful
- resistant to peer influence
- people that we want to be around
- accepting and non-judgemental
After our brainstorming, I talked about the WF curriculum history, our current curriculum and how we will keep growing in the future. Here are some highlights of that discussion:
I started WF coming right from St. Mary’s College with my Elementary Education Degree. Back in 1996, “Developmentally Appropriate” was a newer concept and not one taught to Elementary teachers. So, I began with a very rigid traditional curriculum that included worksheets, whole group transitions, and LOTS of craft projects. Even then, I was enthusiastic about making WF awesome and invested all my energy into making our traditional program top notch. However, I lasted about 2 years before I couldn’t ignore how poorly this curriculum fit with many of my preschool children. And when traditional preschool doesn’t work for a child, it REALLY doesn’t work. Unhappy with the way things were going, I chose to go back to school for my Master’s Degree in Education.
Following the rigid traditional years, I completely reversed my philosophy and moved into the other extreme and landed solidly into a play based curriculum. I was afraid of the harmful effects of the rigid program I had done and totally overcorrected! But, over the years we have evolved into a program that has balance of the two extremes, is based on research, and been tweaked repeatedly into something that is phenomenal for both teachers and children.
I have been lamenting for months that the WF Curriculum doesn’t fit in a neat little box of Waldorf, Montessori or Reggio. Other local programs boldy proclaim that are “Montessori” or “Project Approach” and have tried to fit their curriculum into a little box. However, it would be disingenuous to name our program anything already established. Our unique Wee Friends curriculum is something that has evolved throughout the years of trying multiple methods of teaching and keeping the best parts and disposing of the parts that don’t work. I recently have been joking with everyone that we are Wal-essor-io because our program has many aspects of each of these wonderful curriculum models. But, we are not only Waldorf, Montessori, or Reggio Emilia. We are more than that.
Thanks to conversations with my colleague, Susan Cress (Indiana University at South Bend Associate Professor in Early Childhood Education and Interim Associate Dean) I can put a name to the extraordinary way we teach children at Wee Friends: Constructivism.
Constructivism at Wee Friends looks like:
- Qualified teachers that are passionate about children
- Curriculum created from teachers observations
- A mix of child initiated vs direct teaching
- Love of learning primary goal
- Experiential, real
- Filled with choices
- Individually paced
- Focused on the natural gifts of children
- Socially and emotionally focused
- Multi-aged groups
- Balanced
- Learning is integrated across curriculum
- Researched based
The teachers at WF know that our curriculum is doing what it is supposed to do and the children who have passed through our program have done extremely well in their elementary years. We know the Indiana Academic Standards and incorporate them naturally into our day. But, I know through talking with families that there is a panic that sets in right before their child graduates from WF. They fear gaps because our program follows the lead of the children rather than directly teaching skills in a systematic way.
My mission became to find a solution that did not change what I know works, but rather give families the peace of mind that there is a curriculum framework that will ensure that their child has been introduced to all skills they may need for entering Kindergarten or First Grade. Starting in Fall 2012, we will incorporate into our program the WF Framework for Academic Balance (FAB). The FAB is a teacher organizing tool that will ensure that our older preschoolers and kindergartners have been offered activities that encompass the Indiana Academic Standards for Kindergarten, but will not compromise or change our Constructivist Learning Environment. I think that it will be a great solution for everyone.
We ended the meeting with discussion/suggestions from parents that included:
- more pictures on the blog (so we don’t miss kids and upset grandparents!)
- more field trips for older preK and K children
- finding “rites of passage” for older children to aspire to (special duties, special field trips or activiites that only the 5 year olds participate in)
- developing an assessment tool for older preK and K children that gives real information to parents but doesn’t overwhelm teachers with paperwork.
Thank you again to all the families that joined us for this meeting. I really had a great time! (Ya’ll have some great senses of humor!)
Tami