Hello!

**We’re incorporating a new detail to our blog starting today. There will still be a detailed blog but along with that blog will be a photo album at the end of the every blog post. This will allow parents and family to see all of the pictures from the day. These will be easier to download and see all of the pictures from the day in general. If you have any questions about it or how to access it, please ask! Thanks!

Today is Zoey’s last day here with us at Wee Wee Friends. We all are sure going to miss her! Good luck Nick, Anna, and Zoey!

Today was the perfect day for outside play. We went out in the morning and the afternoon. The feeling of sun on our face was just how we wanted to end our week!  Our friends sure did love getting reacquainted with our Wee Friends!

For breakfast, children had chex and banana. AM snack was peas. Lunch consisted of melted cheese and turkey on whole grain bread, banana, and broccoli. PM snack was rice cakes with cream cheese and craisins.

Have a great evening and a wonderful holiday weekend.

-A sunshiny Wee Wee Friend gang

Today we worked with eggs. Each friend had the opportunity to color eggs. We talked about ‘short’ and ‘long’ in the context of leaving the egg in the food coloring. We explored what happens if the egg is in the dye a short time or a long time.

Friends studied, squished and bounced the eggs that they had soaked (overnight) in vinegar, shells and all.

Then we just played with the hard-boiled egg, examining the textures (and smells!).

When we went outside, we had an egg hunt. After the eggs were found, friends played with them: cracked them open, bartered them, hid them again, collected them in a bucket, filled them with rocks and sand and created music with them!

Wee Sprouts: Carrots. Breakfast: Whole wheat toast with PB and bananas. Lunch: Toasted turkey and cheddar on wheat bread, broccoli and bananas. Snack: Easter Eggs and mixed fruit.

Have a restful holiday weekend! We’ll see you Monday!!!

Hello!

Through play and getting older, we become independent. For some, as early as two years old! Lately, our friends have been wanting to put their coat on by themselves. They have been helping one another when the end of the day comes around.

One thing that was prevalent today was play groupings. Through some parts of the day, independent play was prevalent. A few friends went off and read by themselves or rested on the floor.

A couple times throughout the day, we noticed their were different pairs of children engaging with one another. Zoey and Lu Lu sat with one another and shared toys. This allows friends to build connections with one another when they’re given the opportunity to play and talk with one friend. Clara and P.K. had a conversation about what to feed their baby. Clara took the responsibility of getting the baby ready to eat by getting her bib on.

Finally, we have a large group of more than two friends that engage around a certain activity. Today, it was stories. Daniel and Clara started reading with Miss Marty when P.K. joined the group too! When friends are involved in a large group there is often laughter and wonderful group bonding going on. We become a Wee Wee group

Through these different pairings throughout the day, we play with different activities and learn how and what our friends like to play with. The relationships that are built all day grow through interactions and conversations.

For breakfast, children had whole wheat toast with cinnamon, eggs, and pears. AM snack was cucumbers. Lunch consisted of whole wheat bread with hummus, peas/corn, and pears/pineapple. PM snack was animal crackers and colby cheese slices.

Have a great evening.

-Mindy

*A reminder that we are closed Friday, March 29th and will re-open Monday, April 1st.

We began our day with a game of Wee Friends Twister. Several friends gathered to move hands and feet on certain colors and textures. Then we each took a turn being the Game Master, learning to lead by choosing and expressing directions for our friends to follow.

And then we began a Crazy Science Experiment Morning, lasting almost an hour and 1/2!

It began with the Question “Which elements go together?”

1. Salt and Ice

Melinda: “is your melting? What else would melt the ice?”

Kids: “Water!”, “Really hot water!”, “Look how small mine is!”

2. Watercolor and water – “It DOES mix together!”, “It’s blue, just like my shirt!”

3. Oil and water – “It’s making one big bubble!”, “It’s like a whirlpool!”, “It doesn’t mix!”

4. Sprite and raisins – “Will it explode?, “Put some more pop in it!”

5. Sugar and hot water – “It’s good!”, “It’s yucky to me.”

6. Free Choice – Friends chose to mix vinegar, an egg, baking soda and food coloring together!

Whew. That was a lot of experimenting. We decided to stretch our muscles with a good ‘ole game of tug of war. One of us hopped.

We were still wiggly, so we jammed out to “Shake!” by Hap Palmer.

Carrots and broccoli were the Wee Sprouts, and Corn Flakes and bananas were breakfast, but a serving of peanut butter, peas and pears/pineapple was our lunch. We will snack on string cheese and crackers.

