Good Afternoon!

**With the change in weather, please make sure your child is coming to Wee Friends with the appropriate clothing (i.e., light jacket for morning). We ask that any child who is wearing a dress also have shorts or pants on underneath. Thank you!

In pre-k/k group, we have been talking about different genres of books. Yesterday, we read ‘Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs’ and how it belongs in the ‘fiction’ category. Today, we read ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’. Children shared that it is a fiction story but we also talked about the genre of fairytales. Lucy commented that in fairytales, you can hear, “Once upon a time…” or “..happily ever after.”. We shared some characters that we may see in fairytales, specifically princes and princesses.

K.RL.3.1: Recognize familiar narrative text genres (e.g., fiction, nonfiction, fairy tales, poems).

Our excitement this morning could not be contained! We used healthy ingredients to make cookies. Usually, healthy and cookies don’t go together but our whole wheat (sugar free) apple-oatmeal cookies were amazing! Children did such a great job helping and measuring ingredients which made the process a true team effort.

“Children are human beings to whom respect is due, superior to us by reason of their ‘innocence’ and of the greater possibilities of their future…let us treat them..with all the kindness which we would wish to help to develop in them.”

-Maria Montessori

Breakfast– Corn chex and PPC pears.

Lunch– Brown rice with shredded pork, PPC apples, and PPC cucumber/fresh garden tomatoes.

PM snack– Homemade (and sugar free) whole wheat apple-oatmeal cookies and pumpkin seeds.

Wee Sprout– PPC cucumber/fresh garden tomatoes.

Have a great night!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 9/27

Good Afternoon.

“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning.

But for children, play is serious learning.

Play is really the work of childhood.” ~Fred Rogers

Whether our friends read together, by themselves or a teacher is reading, reading stories is one of our most favorite activities to engage ourselves in.  Today, Evie and Daniel decided to sit down on the couch and read stories to one another. The two laughed and giggled away as Daniel took the lead and read one of his favorites, Baby Bear see’s blue. The two friend’s had a wonderful time.

One of Jack’s favorite stories is Blue Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boynton. He can read this entire book by himself and LOVES the “ooooops” part of the story.

Today, as Jack was playing he found two yellow hats and placed his feet into each of them and said, “Marty, ooooops!” Teachers normally don’t allow our friend’s to step on the toys in the environment. However, this time around was an exception to the rule as Jack had a very good purpose for placing his feet into the hats. What a phenomenal understanding Jack has of this book. 

Breakfast: Whole grain Cheerios and apples.

Lunch: Whole grain rice with shredded pork, peas, and apples.

Snack: Whole wheat Ritz crackers with cream cheese.

Wee Sprouts: Broccoli.

Have a nice evening.

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljOwRTVv22Y12GLchtQ

Good Afternoon!

Kindergarten–

Maxwell and Lucy headed outside where we used loose parts and nature to compare numbers. I gave Lucy and Max each a problem that they needed to solve. For example, I told Lucy to count the number of red balls and the number of benches in the backyard. After she got done counting both, she came to me and told me which one had ‘more’. Then, she chose to write out the words or draw a picture. We used different comparison words such as more, less, none, many, etc. Lucy kept saying, “What’s next?!”. We headed inside where continued to compare items within the house. Lucy started creating problems for me: “Miss Mindy, if I had two pumpkins and one green apple, which one do I have more of?”

K.NS.9: Use correctly the words for comparison, including: one and many; none, some and all; more and less; most and least; and equal to, more than, and less than.

In pre-k/k group, we read ‘Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs’. A few friends immediately commented that this book was a fiction story. However, we all were hoping it was a non-fiction story. One friend said, “If that were a real story, I would eat everything out of the sky!”

After our story was finished, we looked at different relationships between items. Each friend had to answer a question while looking at two drawings. For example, Penny came up and answered, “Which side has more?”, as she looked at two different drawings. When she answered, we circled her answer and talked about the comparison words that were used.

Enjoy a few more pictures from our Wednesday!

Breakfast– Whole grain oatmeal with honey and PPC apples.

