Happy Tuesday, I hope you all had a wonderful Labor day weekend!
“Every child is an artist.” ~Picasso
Enjoy the pictures from our day!
Breakfast: Whole wheat buttered toast with cinnamon and banana.
Lunch: Whole grain tortillas with hummus, peas, and fresh PPC Peaches and banana.
Snack: Whole wheat bagel with sunflower butter.
Wee Sprouts: Corn.
Have a nice evening.
Marty
LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljNxJ1eaF9Dm4E-RhOA
Good Afternoon! What a beautiful summer day we had.
Today we celebrated our friend, Evie’s birthday. She will be turning 2 tomorrow. To help us celebrate with her, Evie and her parents brought in some fresh Organic strawberries to share with us. Our friends really enjoyed them with their lunch and we even had a little leftover to add to our snack this afternoon. Thank you so much!
The moon sand table was our sensory activity this morning. All of our friends worked on their fine motor and hand-eye coordination skills as they scooped the sand up with different scoops and poured it to fill up their bowls.
We then headed outside for some fresh air. We were all engage in our favorite activities. We drove construction trucks and scooped rocks, rode on the bikes and the teeter totters and engaged in imaginative play in the kitchen area.
Those of us who were awake from our naps and waiting for more friends to wake up before snack, worked on our color recognition, fine motor and hand- eye coordination skills using the pom- poms. We were given a bowl that was the same color as our tray, pom poms and a scoop.
Breakfast: Whole grain wheat toast with sunflower butter and fresh apples.
Lunch: Whole grain wheat flatbread with no nut butter, fresh strawberries and corn.
Afternoon Snack: Homemade Zucchini muffins and Monterey cheddar block cheese.
Wee Sprouts: Fresh cucumber from our garden.
Have a great Labor Day weekend and we will see you all on Tuesday!
Rebekah
Link to pictures: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljNwkKdl8VFeyVZlItg
Happy Friday!
**Just a reminder: Wee Friends is closed Monday, September 3rd.
Enjoy a few pictures from our day!
Breakfast– Rice cakes with peanut butter and PPC banana.
Lunch– Peanut butter on whole wheat flatbread, PPC mango/banana, and PPC broccoli/fresh carrots.
PM snack– Homemade zucchini muffins made by Lucy and her mom along with string cheese.
Wee Sprout– Fresh carrots.
Have a lovely weekend!
-Mindy
Link to pictures: WF 8/31
Good Afternoon!
In pre-k/k group, we read two stories that focused on two community helpers: ‘Fireman Small’ and ‘The Paperboy’. We learned about the routine that firefighters have each day while also becoming familiar with paperboys and papergirls as well as what their job entails.
Several children explored the welcome activity which allowed us to sort animals into three categories: farm, home, and zoo. All of the animal cards were sorted into the three categories based on where each animal lived. A few friends noted about their past experiences at the farm and noted what animals they’ve seen there.
We continued to explore our new wooden tree house today. Children used different manipulatives including wooden pieces (bed, couch, etc.), fairies, and a variety of animals. A group of older girls played Rapunzel this morning using different dolls and wooden structures to fill the ‘house’.
We saw a glimpse of Fall this morning as the sun was shining and temperatures perfect. We were able to get the bikes out which occupied our time. Friends gathered in the housekeeping area to make food using flower pieces and wood chips.
Breakfast– Kashi Blueberry Clusters and PPC kiwi/peaches.
Lunch-Brown rice with shredded beef, PPC banana, and PPC green beans.
PM snack– Peanuts and whole wheat crackers.
Wee Sprout– PPC green beans/cucumber.
Have a fantastic night.
-Mindy
Link to pictures: WF 8/30
Good Afternoon.
“The work of education is divided between the teacher and the environment.” ~Maria Montessori
Just an FYI… We have quite a few friends with a nasty cold virus. Lots of yucky runny noses. We are really amping up our hand washing, and making sure all of our toys and bed sheets are extra clean and sanitized.
Enjoy the pictures from our day!
Breakfast: Whole grain Cheerios and PPC banana.
