This morning, as friends arrived and ate breakfast, a few of us headed outside to the sandbox. Lisa stayed inside with a small group and read Insects and Bugs. It became a creative drama explorations with bugs, puppies and doctors. Friends acted out and named their characters.

We studied a Guatemalan rain stick and made our own with pvc pipe and dried rice and beans. We experimented with different quantities of rice/beans for different sound effects. 

Elliott asked us to read Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo.

And then we played soccer. The Ninjas and the Tigers.

Today’s Wee Sprouts are snap peas.  For breakfast, we served peanut butter and wheat toast and mangoes. For lunch we are having farm fresh egg casserole, bananas/strawberries and snap peas!

Have a great day!

 

Good Afternoon!

Our friends started off their morning by taking a wagon/stroller ride around the block. It was a gorgeous day! While walking, we saw birds and dogs. The bird that we saw looked very protective and didn’t move much so we talked about the possibility that it could be a mommy bird watching out for its babies. Marina saw the dog and said, “Woof Woof!”

We also talked about making sure that we’re watching for cars as we cross the street when we are on a walk. Clara, Chloe and P.K. laughed along together as they rode the three person stroller. Clara bounced up and down as she rode along. P.K. looked at the wheels as they spun around.

When we got back from our walk, we travelled inside where we had Wee Sprouts. Once we were finished, we headed outside where our friends played in the sand box and rode tricycles along with pushing grocery carts.

For breakfast, our friends enjoyed eggs and apples. AM snack was carrots. Lunch consisted of pasta salad with red beans and corn along with bananas. PM snack was

Have a wonderful evening!

-Mindy

Taylor and Sydney Little, Macy’s big sisters are back for the summer! Welcome back girls!

 

“How much do I love you? I’ll tell you no lies…How deep is the ocean? How high is the sky?” – Ethel Merman

How deep and blue and salty is the Pacific ocean that makes up the earth to south and west of Chile? That was the question that started our day. First, we filled two bins: one with salt water and one with fresh water. We dipped our fingers and hands into both and explored how differently they tasted.

We studied Paulina’s book, Patagonia, and studied the many shades of the ocean. We added watercolor to create our own Pacific ocean.

And then we just played. Friends expressed “Our water isn’t blue!” Kai accurately explained the reason that friends could not see their blue water in the black tub.

We added measuring cups, spoons and soap, to create frothy waves.

Lisa guided a small group as they continued to create the Wee Friends Story fabric. They continued creating images of Wee Friends and Macy referenced the same book, Patagonia, for pictures of a llama that she wanted to add.

Melinda worked with a large group of friends on the rug, playing “Is Your Mama a Llama?” Friends chanted “Is your mama a llama?” and responded “No she’s not!”. One friend jumped to the center of the circle and we guessed which animal they were.

Elliott invited Melinda to ride the train that he was engineering. Many friends hopped aboard.

Friends always know how to take care of themselves when they need a break from the rhythm of the day.

We moved our bodies to “The Ocean Blue”, a bi-lingual song that states, in Spanish, the names of several underwater creatures: crabs, sharks, whales, dolphins and others.

And as we prepared to head outdoors, we calmed our bodies in music meditation to the late and great Ethel Merman as she sang to us…….”How Deep is the Ocean?”….how high is the sky…..and off we went.

Today we say goodbye to Alexandra and Stephen! We will miss you so much…as deep as the ocean and high as the sky!

Today’s Wee Sprouts are carrot sticks. Breakfast was oatmeal and raisins. Lunch is whole wheat penne pasta salad with peas, corn, navy beans and tuna…and bananas.

Have a great day.

Good Afternoon!

Our friends tried on different hats to start off their day! They looked at the colors of the hat and whether the hat fit or not! Sloane tried a hat on and it covered her eyes! She had to move the hat up so she could see her friends.

A few of our friends headed to the kitchen to do a painting project.

They used rollers.

They also used their hands and fingers.

Outside, Elizabeth and Marina climbed up a few logs in the house. Elizabeth poked her head out and said, “It’s a window!”

Sloane and Marina made different castles together using sand and buckets.

Elizabeth looked at Sloane as she was going down the slide and said, “Hold my hand, Sloane.” This started a trend where children held their friends hands as they went down the slide. They were very polite to one another and made sure that each friend had a hand to hold.

Children covered up their feet with sand. They popped their feet out very fast and said, “There they are!”

For breakfast, our friends had corn bran and pears. AM snack was carrots. Lunch consisted of turkey sandwich, watermelon, and snap peas. PM snack was watermelon and animal crackers.

Have a great evening!

-Mindy

Apologies for not getting yesterday’s blog out until this morning. I was unaware that the  post aborted mid-publishing!

We started the day outside and after we lathered up our friends, they spread out and  began their interesting work! Simon created a tank modeled after a Star Wars tank.

Kai, Vivian and Finn went on a slug hunt and found a long slug and three babies.

Lea and Ada got wet rags and cleaned the chalkboards, up and down and all around.

 

Jada worked on the tricycle and princess Arleigh and Marta, in the sandbox.