Lunch– Scrambled farm fresh eggs with whole wheat bread, PPC banana/mango, and PPC green beans/cucumber.

PM snack– Whole wheat bagels with peanut butter and sliced cheddar cheese.

Wee Sprout– PPC cucumber/green beans.

Have a fantastic evening!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 9/26

Happy Wednesday!

“A child’s life is like a piece of paper on which every person leaves a mark.” ~quotesgram.com

Please note: There is a form in your child’s cubby for you to fill out and bring back. Please bring this form back by October 1, 2018. Thank you  

Today we painted with puff balls that were attached to a clothes pin. Our friends really enjoyed this sensory activity! They were able to blot the puff, and paint with it like a normal brush. Miss Marty and Miss Rebekah asked friends what colors they were using and what the puff ball felt like. We had a great time and a great experience!

We then moved onto the colorful stacker activity. This activity enhances children’s hand-eye coordination as well as shape and color recognition. We also work with our little ones in recognizing the difference of the sizes of the circles and triangles.  

Breakfast: Whole grain Kix cereal with fresh PPC pears.

Lunch: Farm fresh scrambled eggs with cheese rollups, (Flatbread) Corn, and apples.

Snack: Whole grain brown rice cakes with Sunflower butter.

Have a fantastic night!

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljOpvNB4y4D5X0aSmtg

Good Afternoon All!

“Children are the future, believe in the beauty of their dreams.” ~utstandart.com

This morning we had a wonderful time engaging ourselves with the playdoh. Miss Rebekah added in golf tee’s, hammers, rollers, and straws. Our friends utilized their fine motor skills and their hand-eye coordination to roll, pound, and make balls with the playdough.

When we went outside today, running was on everyone’s mind. Running is a great gross motor activity! Running in early childhood benefits with coordination and balance skills, as well as having loads of fun with a child’s peers.

Breakfast: Whole grain cheerios and PPC pears.

Lunch: Whole grain flatbread with hummus, garden fresh tomatoes, and PPC pears.

Snack: Whole milk yogurt with graham crackers.

Wee Sprouts: Carrots.

Have a fantastic evening!

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljOl2siaSpcEoS7Z-Aw

Good Afternoon!

“I Don’t Make Lesson Plans” is a Teacher Tom blog that I’ve attached underneath. I found this blog interesting as it’s what we do here (for the most part )! At Wee Friends, our lesson plans are very much so attached to what children are doing at the time or what they’re interested in. Everyone has varying opinions on testing but as a whole, children learn when they are engaged and interested in what they’re learning about.

For example, children requested different manipulatives at the round table to start their day. Without much prompting, children started discussing which area had ‘more’ chains. By looking at the manipulatives in front of them, children were commenting on which grouping had more or less. We extended this when Sophia and Emma were using cups to fill teddy bear counters. They each shared which cup had the least amount of bears. These are comparison words that we use quite often as we’re always looking to explain why something is the way it is. Love of learning is such a huge part of what we do that learning happens naturally without teachers having to force it but more so extending the learning that is currently happening.

K.NS.9: Use correctly the words for comparison, including: one and many; none, some, and all; more and less; most and least; and equal to, more than and less than.

http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2018/09/i-dont-make-lesson-plans.html

Enjoy a few pictures from our day!

Breakfast– Kashi Blueberry Clusters and PPC banana.

Lunch– Hummus on whole wheat flatbread, fresh apples, and PPC peppers/fresh carrots.

PM snack– Whole milk yogurt with PPC pears.

Wee Sprout– PPC peppers/fresh carrots.

Have a great night!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 9/25

Happy Monday, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

“If you trust play, you will not have to control your child’s development as much. Play will raise the child in ways you can never imagine.” ~ Vince Gowman

We want to welcome Brittany to our classroom. She is an IUSB student working on her Early Childhood degree. Brittany will be joining us weekly on Monday’s for 9 weeks and will be in the classroom from 8:30- 10:30 AM. Our friends have already started to bond with her and enjoy her company. If you have any questions, please feel free to talk with either Rebekah or myself and we’ll gladly answer any questions that you may have!

