Good Afternoon!

The welcome activity this morning was a combination of loose parts that Hannah and Paige used to build their own school!

Paige used her wooden blocks to build desks for the student bears while a group of four parent bears looked on as they left their children at school (very realistic, right?!).

Hannah chose to make wooden desks for her big “Wee Friends” while she also had a group of smaller bears, which she called the Wee Wee’s, learning how to do handstands.

Both used their imaginations in their school setup but it inevitably looked different.

Are you a, “Jump right into the pool” type of person or a “I’m going to dip my toe into the water to see how cold the water is..” type of person?

We had water stations set up for BOTH types of people (or kids in this instance!).

A hose was used to spray water into the air as several kids just ran head first into the stream of water. This occupied them for a LONG time!

We had two different water stations set up where children could explore.

On the deck, a big bin of water was put out with various piping that flowed the water into a lower bin on the sidewalk. Children loved watching the water move from the top bin to the lower bin simply by adding water into the piping!

Saucers full of water were made available in the sandbox where children used dragons in their play. The water sensory experience quickly turned to a water + sand sensory experience!

Needless to say, there was something for everyone and as Hannah shared just before lunchtime, they were “exhaaaaausted” by the end of our morning.

Breakfast– Puffins cereal with fresh watermelon.

Lunch– Brown rice with shredded turkey, fresh watermelon/kiwi, and fresh cucumber/pepper.

PM snack– Wheat thin crackers with pepita/sunflower seeds.

Wee Sprout– Fresh cucumber/pepper.

Have a lovely evening.

-Wee Friends Teachers

Link to pictures: 2024-06-13

Happy Wednesday!

This morning we engaged in a variety of activities.  We were busy cooking in the play kitchen and at the round table, looking at books, rocking in the rocking chair, climbing on the tiny turf stairs/slide and walking on the liquid squares.

A few friends then went over to look at each other through the side of the fish tank.  Eleanor observed her reflection in the mirrors.

We then headed into the kitchen to engage with pegs.  We chose a variety of colors to place in each of the holes of our pegboard or to make towers with them.  Ben and Eliza made tall birthday candles with theirs and sang the Happy Birthday song.

We then headed outside to enjoy some fresh air and sunshine.  Even though it was a little hotter than yesterday, it didn’t stop us from engaging in our favorite activities.

Breakfast:  Overnight oatmeal with cinnamon/sugar mixture and fresh pear slices.

Lunch:  Farm fresh hard boiled eggs, fresh watermelon, broccoli and whole grain wheat English muffin with buttery spread.

Afternoon Snack:  White corn tortilla chips and refried beans.

Wee Sprouts:  Cucumbers.

Have a wonderful evening!

Rebekah and Tina

Link to pictures: 2024-06-12

Good Afternoon!

The log area in the backyard is one of our favorite spots. Not only because it is shaded and offers somewhat of an “alone” space for friends but they get to challenge themselves not only physically but mentally.

William, Adrian, and Ryan started out by moving these large, heavy logs into the corner of the space, which may be referred to as “risky play”. Their goal was to make a fort. There was no clear cut plan and working with large logs can be challenging!

They worked together to stabilize the logs against the fence and had to make sure there was enough space in their fort for all three of them which proved to be challenging!

But, they were able to accomplish this goal by use of their trial and error skills as well as their perseverance.

Risky play in an early childhood classroom can be challenging but its necessary! Children learn boundaries. They learn how to regulate their bodies. They move by engaging their fine motor skills but more so their gross motor skills!

Below I’ve attached an article about how crucial risky play is in the early childhood years. In the article, it states, “While well-intentioned, imposing rigid rules on how children engage in the outdoors can lead to missed opportunities for development in multiple domains. As they climb up slides, jump over equipment, and chase each other, children learn to assess risk, devise a plan, and take action. They make decisions and problem solve when they face a challenging moment. They also learn to process and navigate their feelings and emotions.”

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/tyc/spring2023/risk-taking-outdoor-play

And TA-DA! Their very own fort.

Enjoy a few more pictures from the rest of our day!

Breakfast– Overnight oatmeal with cinnamon and fresh pears.