Jane and Alexandra enjoyed the swing and Nate and Macy played house. “I am the grandma!” expressed Nate.

Lisa researched Chilean fabrics and worked with friends on creating a felt mural. Kai had the idea to create felt people that represented Wee Friends. Lisa explained that many fabrics created in Chile tell the stories of the people who live there. Several friends spent their entire morning creating, what will become, a work of art telling the story of Wee Friends!

Melinda took small groups of friends to the back yard to plant maple tree leaves!

Laurie worked with a small group of friends, exploring the llama. We started by reading   “Is Your Mama a Llama?” which is filled with rhyming words. We read two other llama books by Anna Dewdney. We studied the words and then talked about what a llama looks like. Using Paulina’s alpaca poncho, we figured out how to shape our bodies into a llama.

Afterwards, we played a game using the book’s words, Is your mama a llama? “No she’s not!” we shouted and then jumped to the center of the rug and had to guess which animal each friend acted out.

The alpaca poncho (that became a rug!) was very inviting and there were mostly creepy crawling on your belly bugs being acted out.

Todays Wee Sprouts are carrots and cherry tomatoes. Breakfast was Raisin Bran and pear slices. Lunch is peanut butter sandwiches on whole wheat bread, snap peas and watermelon.

Have a great day!

Happy Birthday Melinda!! You are a Wee Friends treasure and Matriarch!

There are many thanks to shared!

• We want to extend another huge thanks to the Garden Growing Committee and everyone who has helped nurse the garden along. We are truly grateful for the volunteer time you have given Wee Friends. The garden is growing beautifully!

• A special thanks to the Tank-Chadderton family for buying WF a globe for our summer travels! Thanks, too,  to all of our families who bring in materials for us to use and Wee Sprouts for us to enjoy.
• Thanks for all of you who have brought in sunscreen!
• And just a reminder that there will be no farm trip this Wednesday.

Today we welcomed Jada and Max to Wee Friends! They’ve had great first days and we are glad you are here!

 

Today we took flight…..to Chile! We started by studying Chile’s national flag and painting one ourselves.

We handed out everyone’s passport, hopped aboard the WF airplane and flight attendant Lisa prepared us for take-off. We arrived safely, had our passports stamped and met Paulina on the wooly alpaca poncho she brought for us to sit on.

As friends passed through customs, they shared great stories of other travels. Everyone got settled and Paulina taught us a Spanish song. She showed us photographs of different Chilean terrain. She brought us a Chilean bag, winter hat and mittens, and we explored the wooly textures.

She brought an indigenous dollie and two different types of flutes.

 

Friends chose their own instruments and joined her in a Chilean jam!

Thank you, Paulina, for teaching us about your native country!

We headed outside soon after and our friends began a bug hunt. Today’s finds were slugs, centipedes and a black caterpillar. They decided to slug races.

Today’s Wee Sprouts are snap peas. Breakfast was Kix and bananas. For lunch, Lisa prepared whole wheat penne pasta with tuna and green peas, and mandarin oranges.

Hope you are enjoying your day.

Happy Monday!

Our Monday started off with quiet reading time where Chloe and Clara sat together in the rocking chair and read books together. Sloane smiled for the camera as she road the lion!

P.K. made noises as he banged two tools together. He laughed as he made these noises. Marina worked with Miss Marty on colors. They used stackable cups and talked about the different colors. Marty pointed out that the purple cup matched Marina’s purple shirt.

Ellie called out different animals that she noticed. She said, “Cat!” She mentioned that she had two cats at home.

Clara and P.K. worked with the felt board and wooden shapes together. When P.K. was all done with the shapes, he put them back into the wicker bin. This was a great help!

Sloane and Marina headed into the play kitchen where they made pizza and birthday cake! Marina made sure to taste test it first. Sloane gathered up the ingredients and put it into a basket.

Outside, P.K. did a number of activities. He started out riding the teeter totter then headed to the blue dog. He rocked back and forth on the blue dog and used his feet to push him.

Sloane started out pushing the grocery cart but then decided to ride the tricycle. She went and put the grocery cart away which showed great listening skills! Marina pushed the grocery cart and said she was going to the grocery with Mommy.

Ellie worked on her gross motor skills by walking slowly on the tree stumps. She kept her balance and was very cautious on the small stumps.

Marina sat on the porch and worked with Legos. She was asked what she was building and she responded, “Birthday cake!”

Elizabeth and Marina practiced going up and down the stairs. Not only did this help their balancing skills but their gross motor as well.

For breakfast, our friends had cheerios and pears. AM snack was carrots. Lunch consisted of whole wheat noodles with tuna, cheese, and green peas along with oranges. PM snack was whole wheat crackers and craisins.

Have a great evening!

-Mindy

 

Happy Friday!

Today we said goodbye to four very important people at Wee Wee Friends: our fabulous teacher, Paulina and three wonderful children: Olivia, Aiden, and Ozzie.

Paulina has been a huge part of Wee Wee Friends and we are truly going to miss her. Paulina and her family are heading back to their roots in Chile in December! While they’re in for a great experience, the Wee Wee family will sure miss her and her family as well.

