“Has anyone ever been to Mexico? Has anyone ever had Mexican food?” These were the questions that began our journey into MEXICO! Jason Ruiz (Uncle Jason to Kai and Dylan), American Studies Professor at ND and Crystal’s dear friend, visited Wee Friends this morning to share the stories of his family’s native Mexico.

As always, friends had their passports stamped before joining flight attendant, Lisa, and special guest, Jason, onboard. Today, we had another special guest in the house, ANNIE! She wo-manned the immigration checkpoint with an “M for Mexico” stamp.

When the last friend had boarded, Jason began with a big “Bienvenidos a Mexico!” friends showered him with the answers to his questions and made their own observations:

In Mexico you eat:

• “Carrots!”
• “Sticky rice!”
• “I eat pasta!”
• “Are you Kai’s dad?”
• (Mexico) is next to California!”
• “I’ve been to Los Angeles and I saw a lot of people who speak Mexico.”

Jason explained that in order to speak the language of Mexico, Spanish, one must learn how to roll one’s ‘r’. Friends took a few moments to experiment with that.

Jason asked Wee Friends, “Do you know where your spine is?”

We learned that our neighbor, Mexico, also has a spine. The high mountain range that runs vertically through Mexico has a ridge that is likened to a spine. We learned that Mexico has 31 states and is the 13th largest country in our world.

Next we learned the Spanish word for several familiar images:

• Sol=sun
• playa=beach
• chipi chipi=light rain (Jason’s favorite kind of day in Mexico!)
• sandia=watermelon
• ninos=children

Jason told us a Mexican legend about the emblem on the country’s flag.

It is said that when the Aztecs were searching for a place to settle, a wise oracle instructed them to find land beside a lake. Near the lake, there would be a marshy region where they would see a cactus growing. Upon the cactus they would find an eagle with a snake in its mouth. It is there that the Aztecs should settled, instructed the oracle. The Aztecs found(ed) this very spot: Mexico City.

Jason taught us that Mexicans LOVE spicy food! He brought us three special food treats to sample:

• Sweet Galletitas
• Salty Chicharrons
• Spicy Chili covered lollipops

The sweet little cookies were devoured, the salty fried pork skins was devoured and the spicy, chili covered lollipops were….examined and consumed very carefully! The lollipop was a sweet, maize shaped candy that had been dipped in chili powder.

• Ada: “It sticks to my tongue!”
• Taylor: “It IS spicy!”
• Viv/Kai: “It’s too sweet.”
• Max: “No!”
• Nate: “I like it!”
• Arleigh: “I don’t want to try it.”
• Annie: “It stings my tongue.”
• Lea: “I like spicy food!”

When Jason poured the spicy picante sauce in a dish, many friends dipped their chicharron and lollipops in before eating them.

We said thank you and goodbye to Jason by singing Wee Friends Anthem #1 and Annie agreed to sing a song that she learned in her musical theatre camp this summer.

Muchos Gracias, UNCLE JASON for taking us all the way to Mexico and sharing with us, the wonderful stories and food of your culture. We hope you’ll come again!

Speaking of traveling around the world, Marta came home today! Welcome back, Marta!

Wee Sprouts: Cucumbers. Breakfast: Chex and raisins. Lunch: Whole wheat penne pasta, peas and fruit salad.

Buenos Dias y Adios.

 

Happy Friday!

We started the day off by dancing!

It then lead to a relaxation time where we listened to music. Ellie ran and got a soft teddy to lay her head on.

Chloe and Clara built with blocks this morning. The blocks are see through and have different objects in each block. One of the blocks has fish in it. Chloe and Clara made their fishy face to show their friends!

P.K. practiced flipping pancakes in the air.

We used new play-dough that Miss Tami made us! We used different tools as well as cut-outs.

Zoey is continuing to kick her feet up and down and bang them on the floor. She enjoyed holding a blanket which helped to comfort her.

For breakfast, children had cinnamon toast with raisins. AM snack was cucumbers.

