Leisure

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this is if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

by William Henry Davies

Wee Sprouts are carrots and snap peas. Breakfast was whole wheat bagels with cream cheese and orange slices. Lunch was whole wheat sandwiches with turkey, watermelon and snap peas.

Have a leisurely weekend!

ps: scroll back to Thursday’s blog for contest info.

Good Afternoon!

Clara started her morning by dressing up and telling her friends “bye” as she went toward the door! She also showed affection toward her baby doll by giving it a hug and kiss. Being able to show affection towards others is an important skill that children learn as they get older.

Chloe worked on putting Legos together. She took two Legos and snapped them together. She built a tower and took it around the room to show her friends!

We worked on our gross motor skills this morning.

Children climbed on the jungle gym. They slide down the slide and jumped up and down!

P.K. then went over to the stairs and slide combination. He loves walking down the stairs and has started to run! His coordination is getting increasingly better with each day.

Our friends also played dress up this morning. Chloe admired herself in the mirror while wearing the magician cape.

Zoey spent the day touching her toes and grabbing them intensely. She also spent a good amount of time on the floor where she reached for different toys. While on the floor, she kicks her legs with force.

For breakfast, children enjoyed Kix and banana. AM snack was green peas. Lunch consisted of rice with pork, mixed fruit (watermelon, blueberries, cantaloupe), and cucumbers. PM snack was a yummy orange and banana smoothie which was delicious and pretzels.

Have a great evening!

-Mindy

The Wee day began like many other wonderful Wee days. There were smiles, uncertain goodbyes, letter explorations and writing projects….

…..Wee gymnasium workouts and balance beam practice….

…a healthy breakfast…..Chex and orange slices…

…a family of slugs hunt…and the sweetness of the slug discovery…

 

…ice cream preparation and sales….

…and a multi-step dump truck project.

 

And then something happened. Something the teachers couldn’t have planned with even the best intentions for a rich educational experience. When Melinda came into the yard, Elliott took her hand and said…”Look.”

And there it was. A very brave and skilled man (Steve) was standing in our neighbor’s tree. What ensued was an hour long mini-field trip to our neighbor’s back yard to study how Bobby, Steve and Eric from

removed our neighbor’s tree from the tip top to the ground.

It was very loud but our friends remained very interested. Melinda explained that what was flying out of the chute, into the truck, was mulch. Bobby willingly salvaged some of the mulch for our friends to better explore.

Bobby laughed and said that the log he was carrying weighed as much as four Wee Friends!Eric explained how to tell the age of the tree and also what the liquid oozing from the center of the log was.

By counting the rings in the log, friends discovered that this particular tree was 15 years old.

Our thank you came in the form of song as we belted out familiar repertoire: “Jackhammer Joy”, “Jack and the Beanstalk” and “Wee Friends, Anthem #1”.

The guys hung around for a photo op and we got to see pictures of Eric’s new 6 week old newborn, Shelby Grace.

 

We can’t thank “A Cut Above” and Bobby, Steve and Eric enough for sharing so generously their time, daring feats and expertise. YOU MADE OUR DAY!

Here are a few anonymous quotes. The first parent to match five quotes with their owner will win a batch of homemade WF cookies!!

Kid Quotes:

• “Those guys better be careful! Hey guys..be careful!”
• “It was very loud.”
• “There was white stuff coming out of the tree.”
• That can become pencils or paper.”
• “They put the wood in there and they turned it on a cut it.”
• “I like how they cut it.”
• “Cut.”
• “Bobby was my favorite. He carried the big giant log and he was nice.”
• “My favorite was when he cutted the tree.”
• “There was a man in a yellow shirt.”
• “I liked when they took a picture with us.”
• “They carried big logs! They did it!”
• “I liked when we sang to them and when the guy screwed up the wood.”
• “I liked the tree coming down and the guy climbing in the tree!”
• “I liked watching the noise. The wheel goes ‘cuz the log goes in, like that.”
• “I don’t want to talk about it right now.”
• “I didn’t like it.”
• “There’s blue rope, just like my dad’s.”
• “This looks like a piece of chicken.”

