FRIENDLY REMINDERS! By 8:45 most mornings, we are outside and will continue this through the summer as weather permits. If, when you drop your child off,  teachers and friends are outside, please come out and let us know that your child is here!  Our friends who are 6 and younger are not permitted to be in the classroom alone, unless coming in to go potty. Also, don’t forget to lock the door when you say goodbye! Thank you so much for your help on these things!

Today’s field trip took us to another River Park business, For Pet’s Sake. Proprietor DiAnn Becker has been hard at work grooming pets for 23 years (16 as For Pet’s Sake Owner) and she loves it. This was evident to us by the amazing welcome she and her staff gave us! First, friends witnessed the very rare cat shave.

Then DiAnn spritzed breath freshener in the cat’s mouth! Next, we went in the back of the shop to see dog tubs and dog’s having their hair blown dry!

Our trip ended with a puppy puppet creation!

Thank you, DiAnn, and your incredible staff for creating such a great experience for Wee Friends! River Park is lucky to have you.

And who did we see on the way back to school? Mail Carrier Kevin, of course.

Have a great weekend.

Wee Sprouts: Carrots. Breakfast: Corn Chex and bananas. Lunch: Egg salad on whole grain flatbread, pear slices and romaine lettuce. Snack: Crackers and pear slices.

Lisa’s message board this morning asked the question “What is a pet groomer?” This began a long, multi-activity conversation about all things dog.

First, we found out who had cats and who had dogs….and their names. The Wee Pet family includes Bowman, Chloe, Nico, Hammy, Phoebe, Maggie, Rio, Belle, Mac, Camper, Zoe and Cocoa.

We talked about the sounds dogs make and created those sounds in patterns of 1-2-3. We scratched, begged, lapped water….and then we whined. This led to listening to a recording of whining puppies. A conversation began about how cute puppy whines are. Another conversation followed about how not cute the human whine is.  We sang “Twinkle Twinkle” and “Baa-Baa…” using a high and low bark. We talked about whining alternatives, and role played solutions.

We ended with our Osmond music meditation.

We realized we had created a litter. We talked about dog litters and cat litters. We read  Go, Dog, Go!.

All the while, friends worked with Mel at the art table, creating a thank you note for tomorrow’s field trip.

Breakfast: Cream-of-Wheat with fresh strawberries and bananas. Lunch: Roast beef on whole wheat bread, strawberries and broccoli. Snack: Goldfish and cheddar cheese.

Good Afternoon!

We welcomed back Lu-Lu who was with her family for the last two weeks on vacation! We’re so glad she’s back!

Friends Eren and Daniel sat for quite some time looking and observing the fish tank. They pointed out different rocks that they liked along with the multiple fish throughout the tank. Two fish started chasing one another and they both found that extremely funny .

Our newest fascination outside is the baby dolls. There are several baby dolls that friends are now able to play with outside. Children are involving the dolls in their play such as sand box and bikes.

For breakfast, children had cheerios and apples. Lunch consisted of whole grain tortillas with melted cheese, cantaloupe, and peas. PM snack was watermelon and pumpkin bread.

Have a terrific evening.

-Mindy

Happy Big 6 Ada! Today, we have been very busy celebrating Ada’s birthday! First, bday pumpkin muffins. Next, the traditional WF birthday card.

Baby Doll Mania persists, indoors and outdoors alike.

There’s an exercise we like to use in the early childhood classroom that encourages fine motor/coordination practice: Friends pick up cotton balls with tongs and transfer them from one bowl to another. Here’s a picture of what emergent curriculum looks like: Ben discovering that his pliers could transport fluff from one place to another. It looks pretty simple to the naked eye, and yet these are the moments early childhood teachers get excited about!!!!

Wee Sprouts: Carrots. Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with cheese and pineapple. Lunch: Melted cheese on whole wheat tortillas, cantaloupe/watermelon fruit salad and carrot sticks. Snack: Pumpkin muffins and watermelon.

PS: Marta called us from Syracuse! She had “just caught the big fish!”

Happiness in your day.

Hello!

It’s always important to start our day off with a Wee Wee harmony! Friends sang/screamed at the top of their lungs. It was lovely!

