First off—we want to wish a big happy 5th birthday to Evie! We are so glad we were able to spend your birthday with you!
Enjoy the pictures from our day!
Breakfast– Overnight oatmeal with fresh strawberries.
Lunch– Farm fresh scrambled eggs with whole wheat flatbread, fresh cantaloupe, and fresh cucumber.
PM snack– Evie’s birthday treat:
Wee Sprout– Fresh cucumber/pepper.
Have a wonderful night!
-Mindy
Pics from 9.1.2021: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIulk48weQdA7b-DYfdL5g
Good Afternoon!
We are apart of an early education research study and it started today! Four of our children were randomly chosen to be apart of the research study. Early Learning Indiana (ELI) is collaborating with the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers University on an Indiana early childhood education quality initiative that seeks to improve instructional practices and enhance learning outcomes for children.
In the Fall of 2021, classrooms will be visited to assess 1200 children (about 4 per classroom) on a battery of standardized assessments to evaluate emerging language, mathematical and executive function skills. These children will be assessed again about 8 months later, in 2022, and we will also repeat the classroom observations.
We’re excited to be apart of this study!
____________________________________________________________________________________
Evie and Mack explored their first and last names this morning during kindergarten sign in by counting the number of syllables.
We use two forms of syllable recognition. The first is clapping the number of sounds in a word. The second is placing your hand under your chin and counting how many times your chin moves up and down.
K.RF.3.2: Orally segment words into syllables.
We continued our exploration of syllables during K/PREK1 group. We read, ‘My Heart Is Like A Zoo’ and afterwards, we added our times to the correct syllable group. Then, each group member got to choose an animal from the story and we added their name to our list too!
In PREK2, children got a turn to roll a big blue dice. Once the dice came to a stop, they counted the number of white dots on the face of the dice that was up.
Here’s a sneak peak into the rest of our day!
Breakfast– Toasted oatmeal squares with fresh pears.
Lunch– Peanut butter on whole wheat flatbread, block cheddar cheese, fresh pineapple, and fresh carrots/cucumber.
PM snack– Whole wheat bagel with cream cheese and block cheddar cheese.
Wee Sprout– Fresh carrots/cucumber.
Have a wonderful night!
-Mindy
Link to pictures: WF 8/31
Good Afternoon.
I’m sorry for the inconvenience, there will not be a link to our Tuesday pictures, as there is an error we are coming across. We are working to get the issue fixed ASAP. Thank you for your understanding.
We began our Tuesday morning engaging in musical instruments and fun music to dance with to get our bodies in motion.
We then had a fantastic time with a cold sensory activity. We Painted on our papers with water color ice cubes. We used a variety of colors to make our masterpieces. Such as purple, yellow orange and red.
Breakfast: Whole grain Cheerios and apples.
Lunch: Whole wheat tortilla with hummus, corn and apples.
Snack: Whole bagels with peanut butter and raisins.
Wee Sprouts: Cucumbers.
Have a nice night.
Marty
Happy Monday!
**Wee Friends is closed Monday, September 6th for Labor Day.**
Mack and Evie completed their kindergarten sign in which required them to identify numbers ranging from 1 to 20. Each laminated sheet had four numbers of it. One conversation we had was looking at the difference between 14 and 41, for example. While these numbers look very similar, they are quite different. It’s developmentally appropriate for children to mix up numbers like this so we have conversations about it and use manipulatives to explain why and to see a visual.
K.NS.4: Perform one-to-one correspondence tasks.
K.NS.5: Count up to 20 objects arranged in a line, a rectangular array, or a circle. Count up to 10 objects in a scattered configuration.
We took those same laminated number sheets and extended the activity in K/PREK1 group. Each member took one sheet and had to find the smallest number on their sheet. They took the gem counters and placed the exact number of counters on the smallest number which they identified.
Evie and Mack had to then identify the largest number that was on their sheet. They placed the correct number of gem counters on that number too.