Teacher Quotes:

• “I know I’m getting old when just watching makes my joints ache.”
• “They really went out on a limb for us.”
• “Look! A real life Jack in the Beanstalk!”
• “Oh goody! More logs!”
• “The lesson plan for today is life experience!”
• “I noticed there were big spikes on (Steve’s) shoes used to dig into the tree so he could climb up.”
• “They were a cut above!”
• “That’s a dangerous piece of equipment!”
• “O my gosh, they are very strong!”
• “I’m stumped in amazement!”
• “This is tree-mendous!”
• “This is better than The Music Man!”
• “O my god! Their muscles are huge and strong!”
• “They must eat a lot of Wee Sprouts!”
• “When we are done, we’ll act like a tree and leave.”
• “This is building community.”

Contest in effect ‘til we have a winner. Come on….it will be fun…..

Happy Wednesday!

Our friends often turn to the camera, stop whatever their doing, and say, “Cheese!”

Today, we welcomed our newest friend, Daniel, to Wee Wee Friends! He had a short visit yesterday but he stayed for a while today to play with us. He especially liked playing with the trains this afternoon.

Marina and Emma travelled to the kitchen this morning where they played with different cars. Marina showed Emma how to push the car on a hard surface. Emma drove her car on the table as well as the floor and chair.

Marina then joined Chloe to color using markers. Marina was focused on drawing straight lines while Chloe chose to draw circles. Our friends are working on their fine motor skills by coloring and doing intricate movements with their hands.

The sprinkler was set outside to water the flowers and plants. P.K. enjoyed watching the water move and got excited when the mist hit him in the face!

Chloe made special music outside. She took pebbles and put them into a container. She then shook the container making music that she found very exciting!

We are all loving the new words that our friends are saying! After touching the slide, P.K. looked up and said, “Hot!” referring to the slide. Miss Mindy explained that since the hot sun is shining on the slide, the slide then becomes hot.

Zoey worked on her fine motor skills this afternoon while laying on her baby jungle gym. She reached for her favorite toy. She tugged on it with great force. Her goal was to put it in her mouth. She was successful!

She worked on her hand strength as she held a green soft ball in her hands.

Emma also held the ball in her hands. She threw it across the floor and then went to get it. This was done multiple times! She had a great time throwing the ball to her friends.

For breakfast, our friends enjoyed eggs with cheese, English muffins, and banana. AM snack was oranges. Lunch consisted of ham and cheese tortillas, mixed fruit, and peas. PM snack was animal crackers and oranges.

Have a “cheesy” evening!

-Mindy

 

Today our oldest friends took a field trip to Tami’s pool.

+

Back in the classroom….Elliott directed a concert from a podium he built himself. He  conducted and belted out “Twinkle”, “Puff” and “ABC” with Sloane and Jada.

Melinda led a creative music session that ended with her playing the accordion-a favorite experience for Wee Friends! Among the many songs she played were “You’re a Grand Old Flag” and “Puff the Magic Dragon”.

We’re close to finishing our American flag.

Jada and Lea spent much of their morning working together, taking care of baby dolls, trying on different pairs of shoes and discussing different subjects.

We set out a question: “How many stars are on the United States Flag?”. Friends took turns drawing stars with a stencil, free handed and also sticking star stickers on.

While the older friends waited to depart, we worked on a couple clap songs: “Miss Mary Mack” and “Say, Say, Oh Playmate.”

Elliott served chocolate chip cookies with ice cream. Then he washed his own dishes!

Max worked with several cell phones, having conversations along the way.

Finn began working on a magnetic ball and sphere structure and Nate and  Max rushed over to join him.

And then came OUR special treat! The trampoline! Our Wee Friends were so very patient as they sat together on the Waiting Blanket.

Have a good day.

Good Afternoon!

Zoey started off her morning with floor time where she rolled from her back to her stomach with no trouble! She propped herself up using her arms and preceded to reach for toys with her hands.

She is becoming more aware of her hands and feet. Her hands have been in her mouth and she’s been feeling her toes.

This morning, our children focused on their gross motor skills by climbing on the jungle gym, sliding down the slide, and jumping once they got off the slide.