Lunch– Farm fresh scrambled egg whole wheat tortilla rollups with shredded cheese, fresh watermelon, and fresh snap peas.

PM snack– Corn chips with hummus.

Wee Sprout– Fresh cucumber/snap peas/pepper.

Have a great night!

-Wee Friends Teachers

Link to pictures: 2024-06-12

Good Afternoon!

**Wee Friends will be closed starting Monday, June 24th through Friday, July 5th. We’ll reopen Monday, July 8th.

This morning we started our Metamorphosis journals.  As we picked the colors for our journals a few friends chose to coordinate the color of the journal with the color of the caterpillar or the color that the Monarch butterfly will be!  We tried to be observant and draw what we saw.  Many friends included the milkweed in their drawings and carefully drew the stripes of the caterpillar one at a time.  Our younger friends got imaginative and drew the caterpillar they would like to see 🙂  We all got to practice our kid spelling as we wrote down our observations!

Katherine said she wanted the caterpillar to be rainbow colors, so she chose to draw it how she preferred it to look.  Katherine always likes to put her own positive spin on every situation!  There were aspects of Katherines drawing that were drawn from life however.  She apparently didn’t mind the caterpillar droppings at the bottom of the cage since she chose to include that in her drawing exactly how it appeared!

Outside we worked on some garden chores.  One friend asked about the strange pods forming on the kale plant.  We talked about that they were the seed pods and that they could be eaten.  Several friends tried them.  They were on the tough side so we were surprised that many friends liked eating them!  Dax was especially interested in peeling the pods open so he could see the tiny forming seeds inside.

Breakfast: Kix cereal with bananas

Lunch: Peanut butter on whole wheat bread, cheddar block cheese, fresh watermelon/banana, and fresh pepper/carrot/cucumber/cherry tomatoes.

PM Snack: Whole wheat bagel with cream cheese.

Wee Sprouts: Fresh cucumber and bell peppers.

Enjoy the rest of the afternoon!

~Wee Friends Teachers

Link to Pictures:2024-06-11

Good afternoon!

This morning, our friends asked for a ‘running’ song, so Miss Bekah put on “Listen and Move” by Greg and Steve. Our friends listened closely to the song and followed the prompts of running, galloping, and skating.

Our friends also enjoyed building with Magna-tiles, riding the wooden blocks like cars, and reading books with Miss Bekah on the reading steps.

We then made our way outside to play. The activity our friends enjoyed the most was drawing with markers under the shade.

Breakfast: Whole grain Corn Chex cereal with fresh apple slices.

Lunch: Whole grain wheat tortilla with peanut butter, mild cheddar block cheese, corn, and fresh orange slices.

Afternoon Snack: Whole grain wheat bagels with buttery spread and fresh pear slices.

Wee Sprout: Green bell peppers.

Have a wonderful evening!

Tina and Rebekah

Link to pictures: 2024-06-11

Good Afternoon!

Last week we found some Monarch butterfly caterpillars which we added to our science center to observe.  We found that the caterpillars had doubled in size over the weekend!  We cant wait to watch metamorphosis in real time!

We explored a loose parts building activity at the round table.  As we are talking about maps and places in out community, the project included components that encouraged roadways and community building.  There were lots of ideas about what to make.  Paige built a “a fire station decorated for Christmas”.  Hannah made “a town with a bridge going over a forest”.  Albert build a fire station that he expanded into enough rooms for other friends join! Several friends chose to work together and connect their buildings for imaginative play.

Our work crew in the garden this morning posed for a photo after they used their garden tools to remove weeds and clean up our garden pathways.  We have some diligent hard workers in our class this year!

Our class was happy to welcome Ryan back.  Upon hearing that Ryan had crossed some time zones on his trip, and being able to relate to that feeling, Hannah used her “kid spelling” skills to make a sign for Ryan.  The sign read “ Dear Ryan, I am sorry your getting jet lag!”

Breakfast: Whole wheat toast with butter and. fresh watermelon

Lunch: Whole wheat pasta with marinara sauce and shredded cheese, fresh cantaloupe/pineapple, and fresh cucumber/pepper.

PM Snack: Whole milk yogurt with granola.

