There was a visitor in the house today! Friends closed their eyes and SURPRISE!…..

…..34 year old Miss Piggy came to Wee Friends to sing, laugh, tell a few stories, blow kisses, shake hands and get her nose squeezed….a lot. Miss Piggy talked a lot about sharing and gentle touches and ‘please don’t stick your finger down my throat because it hurts and then kfkslfkslkfjsdfjlskjIcan’tkfsldfjlksdjfoiwtoiewjrlejff talksopjfdlkdnforbrea…. when you do that….. Whew…..ok….breathe.

 

 

After introductions, Miss Piggy sang “A Spoonful of Sugar” and we danced together.

Miss Piggy offered to be a Still Life model for Wee Friends. We moved to the art table and Miss Piggy was very still. Melinda asked friends “What shapes do you see when you look at Miss Piggy?” When they called out a shape, she demonstrated how to draw it.

Friends continued talking to Miss Piggy and asking her questions. They studied her and enjoyed their time together.

Finn invited Miss Piggy to co-pilot a trip and brought her another pilot hat to wear. And then like every proper gentleman, he kissed her hand.

Simon drew Miss Piggy’s ear and showed her what he had created.

Our still life exploration morphed into a shape study and stencil work.

Wee Sprouts: cucumber slices, Breakfast: Raisin Bran and bananas, Lunch: whole wheat tortillas with melted cheese, bananas and roasted green beans.

Happy piggy day.

Happy Wednesday!

Everyone was all smiles today at Wee Wee Friends! Our four friends that joined us today bonded throughout the morning while involved in play. Marina looked at the camera and said, “I say cheese!”

Ellie was tired this morning so she let us know that she was going to get a pillow and lay down. It was great that she knew that she needed to rest her body!

We saw a kitty in the neighbors yard. Our friends scooted over so everyone could see the gray cat that was outside our window. Chloe said, “Kitty cat!”

While outside, P.K. took rakes and raked up the sand that was on the cement. He balanced the two rakes very well and managed to use both at the same time.

Marina joined P.K. in the sandbox where they worked together to fill up different containers using sand. They used shovels and rakes to scoop up the sand. P.K. shared his shovel and Marina and she did the same!

Ellie walked past Miss Mindy and said, “Take a picture of me, please” and she turned and smiled for the camera as she was walking away.

Marina worked on her gross motor skills as she stepped along the tree stumps. She challenged herself by putting her hands in the air and to her side to help keep her balance.

Chloe worked on her pouring skills as she poured sand from one container to the other. Marina and Sloane soon joined in on the fun! They worked together sharing their containers. At the end of their play, they were pouring all of the sand into the big blue container. They eventually got the sand to the top and dumped it all out!

Breakfast consisted of corn bran and bananas. AM snack was carrots and cucumbers. Lunch included ham roll-ups filled with cream cheese, mixed fruit, and corn. PM snack was apple muffins and fresh pears.

Have a great evening!

-Mindy

 

Grandpas and Daddies Guessing Game

• My Dad is wonderful. He is loving. He makes me happy.
• My Dad writes stuff with me.
• I like to go to the gym with him.
• I like Papa because he always plays with me.
• My Dad takes me swimming in the pool!
  
• We go play baseball.
• I like when my Dad takes me places.
• I go to the supermarket with Grandpa.
• I love my Daddy! He plays basketball with me.
• On Monday, I go with Daddy to Martin’s.
• I love him and he brings us Star Wars toys. He tickles me!
• I like to go to Nate’s house with my Dad.
• Baboo gives me toys and dogs.

Hello. This morning we thought about our Grandpas and Daddies. Using what Tiffany taught us about abstract art, we used paper shapes and glue to create….a Father’s Day surprise!

We thought long and hard about our creations, and worked until we were satisfied.

We danced to a Jim Gill medley and it filled us with happiness just to move our bodies with freedom. When the lyrics of the song said to close your eyes tight, tight, tighter…..we did it!

  

When Melinda played her accordion, we were captivated and sang along with her.

She invited us to choose our own instrument so that we could accompany her.

We worked with scissors and found our home away from home.

We worked with patterning shapes and patterned machines that spit out jelly beans.

We read aloud to friends and discussed the details of the book we read.

And with Simon as our guide, set out on a bug hunt with a bug box and magnifying glass.

Our Wee Sprouts are pea pods and cucumber slices. For breakfast we had whole wheat toast with cinnamon and apple slices. For lunch, Lisa prepared ham rolls with cream cheese, mandarin orange/cranberry fruit salad and corn.

Enjoy your day.

Good Afternoon!

Today, our Wee Wee Friends took a trip to the zoo! We hopped into our strollers and wagons and walked to the Potawatomi Zoo.

We waited outside until the Zoo opened. Once inside, our friends were extremely patient as we wait to be joined by our guests, Aiden and Olivia along with their Mommy! Our friends sure do miss Aiden and Olivia.

Up first, we saw tigers! Chloe let us know this by saying, “Roarrr!” The tiger came up close to the window so that we could get a good look. He was sure big!

Next, we saw flamingos. Miss Marty asked, “What color are the flamingos?” Ellie responded with, “Pink!” We saw a flamingo that was sleeping.