P.K. is becoming a huge fan of our newest gross motor activity! He slides down on his belly and walks down the steps. He is more confident in the moves that he does and when he does fall, he gets right back up!

Chloe played peek-a-boo with her friends today! She loved hiding and then jumping up and saying, “Here I am!”

Miss Marty took a few friends on an exciting ride! They bounced along while singing songs.

P.K. and Clara made sure to use nice touches with one another today! Clara gave P.K. a hug and P.K. leaned in to accept it.

There are gorgeous flowers blooming in the back yard! We talked about the different colors of each flower and made sure to smell them with our nose. Marina thought the pink flower smelled pretty. P.K. used soft touches with the sunflower.

Marina and Chloe rode along side each other as they peddled on their tricycles. They both used their leg muscles to push themselves forward.

Clara and P.K. opened and closed the door and window to the pretend house outside. P.K. looked up in the sky to see a plane that was flying by.

Marina and Chloe each got on a teeter totter and preceded to ride them together. They both sang, “teeter-totter, teeter-totter.”

For breakfast, our friends had cheerios and oranges. Everyone loves oranges! AM snack was corn. Lunch consisted of tuna sandwich, blueberries, and carrots. PM snack was honey graham crackers and raisins.

Have a terrific evening!

-Mindy

Parents:

A quick reminder that for all of next week (July 16-July 21) Tami will be on a wilderness canoe trip with her daughter. If you need to connect with her please do so before Friday.

Oh, Say can you see…

….and hunt for/count/study/identify/pledge/salute…

…by the dawn’s early light?

Today we studied the flag of the USA. Lisa began our study by reading The Pledge of Allegiance. She taught Wee Friends how to stand reverently with their hands over their hearts as they spoke the words. A few of our older friends knew the pledge and led us!

After we read the book, Melinda reminded us that a house down the street had their flag at full staff. We walked outside and down the block to see it. We recited the Pledge, sang “You’re a Grand Old Flag” and then decided to go on a USA flag hunt! We walked around the block and saw many flags and other red, white and blue objects.

When we got back to Wee Friends, we began creating our own flag using red, white and blue tape.

We danced to “You’re a Grand Old Flag” and as always, creative music was made with singing, dancing, instruments and a wide variety of musical repertoire. From Donny’s “Puppy Love” to Whitney’s “Star Spangled Banner” to The Music Man, we let the music move us, calm us and help us better understand counting and rhythm.

As many friends chose to move outside, one stayed curled up enjoying the comfort of the meditative music (“Where Are You Going?” from Godspell).

Tami built a weaving window inside our puppet theatre. Friends love this fine motor and collaborative experience of weaving thread in and out, to and from, up and down. Other friends have begun sewing projects using felt, thread and embroidery hoops.

Apart from these intentional, emergent activities, friends stayed busy indoors and outdoors with their work.

Lisa uses a clapping, counting system to help friends move the water fountain line as well as cultivate an understanding of patience.

      (tuna)

Have a great day.

Happy Monday!

We welcomed our newest friend, Emma, to Wee Wee Friends today! She fit right in and loved meeting her new friends.

While everyone was on vacation, a few new toys showed up at Wee Wee Friends! The most popular toy of the morning was a new gross motor toy. One side has stairs and then it turns into a slide. Children loved walking and crawling up the stairs and then sitting on their bottoms to go down the slide. We talked about taking turns and waiting until other friends are done.

We also got a new baby mirror to put up near the front entrance. Kids loved crawling and sitting in front of the mirror to admire themselves! We talked about reflection and how you see yourself in the mirror.

Emma found another mirror. She loved looking at her reflection. She sat down and stood up to look at herself at different angles.

Zoey had a great day and was all smiles this morning! Even over the break she became much more observant and is rolling over nonstop! Her friends love talking to her while she sits in her baby chair.

We headed outside where our friends took part in various activities such as riding bikes and playing in the pretend house!

Our older Wee Friends took their turns at hitting a piñata! Different colored confetti came out and Chloe picked various colors up to show her friends.

