A FEW FARM NOTES:

• We will take Group A (the older kids) most Wednesdays this fall,  when the weather is accommodating and it works for Miss Charlotte. 
• Our goal is to take Group B (2’s and 3’s) at least once this fall.  The tentative date for this will be Wednesday, September 24th. 
• Please have your farmer here no later than 9:30 on farm days.
• Please dress your farmer in clothes that are layered for cooler weather.  Boots are great, but we do have plenty of extras if needed.
• The cost is $5.00 per farm trip which is given to our farm to support it’s role in the community as an educational farm.  I will keep track and bill families at the end of the farm season.  It this presents a financial hardship, let me know and WF will cover that cost.

Today was our first farm trip for the fall and it was a beautiful day to be out in nature!  At the farm we picked green beans from the garden, picked our own fresh raspberries (to eat!), enjoyed freshly picked tomatoes still warm from the sun, had some great conversations with the goats, held or pet a sweet little chicken, investigated the pond area, walked through the prairie, held a teeny tiny feisty little toad that jumped out of Tami’s hand and almost landed on Elliott’s head, and finally finished with a quick swing on the rope. 

Back at Wee, our younger friends enjoyed painting, piano music, stories, beading and outside time while the older children were at the farm. 

Breakfast: Rice cakes with PB and fresh apple slices.  Wee Sprouts:  Cherry Tomatoes

Lunch: Ham and cream cheese rollups on whole wheat (vegetarian/dairy free was hummus), fresh sliced tomatoes and watermelon/strawberries.

Snack will be: Mozzarella cheese and organic blue corn chips.

Enjoy this beautiful day!

Tami

Good Afternoon!

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!

For breakfast, children had chex and apples. Lunch consisted of whole wheat noodles with roast beef, broccoli, and apples. PM snack was thin rice cakes with hummus.

Have a wonderful evening!

*Tami is planning a Farm Trip tomorrow for Group A: Ellie, Elizabeth, Hazel, Sophie, Elliott, Aislinn, Sloane, Owen and Daniel. We have farm boots in every size, but if your Wee Friend is particular about their footwear, please bring his/her shoes along with you to school tomorrow. Please be here no later than 9:30.

Welcome Hazel! We have a new Wee Friend today who is almost exactly (2 days difference) the same age as Sophie! We are excited to have you and your family at Wee Friends!

Today, we begin a 12 week cycle of the Wee Friend FABS: Framework for Academic Balance. These points reflect the Literacy and Math PreK/Kindergarten requirements as mandated by the state of Indiana. We use these guides as our curriculum emerges each day. Today we jumped into counting syllables and matching sets of objects one-to-one. (LITERACY FAB K.1.13 and MATH FAB K.1.1). And of course our work of getting to know one another, routines and transitions and the fire drill! The kids nailed it.

Hope the joy of the day is emerging in YOUR world. –Laurie

Wee Sprouts: WF garden string beans. Breakfast: Cereal and mixed fresh fruit. Lunch: Whole wheat noodles with roast beef, apple slices and Cassie’s garden tomatoes. Snack: Cottage cheese and Graham crackers.

 

Please remember that WF will be closed Monday, Sept. 1, in observance of Labor Day. We’ll see you Tuesday!

What will this day be like? I wonder.
It could be so exciting to be out in the world, to be free!
I’ve always longed for adventure
To do the things I’ve never dared
And here I’m facing adventure…..

What WILL this day be like?

(I HAVE CONFIDENCE from The Sound of Music)

It’s a question we often ask as our Wee days get going. It was filled with adventure. Ellie wanted to run so we opened the door, checked for raindrops and her race began. Many friends joined her race, running round and round the track. We decided to stay outside and enjoy the cool morning. Elliott found a Ghost Nest. Many friends studied it and shared ideas about ghosts. We shared that ghosts are friendly and fun. Aislinn wanted to throw balls. We drew a target on the painting easel and invited friends to throw their balls toward the mark. Romy worked with chalk and wanted to wipe the chalkboards clean. Naia joined her and then used her wet ‘blankets’ to care for her babies. Several friends worked together to build a campfire. We heard a loud noise coming from the front yard. We met Richard, a hard working community builder who explained what the noise was and what he and his crew were doing.  

When the rain forced us indoors, friends found more adventures as they went about creating the work of their passions!

Exciting! Free! Adventure! Daring!

What will YOUR day be like? Hope your holiday weekend is the same. (no pressure.)-Laurie

 

Breakfast: Corn Chex and bananas. Lunch: Brown rice with cream cheese and black beans, sweet bell peppers/Cassie’s tomatoes and strawberries. Snack: English muffins with butter and plums.

Please remember that Wee Friends will be closed Monday, Sept. 1 in observance of Labor Day.

Have a fabulous day! –Laurie

Wee Sprouts: Carrots. Breakfast: Puffin cereal with bananas. Lunch: Cream cheese on whole wheat flatbread, watermelon and cauliflower. Snack: Rice cakes with peanut butter.

