Good Afternoon.

“As soon as children find something that interests them they loose their instability and learn to concentrate.” ~ Maria Montessori

Today our big AND little friends wanted to color. We have fresh new markers that made bright, vibrant colors all over their pages. While we were coloring, teachers talked with friends about the color they were using and Mack told me, “I use Blue because it’s my favorite!” Coloring enhances children’s fine motor skills, color recognition, hand eye- coordination and their imagination skills.

In my blog yesterday, I talked about the relationships that our little ones obtain while at WWF and how important friendships are! Mack and Daniel are the best of buds, as you can clearly see. They engage together throughout most of their day, indoors and out. We absolutely LOVE these special bonds and friendships.

Breakfast: Whole grain Cheerios with PPC banana.

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

Snack: Pretzels and mozzarella string cheese.

Wee Sprouts: Corn.

Have a fabulous evening.

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljMl66WOJ_D52knRnyA

Good Afternoon and Happy August! This year is really flying by quickly.

“The beautiful thing about learning, is that no one can take it away from you.” ~B.B. King

Our fine motor and cognitive skills were in impeccable shape today as we engaged in puzzles and pegs. While Mack was working on his puzzle, he was also learning about the letters of the alphabet and the colors of those letters. While engaging in the pegs, Daniel was also able to begin to work on his color recognition skills. Hand-eye coordination and cognitive skills are also amongst the skills being learned. 

We are so fortunate that our little ones get the chance to obtain such wonderful and long lasting friendships with their peers. Socialization skills are very important in early childhood.

According to, Tender Care Learning Centers, “ Interacting and playing with both peers and adults presents an immense amount of learning opportunities for young children. Even toddlers and infants reap the cognitive and emotional benefits of interacting with others. The right socially interactive environment will help children develop strong language skills, creativity, social intelligence, and confidence.”  

Breakfast: Whole grain Chex Cereal, and PPC banana.

Lunch: Scrambled eggs with shredded cheese, broccoli, whole wheat/grain butter toast, and PPC blueberries.

Snack: Whole wheat crackers with cream cheese, and apples.

Wee Sprouts: Broccoli.

Have a wonderful evening.

Marty

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

Good Afternoon!

I love to skim through Teacher Tom’s blog, seeing what he has to say about the happenings at his program. I found two blog posts that specifically spoke to what we do here at Wee Friends.

The first post revolves around an outdoor garden where children can get vegetables whenever they get hungry. We’ve heard it more than once that children will eat veggies here but not at home. That’s especially true about the garden. This week, children have been craving the fresh kale that’s been growing in the garden. A few children also ate rhubarb and fresh green beans. Our Wee Sprouts are always a hit (we have our favorites of course) but overall, the example that’s set for food choices is a healthy, wholesome one.

http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2018/08/eating-from-garden.html

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I really enjoyed this blog post. It goes into detail about how teachers and parents set the example in different aspects of children’s lives. What we say, how we act, and what we do are important to raising children and making sure that we’re setting the best example possible.

This struck a cord with me:

“When we worry we are, at best, wasting valuable emotional bandwidth that would be better applied to right now. The only thing over which we know with any certainty is the next 10 minutes and, I’ve found, it’s generally not too hard to be the best me, the person I most want to be, for the next 10 minutes. When we can do that, 10 minutes at a time, we are being the teacher, the parent, our child most needs. And it is from those 10 minute building blocks that the future emerges.”

http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2018/07/example-is-school-of-mankind.html

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Enjoy a few pictures from our day!

Breakfast– Whole grain oatmeal with honey and PPC blueberries.

Lunch– Scrambled eggs with shredded cheese, whole wheat bagel/tortilla, and PPC cucumber/cauliflower.

PM snack– Air popped popcorn with butter and PPC oranges.

Wee Sprout– PPC cucumber/cauliflower.

Have a fantastic evening!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 8/1

Good Afternoon!

Miss Tami bought us new cars for the habitrail area! Children used them in several different ways today. Chloe chose to line them up and drop them off into a bin one by one, counting each one along the way. Ruby and Sophia made two different ramps and sent cars down each ramp. They had their cars leave their hand at the same time and they became increasingly excited to see which car would hit the ground first.

It was a wonderful morning outside! We had a lot of energy that we were able to get out by running throughout the backyard space.

“Study nature. Love Nature. Stay close to nature. It will never fail you.”

-Frank Lloyd Wright

While we offer Wee Sprouts (fresh, local veggies) all morning long, some of our friends get hungry around 11:00 when we’re outside. This morning, Chloe asked, “Miss Mindy. I’m hungry. Can I go eat kale?”. She and I headed into the garden which attracted a few other friends. We had several pieces of kale which held us over until lunch!

Breakfast– Whole grain Cheerios with PPC kiwi.

Lunch– Hummus on whole wheat flatbread, PPC banana/fresh oranges, and PPC cucumber/cherry tomatoes.

PM snack– Whole wheat bagels with cream cheese and PPC banana.

Wee Sprout– PPC cucumber/cherry tomatoes.

Have a lovely night!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 7/31

Good Afternoon!

“The more risks you allow children take, the better they learn to take care of themselves.” ~Roald Dahl

We welcomed back our friend Zoe today, from her very long vacation! We all missed her and we are glad she’s back to engage in all the fun and learning we do every day!

We happily got engaged in our sensory tub of moon sand today. We were able to learn about it’s color, texture, and smell. We were also able to utilize our hand-eye coordination as we scooped the sand into cups and other items available in the sand. We had a blast!

