Good Afternoon!

The welcome activity sparked interest this morning as children moved colored counters throughout the space provided on the wooden trays. Ruby picked out all of the blue counters and arranged them onto the tray before she started counting them. Franklin and a peer lined them around the perimeter of the tray and used their index finger to count. Chloe used the counters to form a square! There are no directions so children take the activity in the any appropriate direction they choose!

We got new sensory squares that we put down on the music rug. Children explored them with their hands and feet. When pressure is applied to the square, the colored water inside the square moves. We found it very mesmerizing!

We combined our science FAB for the week that focuses on how things move such as slow and fast AND the way we move our bodies!

This attracted quite a lot of friends so we turned it into a gross motor game. Everyone formed a line and completed the action that was given. For instance, I said, “March on the squares.”, or “Slither like a snack across the squares”. The space became a little tight so we switched up our game and started playing ‘follow the leader’!

Science: K.3.2 Investigate that things moves in different ways, such as fast, slow, etc.

We formed a line and different instructions were given. We moved our bodies quickly (march and jog for example) while our slower actions were crawling and tip toeing. We noticed that our faster actions made us a little tired! After playing this game for a while, we moved our bodies over to the music rug where we continued to get exercise by dancing to music. We played three different songs; If You’re Happy And You Know It, The Hokey Pokey, and Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.

After getting all of our wiggles out, children went to various quieter activities where they were really able to focus and interact with their peers.

The teachers have really been into infused water (cucumber and lemon specifically). Several friends have been inquiring about it so today, one of our pitchers were turned into a lemon/cucumber water pitcher!

“We call this vacation water because it tastes like vacation. YUM!”

NEW BUG CONTAINERS!

(the pictures explain what we did outside this morning)…

Breakfast– Kashi Blueberry Clusters and PPC mango.

Lunch– Brown rice with shredded beef, PPC cantaloupe/pears, and PPC cauliflower.

PM snack– Wheat thins and sunflower seeds.

Wee Sprout– PPC cauliflower/fresh carrots.

Have a great night!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 5/3

Good afternoon! We hope you are having a delightful Thursday.

Today we were happily engaged in the wonderful outdoor world and all of its wetness. Friends love being outside, but when it’s wet it is even better! There is a more intense sensorial experience that our friends LOVE! The sand, the grass, the bushes and pea gravel all have a different feel to them that gives a more exciting sensory experience. Plus we can’t forget… dumping all the water from the buckets and cars/trucks. Now THAT’S FUN!!!

In the Infant/Toddler classroom, we have the joy of watching our infants achieve many fun milestones. Zoe is a pre-walker and has now begun pulling herself up onto the round table and walking around it. We bet she will be a walking little lady soon.

Breakfast: Whole grain Kix and fresh PPC banana.

Lunch: Whole grain rice with shredded beef, corn and fresh PPC banana.

Snack: Pretzels with Block cheddar cheese.

Wee Sprouts: Corn.

Have a wonderful night!

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES:  https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljJNYYbUALQXzSjo_9A

Good morning!

Here are the picture links from this week.

Have a great day!

-Mindy

WF 5/2

WF 5/1

WF 4/30

WF 4/30 FARM

Good Afternoon!

Raise your hand if you’ve ever heard “I don’t know” to the question, “So what’d you do at school today?”

Children’s days are packed full of exploration, forming relationships with peers, and curiosity which can make it challenging for them to form specific thoughts as to what their day entailed. There are a couple ways for you to encourage them to share:

1. At night, look over the blog with your child. Even just one picture can elicit a specific thought or feeling that they had earlier in the day.

2. You can also refer to your child’s weekly ‘Electronic Portfolio’! This is another way to spark up conversation about an activity or play experience that your child was involved in.

We love hearing the feelings and thoughts of our friends each day and I know parents do too!

Children used two materials at the welcome activity: counting bears and dominos. We used our imaginations to expand what we ‘usually’ do with these two materials. Maxwell built a tower and on each top, he placed a colorful bear. Anna created homes for her bears using the dominos as walls.

Lucy switched it up by getting sorting all of the colorful bears and with Anna’s help, they created several different patterns to put around the perimeter of the lazy susan.

Outside was calling our name this morning. After we got on sunscreen, the sandbox was the area to be! Friends made meals for one another and took turns eating at the table.

Since the program that generates the pictures is still down, here’s a few extra pictures to hold you over!

Breakfast– Whole grain oatmeal with honey and PPC pears.

Lunch– Scrambled eggs with shredded cheese, whole wheat bread, PPC banana/fresh oranges, and fresh carrots.

PM snack– Blue corn chips with refried beans.

Wee Sprout– PPC cucumber/fresh carrots.

Have a great evening!

-Mindy

Good afternoon.

Sometimes friends just need a little quiet time and space of their own during our busy day. Our cube area is the perfect space to do just that! We can cuddle up on a pillow and read a story or just lie in the space and relax.