In PREK2 group, children matched a scattered configuration to the correct number. First, children had to count the items in their configuration. Once they had the number, they found the matching number and checked to see if it was a match!
Our morning consisted of engaging indoor activities coupled with exciting outdoor activities.
Several children gathered at the circle table to explore wooden and foam puzzles. We have a variety of puzzles ranging in difficulty. Friends are always wanting to challenge themselves!
As we headed outside, a group of kids immediately noticed that our sunflower in the garden is HUGE! It’s so tall and full. Quickly, children asked for kale which has been so plentiful this season. Friends got two pieces of kale and enjoyed every bite!
We’re hoping to make some kale chips later on this week!
Breakfast– Whole wheat bagel with butter and fresh apples.
Lunch– Whole wheat noodles with marinara sauce and shredded cheese, fresh cantaloupe, and fresh carrots.
PM snack– Whole milk yogurt with fresh cantaloupe.
Wee Sprout– Fresh carrots/cucumber.
Have a lovely night!
-Mindy
Link to pictures: WF 8/30
Good Afternoon.
Please Note: Wee Friends will be CLOSED Monday, September 6th in observance of Labor Day.
This morning friends engaged in a fun sensory activity. This activity also enhances our color recognition, hand-eye coordination and shape recognition skills. We glued small foam like shapes onto a bright colored piece of construction paper.
Arthur and Emily were buy looking out of the side door window to see if they could find their siblings from the preschool classroom. 
Friends and siblings re-united during outdoor play. The preschool classroom friends and the Wee Wee’s always love getting together and playing when we are all outside together.
Breakfast: Whole wheat bagels with butter and cinnamon with apples.
Lunch: Whole wheat Penne noodles with butter and shredded chicken, sweet potatoes and apples.
Snack: Whole milk yogurt with graham crackers.
Wee Sprouts: Cucumbers.
Have a lovely evening.
Marty
LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AtTCDmdhjIulk4pDCW-vNp3DOP1hjQ?e=iujFMy
Happy Friday!
We skipped our story today in K/PREK1 group and instead we played ‘Community Helper Bingo’! Each group member picked their own board and placed a red circle on the community helper that matched my description.
Children were quick to help their peers when they were stuck trying to find if they had the helper or not. For a handful of community helpers, friends shared a personal story that was connected to that helper.
Social Studies: K.2.1 Give examples of people who are community helpers (inside the classroom and outside the classroom) and describe how they help us.
Earlier this morning, Bo and William sorted our felt money and talked about how much money they had! Bo claimed, “I have $17!”
Children waited for a turn at the golf tee activity. Two peers worked together at a time by placing golf tees in strategic places on the black board.
James and Maggie explored our new-ish playdough! They loved taking the big playdough ball they got and cutting it up into tiny pieces.
While we’ve had a terrific time outside in the mornings this week, we cannot wait for cooler temperatures that are on the horizon.
We say…bring on Fall! 
Breakfast– Brown rice cakes with peanut butter and fresh oranges.
Lunch– Ham on whole wheat flatbread/bread, fresh pears/oranges, and fresh cucumber from Daniel’s garden (Thanks Daniel and family!).
PM snack– Goldfish and cheddar block cheese.
Wee Sprout– Fresh cucumbers.
Have a wonderful weekend!
-Mindy
Link to pictures: WF 8/27
Happy Friday! I hope you all have had a great week.
We had a great time engaging in a super fun sensory activity. Water and corn starch….. making what we call “goop” Friends LOVED it.
Then a little later in the morning we were able to hear a lot of different sounds in and out of the classroom environment.
While we were inside, we were able to see and hear and see a lawnmower right outside our habi-trail windows. Some of us really enjoyed this and some of us weren’t as excited.
When we were in the outdoor environment we heard many. many more sounds. Birds, cicadas, sirens and crickets. Hannah and a friend put their hands to their ears so they could hear all the sounds better. Hannah said, “Wow, those are a lot of sounds.”