Mack came in at the tail end of the moon sand extravaganza, so he helped Miss Marty with a very important life skill job! He took the dust pan and small brush to sweep the sand that was on the floor into the pan and dump in into the garbage can. He did a GREAT job!!!! Way to go Mack  

Breakfast: Whole grain Kix and PPC banana.

Lunch: Whole wheat/grain flatbread with hummus, corn, and PPC Kiwi.

Snack: Whole wheat/grain bagel with sunflower butter.

Wee Sprouts: Corn.

Have a great night!

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES:  https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljMgUvJhdBv77G35LSw

Good Afternoon!

Wee Friends is a play-based environment which means that play is at the core of what we do. Children learn through meaningful play experiences. I’ve attached an article at the bottom that explains the five essentials to meaningful play, which in a nutshell, is how we want children’s play experience to be on a daily basis.

1. Children make their own decisions.

At Wee Friends, children are allowed to make their own decisions. At any given time, children can create at the art table or build with trio blocks for two hours. If an art project is being offered, only child who want to participate come to the table; it is a choice.

2. Children are intrinsically motivated.

We play because of a strong sense to understand the world, not because a parent or teacher tells us we have to. It’s that intrinsic motivation that allows children to work on their social skills with their peers to keep their play experience thriving.

3. Children become immersed in the moment.

Thankfully, our loose daily schedule allows for children to focus on what they’re doing. Usually, we go outside around 10:30 but if children are immersed in their play and having a meaningful play experience, we wait a little bit longer so we’re not disrupting their play.

4. Play is spontaneous, not scripted.

Play is unique and specific to each child based on their life experiences. For example, in the housekeeping area, two peers may be playing together using baby dolls because they have infant babies at home. A child’s outside worldly experiences influence their life at school and what they are able to pull from their imagination.

5. Play is enjoyable.

When children are playing, you can see the fun their having just by observing their facial experiences. This fun is linked to an enjoyable, meaningful play experience which they’ll be able to take the memory with them long after their play has ended.

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

Enjoy a few pictures from our Monday!

Breakfast– Whole wheat english muffins with peanut butter and PPC banana.

Lunch– Homemade macaroni and cheese with whole wheat noodles, applesauce, and PPC broccoli/carrots.

PM snack– Whole milk yogurt with PPC pears.

Wee Sprout– PPC broccoli/fresh carrots.

Have a lovely night!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 7/30

Good Afternoon!

“Children need the FREEDOM to appreciate the infinite resources of their hands, their eyes, and their ears, the resources of forms, materials, sounds and colours.”            ~Loris Malaguzzi                      

Enjoy some pictures from our Monday!

Breakfast:  Whole grain wheat toast with butter and cinnamon and fresh banana.

Lunch:  Homemade macaroni and cheese, fresh PPC kiwi and peas.

Afternoon Snack:  Whole milk yogurt and graham crackers.

Have a great night!

Rebekah

Link to pictures:  https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljMcj0vBVIP0JhtCAgA

Happy Friday! I hope you have had a wonderful week!  

“For all the things my hands have held, the best by far is you.” ~Author Unknown

I wanted to share with you another very interesting article I read in the YC magazine, as it has so many and also has a valuable understanding of what our program is based on.  As you are all aware, both classrooms at WF are multi-aged programs. I wanted to share with you the benefits of having a multi-aged classroom for infants and toddlers from this magazine.

“The developmental benefits for infants and toddlers in multiage settings are many, but four benefits in particular are prominent: forming a sense of empathy, nuturing attachment and continuity, building stronger family relationships, and providing opportunities for peer teaching.”

We as teachers in the Infant and Toddler classroom work with your children every day to become the best they can be in all these attributes and learn all the valuable milestones they need to be successful and eventually move on to the preschool program. 

Enjoy the pictures from our beautiful Friday!

Breakfast: Whole grain English muffins with cream cheese and PPC banana.

Lunch: Whole wheat flatbread with refried beans and shredded cheese, carrots, and apples.

Snack: Pretzels and Colby cheese cubes.

Wee Sprouts: Fresh garden grown cucumbers.

Have a fantastic weekend, we’ll see you on Monday.

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES:  https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljMZS57-2PQs0_dP0Zw

Happy Friday!

It was a baking morning as children gathered at the island to bake whole wheat banana muffins.

Not only do friends love to help when we bake, but they get exposure to different measurements and how recipes come together!

 

Our outside environment allows for an array of activities ranging from calming activities (art table, sandbox, housekeeping) to physically engaging activities (bikes, running, kicking/throwing balls). There’s something for everyone.

This morning, we had a lot of energy so the outdoors allowed us to get that out in a positive way. Children ran around the yard, going up and down hills, and transitioning from different surfaces which is challenging.

Breakfast– Rice cakes with peanut butter and fresh watermelon.

Lunch– Refried bean and shredded cheese on whole wheat flatbread, PPC blueberries/fresh watermelon, and fresh carrots/PPC cherry tomatoes.

PM snack– Homemade banana muffins, string cheese, and fresh blueberries from Anna’s family!

Wee Sprout– Fresh carrots/PPC cherry tomatoes.

Have a fantastic evening!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 7/27

Good Afternoon!

Our curiosities were over flowing. Our minds were constantly working. Our happiness was abundant.

Enjoy the pictures from our day!

Breakfast– Kashi Blueberry Clusters and PPC banana.

Lunch– Brown rice with shredded pork, fresh watermelon, and PPC cucumber/fresh carrots.

PM snack– Pumpkin seeds and whole wheat crackers.

Wee Sprout– PPC cucumber/fresh carrots.

Have a wonderful night!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 7/26