Lunch consisted of whole wheat English muffin pizzas, frozen blueberries, cucumbers, and ham/cream cheese roll-ups. Our friends LOVED the frozen blueberries!

PM snack was vanilla yogurt with blueberries.

Have a safe and happy weekend!

-Mindy

Today, we say goodbye to Simon. We love you, Simon! Good luck at your new school and know how much your Wee Family will miss you! We hope you (and Bunny) will visit us and tell us tales of your next Great Adventure.

 

Today, friends painted their bone sculpted necklaces. We hopped in and out of the outdoors as rain permitted. We worked on a special card for Simon and Melinda played an observation game with the kids. She set out several items on the carpet. Friends studied the items, Melinda took one away, and then friends guessed which item was missing. We read books and had discussions about kindness and listening.

Wee Sprouts: WF garden cucumbers. Breakfast: Whole wheat English muffins with PB and cinnamon and pear slices. Lunch: Cheese pizza on whole wheat English muffins and ham and cream cheese rolled in whole wheat tortillas, WF garden tomatoes and pear slices.

For our pm snack, Simon has made us homemade tarts for his Sending Off Celebration!

Have a great weekend.

PS: We are starting to refurbish our art supplies! If you have lids (milk, salsa, PB or 2 liter pop bottles) and/or TP/Paper towel rolls, we’d welcome them! Thanks so much!

Good Afternoon!

Welcome back Daniel! Daniel travelled with his family for the past few weeks on a family vacation! We sure did miss him!

Children enjoyed listening to different stories being read.

It was all smiles at Wee Wee this morning!

Daniel worked with Legos and different fine motor activities.

P.K. and friends climbed on the jungle gym and exercised their gross motor abilities.

Zoey is talking more and more! She enjoys conversations that are happening throughout the house. When her friends are talking to one another, Zoey looks in their direction to listen.

This afternoon we started a new sensory activity. Children painted coffee liners using fall colors. We are going to string them in the entrance of our classroom! Our friends painted mutliple coffee liners while using different colors each time. They chose what color they would like to use.

For breakfast, children had Kix and oranges. AM snack was blueberry muffins. Lunch consisted of tortillas filled with cheese and black beans, cantaloupe, and green beans. PM snack was animal crackers and cantaloupe.

Have a terrific evening!

-Mindy

 

Happy Wednesday!

Water Wednesday was a success! Our friends loved splashing the water and smelling the soapy suds.

Marina took the soap sods in her hands and squeezed. Clara giggled as she felt the water on her stomach.

P.K. filled water into a container that had holes at the bottom. The water poured out of the holes and back into the sink.

Clara stared up at the sun that was coming through the window. Ellie joined in on the fun as children played with various animals.

Clara took a measuring cup and added a rock to it. She shook the measuring cup and the rock made a loud noise. When the rock fell out of the cup, she put it right back in.

The flowers smelled beautiful today.

Friends found chalk and drew on the black board. Clara decided to draw on the cement ground.

Zoey extended her arms out today as she lay on her belly. She stretches them out to the front of her as well as to the side. She’s learning how to become more stable as she’s laying on her stomach.

Zoey’s also beginning to take flying lessons!

Clara enjoyed playing peek-a-boo!

P.K.’s gross motor skills have been increasing on a daily basis. He runs all throughout the house. He has two favorite books of lately: ‘The Very Hungry Spider’ and ‘Baby Animals’. He came running with his book of choice wanting it read to him.

For breakfast, children had cinnamon bagels and banana. AM snack was green peas. Lunch consisted of whole wheat cous cous with ham and cheddar cheese, fresh mixed fruit (watermelon and cantaloupe), and carrots. PM snack was blueberry muffins and raisins.

Have a great evening!

-Mindy

 

When you see the Southern Cross for the first time,
You understand now why you came this way,
…….it’s as big as the promise, the promise of a comin’ day.      

                                      -Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young                

                              

This promising day began with the construction of a bedroom suite.

Sydney and Elise spearheaded the creation of a big bed with pillows, a twin bed, two bedside tables, a TV (with remote control) and a chair.

