Good Afternoon!

We had a wide variety of child led activities pop up throughout the day. 

One of our activities actually began with  a redirection, thinking of what we could do rather than toss sand.  Making meatballs was the alternative idea which led to a discussion about spaghetti and meatballs.  This lead to a whole activity centered around spaghetti and meatballs that no longer had anything to do with sand.  We got a little math lesson on top of our creative problem solving and social emotional learning.  We worked to divide the meatballs up evenly in each person’s bowl.  We practiced taking one ball at a time for each bowl, counting as we went.  We found we could have five meatballs per bowl when we divided them evenly.  We had a remainder of two…which we though it best to just put away  This is how child lead interests end in meaningful learning experiences!

Our oldest girls finished their paper Mache bowls today giving them a colorful painted surface

Another group of kids were interested in recording classroom information.  One friend took a tally of everyone’s favorite vegetable.  Another found out what everyone’s favorite fruit was.  While working on this activity, our kids practiced math, spelling/letter sounds and writing.

Breakfast– Overnight oatmeal with cinnamon and fresh nectarines.

Lunch– Farm fresh scrambled egg casserole with shredded cheese, whole wheat tortilla, fresh nectarines/strawberries/pineapple, and fresh carrots/cucumber.

PM snack– Tortilla chips with hummus.

Wee Sprout– Fresh cucumber/carrots.

Have a lovely night!

-Wee Friends Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-07-23

Good Afternoon!

We were busy in the kitchen making FOUR new batches of playdough! Friends took turns at the island helping measure ingredients and mix the batter. We made four different colors: teal, purple, red, and orange! After the second batch, we were contemplating what color to make next and we voted on two colors: orange and purple. Purple ended up winning 7-6 but since it was so close, we just ended up making both colors! We worked on our measurement skills as children helped measure ingredients such as flour, salt, water, and cream of tartar. We can’t wait to play with our new playdough!

The welcome activity allowed children to explore one of their favorite sensory experiences: kinetic sand! Utensils such as hammers and rolling pins were placed in the middle of the tuff tray. One friend started building a river to where a teacher hurried up and added materials like lizards and frogs to the tray for children to build upon as interests popped up!

We’ve been trying to soak up these ‘not too warm’ summer mornings so once we got outside, children wanted to get right to work watering the garden! We love how helpful our group is. Friends have been talking about how the plants are changing; getting taller and spurting more veggies!

Enjoy a few more pictures from our day!

Breakfast– Puffins cereal with fresh blueberries.

Lunch– Chicken breast lunchmeat and cheddar cheese on whole wheat bread, fresh cantaloupe/banana, and fresh carrots/cucumber/snap peas.

PM snack– Whole wheat bagel with peanut butter and Dax’s birthday treat: fresh strawberries and homemade whipped cream.

Wee Sprout– Fresh cucumber/carrots/snap peas.

Have a wonderful night!

-Wee Friends Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-07-22

Good afternoon!

Our friends started their morning by looking through the fish tank glass to watch our goldfish swim around. We also danced to “Spin Again” by Jim Gill and several other songs with our friends.

We then made our way into the kitchen for a chalk art activity. Our friends used different colored- chalk crayons to draw on black paper. Our colors looked so vibrant against the contrast of the black paper! We talked about the names of the chalk colors we were using.

We then headed outside to enjoy the wonderful morning weather. We rode the balance bikes, sat down in the shade of the log house, crawled on the balance beams, watered the vegetables in the garden, and explored the two water table stations.

Breakfast: Whole grain Kix cereal with fresh plum.

Lunch: Whole grain wheat flatbread with refried beans and shredded Colby-Jack cheese, fresh apple slices and cooked corn.

Afternoon Snack: Whole grain wheat bagel with peanut butter and 1/2 Colby-Jack cheese slice.

Wee Sprout: Sugar Snap Peas.

Have a beautiful evening!

WWF Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-07-22

Good Afternoon!

This morning we engaged in the rice/birdseed sensory table.  We were busy using plastic egg halves, spoons and stacking cups to scoop and pour the mixture into another cup or back into the table.  We also explored the plastic bugs and identified them while holding them up to show Miss Bekah.  One friend found an ant, while another friend found a beetle.

The friends also worked together while building with Magna-Tiles.

We then climbed on the habi-trail, made a stack with our BounceBlocks to stand on or laid or rocked on the rainbow mats.

We then headed outside to engage with dinosaurs in the sandbox and cooked-dyed spaghetti noodles with measuring cups and tongs in the water table.

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

Lunch: Whole grain wheat penne pasta with shredded chicken, 1/2 Colby-Jack cheese slice, fresh mango and cooked broccoli.

Afternoon Snack: Whole milk yogurt with fresh strawberries.

Wee Sprout: Cucumber.

Have a marvelous evening!

WWF Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-07-21

God Afternoon! 

This morning we enjoyed a sensory exploration activity “rainbow spaghetti”.  Several friends volunteered to help make it.  We added cooked spaghetti to five bags then added a few drops of food coloring to each.  Next, friends helped massage the color into the noodles.  When the spaghetti was fully dyed and cooled, we added it to the sensory tray to explore.  One small math/social emotional lesson that came up was a chat about dividing by four.  We talked about how to give each person an equal amount, so we divided the spaghetti into quarters.  I love that I can mix math and social emotional learning into one activity! 

