Today we took turns playing with a variety of stackers…
Jumped around on the sensory circles…
Read our favorite stories together…
And cooked a lovely meal!
Breakfast was toast with butter and cinnamon and pear. Lunch consisted of whole wheat pasta with marinara sauce and cheese, peas, and apples. Afternoon snack was organic whole milk yogurt and pear.
Link to photos: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIulh4VLQLNQGwdiUlkyBQ
Have a great night!
Amanda
We got into the Christmas spirit today by decorating a Christmas tree. Our friends enjoyed sticking ornaments all over the felt tree and making it festive! They’re ready for the holidays!
Breakfast was toast with butter and banana. Lunch consisted of whole wheat tortillas with sweat pea butter, pears, and corn. Afternoon snack was cheese crackers and banana.
Link to photos: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIulh4RnFv5MPLQGYuMYbw
Have a great weekend!
Amanda
Happy Friday!
Block play is the farthest thing from simple. It’s complex. It’s child initiated. It’s one of our FAVORITE activities.
I’m on an article kick, I know but this is a simple article that shows the importance of block play in the early childhood environment 
.
Link: http://www.naeyc.org/yc/10_things_children_learn_block_play
We had a great day and we hope you did too!
Breakfast– Rice cakes with no nut butter and banana.
Lunch– No nut butter tortilla sandwiches, green beans, and banana.
PM snack– String cheese and pears.
Wee Sprout– Cherry tomatoes and cucumbers.
Have a GREAT weekend.
-Mindy
Link to pictures: WF 12/2
Today we crawled through tunnels…
Played dress up…
Raced down the habitrail slide…
Baked a birthday cake together…
And played peek-a-boo through the fish tank!
Breakfast was toast with butter and cinnamon and banana. Lunch consisted of whole grain brown rice with cheese, bananas, and peas. Afternoon snack was pretzels and string cheese.
Link to photos: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIulh4N7f9s02m_xSH522g
Have a great night!
Amanda
Good Afternoon!
It is already December..enough said.
**By the welcome message board and time sign in sheet, there is a sign up sheet for our Christmas Concert. We want to gage how many families will be filling our crowd so if you’re certain you’ll be able to attend, please add your families name to the list! 
(Just a reminder, it’s Tuesday, December 20th at 4:00 pm)
On this first day of December, we observed as friends broke off into groups or pairs. There was collaboration happening in the building area as friends worked together to complete a common goal or task while others used props they found throughout the environment to use in their pretend play.
The art table was turned into a holiday festival as we designed snowmen, trees, and candy canes. Most children chose to decorate multiple items.
As we sat around the table (listening to holiday music might I add), we found out that none of our creations looked alike. Friends used different colored markers and dot paints to create their own holiday staple.
The finished product! A few friends helped me string them up after we were done, following the pattern of Christmas tree, snowman, candy cane, and so forth. As we sat and ate lunch, children looked up to see if they could spot the one that they made.
Movement. Motion. Gross motor. Rough. And. Tumble.
“Movement is one of the most important aspects of a young child’s life.” (taken from this article which talks about why movement is important in young children): https://www.iidc.indiana.edu/pages/The-Value-of-Movement-Activities-for-Young-Children
Throughout the day, we incorporate movement in many aspects of each child’s experience. Whether we’re running outside, involved in a music activity, or simply taking advantage of the beloved habitrail area, we are MOVING.
Then there are times where we simply need to cuddle up and listen to a good story.
Breakfast– Brown Rice Crisps (cereal) and pears
Lunch– Organic, brown rice with shredded cheese and chicken, cantaloupe, and cucumbers.
PM snack– Wheat thins and pumpkin seeds.
Wee Sprouts– Cucumber.
Have a lovely night!
-Mindy
Link to pictures: WF 12/1
We see letters in print all through out our day. We find letters in the books we read, on our mailbox in housekeeping and even on the maps we use during our play. Maddie was sounding out the word start. As she said the word she spelled it by what she heard, STRT.
It is hard to believe it is the last day of November and we were able to enjoy another great day outside. We were very busy riding bikes around the circle, digging large holes in the sand and sliding down the slide.
Breakfast: Oatmeal and pears.
Lunch: Scrambled eggs, whole wheat bread, bananas and cauliflower.