Friends stretched their muscles and explored gravity by climbing up and down the habitrail ladder and creating more complex block structures.

We put our homemade drums to the test in a drum parade, marching and beating to a George Lee Jr. rendition of “These Boots are Made for Walking.”

Inspired by Lindsay’s carved bone necklace, Wee Friends made their own version of this Pacific Island jewelry. First, they made three batches of salt dough. Later, friends gathered ‘round the table to begin their work, sculpting shapes from the gooey dough. Lisa punched a hole in the top for string.

We talked again about the Southern Cross and filled a piece of paper with stenciled stars. Friends not only found the Southern Cross formation, but drew point to point, creating other geometrical shapes. 

Some friends worked with star stickers.

We practiced nurturing one another.

We practiced the art of listening.

(Wee ) have been around the world, (this summer! and)
When you see the Southern Cross for the first time
You understand now why you came this way.
….. it’s as big as the promise – The promise of a comin’ day.

Wee Sprouts: Cucumber and cantaloupe. Breakfast: Cinnamon Malt-O-Meal and bananas. Lunch: Whole grain cous-cous with ham and cheddar, broccoli crowns and watermelon.

Hope you’ve had a promising day.

Good Afternoon!

Zoey was all smiles bright and early this morning! She had a great time playing with a toy that was set out for her. It makes different sounds as well as having multiple parts to the toy. Her feet were her main play toy for the morning! She loves stretching her feet up towards her head.

While a group of friends formed a reading circle on the carpet, Zoey enjoyed watching the fish swim past her.

Children enjoyed painting this morning. We used our new brushes and different paint such as watercolor and tempra paint. Multiple colors were mixed together to make new colors.

We headed outside where Ellie was a big help! She used a shovel to scoop up the sand that was on the side walk and put it back into the sandbox.

Chloe and Ellie swayed back and forth on the teeter totter. They sang, “Teeter totter!”

Ellie had a great time doing different activities with the bouncy balls. First, she started to throw them across the yard. She then started to kick the balls with her friends!

More friends joined in the fun of kicking and throwing bouncing balls around. Everyone helped out their friends when they needed another bouncy ball.

P.K. scooted along on a small car. He used his feet to push him. While on the car, he looked at various buttons all throughout the car and pushed them and said, “Beep!”

Clara and Chloe opened and closed the window and door to let other friends into the house.

Our older Wee Friend Nate was jumping on bubble wrap and our friends watched intently. Children also imitated his movements and started jumping on the deck!

Miss Laurie brought out Miss Piggy! Our friends loved giving Miss Piggy a great, big, and gentle hug!

Emma played quietly in the cube this afternoon as her friends napped. She rested by putting her head on the pillows!

For breakfast, children had raisin bran and oranges. AM snack was green peas. Lunch consisted of pita bread with hummus, broccoli, and bananas. PM snack was raisins and graham crackers.

Have a terrific evening!

-Mindy

In “The Land of the Long White Cloud”, there is a mountain range that is so long and so high that, on overcast days, the clouds stretch over it’s peaks and rain pours down…lots of rain! In fact, the average annual rainfall in this Land is 10 meters, or 13 Ada’s tall!

This is one of the many interesting things we learned today when Finn’s Dad, Lindsay, took us halfway around the world to his native New Zealand.

He held up the globe, showed Wee Friends where New Zealand is and asked “What do you notice?” Friends replied:

• “It’s tiny!”
• There’s water all around it!”

They asked him questions and made observations:

• “Is it a long way from Notre Dame?”
• “My mommy talked about England”
• That’s the English flag!”
• “Bats sleep upside down, do Kiwis?”

We learned that the four stars on the New Zealand flag represent the four brightest stars seen in the New Zealand sky. If you draw a line down and across, it creates the “Southern Cross”. Sailors used this formation to guide them at sea. Long after the Eastern Polynesian settlers came, the English came and colonized the island. Both peoples are represented on the national flag.

He held up a Chinese gooseberry and asked “Do you know what this is?” Tami cut one open and many friends recognized the familiar kiwi fruit!