 

“Try, try, try to separate them, it’s an illusion.
Try, try, try and you only come to this conclusion:

Love and marriage, love and marriage,
Go together like a horse and carriage.
This I tell ya, brother, you can’t have one without the other.”

-the one and only Frankie Boy

Good Afternoon!

**Just as a reminder, Wee Wee Friends is closed this upcoming Friday (March 29th) for Good Friday. We reopen on Monday! –Thanks!

To start their day, Daniel and P.K. headed into the kitchen where they put their heads together to build different structures with magnatiles. They made sure to help one another. It was an example of great team work and sharing!

Friends splashed into water play this morning! With the use of different toys, children explored the water. Children played pretend with fish and farm animals. P.K. held up a fish and said, “He’s swimming!” It’s wonderful when our friends are using their vocabulary and communication skills to talk through their play.

Zoey and Eren enjoyed splashing the water up using their hands! Zoey laughed when it hit her face. We took different cups and bowls and filled them up with water. We took the cup and dumped the water back out. Friends did this over and over again!

P.K. said, “Wash my hands” as he put his hands under the faucet.

Clara filled up her measuring cup and gently poured the water into the sink. She giggled when the water splashed up as it hit the surface.

Daniel and Clara had a tea party! They both enjoyed drinking some of the water too. Daniel let us know that it was “yummy water”.

As friends were taking their turns, we waited patiently for our chance to have water play.

Daniel and Clara occupied their time before water play by looking outside as snowflakes fell to the ground. Clara pointed out that she saw a bird outside in the tree. We’re becoming very observant when we look out the window .

Clara sat in the chair as she waited for her turn. It sure made her happy when it WAS her turn! She said, “Yay, Clara’s turn!” Different activities sure do make children happy and oh so excited to participate. Water for Clara is fabulous!

Even though the sun went away, we headed outside for a little bit to enjoy the fresh air. We bundled up and joined our Wee Friends! We forgot how fun it is to play with our older friends from next door . We hear there’s warmer weather on the way? Hope so because we sure do love our outside time. As we were heading inside, P.K. let Miss Mindy know that “That was fun!”

For breakfast, children had eggs with cheese and banana. Lunch consisted of cheese tortillas, green beans, and banana. PM snack was cottage cheese and raisins.

Have a terrific evening!

-Mindy

The conversation began early, at the breakfast table when a friend asked a teacher “What’s a boss?” and then expressed her understanding of it by expressing “My mom is the boss of me.” Mel reported that the conversation came up again in the habitrail and ended with the resolution of “we are the boss of ourselves, not each other.”

What began as a counting and number identification exercise, morphed into a group exploration of numbers using wooden blocks, number knowledge and paint.

A few swimmers reported that they jumped into the water all by themselves and also swam to the bottom of the pool. One friend said she got her eyes wet and everything!

Wee Sprouts: Cucumbers. Breakfast: Raisin Bran and pear slices. Lunch: Melted cheddar cheese on whole wheat tortillas, watermelon and carrots. Snack: Cottage cheese and orange slices.

Have a great day.

Lisa’s Update: Lisa is doing well and is now comfortable at home, beginning her recovery from back surgery. She sends hugs to all! Here is her home address should you want to contact her: 23910 Edison Road, SB 46628

Please remember that Wee Friends is closed this Friday, March 29th. We will re-open Monday, April 1st.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BEN! Ben turns two today and we began our day preparing his Big 2 Birthday card.

We gathered in the reading area to welcome Debbie and tell her a bit about ourselves. Here’s what a few friends shared:

Sloane: “My mom is Dinah and my Dad is Pete! I like giraffes!”

Ada: “I like zebras. They are black and white.”

Jane: “You also like snakes.”

Macy: “I am Macy Wolfe Little.”

Finn: “My name is Finn. I’m four and I like pirates. I’m actually a captain.”

Marina: “Marina Georgia Cascarano! I like monkeys!”

Marta: “Marta Babushki Ciccone. I like squirrels.”

Eleanor: “One time I had a bad dream with my spider-it got stuck in my ear. Eleanor Susan Schulte and I like ALL animals.”

Sophie: “My favorite movie is the Wizard of Oz.”

Jane: “And some people call her Sophia.”

Elizabeth: “I’m still three and I like to dance. I like squirrels.”

Lea: “Squirrels!”

Mel played a game in which friends had to categorize and create piles, for a basket of random objects.

Finn’s desire to turn his feather into a writing instrument caught the attention of many a friend. Without real feathers, we turned straws into quills by adding a soft craft feather to the top, and snipping a fine point on the bottom. Friends dipped their quills into watercolor and began writing and creating art.