Afternoon Snack: Blue corn chips and refried beans.
Wee Sprouts: Cauliflower.
Have a great night!
Rebekah
Link to photos:https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIulh4IrlolqijNzcIP8aw
We spent the morning in the kitchen painting! Our friends painted us red and green pictures to hang up in the classroom to decorate for the holidays, and also paintings using a mix of other colors to take home.
We enjoyed our time outside. Bikes were brought out and Mack was happy and excited to get a ride around the track! We also had a surprise visit from Miss Tami’s puppy!
In the afternoon, our friends played with alphabet squares. Ruby recognized the letter “O”!
Breakfast was Kix and blueberries. Wee sprout was corn. Lunch consisted of farm fresh eggs, whole wheat bread, blueberries, and corn. Afternoon snack was blue corn chips and colby jack cheese.
Link to photos: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIulh4FTUr49avNpemv-7A
Have a great night!
Amanda
This morning, all the puff balls were dumped out of their basket and spread out onto the kitchen floor. Our friends found little bowls and enjoyed tossing and sorting the puff balls into them.
We were all happy to get outside and enjoy the fresh air! After running around and exploring the backyard, all of our friends gathered in the sandbox to play.
After snack, we got down the musical instruments. The shakers were the most popular and were used to tap against the wall xylophone.
Breakfast was Whole Grain Cheerios and blueberries. Wee sprout was peas. Lunch consisted of whole wheat tortilla with hummus, pears, and peas. Afternoon snack was whole wheat bagels with cream cheese.
Link to photos: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIulhv9xPCgbmuiEQ-57-A
Have a great night!
Amanda
Good Afternoon!
**We do have another child with suspected hand, foot, mouth.
Yesterday afternoon, we completed a paper tree! We decided to add ornaments to it this morning so various materials were made available for children to complete an ornament.
Markers, paint dotters, and glue with glitter were put at the table for children to come and explore. Each friend got to pick a certain color for their ornament.
The paint dotters are a great way for children to work on their fine motor skills and the turning motion. When children get the turning motion down, there are various activities they can do with that specific motion! (i.e. turning door knobs)
We went on an extravagant adventure this morning! A group of friends gathered in the science area and hopped into their boat and headed around the world. Using a map, they planned out where they were going to go and how they were going to get there. “This blue part is the water so we can use our boat!” commented one child. “Let’s go to Kenya!” shouted another friend.
Emergent curriculum allows for the curriculum to be driven by the child NOT the teacher. When we go off what the children are interested in and gear it toward a given FAB that we are working on that week, it makes it SO much more meaningful and thus it is retained. For example, just by having a map available for children to interact with in the science area, prompts investigations like the one this morning! It was not forced upon them, a map activity but more so an activity sprouted by previous knowledge and curiosity of maps. This activity that was geared by the children lasted twenty five minutes. It was totally and completely relevant to what this group was doing at the time.
Here are a few articles that focus on the topic of Emergent Curriculum:
http://www.naeyc.org/yc/files/yc/file/201203/Heritage_v67n2_0312_0.pdf
http://www.naeyc.org/yc/node/324 (a little long but has some good information and research)
It was a gorgeous November morning. We even brought out the specks 
!
During journaling time, we’re focusing on expressing our emotions and thoughts. As we’re writing out the descriptions for our journal, we’re listening for the sounds of letters that we heard in words.
Today was poetry day! We read two different poetry books where each child got to pick one poem from each book! There was definitely a mixture of poems: some funny, some serious.
Breakfast– Kix and PPC raspberries.
Lunch– Hummus on whole wheat tortillas, oranges, and peppers/carrots.
PM snack– Pretzels and string cheese.
Wee Sprouts– Broccoli.
Have a lovely night!
-Mindy
Link to pictures: 11/29
Please note: The dates for the Wee Friends Christmas break is December 26th- January 9th.
Today we worked on puzzles…
and number peg boards…
Looked at family photos…
Tossed colorful tissues into the air…
And put on Santa hats to dance to Christmas music!
Breakfast was whole wheat bagels with butter and oranges. Lunch consisted of whole wheat pasta with chicken, apples, and peas. Afternoon snack was wheat crackers and block cheese.
Link to photos: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIulhv4nemfdWvkTaEopzQ
Have a great night!
Amanda