When our favorite CD which is ‘Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes’ comes on, we plop a seat on the floor and listen to all of the songs. We may stand up for more active songs such as a dancing song where you dance silly, fast, and slowwww. We have this song down! We do a great job at listening to the directions.

Our morning ended with coloring in our journals before we headed outside!

Throughout the coloring experience, it’s nice to have different conversations with friends. Daniel let Miss Mindy know that he was drawing an elephant. Our friends strokes and lines are starting to resemble letters and definite objects. We have a purpose. Sometimes it is freeing and refreshing just to draw lines with different colors!

For breakfast, children had whole grain bagels with cinnamon and banana/pears. Lunch consisted of whole grain tortillas with melted cheese, corn, and banana/cantaloupe. PM snack was crackers with soy butter and raisins.

Have a great evening!

-Mindy

 

*FIELD TRIP: Friday, June 21st, 10am: All of Wee Friends will walk to “For Pet’s Sake” dog groomers on Mishawaka Blvd. Permission slip up today in usual spot. Thank you!

Welcome back, Elizabeth!

Now that we have outdoor babies, we spent our early morning finding new adventures with them. We started with “The Dollies Go Marching One by One”, creating new lyrics and rhymes for our song. Then we rocked our babies in our tree. Friends explored different places to rock their babies and different ways of holding their babies.

Inside, we played cards and painted caterpillars.

We jumped around hot lava, both inside and outside.

And then hot do mania hit. First, a repeat of tying up a teacher and making her the hot dog. Teasing about what to put on the teacher hot dog created gut wrenching laughter. “Here’s some carrots!” cried one friend over and over. After the teacher got squished one too many times, we invited friends to the art table to create Play-Do hot dogs.

Another crazy summer day.

Hope your day is going well.

Wee Sprouts: Cucumbers. Breakfast: Raisin Bran and pear slices. Lunch: Taco salad, corn and bananas. Snack: Yogurt and raisins. 

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a good weekend.

Our week started off with a little music time. Friends gathered using the shakers to go along to the music.

Before lunchtime, we head outside where friends usually dive into the sandbox first thing!

For breakfast, children had cheesy eggs and banana. Lunch consisted of noodles with kidney beans, banana, and peas. PM snack was hard boiled eggs and cantaloupe.

Have a terrific evening.

-Mindy

A quick reminder that Wee Friends is closed Thursday, July4th-Sunday, July 14, resuming on Monday July 15th.

Welcome back, Ada! This first thing that Ada discovered upon her return to WF, is that the caterpillars are becoming moths!

During the WF summertime, we begin our days outdoors.

When we came inside, a few friends gathered at the art table to create paper Mache caterpillars. Other friends settled into their work and play, starting their week out in a joyful way as puppies, gymnasts, mommies and sisters and always….friends.

Wee Sprouts: Cucumbers. Breakfast: Cheerios and bananas. Lunch: Whole Wheat penne pasta with red beans, kale and carrot salad and bananas. Snack: Crackers and cheese sticks.

Happy Monday.

Happy Friday!

Children’s play forms and grows throughout the day. Play experiences alter depending on the kids mood and their ultimate goal.

We started painted with different utensils such as brushes and sponges. While this was sensorial and interesting, apparently our friends wanted more!

They turned it into finger painting. The sensorial experience that they got through finger painting far exceeded the experience they got with the brush. As adults, we even alter our habits and daily experiences to fit our needs and wants.

This afternoon, friends started in on their play by covering one another up with blankets.

While this was inviting and fun, our friends wanted more. This play session turned into a rigorous nap time routine. Children were told by their ‘mommy’ to lay down and take a nap. These ‘mommies’ were stern! Eren tried to hop up but Eve and Clara let him know that it was time to lay down and take a nap. He complied and continued in his play .

For breakfast, children had kix and pears. Lunch consisted of turkey, tortilla, cheese slices, oranges, and mixed vegetables. PM snack was whole wheat crackers and cheddar cheese slices.

Have a terrific weekend!

-Mindy

We did it. YOU did it! And we thank you! Enjoy these pictures from the 1st Annual Wee Soccer Match at Nuner, Parents vs. Wee Friends. And have a great weekend.

 

Wee Sprouts: Carrots. Breakfast: Oatmeal Squares and bananas. Lunch: Whole grain flatbread and turkey, mixed veggies and apple slices. Snack: Apple and cheddar cheese slices.