Good Afternoon!

The market was back open for business this morning as it had as much interest today as it did yesterday! So many spontaneous conversations and learning opportunities happened when the children in our multi-age classroom worked together, buying and selling goods with one another. There was even some bartering happening:

Child 1: “These apples are three dollars.”

Child 2: “How about I give you four dollars for two apples?”

Open play opportunities such as this one are crucial to development for many reasons. Play requires a lot of different dynamics and below, I’ve posted a short article about essential aspects of meaningful play. Majority of this play experience required absolutely no teacher input mainly because children did a fantastic job cooperating with one another and when that wasn’t possible, an older friend immediately stepped in, trying to help their peers solve the problem. We work for years on helping children gain the confidence and wording to help solve their problems when they arise. Our older friends are at that point where they’re jumping in with their younger peers, being the “teacher” in the situation as they help their younger peers navigate social dilemmas.

It has been an amazing thing to watch the last few days!

https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/five-essentials-meaningful-play

This morning several kids repurposed a big group water color painting from outside, to make skirts and dresses.  A group of older kids carefully attached strips of watercolor painted paper to a waist band.  As they worked, they problem solved and shared ideas about how best to put everything together.  Our oldest friends were very helpful showing interested younger friends how to make the skirts.  It was an imaginative and artistic group project. 

Many of our friends enjoyed the rich sensory experience and fine motor practice at the light table this morning as they covered the tree with blue rings.

PREK2: We read the book “The Magnificent Thing” in group today.  After the story we make a class list of what we would make if we had the ability to make anything we wanted.  We have also had some thoughtful journals made with great care from our younger friends this week!

Breakfast– Toasted oatmeal squares with fresh strawberries.

Lunch– Brown rice with shredded turkey, fresh pineapple/banana, and fresh cucumber/pepper/snap peas.

PM snack– Whole wheat crackers with peanut butter and a mixture of sunflower seeds/pumpkin seeds.

Wee Sprout– Fresh pepper/cucumber/snap peas.

Have a lovely night!

-Wee Friends Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-05-15

Good Afternoon!

We started off our morning by marching with rhythm sticks. Our friends listened and followed along to Ants Go Marching as they marched around the front.

We then made our way to the kitchen for sensory play with playdough. Our friends used their hands to manipulate the dough at first and then integrated tools into their play. Miss Bekah discussed how using our hands to engage with the dough helped strengthen our hand muscles. They used their fine motor skills to pull apart the dough with their fingers and roll them into “balls” or “snakes” as some of our friends shared.

We headed outside on this warm morning to cool off with water play at the table. Our friends explored two different water play activities with their friends.

Breakfast:  Kix cereal and fresh pear slices.

Lunch:  Whole grain brown rice with shredded turkey, fresh strawberries and cooked corn.

Afternoon Snack: Whole grain Ritz crackers with peanut butter and fresh pineapple slices.

Wee Sprout:  Yellow bell peppers.

Have a terrific evening!

WWF Teachers

Link pictures: 2025-05-15

Happy Wednesday!

This morning we engaged in the light table.  Miss Bekah filled the table bin with pink fabric petals, rubber bugs, small baskets and tongs for us to use to strengthen our hand muscles and to pick up the bugs and petals.

We then headed outside to enjoy another nice morning and engage in our favorite activities.

Breakfast:  Overnight oatmeal with cinnamon/sugar mixture and bananas.

Lunch:  Farm fresh scrambled eggs with shredded mozzarella cheese,

Afternoon Snack:  Hummus and whole grain wheat tortillas.

Wee Sprout Cucumber.

Have a wonderful evening!

WWF Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-05-14

Good Afternoon!

We had a fun, relaxing trip to the farm this morning! A few highlights were picking our fair share of dandelions, getting to eat strawberries from the garden, swinging on the rope swing, and getting to ride on the back of the golf cart!

We were able to really to connect to nature, take our time exploring Miss Charlotte’s property, and appreciate the time we were able to spend together.

In the classroom we put on a “market day” where kids could play the roles of buyers or sellers.  Each shop sold something different.  We had a vendor that sold flowers, one that sold strawberries, one for apples and one for cherries.  Kids could try out the role of being a vendor with the responsibility of accepting cash or running credit cards, asking how many each item the customer wanted and handing out the proper amount.  Kids could also pay the role of the shopper.  Each shopper received some cash, a card, a shopping bag and a purse.  If there were not enough kids playing venders, then that store was “closed”. There was a point in the game where multiple shops were closed and some looting took place…but the kids quickly realized they needed an equal number of friends playing each role for the game to be fun. 

Breakfast– Overnight oatmeal with cinnamon and fresh watermelon.

Lunch– Farm fresh scrambled eggs with whole wheat tortilla/flatbread, fresh cantaloupe/watermelon, and fresh cucumber/carrot.