The monkeys came next. As we’re arriving up to the monkey cage, Marina says, “OooOoo Aaahh” She talked with the monkeys and friends followed along.

We saw two lions that were very tired. Both were sleeping when we visited them. The lion that was closest to us was sleeping while sitting up!

P.K. and Chloe were very interested in the different animals. They talked with them and pointed when they saw something new. It was very enjoyable for both of them.

We walked right up to the fence to see the kangaroos. They were in the shade getting a break from the sun. We did get to see them hop though and P.K. pointed and laughed when he saw this.

At the end of our trip, we saw the prairie dogs. As we’re looking at them, we see two baby prairie dogs! They were very little. However, when we were there they didn’t make much noise. We did see multiple prairie dogs sticking their head out of their hole.

Breakfast consisted of cheerios and pears. After leaving the zoo, we came back to Wee Wee Friends to have lunch. We were very hungry after our exciting morning! Lunch was hummus on whole wheat bread, strawberries, and cucumbers. It sure did fill us up! PM snack was animal crackers and raisins.

Have a great evening!

-Mindy

 

We began our day with a bowl of potatoes. Inspired by Tiffany’s portrait presentation, Mel bought a sack of potatoes to see what possibilities the kids might produce. Using googly eyes, pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks and toothpick styles sticks, fuzzy balls, foam and ribbon, Wee Friends set out to create potato sculptures.

Max and Finn belted out (singing), at the top of their voices “Teamwork! Teamwork! What does it take? Teamwork!” as they worked together to put blocks away.

A front end loader working down the street drew lots of attention so friends poured out onto the porch to check it out.

Lisa worked with a group of friends on coin rubbings. Friends placed a coin inside a page of their passport, felt it with their fingertips and then, using crayons to rub over it, watched it appear on the page! We also searched for portraits on the many multi-cultural coins.

Today’s Wee Sprouts are pea pods and broccoli. Breakfast was Lisa’s amazing Applesauce Malt-O-Meal. For lunch, Tami is preparing whole wheat sandwiches with hummus, fresh strawberries and cucumber slices.

Have a great day!

Happy Monday!

Our friends started their Monday by asking questions and having conversations about the fish tank. Elizabeth used her hands to help her talk about the different fish that were swimming around.

Marina travelled into the kitchen where she practiced her dots and circles on white paper. She made many circles one after the other.

Again, the fish tank was a gathering place today. Chloe observed the fish swimming from a distance. Marina and Ellie sat closer and pointed to the different fish that they saw. The following question was posed to them: “Can fish live out of the water?” Our friends responded with a resounding, “No!” We also talked about how people can’t live in the water like the fish do.

Marina got out colorful bowls and lined them up throughout the table. She pretended to pour water into each bowl. She bent down and scooped the water from the ground. She was very concentrated during her play.

Elizabeth and Chloe spent time together in the kitchen where Chloe used a pretend knife to cut her fruit while Elizabeth took care of her baby by feeding her an orange!

We turned music on and our friends started running. Ellie said, “I’m running as fast as I can!” Their gross motor skills are improving just by the small things they do throughout the day, such as running!

Children bent over at their waist along the window opening. They all said “Cheese” while looking at the camera.

We got out the blocks and children had a blast sitting and standing on them. We asked, “Who has the blue block?” We went through the four different colors. Children were asked, “Who has the purple block?” Elizabeth looked around at all of the blocks and said, “There’s no purple block!”

For breakfast, our friends enjoyed Chex and apples. AM snack was strawberries. Lunch consisted of whole wheat noodles with ham and cheese, fresh snap peas, and juicy watermelon. PM snack was pretzels and raisins.

Have a great evening!

-Mindy

Parent Reminder:

• Next week is the last gymnastics Monday!

The day got off to a quiet start as our two groups of Wee Friends took turns on the Blue Bus. It’s official! Today, Sloane joins our classroom as a Wee Friend! Welcome Sloane!

Cassie will also be with us all summer! We’re glad you’re here!!

 

We were delighted to welcome Ada’s mom, Tiffany Johnson Bidler, this morning for her presentation on portraiture. She chose four different styles of portraits and discussed the differences: profile (Arcimboldi), naturalistic (da Vinci), abstract (Leger) and expressive (Matisse).

She passed out different coins and had friends find the portrait on the coin.

When she discussed abstract portraits, she used a drawing Ada had created and pointed out that abstract art uses different shapes (circles, ovals, rectangles, cylinders, etc.) to create portraits. We discovered that most of us are abstract painters, particularly in the journal work we produce.

To further illustrate this concept, she passed around an African wooden doll that exemplified abstract art with it’s many shapes and designs. She also explained that this doll was hung around the necks of expecting mothers to ensure a healthy baby and hopefully, a girl!

Afterwards, we created our own portrait of Tiffany using different shapes of fruit. Each friend decided where their piece of fruit would be placed.

We said goodbye to Tiffany with a song and a huge thanks for sharing her expertise with us!

Later, a small group of friends gathered around the art table to continue their own independent study of portraits. Be sure to check these out on the wall in the habitrail!

