Good Afternoon!

We continued talking about plants and animals in PREK1 group today. For sign in, children came to the board, found their name and animal description, and had to come up with an animal that matched the description! William came to the board and after reading his description, said that a shark would fit!

Science: K.4.1 Give examples of plants and animals.

This excitement about plants and animals in PREK1 group led us outside on a nature walk today. We stopped at every weed, tree, plant, flower, or animal to write and draw about it. We only walked the block but were actively engaged for 45 minutes while on our walk! It was a fantastic authentic learning experience for these kiddos!

This morning our older friends worked on a curriculum based project that the younger kids could interact with.  They worked together to make a classification chart for plants and animals.  They drew examples of plants and animals in each category so their younger friends would have help understanding what went where.  After they were finished we put the chart on the round table with an assortment of plant and animal objects.  The younger kids worked together to sort them into the correct categories.  Some objects took a little thought, like a pinecone or a stick.  The one that stumped several kids was the sea shell.  It had a plant-like appearance to them.  When we remembered what builds and lives inside a shell however, it became clear how to classify it. 

Outside several kids worked on cleaning up the garden.  While we were all clearing debris we were surprised to discover a nest of baby bunnies in one of the raised bed boxes.  We took turns peeking at the bunnies in the nest from a distance.

PREK2: In group we leaned bee buzzing breath as we calmed our bodies.  We read the story “Up and Down in the Dirt” which talked about what happens under and on top of the garden soil through the seasons.  At the end we picked a a drawing of a branch and counted the leaves.

Breakfast: Oatmeal with cinnamon and fresh cantaloupe.

Lunch: Farm fresh egg casserole with cheese, fresh mangos/bananas, and peppers/cucumbers.

PM Snack: Air popped popcorn with butter and raisins.

Wee Sprouts: Fresh peppers and cucumbers.

Enjoy the rest of the afternoon!

~Wee Friends Teachers

Link to Photos:2024-04-10

Good afternoon!

This morning, our friends played with baby dolls. They would wrap their babies in blankets and feed them their bottles.

Our friends then took turns playing with the pop-up people. They worked on matching the people to the slot with the same color, which helps us develop our fine motor and hand-eye coordination skills.

It was another beautiful day outside for all of our favorite activities. Our friends rode trucks, bikes, and the teeter-totters. We also enjoyed drawing with markers at the art table and playing with construction vehicles in the rock area.

Breakfast:  Kix cereal and fresh cantaloupe.

Lunch: Whole wheat flatbread with refried beans and shredded cheddar cheese, fresh orange slices, and peas.

Afternoon Snack: Whole grain wheat cinnamon raisin bagels with cream cheese.

Wee Sprout: Orange bell peppers.

Have a wonderful afternoon!

Tina and Rebekah

Link to pictures: 2024-04-09

Good Afternoon!

PREK1 kiddos started their Tuesday off with a sign in activity about the parts of a plant. There was a drawing on the sign in sheet of a plant with six lines where words were going to go and their job was to grab a card from the bottom, read it, and find where it goes. For example, Adrian pulled the card that had the word ‘roots’ on it. He found where the roots were and taped the word next to the roots while we talked about why roots are important to a plant.

William kept saying, “I want you to draw me a flower like that!”—instead, a few real plants were put out at the table and art easel to use as a guide. William and Adrian grabbed paper and a utensil to work on drawing their own flower!

Science: K.4.1 Give examples of plants and animals.

We read, ‘The Tiny Seed’ in group which played off of our sign in activity this morning for PREK1 friends. Afterwards, we talked about six animal classification groups. We talked about the characteristics of each and focused on one specific group today: mammals! Children were quick to raise their hand and share an example for me to write in the mammal group. A few friends shared that they were thinking about animals at the zoo who are mammals.

Science: K.4.1 Give examples of plants and animals.

PRK2: After all of the activities this morning there was a lot of interest in the older kid’s “plants and animals” curriculum.  So Today at group, we classified plants and animals.  We each got to pick a picture from the tray, then identify and sort it as a plant or animal on our group chart.  Clearly animals were the more popular members on the tree of life:)

Hannah came in this morning and before she got her coat off, announced that she had ideas for some eclipse projects.  As she described the ideas, they sounded strangely similar to some projects we did yesterday.  I asked if she happened to have looked at the blog yesterday.  She said yes she had and she wanted to do those projects! Nesta chimed in saying she would also like to do those projects having been out viewing the eclipse as well.  So after breakfast we got to work!

Breakfast– Puffins cereal with fresh pineapple.

Lunch– Peanut butter on whole wheat flatbread, fresh cantaloupe/oranges/pineapple, and fresh pepper/cucumber.

PM snack– Whole wheat bagel with cream cheese.

Wee Sprout– Fresh pepper/cucumber.

Have a lovely evening!

-Wee Friends Teachers

Link to pictures: 2024-04-09

Happy Eclipse Monday!

This morning the friends were busy in the play kitchen cooking, washing the fruits and vegetables before putting them in bowls or on plates.

Charlotte used a scarf from housekeeping to play peek-a-boo and rocked in the rocking chair with Eleanor.

We then headed into the kitchen to paint, using Q-tips and orange and red tempera paint.  We have read the book, Mouse Paint many times,  so Miss Bekah asked her older friends, “What color paint do we make when we mix our red and yellow paint together?.”  It wasn’t long before I heard Ben say, “orange”.  The friends loved using their Q-tip to make circles, along with squiggles and thin lines all over their papers.

We then headed outside the enjoy the beautiful morning weather.  We dug in the sandbox, pushed and rode the bikes down the hill, dug in the rock area with the excavator, our shovel or used our hand to pick up the rocks.