*Don’t forget that Wee Friends will be closed Monday, Sept. 1st in observance of Labor Day.

That was the consensus today: Mary’s lamb had fleece as white as ice cream. As Wee Friends initiated their own works this morning,  we offered an exploration of this classic nursery rhyme. First with the characters on felt board. Romy and Naia belted out the tune. Melinda and Jessica created a choir and friends stood around the piano singing. We introduced puff balls and tongs, Little People, an illustrated copy of the rhyme, a reading of a non-traditional version of the story, and finally, the choice to make a puppet.

Friends loved the puppets. And then they loved the freedom to jump back into their other works in progress.  We loved the coming together as a class.

Hope your day is coming together nicely. –Laurie

Wee Sprouts: Green bell peppers. Breakfast: Rice cakes with peanut butter and fresh strawberries. Lunch: Whole wheat pizza with spinach and Cassie’s homegrown tomatoes, corn-on-the-cob and fresh strawberries. Snack: Cottage cheese and tomatoes.

 

Good Afternoon!

To start off our morning, we watched on as the sidewalk next door to us got demolished. We heard loud crash, boom, and bangs as they put the sidewalk into the bin. Our friends could have watched it all morning.

Friends went into the kitchen where they worked with markers and paper. A few of us used one marker at a time to put marks on the paper. Others colored a little on their hands and felt how the tip of the marker felt.

To end our morning, we turned on music and got down the rings and blue shakers. Nora started a ‘dance party’ with her friends.

For breakfast, children had cheerios and grapes. Lunch consisted of cheese filled tortillas, mixed vegetables, and PPC plums. PM snack was apples with soy butter/yogurt dip.

Have a wonderful night!

It’s the way emergent curriculum was designed to work: follow the leader. We have 16 leaders whom we observe each day. We support our friends and look for ways to encourage them as they work. “What are you building? Let’s write the words that you are describing!” “I see you are interested in the rainfall. Would you like to measure it?” “What do you see on the computer desktop while your friends are dancing to the music?” “What is this? Does it belong in the ocean or in a house?” “How does water freeze?” And all the while, we are infusing the development of life skills:  using kind words, creating opportunities to share or collaborate. Emergent curriculum. Building our community. Following the leaders. Have a great day.- Laurie

Wee Sprouts: Carrots. Breakfast: Whole wheat bagels with hummus and strawberries. Lunch: Banana and almond butter roll ups, watermelon and green beans (PPC all). Snack: Mozzarella cheese and whole wheat crackers.

 

 

Happy Monday!

Hope everyone had a great weekend.

For breakfast, we had english muffin with soy butter and grapes. Lunch was whole grain pasta with chicken, peas, and apples. PM snack was raisins and string cheese.

Have a wonderful night.

He came to us when he was exactly two. This week he turned six. When we sat down recently to log his costume collection we identified many of the roles he has played at Wee Friends: pirate, policeman, miner, strong man, doctor, santa claus, master gardener, Viking, train conductor, soccer player, mail carrier, construction worker, zoo keeper, fireman, pilot, farmer, chef and Gaston. We know there are more. We know there will be more.

Finn’s desire to dress in a different character each day went much deeper than wearing a costume. When he would arrive at Wee Friends, he would immediately begin building the life of his character in all our learning centers.   He learned letter and words by using pirate lingo. He studied patterns, length, distance and gravity by tying links around animals and babies, and watching them dangle and fall off the loft. He used paper and art materials to create sailor logs and menus. He requested music whenever he built ships or cars, planes or restaurants with the large wooden building blocks. He counted the number of triangles it would take to fill the crocodile’s mouth up with teeth. His character driven, self initiated learning explorations were endless.

Finn.

He was a natural leader in our classroom and would invite, appoint and inspire his peers to see what HE saw. He would teach them everything he knew about his current character interest.  He was most comfortable creating and learning with his friends right beside him.  He was a peer mentor and loved showing his friends the way, reminding them of Wee ‘rules’ and procedures.  Finn made his friends laugh with his storylines, comments and observations. His friends have loved him, liked him, listened to him and will miss him so. Finn has been a good friend to his Wee peeps.

Finn taught US how to teach him. When we said “yes!” he took us on an emergent learning journey that we couldn’t have planned ourselves. When we said “let’s think about that some more” he articulated his vision reasonably, clearly and with great passion.

And Lindsay and Jenn. How can we thank you for the volunteer hours, the generosity, the support and the kindness you have shared with us these four years. We will truly miss seeing your family everyday. And we thank you, so very much.

Finn, we love you. You are one-of-a-kind. Your personality, vocabulary, knowledge, curiosity and creativity filled our days and classroom with wonder. Thank you. We can’t wait for you to visit to hear about your GSMS adventures.

We’ll see you soon.

Wee Sprouts: Cucumbers. Breakfast: Cereal and pear slices. Lunch: Whole wheat pasta with chicken, fresh apple slices and peas. Snack: Yogurt and PPC’s fresh fruit delivery.