Good Afternoon!

The welcome activity allowed children to form their own creations with different shapes. Franklin identified the hexagon as an octagon so we talked about the similarities and differences between shapes. A child noted that she had two different sized triangles.

We changed out the sensory bin to the corn mixture. Children used a variety of utensils to move the corn mixture throughout the sensory bin. While exploring the corn mixture, children work on their fine motor skills as well as hand eye coordination.

It was a gorgeous morning for..BUGS! Several children carried their bug containers through the back yard, finding rollie pollies and worms. Franklin found two worms and carried them around the outside environment up until the bell rang for lunch!

Breakfast– Kashi Blueberry Clusters and PPC strawberries.

Lunch– Brown rice with shredded chicken, PPC grapes/banana, and PPC cucumber/peppers.

PM snack– Wheat thins and roasted chick peas.

Wee Sprout– PPC cucumber/peppers.

Have a lovely night!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 6/14

Happy Thursday!

Thank you to Mack and his parents for donating some new toys to our classroom. We had loads of fun with them today.

Please enjoy the pictures of our fun-filled day.

Breakfast: Whole grain Kix with PPC banana.

Lunch: Whole grain rice with shredded chicken, peas and PPC pears.

Snack: Pretzels with string cheese.

Wee Sprouts: Peas.

Have a great night!

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljK1js-zUmovcaVfetQ

Happy Wednesday!

Enjoying our classroom is an easy task. We always have so many activities to engage ourselves in. Whether it is fine motor, gross motor, sensory play or early literacy we always have something to keep us busy, and there is nothing more pleasurable than watching your little ones grow and mature daily while in the Wee Wee classroom.

According to the website, naeyc.org “There are five elements essential to meaningful play that create those rich memories we treasure.”

1. Children make their own choices.

2. Children are intrinsically motivated.

3. Children become immersed in the moment.

4. Play is spontaneous, not scripted.

5. Play is enjoyable.

As teachers at Wee Friends we fully agree with the statements above and work hard daily to make sure these traits are implemented.

 

Breakfast: Whole grain Kix with fresh PPC banana.

Lunch: Farm fresh scrambled eggs and cheese rollups on whole grain flatbread, carrots and fresh PPC banana.

Snack: Whole wheat crackers with hummus.

We hope you all have a fantastic evening.

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES:  https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljKx3TTdICXtzKf_RKQ

Good Afternoon!

In pre-k/k group, we conducted poetry day which is where each child gets to pick a poem as I flip through the pages. As I’m flipping through the chosen poetry book, each child sticks their finger in a page and we read the poem that’s on that page! Today, we read, ‘Pigs and Noodles’ and shared several different poems.

Afterwards, we looked at a simple map I created and one of our older friends said, “I know what that is. That’s a map of Wee Friends!”. Together, we started in the front of the house and worked our way to the back, filling in each designated area of Wee Friends.

Social Studies: Create maps 2 dimensionally and 3 dimensionally.

We worked off the map idea from two of our kindergarteners this morning. They asked for a long piece of paper before each creating their own map. Maddie drew her map with two main focuses; her house and her secret hideout. She created several different routes from her house to the hideout.

Miss Katelyn peaked the interest of several children by bringing out a large dice and a colorful fly swatter with a flower attached. Several children explored the game at the circle table. Anna started off by rolling the dice. Her first roll was a ‘2’ so she had to find the piece of paper with a ‘2’ on it. She took the fly swatter and swatted the number 2.

Anna and Lucy both got the hang of it rather quickly so Miss Katelyn challenged them by switching out the number cards. Instead of the written number and a visual (2 dots), she changed out the cards so that just the number showed.

Breakfast– Whole grain oatmeal with honey and PPC watermelon.

Lunch– Scrambled eggs with shredded cheese, whole grain flatbread, PPC banana, and PPC cucumbers/cherry tomatoes.

PM snack– Air popped popcorn with butter and raisins.

Wee Sprout– PPC cucumber/cherry tomatoes.

Have a fantastic evening.

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 6/13

Good Afternoon!

The morning transition, also known as ‘the drop off’, can be challenging at times. This time can create some anxiety, tears, and discomfort. The goal is for teachers and parents to work together to find the best drop off routine for each child. What works for one child may not work for another. We ultimately want this time to be one of happiness but that isn’t always the case. Switching up the routine to see if something works better often is a good choice. Consistency is KEY when it comes to drop offs. It helps each child know what to expect. We are always here to offer help or advice along with a hug or snuggle for your child!

I’ve attached an article that offers helpful tips for how to build a successful drop off routine! Again, we are also here to help and brainstorm if you’re finding you or your child are having anxiety at this time of the day!

http://www.theplayfullearner.com/2016/08/24/preschool-drop-offs/

Here are a few pictures from our day!

Breakfast– Corn chex and PPC grapes.

Lunch– Refried beans and shredded cheese on whole wheat tortilla, PPC watermelon, and PPC cauliflower/carrots.

PM snack– Whole wheat bagel with peanut butter and block cheese.

Wee Sprout– PPC cauliflower/fresh carrots.

Have a lovely night!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 6/12

Link to farm pictures: WF 6/12 FARM

Good Afternoon. I hope you’re all enjoying your Tuesday!