Wee Sprouts: Fresh bell peppers and cucumbers.

Enjoy the rest of your day!

~Wee Friends Teachers

Link to pictures:2024-06-10

2nd Reminder:  Wee Friends will be closed Monday, June 24th-Friday July 5th for summer vacation.  Thank you!

Good Afternoon!  This morning we began by dressing-up in dress up clothes to dance to songs.  The friends requested the song, Jumping and Counting by Jim Gill.

The 1 year old friends engaged with the Peek-a-Blocks, stacking them together and observing the objects inside of them.

We then headed into the kitchen to engage with our dominos and pom-pom loose parts.  We worked using our spoons and tongs to pick up our pom-poms and place them into the bowl or cup.  We used our imaginative play skills with the dominos and held them up to our ear(s), to imagine they were a telephone.

We then came out to toss balls.  Instead of throwing them at the cubbies today, Miss Bekah propped up the plastic blocks for us.  The older friends tossed their balls into the block that matched the color ball they had.  After doing this for a while, a few friends then wanted to play catch with Miss Bekah.

We then headed outside to play.  While in the sandbox, Ben and Eliza explored using a sifter and funnel to see what happened when they put their sand in them.  Milo rode on the teeter totter and Charlotte and Eden scooped up the rocks with shovels and construction trucks.

Breakfast:  Whole grain wheat bread toasted with buttery spread and fresh oranges.

Lunch:  Whole grain penne pasta with black beans, fresh cantaloupe and peas.

Afternoon Snack:  Whole milk yogurt and fresh pineapple.

Wee Sprouts:  Cucumbers.

Enjoy your evening!

Rebekah and Tina

Link to pictures: 2024-06-10

Happy Friday and more importantly..HAPPY GRADUATION DAY!

Today, we celebrated our four preschool graduates!

It was quite the eventful day filled with joy, excitement, and gratefulness.

We started our day by baking cookies for our graduation ceremony. We found a vegan double chocolate chip cookie recipe and since it’s a special day, we made a sweet and sugary exception. Our four graduates helped make the cookies and watched as the rose every so slowly in the oven. Hannah shared, “I hope our parents like them!”.

When we headed outside, the graduates wanted to do one last run through of the ceremony to make sure they were confident in the procedure.

Congratulations on our 20204 Graduation class!

Breakfast– Rice cakes with cream cheese and fresh watermelon.

Lunch– Ham and cream cheese rollups, whole wheat bread, fresh watermelon, and fresh cucumber/pepper.

PM snack– Pretzels with mozzarella cheese

Wee Sprout– Fresh carrots/cucumber.

Have a lovely weekend!

-Wee Friends Teachers

Link to pictures:2024-06-07.2

Happy Friday!

Enjoy some pictures of our day!

Breakfast: Whole grain brown rice cakes with peanut butter and bananas.

Lunch: Black Forest ham, whole wheat tortillas, watermelon slices, and broccoli.

Afternoon Snack: Whole wheat pretzels and mild cheddar cheese block.

Wee Sprout: Red bell pepper.

Have a beautiful weekend!

Tina and Jena

Link to pictures: 2024-06-07

Good afternoon!

Our friends enjoyed playing with the TinyTurf stair-and-slide. Friends took turns going up the stairs and then sliding down the slide. Our younger friends played with different kinds of blocks like Duplos, peek-a-blocks, and the wooden blocks.

We made our way to the kitchen to engage with a rice/bird seed mixture sensory bin. Friends used spoons and cups to scoop up the mixture and to pour it back out into the bin. Some of our friends played hide-and-seek with miniature ants and lizards that were in the mixture.

We then made our way outside for a wee sprout at the bench and to play. We walked around with a ball, played with a baby doll, pushed a truck in the rock area, used our imaginative skills to pretend to cook in the play kitchen, and played in the sand box.

Breakfast: Whole grain Cheerios cereal with fresh oranges.

Lunch: Whole grain brown rice with black beans, watermelon slices, and corn.

Afternoon Snack: Sunflower seeds with sweet potato crackers.

Wee Sprout: Cucumber.

Have a wonderful evening!

Tina and Jena

Link to pictures: 2024-06-06