Orchard Trip 10.1.11

http://www.flickr.com/photos/weefriends/sets/72157627732439971/

 

 

 

 

WF Farm 10.5.11

http://www.flickr.com/photos/weefriends/sets/72157627738976729/

 

 

 

 

WF Classroom

http://www.flickr.com/photos/weefriends/sets/72157627856382544/

As a classroom, we are always trying to find the balance between communicating valuable information and the time it takes to do the communicating.  We added the daily blog in early spring, which we feel gives parents a clear picture of our daily classroom activities.  We have had such wonderful feedback about the blog, so this is something we will continue.

We WILL continue to have daily sheets in the younger classroom, but the focus of your daily sheet will be to simply communicate pertinent information like nap times, diaper changes (for children under 15 mo or so)  & potty concerns/notes for the older ones, and meal comments.  Please continue to look to the blog for the daily menu as it is too time consuming to write the menu on individual sheets. 

The process of completing daily sheets for every child has always been a labor intensive effort, especially when we are trying to add in notes about development and classroom activities.    Now that we have the blog to communicate classroom activities, we will no longer use the daily sheets for that purpose. 

However, the exciting news is that we have started Electronic Portfolios (EP) for every child in the younger classroom.  Our goal is one electronic entry (photo of child/child’s artwork/child’s work, plus an anecdote/or developmental milestone/or work description) for each child every week.  We are starting with the goal of emailing this entry to parents once a week.  

Your electronic portfolio will be emailed in a pdf format.  Please remember that these EP’s are often done on a laptop with efficiency in mind.  So please view these weekly emails as your child’s “rough draft” and before you recieve your final pdf, we will go through and clean up any typos. 

We have been  successfully doing the EP’s in the older classroom since early summer.  Late this summer we started work on the younger classroom, so your first email may contain a few entries from as early as July or August.  The WWF teachers feel like they have the process mastered and found the time to make this happen in a predictable way so we are officially cutting the ribbon and sending them out:)

Enjoy! 

Tami

Aiden Joseph arrived in good health earlier today.  I have heard that Mom is also doing well.  Much CONGRATULATIONS are in order!

Good Afternoon!

The WF classroom will be taking a trip to the apple orchard for this Friday, October 7th.   We will be taking all of the kids from the older classroom.  We are going to Springhope Farms in Galien Michigan.  http://www.web.triton.net/b/bobwoods/index.html  (Thanks to Alexandra (Simon’s mom) for the referral to this smaller, less commercial farm setting.)

Parents are welcome to join us.  Please let me know ASAP if you will be coming with us or driving so I can plan the car arrangements.  It is a bit of a drive (approximately 45 minutes) so carpooling makes sense. 

There is no field trip fee.  Wee Friends will make sure that each child has a few apples to bring home, but, if you would like your child to bring home a bag of apples, it is 75 cents/lb for the 5lb bags.   Please send cash in for that on Friday. 

All children need to be at WF no later than 9:00.

Permission slips will be ready on your child’s cubby.  Please remember to fill those out!!!

Thanks!

Tami

 

 

 

Crystal, Kai’s mom shared this story over the weekend and gave me permission to share it with everyone.  Kai is a current WF kindergartener, all the other children are WF alumni.  I am listed as “Chase’s mom” in the story.

Crystal wrote, “I had Isaac and Honora spending the night last night and we all had a bowl of ice cream for dessert.  The kids started a hilarious conversation:

Kai:  I could probably eat 10 bowls of ice cream.

Honora:  Well, you could, but no parents are nice enough to let you do that.

Isaac:  I could eat 80 bowls of ice cream.

Honora:  But your parents aren’t nice enough to let you. 

Isaac:  Right, no parents are that nice.

Honora:  Well, except maybe Chase’s mom.  She’s really nice.

Dylan:  Yeah, that’s true.

Isaac:  Yeah, she is.

Kai:  (incredulous)  Tami?  No way, she’s mean.  She would never let you eat that much ice cream.

Honora and Dylan:  Well, but she IS nice.

Kai:  No, she’s really mean.  Tami is MEAN.  Except sometimes she is a little nice.

Honora: And she makes the best meatloaf.”

 

Really, this is what makes what I do so fabulous!!!!

Have a great night,

Tami

I am gradually adding more and more information to the blog to hopefully make things more convenient for the families.  There is now a tab on the blog with our Vacation Calendar and there is a tab with our Handbook Policies.  Soon there will be a tab with all the forms you may ever want or need!

Starting this week, I will be changing the milk I serve to children over 2 years of age to skim/1% rather than 2%.   Wee Friends is part of CACFP and they have changed our guidelines: 

 “Milk served in the CACFP must be consistent with the most recent version of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines recommend that persons over two years of age consume low-fat (1%) or fat-free (skim) fluid milk. Therefore, fluid milk served in CACFP to participants two years of age and older must be: fat-free or low-fat milk”  http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Care/Regs-Policy/policymemo/2011/CACFP-21-2011.pdf (link to the USDA letter)

I will continue to buy whole milk for children under 2 years as this has remained unchanged.   I am required to follow the CACFP guidelines unless I have a doctor’s note on file with other directives. 

I will continue to buy organic milk for the children, even though that is not required as I personally believe that organic milk is worth the additional cost for our program. 

Thanks!

Tami

Wee Friends had a busy morning filled with children engaged in everyday activities like:

Play dough. Miss Paulina combined Spanish words with the fine motor work of manipulating play dough and the creative work of creating with it.

Housekeeping. The fairy tales continued to play out this morning. There were many princesses and our prince Kai to help them in their times of need.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Music and dancing. The children moved to a variety of music this morning. Some of the dancing was very dramatic (and princess like!).

Story time. In small groups, the children sat with Melinda and Paulina to listen to stories being read aloud.

Building. The children have really been enjoying having the trios back in rotation. Today they were combined with the barn to make a thoughtful farm yard.

Doll house loft. The children took turns playing in the back room loft which is now set up with the doll house and a sheer fabric for some “privacy”.

Hopscotch. As children felt the need to release energy, they spent some time building, climbing, sliding and jumping with friends in a place where it is OK to be a little louder.

Outside time, then lunch: Served family style was whole wheat tortillas with co jack cheese, apple sauce and broccoli and carrots.

Journals. The older kids journal after lunch. Each child had a person interview with Paulina today about his/her drawing and was encouraged to dictate words or do their own kids spelling.

Enjoy your day!

I have them loaded on Flickr and ready for you to enjoy! There are A LOT of them too:)

WF Farm 9/7 http://www.flickr.com/photos/weefriends/sets/72157627597751513/

WF Farm 9/14 http://www.flickr.com/photos/weefriends/sets/72157627597884623/

WF Farm 9/21 http://www.flickr.com/photos/weefriends/sets/72157627726646786/

WF Classroom 9/12 (9/1 to 9/12) http://www.flickr.com/photos/weefriends/sets/72157627598333621/

WF Classroom 9/22 (9/13 to 9/22)http://www.flickr.com/photos/weefriends/sets/72157627726650238/

WWF 9/22 (9/1 to 9/22) http://www.flickr.com/photos/weefriends/sets/72157627604722539/