Hello!

Our friends are getting good at learning to read their friends. P.K. had to leave his Daddy this morning after being with him for a whole week on vacation along with the rest of his family. He was a little upset this morning and Clara could tell so she gave him a hug. It helped him settle into the day.

Every week, we notice that our friends are growing into their own person, an individual. Whether it’s coming into their own or noticing different things that make them upset or happy, we’re learning new things about each child daily. We learn so much about each other in the five days that we spend with one another each week. When Emma makes her first face, we can tell that she’s a little upset. In the second picture, Emma looks happy!

We love learning about one another!

Once the day started rolling, friends tossed and turned the blue material tubes. We got out the tube with the bells inside. A teacher said, “That sounds like Christmas bells!” (yes, winter is soon approaching )

Another activity that friends chose was reading books individually, with a teacher, and with a friend. Not only does this activity allow for children’s vocabulary to grow, but we’ve noticed lately that when a friend is done with a book, she/he will offer it to another friend. The concept of sharing is a hard one but our friends are starting to show the beginning signs of what ‘sharing’ means and including it within their play.

We strolled on outside where friends played by the log house. We worked with the rocks and sand. Since it rained overnight, most of the material was still wet which adds a great aspect of sensorial play outside.

Children hopped on the bikes as they went around and around! Our big Wee friend Sloane gave our friends a ride!

Zoey enjoys investigating a variety of toys. She feels everything with her fingers whether it’s soft, hard, or bumpy. The aspect of venturing out and playing with a new toy or person is important at this young age!

For breakfast, friends enjoyed corn flakes and pears. AM snack was string cheese. Lunch consisted of delicious ham and cheese tortillas, cucumbers, and banana. PM snack was hard boiled eggs and pretzels.

Have a wonderful night!

-Mindy

While the swimmers were at their last swim lesson (they all finished with flying colors, Lisa reported!) Mel made magic at Wee Friends. Using a penny magic trick that her father taught her, our Wee Friend’s eyes lit up with disbelief as she rubbed the penny into her elbow and made it disappear! Afterwards, friends gathered at the art table to give it a try.

Other magic is happening too.

 

Wee Sprouts: Carrots. Breakfast: Cheerios and bananas. Lunch: Ham and cheese, melted on whole wheat tortillas, bananas and cucumber slices. Snack: Yogurt and apple slices.

Have a good day.

Good Afternoon!

Daniel read animal books this morning with Miss Marty. He’s picking up the animals and the sounds associated with that animal very quickly!

Friends gathered in the kitchen to interact with one another. They baked and cooked food for their friends. Eve wanted a pot and Eren handed it to her. A goal throughout the day that we strive for is sharing or waiting until a friend is done with a toy and using as many words as possible!

Daniel and Eren lined up numerous cars along the shelves. They helped each other by handing one another different cars.

Eve played pretend this morning with a baby doll. She fed her baby a bottle and rocked her to sleep.

We headed outside where it was quite nice! Friends went down the slide together. Children helped Miss Mindy clean the slides off because they were wet!

Eren has almost mastered the stairs! When he first started, he walked around the stairs to avoid them. Now, he takes them straight on! Along with Eren, our friends love the different challenges that are posed to them outside.

Eren enjoyed working with wet sand and feeling it between his fingers. The sensorial input the our friends get outside is great!

Zoey worked on trying to pull herself up using the table. She was all smiles as she tried again and again.

Our newest little friend sat with Zoey as they looked at different toys together.

A few friends played with animals this afternoon. Eve worked on saying the sounds that each animal makes.

Peek-A-Boo I see you!

For breakfast, children had cinnamon toast and pears. AM snack was corn. Lunch consisted of whole wheat noodles with marinara sauce, apples, and green peas. PM snack was animal crackers and string cheese.

Have a terrific evening!!

-Mindy

Boy, do Wee Friends love the Blue Bus! Today they worked with balls and the parachute to practice hand-eye coordination. They played catch with beach balls and small plastic balls. They kicked soccer balls. They used the balls and the parachute together for a popcorn game. Then the parachute became a tent that friends could run under and hold around the perimeter.

We found some cool sponges that we set out with brown, red and orange paint. Wee Friends experimented on the different textures the sponges could create.