Breakfast:  Whole grain wheat bread toasted with peanut butter and fresh apple slices.

Lunch:  Whole grain wheat penne pasta with red kidney beans, fresh cantaloupe and yellow bell peppers.

Afternoon Snack:  Whole milk yogurt and graham crackers.

Wee Sprouts:  Cucumbers.

Have a great evening!

Rebekah and Tina

Link to pictures:  2024-04-08

Happy Monday!

This week, we’re focusing on animals and plants! Today, we started talking about the classification groups of animals. We had two friends in PREK1 who were able to correctly place their animal into the group after hearing a quick description and a few examples of animals in each classification group.

Science: K.4.1 Give examples of plants and animals.

We devoted the morning to learning about the solar eclipse and trying out some projects to visually enhance our understanding.  We talked about how the moon will pass directly in front of the sun today blocking it from view.  I used some balls to demonstrate how this will happen.  The older kids worked on a science project creating the eclipse with paper.  Adrian took special interest.  After the project he made several drawings to help him work out exactly what was happening with the sun, moon and earth!

We created a drawing project that made the effect of a total eclipse and how it looks in the sky when the moon completely covers the sun.  We used a paper circle and rubbed chalk around the outside.  When we removed the circle, we could see our eclipse!

Breakfast– Whole wheat toast with butter and fresh oranges.

Lunch– Whole wheat pasta fresh tomatoes/fresh basil/shredded cheese, fresh pineapple/pears, and fresh cucumber/pepper.

PM snack– Whole milk yogurt with granola.

Wee Sprout– Fresh cucumber/pepper.

Have a lovely night!

-Wee Friends Teachers

Link to pictures: 2024-04-08

Happy Friday!

This morning we were engaged in a variety of activities.  Ben and another friend tossed the ball across the front area of the classroom, Eleanor and Eden played together in the cube, Eliza, Ben and another friend cooked in housekeeping, Charlotte engaged with the baby blankets and wooden loose parts, and another friend and Eleanor played with the beanie animals in the cube.

Several friends were busy building with the clear cylinder blocks with our artwork inside.  They loved stacking them on top of each other.

We then headed into the kitchen to engage in the moon sand sensory table.  The friends were busy scooping using a variety of shovels and cups to scoop it and put it into.  They also explored the sea animals that were in the table and asked the names of them if they didn’t know it.  Ben used his shovel to “make a pile,” he said.

Breakfast: Whole grain brown rice cakes with peanut butter and fresh pear.

Lunch: Whole grain wheat bread with hummus, cantaloupe slices, bananas, and cucumbers.

Afternoon Snack: Goldfish crackers with mozzarella cheese stick.

Wee Sprout: Red bell pepper.

Have a great weekend!

Rebekah and Tina

Link to pictures: 2024-04-05

Happy Friday!

Enjoy a quick peek into how we wrapped up our week!

Breakfast– Brown rice cakes with peanut butter and banana.

Lunch– Peanut butter on whole wheat tortilla, fresh strawberries/cantaloupe/banana, and fresh pepper/cucumber.

PM snack– Pretzels and colby cheese

Wee Sprout– Fresh pepper/cucumber.

Have a great weekend!

-Wee Friends Teachers

Link to pictures: 2024-04-05

Good afternoon!

This morning our friends participated in their favorite activities like playing on the Habi-trail and throwing plastic balls and snowballs.

We then made our way to the kitchen for a sensory activity with shaving cream. We used different plastic bugs to engage with our shaving cream. Some friends stacked their bugs and said “they’re so tall!”.

Our friends also played with plastic blocks in two different ways. Some friends flipped them over to use as boats, and others flipped them over to use as a basket to throw their ball into.

Breakfast: Whole grain Cheerios cereal with fresh apple.

Lunch: Whole grain brown rice with shredded pork, fresh orange slices, and sweet potatoes.

Afternoon Snack: Whole grain Wheat Thins crackers with peanut butter.

Wee Sprouts:  Orange bell peppers.

Have a wonderful evening!

Tina and Rebekah

Link to pictures: 2024-04-04

Good Afternoon!

Enjoy the pictures from our day!

Breakfast- Kix and fresh pineapple.

Lunch- Brown rice with shredded turkey, fresh pineapple/kiwi/banana, and fresh pepper/cucumber.

PM snack- whole wheat crackers with peanut butter and seeds on top (sunflower, pumpkin and peanut)

Wee Sprout- Fresh pepper/cucumber.

Have a lovely night.

-Wee Friends Teachers

Link to pictures:2024-04-04

Good Afternoon!

This morning, our friends got out the stepping stones and placed them by the slide. Friends would start at the steps of the habi-trail, walk around to the slide, go down the slide, and then walk on the stepping stones to make their way back to the steps of the habi-trail.

We then made our way to the kitchen to work on our hand-eye coordination in an activity using Styrofoam, wooden hammers, and golf tees. Friends would place their golf tees in the Styrofoam and then use a hammer to pound them further in.

Our friends then made their way back into the classroom to build with the Duplos. Some friends built on their own, while others worked together. Ben shared that he was “making a robot” with his Duplos.

Breakfast:  Overnight oatmeal with cinnamon/sugar mixture and fresh oranges.

Lunch: Farm fresh scrambled eggs, whole wheat tortilla, peas, and fresh kiwi slices.

Afternoon Snack:  Blue corn tortilla chips and guacamole.

Wee Sprouts: Mini sweet bell peppers and yellow bell pepper.

Have a wonderful evening.

Tina and Rebekah

Link to pictures: 2024-04-03