And then, Lindsay introduced us to a member of the New Zealand family that our friends our still talking about: New Zealand’s national bird, the Kiwi.

Lindsay taught us that the Kiwi bird is nocturnal and uses his nostrils at the tip of his beak to eat insects and bugs and worms. He shared with us that some of the worms in New Zealand are actually as big as Tami! It is the father who protects the eggs in the nest and often protects his friend’s eggs as well!

Friends got to hold a model “weta”, which is something akin to our grasshopper. It lives like a forest rat and can grow to 6” long.

 

Lindsay told us it takes 20 hours (from LA), by plane, to get to New Zealand. One time he was traveling back to the US on his 40th birthday. He left New Zealand at 8pm one day and arrived in LA on the same day at noon. His 40th birthday, lasted 40 hours! This is how explained the invisible International Date Line!

He read Kapai’s New Mates by Uncle Anzac and Perky the Pukeko by Michelle Osment that introduced us to a few Maori words:

• Kumara: Sweet Potato
• pipis: clams
• pakaru: broken
• kai: food

Home of the Mighty Black Team, Lindsay wore a black rugby jersey and explained that black is the color for all national sports. And then came the homemade Pavalova! Named after the Russian ballerina, this delicious meringue dessert was devoured by Wee Friends and teachers! So good!

 

THANK YOU Lindsay for this amazing trip to your beautiful “Land of the Long White Cloud”! We had a great time!

Wee Sprouts: Carrots. Breakfast: Raisin bran. Lunch: Whole wheat tortillas with hummus, bananas and broccoli.

ps: Did you know that 2 nights ago, one of the Island’s volcanoes erupted for the first time in 100 years?!!

Have a great day.

Happy Monday!

Ellie sat quietly on the rocking chair while reading a story this morning. When reading her favorite stories, she recites a good portion of the book from memory.

Our friends hopped on the bikes and took a nice ride along the circular bike path. Chloe rode a small tricycle and pushed along using her feet and legs.

Our vegetables are continuing to grow. The tomatoes are becoming red and the flowers are in a wonderful bloom. Children sniffed the flowers with their nose and used soft touches with the flowers as well as the vegetables.

While Clara stayed stationary on the bike, she rocked her body back and forth as if she was flying down the path!

P.K. became very concentrated as he sat on the porch building with Legos. He put them together and took different pieces apart. Once he was done, he picked them all up and put them back into the container! He shows responsibility for the toys that he’s playing with.

Clara got all dirty as she played in the wooden house this morning! Since it rained over the weekend, some of the playground was still a little wet. She sat with Marina while they filled watering cans up with rocks and pebbles. They pretended to water the flowers and the ground.

While singing ‘The Wheels on the Bus’, Ellie and Chloe focused on the words and the actions that go along with the song. Another favorite song that we like to sing on the swing is of course our ABC’s!

Zoey posed in many ways as she relaxed on her belly. She is now using her arms as a stabilizer and loves laying on her stomach. She reached one hand up to touch a toy that was located on the baby jungle gym. Zoey is very photogenic and has a great time laying with her Wee Wee friends on the floor.

Emma is beginning to walk more and more! She holds on to stable items around her and takes multiple steps. She enjoyed clapping and showing off her big smile this morning. The jungle gym is one of her favorite toys at Wee Wee Friends. She loves working on her gross motor activity all throughout the day whether it’s on the jungle gym or sitting on her knees and jumping up and down.

For breakfast, children enjoyed Chex and apples. AM snack was oranges. Lunch consisted of cheese ravioli with marinara sauce, juicy cantaloupe, and fresh cucumbers. PM snack was raisins and rice cakes with soy butter.

Have a great evening!

-Mindy

Today, we marched to the beat of our own drums……

We talked about our differences: how we look to our favorite songs. Each friend chose their own unique plastic container to turn into a drum. Melinda led a rhythm game and friends beat their drum accordingly.

Wee Sprouts: Carrots. Breakfast: Kix and raisins. Lunch: Cheese ravioli, cantaloupe and carrots.

Have a great day.