Miss Brittany read us many stories this morning during her visit!

The sensory bin was opened this morning and our friends couldn’t have been happier. We added in some pine cones to the corn and black bean mixture, and they were a huge hit. Jack knew right away what they were, and told all of his friends. We utilized our hand-eye coordination, fine motor, and sensory skills while engaging ourselves in this fun activity!

Breakfast: Whole wheat toast with no nut butter and fresh peaches.

Lunch: Whole wheat pasta noodles with butter and shredded chicken, garden fresh tomatoes, and PPC banana.

Snack: Colby cheese slices and fresh PPC grapes.

Wee Sprout: garden fresh Cucumbers.

Have a fantastic evening!

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljOhbNxm3FWU8Y6xy6g

Good Afternoon!

Our welcome activity involved putting items into three categories based on certain attributes that the items had. For example, Franklin grabbed a ‘car’ square and had to decide if it belonged in the ‘air’, ‘land’, or ‘sea’. He said, “This doesn’t go in the sea!”. We took several squares and placed them into the correct category.

K.DA.1: Identify, sort, and classify objects by size, number, and other attributes. Identify objects that do not belong to a particular group and explain the reasoning used.

When we went outside, friends requested a different gross motor toy! Children sat on the scooters and used their legs to go either backwards or forwards depending on their body position.

Our pre-k/k group headed to the farm this morning where we focused on how to treat the animals. Specifically, we worked on how to pet the animals (from their head to their bottom). We practiced this technique with several animals including chickens, cats, and baby bunnies.

Out of the mouths of one of our four year olds: “These bunnies are so freakin’ cute!”

Once we were done with the baby bunnies, a few friends asked if they could jump in the pile of hay that was in the barn. We tested ourselves by moving our bodies on an uneven surface. Eventually, we got pretty confident and started jumping forward, landing on their stomachs.

To end out our morning, we each grabbed a bag and looked for ‘nature’. As Maxwell was walking, he shouted, “Hey! An ‘x’ marks the spot!”. We started talking about whether there was secret treasure buried underneath. As we walked back to the weehicle, a friend stated, “I found so much nature!”. We’re hoping to use the items that we found at the art table later!

Breakfast– Whole wheat toast with butter and PPC banana/fresh apples.

Lunch– Whole wheat pasta with turkey, PPC grapes, and PPC green pepper.

PM snack– Air popped popcorn with butter and raisins.

Wee Sprout– PPC peppers.

Have a great night!

-Mindy

Link to WF AND FARM pictures: WF 9/24

Good afternoon and Happy Friday!

“Sometimes the littlest things take up the most room in your heart.” ~ Winnie The Pooh

Today one of our friends asked to play with the tunnels. Tunnel play is so much fun and we are actively engaged in this activity for quite a while. Friends can play peek-a-boo with others and see who is coming out of the other side of the tunnel, we can crawl slowly or quickly to get to the other side, and we can even bring a friend in the tunnel to share in the experience.

A little later in our day we moved onto building with the waffle blocks. This a fine motor activity that also involves us using our cognitive skills to figure out what blocks we want to connect together to make whatever our imaginations lead us to build. Teachers also incorporate color recognition into our waffle block play.

Breakfast: Whole grain cinnamon raison bagels with butter and fresh peaches.

Lunch: Whole wheat tortillas with shredded cheese, corn, and PPC banana.

Snack: Pretzels and Colby cheese slices.

Wee Sprouts: Carrots.

Have a great weekend, and we’ll see you Monday morning!

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljOd8OctODRh2WRVjig

Happy Friday!

**Please make sure that you’re clearing out your child’s cubbie as well as their art cubbie each night. Thank you!

Enjoy the pictures from our day!

Breakfast– Rice cakes with peanut butter and PPC banana.

Lunch– Shredded cheese on whole wheat tortilla, PPC banana, and PPC broccoli/fresh garden tomatoes.

PM snack– String cheese and pretzels.

Wee Sprout– Fresh garden tomatoes/PPC broccoli.

Have a great weekend!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 9/21