PM snack– Hummus and tortilla chips.

Wee Sprout– Fresh cucumber/carrot.

Have a wonderful night!

-Wee Friends Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-05-14

Good afternoon!

We want to thank Miss Linsey for bringing us some new fish from her home. In addition to fish, Miss Linsey also added tadpoles to our fish tank. Our friends were eager to observe all of the fish and tadpoles.

We made our way to the kitchen for an art activity that was inspired by an activity the older friends did in the WF’s class. We first began with squeeze bottles that had paint inside. We worked on squeezing them and using our hand-eye coordination skills to move them around our black cardstock paper to create a design. After our initial paintings, we then moved to using sponge brushes with the same paint in the bottles.

We then headed outside for another beautiful morning. Our friends explored the musical instruments by the log area table, sand in the sandbox and played with older friends in the grass area.

Breakfast: Whole grain Cheerios cereal with banana.

Lunch: Whole grain wheat flatbread with refried beans and shredded mozzarella cheese, fresh cantaloupe slices and cooked green beans.

Afternoon Snack: Whole grain wheat bagel with peanut butter and fresh watermelon.

Wee Sprout: Orange bell pepper.

Have a wonderful evening!

WWF Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-05-13

Good Afternoon!

PREK1 kids came to the sign in board this morning where they combined ice cream with a little math! They got to choose how many scoops of ice cream they wanted on their cone: one, two, or three. When they chose, they were told that each scoop costs two dollars. For those that only chose one scoop, they took two dollar bills out of my hand to “pay” for their ice cream. The friends who wanted three scoops formed three groups of two dollar bills. They counted up the dollar bills and decided that they would need six dollars to pay for their ice cream!

Social Studies: K.4.1 Explain that people work to earn money to buy the things they want. Introduce money names and values.

We read ‘Froggy’s Lemonade Stand’ in PREK1 group today. Froggy wants to have a lemonade stand to make money to buy new toys. After he’s done making the lemonade, he accidentally drinks all of his ‘profits’ while he’s waiting for customers. At the end of the book, Froggy didn’t end up making any money. This led into a conversation about what we can do as kids to ‘earn’ money. A few friends shared about jobs or chores that they have at home that they either get paid for or do for ‘free’.

In the art center we have been experimenting with water color painting.  We tried making paintings of unusual shapes.  Several kids became intrigued with making very long thin paintings.  After the paintings were dry, friends enjoyed drawing back into them creating mixed media artwork.  Since many kids enjoy making wearable art, they noticed that this shape lent itself to making crowns, hats, belts, sashes, bracelets and anklets!  They spent the morning making these things.  Projects like this allow kids to think outside the box and follow creative impulses using their problem solving skills.  Kids are developing critical thinking, fine motor, attention and focus as they create.  All of this builds the foundation for higher thinking.

PREK2:  In group today we read the book “How Do You Spend?”.  After the story, we talked about how we might spend our money if we had some.  One friend felt that it might be a good idea to buy more money.  If only it worked that way.  Great thinking!

Breakfast– Kix and fresh honeydew melon.

Lunch– Peanut butter on whole wheat bread/tortilla, fresh watermelon/cantaloupe/honeydew, and fresh cucumber/carrot.

PM snack– Whole wheat bagel with cinnamon and butter.

Wee Sprout– Fresh cucumber/carrot.

Have a lovely night.

-Wee Friends Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-05-13

Happy Monday!

Paige is FIVE! We celebrated Paige’s birthday with her today and loved her popsicle birthday treat! We hope you had the best birthday, Paige!

 

We kicked off our week by talking about money for our PREK1 sign in. Children were told that they had ten dollars to work with. They were given three pieces of clothing, all with different dollar amounts. They had to sign in under the article of clothing that they could afford to buy!

Later on in PREK1 group, we read, ‘How Do You Spend?” which talks about how and what we spend money on. Terms that were brought up in the book were want, need, cheap, and expensive. We worked at identifying these words and coming up with examples of things that we NEED verses things that we WANT.

We had a day packed with hands-on science, reflecting the rich spring season!  We were able to begin a life science project observing tadpoles.  We talked about the word “metamorphosis” and what it means.  We thought about animals that go through metamorphic change as they mature and those that do not.  We talked about our ideas as a group as we watched the tadpoles.  We also shared what we observed as we looked closely.  We made observational drawings of how the tadpoles looked to us.

Outside we explored more hands on science with a “fossil dig”.  One of our kids has been finding fossil crinoids in our gravel area and has been very interested in fossils.  I happened to have a personal collection of fossils from the ancient Michigan Devonian sea.  I hid these fossils in a sand filled tray for the kids to hunt.  They used sieves and brushes, collecting the fossils.  As they found the fossils, we talked about what kind of sea life they had been long ago.  The word “ancient” was our vocabulary word during this activity.  What fun learning can be!