Lunch: Whole grain Rice with shredded beef, carrots, and Fresh PPC Kiwi.
Snack: Pretzels and string Cheese.
Wee Sprouts: Carrots.
Have a nice night!
Marty
LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljNp2OzSjOtwrPFFl-g
“You cannot make people learn. You can only provide the right conditions for learning to happen.” ~Vince Gowman
The gross motor area was in full swing this morning. Our friends love the colorful big blocks, as we like to call them. We can climb on the them, stack them two blocks high, and sit in them. Teachers talk with friends about the color of the block they chose, the shape of the block, and what they would like to use their block for.
The reading area was also a happening spot today! We LOVE to read. Friends can either choose to read alone/by themselves or have teachers read to them.
Breakfast: Whole grain Kix cereal with PPC banana and fresh peaches.
Lunch: Scrambled eggs with shredded cheese, whole wheat buttered toast, mixed vegetables, and PPC banana.
Snack: Whole wheat Ritz crackers with hummus.
Wee Sprouts: WF Garden fresh cucumbers.
Have a nice night!
Marty
LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljNodAjrqtreTVVaz6Q
Good Afternoon!
In pre-k/k group, we read a book featuring one of our favorite characters: Tacky! We love learning about Tacky’s personality and how he differs from his companions. Afterwards, we read five names of community helpers. I read the description and children told me which helper it describes. We also shared personal experiences that we had with each community helper! Friends who went to swim yesterday talked about the lifeguard that was present and how he was helping us.
Social Studies: K.2.1 Give examples of people who are community helpers (inside the classroom and outside the classroom) and describe how they help us.
Miss Tami surprised us this morning by bringing us a new (beautiful!) toy! Now, when this happens, friends automatically want to play with it and the new toy receives much hype. This time was no exception!
We gathered around our new wooden tree house and all of the goodies that it came with. Miss Tami went over a few general rules with us and how we should treat our new toy.
To make it fair, we pulled three names out of a jar and those three friends had the opportunity to explore the tree house. After their time was done, another three friends got a chance and so on.
Introducing new toys into the environment is exciting and children become so anxious to explore. Since we pulled three names at a time, children interacted with some peers that they normally don’t interact with too often so it was a great opportunity for building relationships.
“It is a happy talent to know how to play.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Breakfast– Whole grain oatmeal with honey and PPC peaches.
Lunch– Scrambled eggs with whole wheat tortillas, PPC peaches/kiwi, and PPC cherry tomatoes/cucumber.
PM snack– Air popped popcorn with butter and PPC banana.
Wee Sprout– PPC cucumber/cherry tomatoes.
Have a great night!
-Mindy
Link to pictures: WF 8/29
Good Afternoon!
In pre-k/k group, we read, ‘It Wasn’t My Fault’ which is written by the author who also writes the Tacky books, which are our favorite. Afterwards, we completed our daily calendar exercise. Children get dismissed to put their mats away one by one before journal time. Today, as friends were getting dismissed, they had to tell me a community helper. Once they told me their community helper, we talked about what that community helper does to help us. Community helpers that were stated were doctor, dentist, firefighter, and policeman.
Social Studies: K.2.1 Give examples of people who are community helpers (inside the classroom and outside the classroom) and describe how they help us.
Several children interacted with the welcome activity which consisted of different sized Montessori beads. Grady and Mack talked about the sizes and colors with one another.
Anna and Lucy interacted with them in a different way too! Anna sort them by size and color while Lucy stacked them by size, ultimately making a tower from biggest to smallest.
Today was our first swim session at the Y! We had a fantastic swim class and children who had taken the class before retained quite a lot! Unfortunately, our class got cut 15 minutes short when it started to lightning outside. We’ll make it up next session.
The first thing that Miss Leslie focused on was explaining to everyone that before they get in the water, they have to ask permission. For example, Max asked, “May I get in the water?”. To this, Miss Leslie replied, “Yes!”. This procedure will hopefully ensure that children ask permission before getting into the water rather than jumping in without an adult present.
Today, was David and Sophia’s first swim session with Wee Friends so everyone else was so excited to share the procedures we have to do while at the Y.