Aiden, Olivia, and Ozzie have been children who have blossomed here while at Wee Wee Friends. Ozzie is heading back to Boston while Aiden and Olivia are taking the summer to spend quality time with their Mom and Dad! Their personalities will be missed so much!

We wish everyone (adults and children) the very best after their Wee Wee life!

**Also, just as a reminder that starting Monday, Wee Wee Friends will go down to eight children and two teachers, Marty and Mindy. Jada will be transitioning to Wee Friends on Monday and we know she’s going to do great!

On a happy note, we had a great day at Wee Wee! Our day started off with group book reading that children enjoyed very much. They requested different books that they wanted to read.

Children became very sensorial when Oobleck was made. It is a substance that when rolled into a ball together is hard but when you release it, it becomes liquid. It can be made by mixing 1 cup cornstarch and 1/2 cup water. Food coloring can be added for a fun effect. While some of our children loved getting their hands deep into the substance and manipulating it, others wanted to have soft touches. Even though there were differing levels of involvement, children did a great job at trying something new!

Paulina started up a dancing session in the living room where we listened to a new CD. We clapped our hands, stomped our foot, and snapped our fingers along with the music.

Our friends next door at Wee Friends offered us the rest of their salt dough! Our children were so grateful! They used ABC’s and pipe cleaners to make interesting sculptures.

For breakfast, we had corn bran and banana. AM snack was carrots. Lunch consisted of ham sandwiches, carrots, and strawberries. PM snack was a special brownie for Paulina, Olivia, Aiden, and Ozzie’s last day along with apples and string cheese.

Hope everyone has a safe weekend!

-Mindy

Good Afternoon!

We started off the morning with relaxation and baby yoga. P.K. softly twirled his scarf around his body. Chloe got a mat and laid down. She said, “Tired.”

P.K. was having fun with Paulina singing different songs. Marina and Olivia were having soft touches with Mindy.

Marina and Sloane ran around the room while music was playing. Jada twirled her streamers around as she spun around the room.

Olivia practiced making her circles. She is getting very detailed and determined to make great circles. She even got very close to the paper and closely moved her marker to make a circle.

Marina joined Sloane in the kitchen where they painted with red paint with some sparkles added.

Elizabeth said she had a ‘princess’ dress on today. She spun around to show her friends!

 

A few friends headed to the sandbox where they worked today to fill it with sand! They then enjoyed the sand by filling cups!

Ozzie sat on the swing where he sang the ‘ABC’s’ in different tones. He sang low and he sang high! He even sang the ABC’s when his mouth was closed. Earlier in the morning, with the help of Paulina, he counted to 30!

Aiden enjoyed working with soft fluffy balls and different shapes. He felt the different materials with his hands. He loved the different sensorial materials today!

For breakfast, we enjoyed eggs with banana. AM snack was snap peas. Lunch consisted of whole wheat tortilla with melted cheese, banana, and cucumbers. PM snack was cheese and crackers.

Have a great evening!

-Mindy

 

Parent Communication:

Thanks to the families who have brought us bottles of sunscreen. If you haven’t had a chance to bring in sunscreen for your child, please do so at your earliest convenience!

Today Lisa began the day by asking “What is your favorite way to travel?” Friends discussed this and charted their answers. Later, they used scissors to cut out tracks: zig zag, straight, and curvy. We gathered cars, trains and airplanes, laid the paper tracks on the black felt board and experimented with our creations.

Other friends worked with alphabet sand blocks, sketching familiar and unfamiliar letters, sounding them out and determining if there were any friends whose name started with the letter.

And out came the salt dough! Kai and Isaac created volcanoes. Stephen, Nate and Finn loved cutting and adding  pipe cleaners. Ada measured with precision and spent most of her morning working with the dough and morphing it into different things. Macy helped each friend measure, pour and mix. Max observed patiently until it was his turn to mix it up.

Tami hung our solar system that we worked on last week!

Lisa created a math game using dice and a sheet with pictures of different transportation vehicles. First a friend rolled the die, then they counted that many spaces and put a poker chip on the square, counting out loud as they went along.

On Monday morning, Paulina will be here at 9am to teach us about Chile. It’s the first stop on our Around the World in 55 Days! We can’t wait!

Wee Sprouts: Snaps peas and tomatoes, Breakfast: Raisin Bran and bananas, Lunch: Melted Mozzarella cheese on whole wheat tortillas, cucumber slices and bananas!

Enjoy your day.

Basic Salt Dough Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of fine salt
• 1 cup of flour
• 1/2 cup of water (may add more)

  Instructions:

  • In a large bowl, combine the salt and the flour
  • Make a well in the salt/flour mixture and add the water
  • Knead until smooth and shape into a ball
  • When not in use, wrap in plastic or store in an airtight container

    HINT: To get a softer dough you can add more flour. Adding more salt will lend a more granulous affect. Use wallpaper glue and the dough with be more cohesive. To add color to your dough, use different types of flour or add food coloring or paint.
    Knead to get an even color.
    You may also paint your ornaments and sculptures after they dry.