PREK2: Today we read the book “From Tadpole to Frog”.  We talked about what we saw when we observed the tadpoles in class today.  Everyone added their observations to our class list.

Breakfast– Whole wheat english muffins with butter and fresh pears.

Lunch– Whole wheat pasta with shredded beef, fresh pears/banana/cantaloupe, and fresh broccoli/cucumber.

PM snack– Whole milk yogurt with Paige’s birthday fruit popsicles.

Wee Sprout– Fresh cucumber.

Have a lovely night!

-Wee Friends Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-05-12

We hope all of our mothers had a great Mother’s Day yesterday!

This morning we began by acting out the movements to Listen and Move by Greg and Steve.

We then engaged in making music with the pianos and xylophones and looking at books independently on the reading steps.

We then headed into the kitchen to scoop in the rice and bird seed sensory table.  Miss Bekah also added some of our big plastic bugs for us to use in it as well.  We were covering our bugs up in the mixture and then finding them.

We then headed outside to enjoy another beautiful day.  Cece engaged with her toys on the blanket, Clark drove cars down the ramp, Eleanor explored a fossil activity in the blue tray, Charlotte drew with markers at the art table and several friends engaged in water play at the water table.

Breakfast: Whole grain wheat bread toast with buttery spread and cinnamon/sugar mixture and bananas.

Lunch:  Whole grain wheat penne pasta with shredded turkey, fresh cantaloupe and red bell pepper slices.

Afternoon Snack:  Whole milk yogurt and graham crackers.

Wee Sprout:  Cucumber.

Have a marvelous evening!

WWF Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-05-12

Happy Friday!

Don’t forget to take home up your child’s handmade Mothers Day gift at pick-up.We hope all of our mom’s have the BEST Mother’s Day.

“You are exactly the mother your children need. They were meant to be yours, and you were meant to be theirs.”  -Unknown

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This morning a book writing project emerged naturally as two older friends announced that they were making books.  Teachers offered assistance if needed.  We talked as a group about what we would find on the cover of a book.  Many of us remembered that we would need to add a title and the authors name.  There is a wide range of developmental levels among our Wee Friends.  Our youngest author made a picture book with her name on the cover.  In between we had friends dictating what was in the story, asking for help sounding out words then writing themselves all the way up to our oldest who needed absolutely no assistance.  It’s wonderful to see all this growth taking place.  Each child is able to learn at their own rate and follow their own interests!

We offered a loose parts welcome activity this morning which invited friends to think about different jobs adults might have.  We picked out some wooden people and observed what they were wearing.  We thought about what job each character might have.  We found doctors, teachers, ballet dancers, ship captains and more.  The kids were challenged to build a place for their people to go to work.  Hannah picked a ballet dancer and a ship captain.  I asked what kind of place she was thinking of building for them.  She had an amazing idea that was totally feasible.  She made a cruise ship that people would sleep on.  The captain drove the ship and the ballerina danced on a stage to entertain people.  Arthur picked a builder who was building a house.  The house was both his home and place of employment! 

Everyone has been thoroughly enjoying using natural materials in our outdoor spaces for imaginative play.  Not only do natural materials give kids a rich integrative sensory experience, they also provide difficult terrain to navigate.  Much like a walk through the forest, kids are challenged to pay close attention to their bodies as they bend, step and crawl through log forts and stick roads.  This focused body awareness and deliberate movement is integral to proper brain development and integration.

Breakfast– Brown rice cakes with cream cheese and banana.

Lunch– Homemade chicken avocado salad on whole wheat bread, fresh honeydew/oranges, and fresh cucumber/pepper/snap peas.

PM snack– Pretzels with block cheddar cheese.

Wee Sprout– Fresh cucumber/snap peas/pepper.

Have a wonderful weekend!

-Wee Friends Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-05-09

Happy Friday!

This morning we were busy climbing on the habi-trail ladder, watching the fish swim around and dancing with dress up hats.

We then headed into the kitchen to engage with Magna-Tiles on the light table.  The friends were busy looking at the variety of colors.  Eleanor built a “house”  with all of the isosceles triangles.  She also took a square and added an equilateral triangle on each side of it and then found the matching triangles and put them together.

Even though it was a little cooler this morning, we enjoyed getting some fresh air and sunshine on our faces and engaged in our favorite activities.

Cece enjoyed playing with the housekeeping items.  She even reached up for a plate that she wanted to pull off the counter.

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

Lunch:  Chicken avocado salad, whole grain wheat tortillas, fresh honeydew melon and fresh cucumber

Afternoon Snack:  Whole grain Ritz crackers and mild cheddar cheese slices.

Wee Sprout:  Cucumbers/Red bell peppers.

Have a great Mother’s Day weekend!

WWF Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-05-09