The reading area is always occupied and many times our ‘on their way to reading’ friends pull out the books they see our readers reading to practice. Holding a book and turning the pages from right to left is actually an Indiana Standard for Language Arts Learning Expectations, for preschoolers!

Another small group of friends worked with Melinda, exploring patterns and structures with the linking shapes.

 

Jane, Macy and Arleigh decided to create more patterns on paper, with markers.

Lisa read Robert Munsch’s Love You Forever. They held their own babies as they listened to the story. Later, friends created a message board expressing what they loved about their mom.

Laurie worked with a few friends on the music rug, exploring different patterns in music.

And, as always, friends ripped up the sidewalk (not literally) with bikes, bikes, bikes…..

Wee Sprouts: Pea pods. Breakfast: Peanut butter on whole wheat toast and pear slices. Lunch: Egg noodles with marinara, green beans and pear slices. Snack: Elliott’s Birthday zucchini bread and raisins.

Have a good day.

Happy Friday!

Smiles filled the Wee Wee house today! It’s a great feeling to watch our friends smile and be happy .

Friends played with one another while doing various activities. Sharing took place this morning with all of the children!

A few friends took action while some watched and observed.

Our gross motor occurred in the morning where friends jumped and slid down the slide.

We headed into the kitchen for some quiet time this morning where friends worked with insects and cars. Children picked which one they were most interested in. It’s important to let our friends pick their own activity because it makes it valuable to them.

Zoey enjoyed investigating Miss Mindy’s water bottle! She loved the sound it made when it was pressed in and out. She must have been thirsty because she was trying to get a drink!

Eve played hide and seek with her friends and teachers. It’s been a great first week for Eve! She’s enjoying making new friends and we’re having fun getting to know her as well as her family!

Emma crawled through holes and played peek a boo with Zoey! Zoey thought this was very silly. She laughed and laughed.

We turned on music in the afternoon so our friends could dance. Emma bounced up and down while Daniel clapped his hands and moved his arms all about.

For breakfast, children had eggs with cheese and banana/pears. Lunch consisted of homemade chicken noodle soup with carrots, celery, corn, and peas (thanks Miss Lisa!) and apples. PM snack was goldfish and hard boiled eggs.

Have a terrific weekend!!

-Mindy

Lisa asked the kids if they wanted to make chicken soup! We started the conversation with two books about preparing recipes: To Market, To Market and Piggie Pie.

Mel guided friends as they, first, made a grocery list and secondly, went shopping.

Friends split up into different parts of the house and prepared pots of soup!

When the pots were set to simmer, friends went on their way and began rainy day play.

Mel read Clap Your Hands, an interactive book that has friends clapping, standing on their heads and hunting for certain objects, just to name a few.

Happy Birthday, Mindy!

We are ready for the cold.

And the mud.

And with that, we wish you a happy weekend.

Wee Sprouts: Pea pods. Breakfast: Malt-O-meal with applesauce. Lunch: Chicken soup and apple slices. Snack: Yogurt and raisins.

Happy Thursday!

Our Wee Wee’s started off the day playing with cars. They pushed them across the table to their friends.

Children concentrated as they used their hands to carefully guide the cars to friends or teachers. We talked about the different colors of each car.

We headed outside where we took a walk in the garden. All of the vegetables are gone but there are a lot of leaves to look at!

We had a dance part in the flower garden! Friends bounced, jumped, and twirled with one another.

We loved walking around and looking at the different leaves. Children threw them up in the air and watched them fall to the ground.

Clara enjoyed the cool air as she lay on the porch.

When naptime was ending, friends played with the blue tubes. Emma and Clara watched as Miss Melinda tipped the tubes all together at one time! They found it amazing that all of the material moved at the same time.

Friends practiced pretend as they put a bucket on their head!

As Zoey looked at her reflection in the mirror, Clara gave her an abundance of kisses!

The mirror is always a hot spot in the room. Children love to look at themselves and the different facial expressions that they make.

Gross motor time occurred in the afternoon where friends crawled through holes and jumped up and down as they worked out different parts of their body.

Zoey helped Eve as she played the piano. Eve did a great job at sharing her piano.

We have a toy that allows younger friends to work on their fine motor skills. Children have to push, press, and shift different buttons for Disney characters to pop up!

For breakfast, children had corn bran and pears. Lunch consisted of whole wheat tortillas with melted cheese and ham, peas, and bananas. PM snack was string cheese and animal crackers.