Paige enjoys looking at our pretty yellow and black flowers. Hannah decides she wants to join in and feel and smell them as well. The flowers are a wonderful sensory and sense of smell feature in the outdoor environment.
Breakfast: Whole grain brown rice cakes with peanut butter and pears.
Lunch: Whole wheat bread with chicken lunchmeat, cooked carrots and cucumbers and Honeycrisp apples.
Snack: Whole grain cheese crackers with cubed cheddar cheese.
Wee Sprouts: Cucumbers.
Have a lovely weekend and lets look forward to cooler temps next week.
Marty
LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AtTCDmdhjIulk4hbEARyuCN8xlws7g?e=WsHCv4
Good Afternoon!
Community helpers have been a big topic with the kindergartners and in K/PREK1 group for the last few days.
Evie and Mack had to write a community helper after hearing a clue for each helper. For example, one of the clues said, ‘I am a community helper that delivers mail to your house.’ Both kindergarteners knew right away that it was a mailman/postman.
Social Studies: K.2.1 Give examples of people who are community helpers (inside the classroom and outside the classroom) and describe how they help us.
Miss Kim set up an art activity at the table this morning where children had the opportunity to paint on cardboard. They used red, orange, and yellow paint to cover the cardboard using a paint brush.
James got to work outside pulling some weeds. Rowan was quick to offer assistance and helped him pull weeds. They made a pile of their weeds and made sure that teachers saw the work that they had done!
A group of children made a large fire pit in the corner of the yard. Daniel spearheaded the ‘roasting marshmallow’ activity. Each friend grabbed a stick and they used a leaf as their marshmallow. When the marshmallow was done cooking, a few friends even blew on their ‘marshmallow’. When it was toasted perfectly, they put their marshmallow between two pieces of mulch.
Isn’t this the perfect activity for a warm and toasty morning?!
Breakfast– Corn Chex and fresh oranges/banana.
Lunch– Brown rice with shredded pork, fresh pears/oranges, and fresh carrots/cucumber.
PM snack– Sunflower seeds and graham crackers.
Wee Sprout– Fresh carrots/cucumber.
Have a wonderful night!
-Mindy
Link to pictures: WF 8/26
Happy Thursday!
Today we followed suit with Paige and her summersault body! Friends saw Paige doing what looked like loads of fun and they joined right in. How cute is this?!?!?!?! These could even be considered yoga moves.
Our two littlest pals are enjoying manipulating the balls. We have large, medium and small sized balls for all our friends to enjoy. This activity is a great sensory activity for the babies to get a feel for the different textures and sizes of the balls.
Meanwhile, Hannah and a friend engaged in some gross motor climbing. The habi-trail ladder and soft star climber are two of our favorites.
Then, just a little more sensory was included into our morning. Just look at those happy shaving cream faces. 
Breakfast: Whole grain Cheerios and watermelon
Lunch: Whole grain brown rice with butter and red beans, cooked carrots and banana.
Snack: Pumpkin seeds and Whole wheat Trisuit crackers.
Have a fantastic night.
Marty
LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AtTCDmdhjIulk4ZPkY0NADRRScm_hw?e=9RZMFD
Good Afternoon.
The outdoor slide was a very popular space to engage our bodies for some gross motor movement today!
We also got our bodies going by climbing up the rocks along side the slide to get to the top of the platform. We can then slide away! Wheeeeeee!!!!!
Hannah and Paige were enjoying some of natures beauty while being outside. Hannah enjoyed looking at the plants around the play area while sitting on rock, while Paige and her sister Rowan enjoyed looking at the mulch and feeling its rough texture.
Breakfast: Whole grain Oatmeal with cinnamon and banana.
Lunch: Farm fresh scrambled eggs, whole wheat butter toast, sweet potatoes and Honeycrisp Apples.
Snack: Blue corn chips with refried beans.
Wee Sprouts: Fresh orange peppers.
Have a nice night.
Marty
LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AtTCDmdhjIulk4RyJwqvI3MAQF8liA?e=NBk05H