Today’s Wee Sprouts are carrots. Breakfast was Cheerios and apple slices. Lunch is whole wheat penne pasta with ham and cheese, French cut green beans and watermelon.

Enjoy your day!

Happy Friday!

With our five friends that we had today, we ventured out on a walk! Children were strapped in and ready to go!

Along the way Ellie, Sloane, and Marina conversed about things that they saw out in nature along with things that are going on in their life. Marina pointed to rocks and showed her friends. Ellie let her friends know that she is going to the dentist on Monday! Sloane pointed to a house and said, “Doggie!” when she saw a puppy come out of the house.

While on the walk, we saw white and purple flowers along with a cat! A friend yelled out, “Meow!”

P.K. and Chloe were all smiles as we were ending our walk.

Our Wee Friends were playing with the water table outside and they graciously let us play with them!

P.K. practiced stepping up onto the tree stumps with each foot. He joined his brother Nate as they threw bouncy balls at the basketball hoop.

Marina found a sand toy that she found interesting. She talked into it and found that her voice echoed.

Miss Laurie brought out bubbles that our friends loved (Thanks Laurie)! We worked on blowing air out of our mouth that made the bubble fly into the air. We demonstrated how to blow with your mouth for our friends who were having difficulty. At the end of our bubble session, bubbles were flying everywhere!

Marina, Chloe, and Ellie blew with all of their might!

Marina chased the bubbles as they flew around the back yard. Sloane got a serious look on her face before she blew into the bubble wand. She loved when the bubbles finally were free and flew around the backyard!

For breakfast, our friends had Chex and banana. Lunch consisted of homemade pizza with cheese and marina sauce, carrots, and watermelon. PM snack was raisins and homemade strawberry-banana ice cream that Breania made for us!

Have a great weekend!

-Mindy

Parent Reminders:

• Wee Friends will be closed Friday June 29-July 6 and opening again on Monday July 9.
• A weasel attacked Farmer Charlotte’s henhouse this week and depleted her egg supply. As a result, WF will not have any eggs until further notice!

Peer mentoring! Yesterday, after lunch, Sydney and Taylor offered to help our younger Wee Friends with their Bob Books.

The last couple days we have read Miss Smith’s Incredible Storybook by Michael Garland. We’ve had great conversations about how to bring books to life, as if the characters of the stories jump out of the page and say hello! Friends have shared who they would be if they could jump out of a story book.

We spent every moment of our morning outside. Melinda set up a science exploration. She filled a bin up with bubbles, added a squirt of magenta watercolor and friends blew air out of straws to make bubbles!

Inside, as we lunched, a friend refilled a water pitcher with warm water. From across the room Elliott expressed “That’s hot water.” We asked “How can you tell?” We had a great lunch conversation comparing hot/cold water.

We filled up the water table and enjoyed being with our Wee Wee Friends.

Ada and Elliott got a groove going in which Ada would pour water from a top tube and Elliott would catch it from the end of the tube. We discussed teamwork and this became the shared word around the water table: “Look! Teamwork!”

We blew bubbles under the tree and Nate started singing “Bubbles in the Bathtub” expressing “I like that song.”

Kai watered marigolds and we stopped and smelled the most fragrant and luscious WF roses.

A lovely, peaceful, feels like summer, day.

On Monday, we welcome Ada’s mom, Tiffany, to Wee Friends to learn about and explore several great Master painters. We can’t wait!

Wee Sprouts today are snap peas. Breakfast was Corn Flakes and apple slices. For lunch we had cheese pizza on whole wheat crust, watermelon and carrot sticks. Our friends are making their own snack today: fruit kebabs!

Have a terrific weekend!

A couple blogs we love that offer great ideas/stories/teaching philosophies:

• www.teachertomsblog.blogspot.com
• www.handsfreemama.com

 

Good Afternoon!

Our day started off with a new sensory opportunity: blue and purple macaroni noodles! The noodles were dyed with watercolor. We put them into the light table where the light shown through the noodles. Our friends used tubes and their hands to manipulate the noodles. A few of our friends looked through the tube and to their surprise, found a friend on the other side!

Once outside, our Wee Wee Friends witnessed a soccer game going on that starred our Wee Friends! We sat along the fence and cheered our friends on as well as clapping our hands.

P.K. sat on the teeter totter while the soccer game was going on. He looked on from afar. He sat on the swing with some of his friends. He turned and looked at the camera and said, “Cheese!”

Elizabeth and Sloane worked on their gross motor skills by riding tricycles. It is their favorite activity!

Our friends did a great job waiting in line for a drink of water.

Marina and Sloane walked on down to the sand box where they shared tools and worked very well together. They both took off their shoes and sandals. When they were done, they put them by the door!

Elizabeth gathered sand and put it on a plate. She brought it over to Miss Mindy and said, “Here you go!” It was a plate of food that she had made!

For breakfast, our friends enjoyed eggs with cheese along with bananas. AM snack was snap peas. Lunch consisted of egg casserole with cheese and hash browns, bananas and strawberries, bread, and carrots. PM snack was string cheese and pretzels.

Have a great evening!

-Mindy