Unfortunately, our basketball hoop broke over vacation! We believe it got so hot outside, that it melted the plastic. We talked about this with our friends and asked questions about the weather that they experienced over vacation.

For breakfast, our friends had Chex and banana. AM snack was oranges. Lunch consisted of whole wheat noodles with melted cheese and cream cheese, mixed vegetables, and watermelon. PM snack was whole wheat crackers and string cheese.

Have a great evening!

-Mindy

WELCOME BACK!!!!

Today we officially welcome Sophie and Elizabeth to Wee Friends!

(From Tami) “One of our Wee Friends alumni, Emily Sibilla, is home from college for the summer and is looking for some extra cash before she heads back to Valpo for her studies in meteorology. She is an awesome person and would be great as a babysitter! Her number is 574-850-8690. She can babysit up until the 13th of August.”

We kicked off our first morning back with an WF original tune: “I Miss My Mommy”. We gathered in the music area and sang along to the beat of a tambourine. Friends caught the melody and we changed lyrics to reflect each friend’s feeling.  This led us to a dance session rotating upbeat and slow tunes. We added musical shakers and listened carefully so we could follow the prompts from the song.

We celebrated our first day back with the piñata! For the week leading up to our break, friends worked very hard on creating a piñata, out of Paper Mache, in the shape of a star, . This morning, we filled it with surprise goodies and each friend took a turn hitting it with Kai’s baseball bats.

 

And your garden is growing beautifully!

WHAT DID YOU DO ON YOUR VACATION?

Max: I fed the fish in the lake. Boppy caught nine fish (one day) and then he got 10.

Arleigh: We went to a water park.

Jane: I flied on an airplane and I went to Grandpa’s house.

Jada: I went to work with my mommy and daddy. I saw fireworks at my friend’s house and the lights were on in the pool.

Viv: I went to Milwaukee and played at the water park.

Sydney: I stayed home with a babysitter, some of the time.

Taylor: I went to the pool with Gabi and I went to my Grandma and Grandpa’s lake house.

Macy: I went to the pool. Washed my bike and little car. I went to Grandma and Grandpa’s lake.

Cassie: I spent time with my mom and listened to my music.

Nate: I played with some trucks, outside, in my sandbox. It was not a school day.

Lea: I went  to Chicago. It was far away and, actually, vacation is far away too.

Kai: I went to Mammoth Cave. We went to a hotel with a pool.

Ada: I played doctor. We put a firecracker on a stick and turned it around like this.

Finn: I went to the island.

Elliott: I went on a boat.

Wee Sprouts: Carrots and cherry tomatoes. Breakfast: Cheerios and bananas, Lunch: whole wheat penned pasta with cream cheese, watermelon and mixed veggies. Snack: goldfish and cranberries.

Have a great day.

Happy Thursday!

**Just as a reminder, Wee Wee Friends will start summer break tomorrow which is Friday, June 29th. We will return Monday, July 9th! Have a terrific vacation!

We started off our Thursday spending quality time with each other since we’re going to go a WHOLE week without seeing our friends! We brought the colors of 4th of July into the classroom this morning. Children painted with blue and red paint. Some chose to use the paint brush while others painted their hand and made hand prints. Our friends all did an amazing job at painting on the picture and their interest levels were peaked for an extended period of time! Some of us even painted our faces. .

Zoey had a great second week at Wee Wee Friends. She’s getting use to her surroundings and the different sounds that occur throughout the day. Our friends love to play with her and give her nice, soft touches on her feet and legs. She enjoys this very much!

Clara and Ellie sat and read books. Clara talked to herself as she looked at different colors. Ellie read our small book collection and made her way through all the books within no time.

Clara was very photogenic today. Here’s her take 1, take 2, and take 3 of saying, “Cheese!” She made sure to show those pearly whites!

For breakfast, our friends enjoyed blueberry muffins with bananas and pears. AM snack was oranges and corn. Lunch consisted of whole wheat tortilla filled with refried beans and melted cheese, mixed vegetables, and blueberries. The blueberries were a BIG hit! Our friends requested “more” several times! PM snack was pretzels and string cheese.

Have a great weekend and summer vacation!

-Mindy