We worked on several things including our back floats, flutter kicks, blowing bubbles as we swam, and jumping into the pool while swimming to the side right after.
A few friends become hesitant about jumping into the pool but Miss Leslie explained to us that it’s about safety! We need to make sure that we exhibit and work on safety techniques to keep us safe around the pool.
Before lunch, friends gathered around the art table as we worked playdough through our hands. It’s an activity that allows our fine motor muscles to get a work out plus our imaginations are evident as we make our own creations.
Breakfast– Kix and PPC kiwi.
Lunch– Refried beans on whole wheat flatbread, fresh apples, and PPC green beans/fresh carrots.
PM snack– Whole wheat bagel with cream cheese and PPC banana.
Wee Sprout– PPC green beans/fresh carrots.
Have a lovely night.
-Mindy
Link to pictures: WF 8/28
Good Afternoon!
“Children are not things to be molded, but are people to be unfolded.” ~Jess Lair
Rose was fascinated by seeing herself in the mirror today!
According to Essentialbaby.com, “From as early as the age of three months infants will respond to their reflection differently to how they respond to another baby, so we know that quite early on they recognize that a reflection is not the same as another person. However, studies that look at when children can reliably be seen to recognize themselves in a mirror found that this happens on an average around the age of 18 months, with the vast majority of toddlers able to understand this concept by the age of two years.”
Even though our outside play time was VERY brief, we did enjoy the 15 minutes or so that we did get this morning!
Breakfast: Whole grain Chex cereal with PPC banana.
Lunch: Whole wheat flatbread with refried beans, corn, and fresh PPC Kiwi.
Snack: Whole wheat bagels with sunflower butter.
Wee Sprouts: Corn
Have a nice night!
Marty
LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljNk7Ilyzpt_noxiD6w
Happy Monday!
**We’ve been having several children bring in stuffed animals or toys from home. If your child NEEDS an animal or ‘lovey’ (please keep it on the small side) to fall asleep with, please feel free to leave it in their cubbie. Otherwise, we’re asking that toys and stuffed animals stay at home. We have lots of snuggly animals to play with here and lots of books to read 
. Thanks for everyone’s cooperation.
Today was Miss Annastecia’s first full day at Wee Friends! We enjoyed getting to know her and showing her what our mornings look like.
When we found Annastecia in July, she put her daughter, Penny, on our waiting list. While we were so sad to lose Emma this month as she moved up to Michigan, we are very happy that we now have space for Penny to join our classroom!
We’re so happy that they’re both joining our Wee Friends family!
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In pre-k/k group, we read ‘Tackylocks and the Three Bears’. Afterwards, we talked about the rules that we have here at Wee Friends and why we have them. For example, when we talked about why we wash our hands at different parts of the day, friends quickly shared, “It’s to keep us healthy!”. Another friend shared, “My brother and I got hand, foot, mouth when we were little so we need to make sure we’re washing our hands to keep us healthy!”
Social Studies: K.2.3 Give examples of classroom and school rules and explain how each helps us.
Loose parts consumed our morning!
Anna started off her day by taking the gems that were out at the welcome activity and used them to create a pattern. After she made an ABAB pattern, she starting to make an apple tree. When she was done, she wanted to document her creation so she asked that I take a picture!
Below is a link that describes what loose parts are and why they’re such an important part of the curriculum and early childhood setting.
Anna and Lucy started a line of several different animals. While Anna took the animals and lined them up, Lucy started taking the small rocks and creating eight rectangular boxes for the animals to go in.
Franklin and Ruby took wooden blocks and made cages for their animals. Franklin and Ruby both gave reasons why animals were either alone or with another animal in each cage.
Breakfast– Whole wheat toast/english muffin with peanut butter and PPC banana.
Lunch– Whole wheat noodles with butter and shredded pork, PPC plums/peaches, and PPC cherry tomatoes/cucumber.
PM snack– Whole milk yogurt with PPC banana.
Wee Sprout– PPC cucumber.
Have a fantastic night!
-Mindy
Link to pictures: WF 8/27