We bundled up and headed outside. A mini snail society emerged: mother, father and children, and crawled around the backyard.

Wee Sprouts: Broccoli. Breakfast: Whole wheat toast with peanut butter and bananas. Lunch: Whole wheat penne pasta with black beans, peas and Clementines. Snack: Ben’s birthday muffins and pears.

Have a great day!

Happy 1st Birthday Zoey Marie! You’re becoming such a wonderful little girl and we’re so happy we got to be apart of your first year!

**Throughout the week, we’ve had a couple illnesses going through Wee Wee Friends. Two children were out and their only symptom was vomiting. Another child went home with a fever. There are various things going through so hopefully we’ll all take the weekend to rest and relax .

Clara initiated a fort building activity this morning. Using the pillow and various blankets, friends went inside the cube that they turned into their fort! Miss Mindy helped them by draping the red curtains around the cube.

Zoey grabbed different books that she wanted to read with Miss Marty. Daniel and Clara joined in and listened. We read an Easter book today and let our friends know that Easters coming up soon! Children talked about the eggs that they saw and Clara pointed and said, “Chocolate?” There must be chocolate in Clara’s eggs .

Eve spent time this morning building with our colorful blocks. At the beginning, she worked with the different sized blocks. She realized that when she looked through the blocks, she could see our the other side.

When she was done stacking the blocks, there were three sets of two. With Miss Mindy, she counted the number of blocks that there were total.

A little snuggle time with friends was definitely needed this morning <3.

During the late morning, friends migrated to the habitrail where they began jumping and hopping along the walkway to get to the slide. Daniel and Clara yelled, “Jump, jump, jump!” Through different activities, we’re beginning to use our communication skills to tell others what we’re doing.

For breakfast, children had oatmeal with honey and cinnamon. We loved it! AM snack was a mixture of peas and corn. Lunch consisted of whole grain rice with beef, pineapple/banana, and broccoli. PM snack was cheddar cheese and crackers.

Have a terrific weekend.

-Mindy

For those of you who don’t know, On Wednesday morning, Lisa had back surgery. It was more complicated than was expected and she will be home recovering for the next 6 weeks. Tami saw her last night at the hospital and reported that Lisa is doing well and is expected to come home today.

A former IUSB classmate of Mindy’s, named Debbie Cassella, will be covering Lisa’s absence. Debbie, who will be receiving her Master’s in Education this May at IUSB, comes highly recommended to us. We had the pleasure of spending the morning with her and we welcome her aboard as Lisa convalesces.

9:20 Mel begins reading The Wizard of Oz.

9:30

9:40

10am

Fanning the “spark” of an idea—–tents.

Wee Sprouts: Green Beans. Breakfast: Rice cakes with peanut butter and raisins. Lunch: Whole grain rice with pork, bananas/pineapple fruit salad and broccoli. Snack: Cheddar cheese and crackers.

Have a great weekend!

Good Afternoon.

It’s starting to look like spring in the Wee Wee house but it’s sure not looking that way outside! We are hoping it warms up so we can head outside for some much needed time running around in the outdoors.

P.K. asked for magnatiles so he and Daniel headed into the kitchen where they worked together to build a castle! After it fell down, P.K. said, “Kaboom!” They rebuilt it even higher the next time.

Group story reading is a must every day. Not only do the teachers love the bonding experience it brings but every kid loves the snuggle time. During reading time, relationships are built along with language growth.

Daniel worked with his shapes and fine motor skills as he attempted to put each shape into its correct hole in the house.

We found a lot of cars today that were hidden throughout the house! Friends enjoyed playing with the new cars and were sharing with one another extremely well.

Doctors visited us today! Dr. Clara, Dr. Zoey, and Dr. Daniel checked us out to make sure we weren’t sick! We all had a clean bill of health .

Lu Lu loved playing the piano. Along with using her fine motor skills, she smiled as the piano made noise.

A visitor could tell that we’re in the technological age. At one point this afternoon, every child had a phone in their hand. Whether they were talking to their Mommy on the phone or using it to take pictures, the phones were used to their maximum!

Friends paired off this afternoon.

Eve and Daniel sat in the rocker as they read ‘The Wheels on the Bus’ together. As Daniel read the book, Eve did the motions.

P.K. said, “Clara, sit on lap”. As they catapulted off the stair, P.K. screamed, “Tackle!” as they both plummeted to the ground. This happened over and over.

For breakfast, children had whole wheat toast with cinnamon and banana. AM snack was corn. Lunch consisted of hummus on pita, pears, and fresh green beans. PM snack was goldfish and hard boiled eggs.

Have a great night.