Today the swing was in high demand.  Generally, our little guys love to sit on the swing and hold on tight, but today they decided it would be more fun to lie down and just relax while swaying back and forth. Mack even asked to spin around “really, really fast!” Swinging can be a great confidence booster. A child climbing up onto the swing by themselves is a wonderful gross motor task and shows them they can do it all by themselves, hence where the confidence booster comes into play! As a child sits or lays on the swing they quickly realize they must hold onto the ropes in order to stay safe and not take a tumble off of the swing. Once they realize how much fun they are having and being safe all at the same time, they enjoy swinging for quite a while.

A fun and exciting sensory activity was introduced to friends today. This activity also helps us with letter recognition. The squares have a sandpaper like feel to them that our friends can run their fingers across and learn the letter that is on that particular square. We found the letter that go with each of our first names today!

Breakfast: Whole grain Cheerios and PPC strawberries.

Lunch: Whole wheat tortillas with refried beans and cheese, peas and PPC strawberries.

Snack: Whole grain raisin cinnamon bagel with butter and PPC banana.

Wee Sprouts: Peas.

Have a fantastic evening!

Marty.

LINK TO PICTURES:  https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljKtP57RnJ0SpF8eanw

Happy Monday!

**Wee Friends will be closed Thursday, June 28th through Friday, July 6th. We’ll reopen Monday, July 9th.

Our spring swim session has come to an end. This has been one of the best sessions we’ve had in a long time. Our confidence and skill level has increase immensely. Most of our swim friends ended their session by swimming at least 1/4 of the length of the pool starting in the deep end without any assistance! This is HUGE! We also worked on jumping into the pool and going directly into our back float. We are so thankful for Miss Leslie and the Y! We can’t wait for the fall session!

A fine motor activity was made available at the art table this morning. Children took cotton swabs and transferred glue onto paper before attaching various shapes to paper.

When our swim friends returned, we participated in a gross motor activity involving the parachute and small, colorful balls. We all worked together to hold the parachute up and on the count of three, we shook the parachute so that all of the balls went flying! This was done several times before we took the balls out of the equation. Towards the end, friends held onto the parachute and all together, ran underneath the parachute! We loved exploring the parachute and the different ways to use it.

“What we learn with pleasure, we never forget.”

-Alfred Mercier

Breakfast– Whole wheat bagel with cream cheese and banana.

Lunch– Whole wheat pasta with shredded chicken and butter, PPC banana/pears, and PPC cherry tomatoes/green beans.

PM snack– Whole milk yogurt with PPC banana.

Wee Sprout– Fresh carrots and PPC green beans.

Have a fantastic night!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 6/11

Good Afternoon.

Today we welcome another new friend to our class! We look forward to watching him grow and achieve many milestones.

A child’s imagination is a miraculous thing! I myself, sometimes wonder how their little minds get so creative in the things they do. Today, Mack decided it would be fun to place different items from around the classroom under the table legs of the small circular table. Teacher’s asked him why he placed those items there and his response, “I don’t know, but I like it!” Keeping our classroom interesting and full of life is always a priority for us.

Breakfast: Whole wheat toast with butter and cinnamon with PPC pears.

Lunch: Whole wheat pasta with shredded chicken and butter, corn and PPC strawberries.

Snack: Whole milk yogurt with graham crackers.

Wee Sprouts: Corn.

Have a fantastic evening!

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES:  https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljKpct-unywSyTYQlbQ

Happy Friday!

A ‘Teacher Tom’ blog post that I read today that brought a smile to my face—>

http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2018/06/a-story-from-journal-station.html

Everyday, we hear stories whether they’re real or make believe. These stories are told in the habitrail area, art area, or reading area to name a few. Children tell their stories with such enthusiasm and joy. When these stories are told, children are given the option to do many things, one being transfer this to paper! A few of our children love putting their thoughts and feelings onto paper whether their making a story book or just drawing a picture, children always have the option to write their feelings done or to have a teacher dictate their words. This is one of the many ways we validate children’s feelings and thoughts throughout the day!

“Fair doesn’t mean giving every child the same thing; it means giving every child what they need.”

 

Breakfast– Rice cakes with peanut butter and PPC banana.

Lunch– Ham on whole wheat bread, PPC banana/pears, and PPC cucumber/green beans.

PM snack– Pretzels and string cheese.

Wee Sprout– PPC cucumber/green beans.

Have a fantastic weekend!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 6/8

Good Afternoon!

Today the Wee Wee’s were extremely busy! We engaged in puppets, permanence boxes and the colorful transparent stacking squares. All of these fun activities help us utilize our recognition of shapes and colors, while also strengthening our hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.

When we went outside Daniel were very interested in the large brooms that teachers use to sweep all the pea gravel off the concrete. This activity helps Daniel and friends with their hand-eye coordination and empathy skills of being kind and lending a helping hand. What fun! We also had fun with the large dump trucks and buckets dumping the pea gravel into each of them.

Breakfast: Whole wheat toast with no nut butter and PPC pears.

Lunch: Whole wheat bread with ham lunchmeat, corn and PPC pears.

Snack: Whole grain cheese crackers and mozzarella string cheese.

Wee Sprouts: Corn.

Have a wonderful weekend, we’ll see you Monday.

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES:  https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljKl-ZUlUmaE0jF6cTw