Have a great evening!

-Mindy

Breakfast: Corn Chex and bananas. Lunch: Toasted turkey and cheese on whole wheat tortillas, pea pods and bananas. Snack: Cheese stix and crackers.

Have a good day.

Hello!

The Wee Wee Friends house was quiet this morning which allowed our friends to have a gentle and easy transition into their day!

Zoey was crawling everywhere. She followed friends to their play activities and joined right in!

We got out the blue tubes with different materials inside each one. The materials include feathers, bouncy balls, bells, foam shapes, and plastic play pieces. There are some that make loud noises and a few that can’t be heard at all. Clara enjoyed the bouncy balls. She wanted them out of the tube! We explained that they had to stay in there so they didn’t get lost.

Miss Melinda brought over her accordion. Our friends were a little skeptical at first but they warmed up to the idea and enjoyed the music.

Clara enjoyed helping Miss Melinda play the music. She used her fine motor skills to press each key and heard a different note each time!

She also enjoyed dancing to the music. Miss Melinda played ‘Baby Beluga’ which is one of our favorites!

Eve took a stab at playing the accordion. It was a new experience for her at Wee Wee Friends but she tried it which was great!

Clara wanted to hold the accordion herself. Throughout the day, she enjoys doing as many things on her own as possible. She’s showing many signs of becoming an independent one year old! Miss Melinda held it along with Clara and she soon realized that it was heavy! She did play a few notes however .

All of the music made Eren very happy! Instead of diving right in to play the instrument, he enjoyed sitting back and really listening to the music. He bounced up and down to the different tunes that were being played.

Zoey ended her day with a pretty impressive milestone here at Wee Wee Friends. While her older friends were sound asleep, Miss Mindy looked over at Zoey and she had pulled herself up with the help of shelves to hold onto! She stood there for 30 seconds! She smiled and was so proud of herself!

It’s amazing when we get to witness certain milestones and important events in our friends lives! The Wee Wee’s are growing and growing up quick!

For breakfast, children had cheerios and pears. Lunch consisted of whole grain rice with beef, corn, and juicy pears. PM snack was hard boiled eggs and pretzels.

Have a great evening!!

-Mindy

*We are planning to go to the Matthys Pumpkin Patch (57754 Crumstown Hwy, SB 46619. Tele: 574-287-1935) tomorrow as scheduled. If it is cold and raining, we won’t go, but if it’s cold and dry, we will! Please have your WF to school by 8:15 tomorrow if they’d like breakfast OR 8:45 (no breakfast). Prepare your child for chilly weather! If you are planning on transporting your child to the farm, please let Tami know as she prepares car seats. Many thanks!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Lea! Today, Lea turns three. To celebrate, she brought her friends homemade Zucchinicakes and wore a spectacular sparkly, sea foam green dress!!! Love!!!

Our abundant summer garden has grown, overgrown, withered, fallen and is now all done.

Amy C. suggested we cover the soil with fallen leaves.

Today, we built a lesson around preparing the soil for winter (and spring!). Using The Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman, we talked about hibernation.

Then we explored what it might feel like if we hibernated in the same way a bear does.

We discussed that by blanketing the garden with leaves, we are giving the earth food so that when we are ready to grow our next garden, the soil will have had lots of healthy vitamins and minerals. Then we got to work covering our dear old garden up for the long winter.

And what a glorious day to be living and playing on the earth.

Indoors, Tami set out The Five Little Pumpkins finger play book, orange and brown watercolor and white paper. Friends created vibrant, interpretive pumpkin art.

The Band of Boys and Birthday Girl requested the Pumpkin Pound.

In the music are we carried on with our hibernation exploration, we created a Snowflake Meditation, listening to the soft, sparkly sounds of snow falling and tickling our cheeks and fingers lightly as we rested our bodies. And then The WF Boy Band requested Dynamite.

Wee Sprouts: Carrots. Breakfast: Cheerios and bananas. Lunch: Whole grain rice with beef, corn and apple slices. Snack: Lea’s Zucchinicakes and orange slices.

In the other gardens
And all up the vale,
From the autumn bonfires
See the smoke trail!

Pleasant summer over
And all the summer flowers,
The red fire blazes,
The grey smoke towers.

Sing a song of seasons!
Something bright in all!
Flowers in the summer,
Fires in the fall!

-R.L. Stevenson