Enjoy a few more pictures from our day!

Breakfast: Whole wheat toast with peanut butter and fresh watermelon.

Lunch: Whole wheat pasta with marinara sauce and shredded cheese, fresh strawberries/mango, and fresh broccoli/carrots.

PM snack: Whole milk yogurt with graham crackers.

Wee Sprouts: Fresh broccoli/carrots.

Have a lovely night!

-Wee Friends Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-07-21

Happy Friday!

This morning we engaged in books on the reading steps.  We looked at our books independently or listened to Miss Tina read them to us.

We then headed into the kitchen to engage with loose parts.  We had dominos, pom-poms, a wooden cup and bowl, a spoon and tongs.  We worked to strengthen our hand muscles while we used the tongs to pick up our pom-poms.  Several friends used their imaginative play skills and used the dominos as a telephone.  They touched the dots as if they were dialing and then put the domino up to their ears and said “hello.”

We then headed outside to enjoy some fresh air.  We engaged with pom-poms in the water table and drew with markers at the art table.

Breakfast:  Whole grain brown rice cakes with cream cheese and bananas.

Lunch:  Hummus on whole grain wheat bread, fresh watermelon/banana, cooked green beans.

Afternoon Snack:  Pretzels and mozzarella cheese stick.

Wee Sprout:  Cucumber.

Have a great weekend!

WWF Teachers

Link to pictures:  2025-07-18

Happy Friday!

Enjoy a few pictures from our day!

Breakfast– Brown rice cakes with cream cheese and fresh watermelon.

Lunch– Ham and cream cheese rollups, fresh watermelon/apples/oranges, and fresh cucumber/carrot.

PM snack– Birthday blueberries and colby jack cheese slices.

Wee Sprout– Fresh cucumber/carrot.

Have a wonderful weekend!

-Wee Friends Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-07-18

Good afternoon!

Our friends enjoyed climbing and exploring the Habi-trail this morning. They climbed the ladder, went down the slide and looked out the window.

Most of our friends engaged in reading or looking at books on the reading steps individually. One friend sang “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” which was the book that they were reading.

We made our way into the kitchen for a peg and pegboard activity. Our friends stacked pegs to make towers or worked on placing a peg in each hole on their board. Once friends were done with their initial board shape, they told Miss Tina which shape for their board they would like next.

We enjoyed a much cooler morning outside today. We climbed on the log house, engaged with baby dolls and took turns going down the slides with our friends.

Breakfast: Whole grain Cheerios cereal with fresh nectarines.

Lunch: Whole grain brown rice with red beans, watermelon slices and cooked peas.

Afternoon Snack: Whole grain wheat Ritz crackers with peanut butter and red grapes.

Wee Sprout: Cucumber.

Have a wonderful evening!

WWF Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-07-17

Good Afternoon–

Today was a puzzling kind of day!  Kids were very interested in puzzles of all kinds.  Some tried jigsaw puzzles with more pieces than they had tried before. Some explored geometric shape puzzles or kanoodle.  Even the art center saw geometric paper collages with shapes fitting together in interesting ways.  Puzzles do a great deal of good for the brain.  They help build your child’s memory skills, spatial awareness, ability to plan, test ideas and solve problems.  To read more about how puzzle’s benefit your child’s development, click the article link:

https://illinoisearlylearning.org/blogs/growing/puzzle-play/

Kids have been drawn to a variety of sensory experiences this week.  Today, we added shaving cream to colored water.  We feel sensory is important to be openly offered for many reasons.  Usually when kids seek it out, there is something the brain and body need from it.  Sensory stimulation strengthens neural pathways at an early age.  Sensory processing sets the foundation for regulating the nervous system, solving complex problems, focusing and using critical thinking later in life.

Breakfast: Puffins cereal with fresh orange slices.

Lunch: Brown rice with chicken, fresh watermelon/bananas, and fresh cucumbers/green beans.

PM Snack: Trail mix with raisins, sunflower/pumpkin seeds and granola.

Wee Sprouts: Fresh cucumbers and green beans

Have a lovely night!

-Wee Friends Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-07-17

Good Afternoon!

This morning the friends were engaged in a variety of activities. Several friends explored and built with Magna-Tiles, another friend moved the beads along wire of the Zany Zoo activity cube, Eleanor worked on the latch puzzle and another friend engaged with a baby doll, feeding and dressing it.

We then headed into the kitchen to engage in the light table with the sensory balls.  We added cardboard tubes and a cardboard chute to the table.  The friends placed balls into the cardboard tubes to fill it full of balls and then pick it up off the bottom of the table and watch them roll out.  We also rolled them down a chute and lined the chute full of balls.  The babies also stood at the table and explored the texture of the balls in their hands.

We then headed outside to get some fresh air. Enjoy some pictures of our friends’ outside time this morning!

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

Lunch:  Farm fresh scrambled eggs with shredded mozzarella cheese, fresh pineapple slices, cooked sweet potatoes and whole grain wheat English muffin toasted with butter.

Afternoon Snack: Refried beans and shredded mozzarella cheese with white corn tortilla chips.

Wee Sprout:  Cucumbers.

Have a wonderful evening!

WWF Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-07-16