According to an article I read from Just Not Cute with Amanda Morgan, a relaxing area in childcare “gives the child a chance to refresh their mind and body, which is especially important if they no longer take a nap, it may help your child build skills in managing stress and other big feelings, as well as it can prevent over stimulation (which can lead to temper tantrums) from a busy household with other children, a new baby, or other noisy activities.” We all need quiet at times, and we are very fortunate that we have such a nice space for our little ones.

Cars and trucks were an engaging activity today both in and out of the classroom.

Breakfast: Whole grain cheerios with fresh PPC pears.

Lunch: Scrambled eggs with cheese, whole wheat/grain butter toast, peas and oranges.

Snack: Whole wheat crackers with hummus.

Wee Sprouts: Peas

Have a wonderful night!

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES:  https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljJFOK0jNf0pIp0__oA

Happy May!

**Please look in your child’s bathroom cubbie to make sure they have clothes that are appropriate for the season! We have a lot of long pants and sweatshirts that should go home to make room for spring/summer clothing.

**Also, if you have not brought in sunscreen (NO SPRAY PLEASE) yet this season, check with a teacher to make sure that your child has sunscreen here.

-If you want your child to just have their own sunscreen, please let the teachers know. Otherwise, we will start a collection of sunscreen to use on all children. Thanks!

________________________________________________________________

Seven of our friends started swim class at the Y today! We started out the class working with bubbles for friends who needed them along with noodles. Friends focused on kicking their feet and moving their arms as they swam. Eventually, we swam down to the deep end where children either chose to jump off the side of the pool, jump off of the diving block, or just gently falling into the pool from the sitting position. A few friends shared their favorite activity from our swimming session:

“My favorite was going to the deep end and free time at the end!”

“I liked driving in the weehicle and playing at the end.”

“When we were playing at the end, Miss Leslie and I were squirting each other with water!”

Our Y swim classes allow children to become comfortable in the water as well as gain confidence week by week! We’re excited for next weeks session.

_________________________________________________________________________

Back at Wee Friends:

A few children came up to the island to work with pegs. Lucy chose to have the pegs occupy the outside of the board with specific colors while Franklin chose to fill in his board with an array of colors! Most friends who explored this activity used their index finger to count to a certain number.

It was a gorgeous morning that we took full advantage of! The bikes (of course) were used all morning long. We go around the circle who knows how many times! Our hand eye coordination is improving as well as the muscles used for gross motor play.

Our outside time is priceless.

Breakfast- Kix and PPC blueberries.

Lunch– Hummus on whole wheat tortillas, PPC pears, and PPC cherry tomatoes/fresh carrots.

PM snack– Cinnamon raisin bagel with butter and block cheddar cheese.

Wee Sprout– Fresh carrots/PPC cherry tomatoes.

Have a lovely night! Enjoy the weather!

-Mindy

**We are continuing to have trouble with the sever that generates pictures. When it’s back working again, I will post the picture links from the days that were missed. Thanks!

Happy May! We hope you’re having a wonderful day!

We love when our siblings join together during outside play! Our friends that have a sibling in the preschool classroom are always excited when their older brother/sister seeks them out and wants to engage in any sort of play! Even though they are not in the same classroom, when they do get together outside their faces light up and the younger sibling benefits from being inspired by the work/play of their older sibling.  It’s a win win all around!

Breakfast: Whole grain kix and fresh PPC blueberries.

Lunch: Whole wheat/grain tortilla with hummus, corn, fresh PPC bananas and blueberries

Snack: Whole wheat/grain cinnamon raisin bagels with cream cheese and oranges.

Wee Sprouts: Corn

Have a fantastic evening!

Marty

LINK TO PICTURES:  https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljJE1XmHvQCPAxLtnqQ

Good Afternoon!

Our Monday was filled with engaging activities, cooperative play, and loads of sunshine!

Children spread out throughout the house this morning as they became involved in a variety of activities. The habitrail was turned into an animal sanctuary while children floated between the art table and reading area before going outside. Friends love that they have the choice to engage in any space that calls to them.

Our pre-k/k group headed to the farm this morning where we checked up on the baby goats and met the new baby ducks! Children are always given the chance to pet or hold the animals. Some of our friends would rather help out in the barn than hold the baby animals and that’s completely fine!

We took a walk through the woods before we left. A few children pretended like they were on an exploration while their peers took turns on the swing.

As we were heading to the weehicle, we noticed Taffy was out. He’s one of our favorites at the farm so we had to stop and say hi. A few friends even got to brush her!

Breakfast– Whole wheat toast with peanut butter and fresh apples.

Lunch– Whole wheat noodles with butter and shredded chicken, PPC banana, and fresh carrots.

PM snack– A birthday treat: organic animal crackers and homemade chocolate zucchini muffins.

Wee Sprout– Fresh carrots.

Have a lovely night!

-Mindy

OUR SERVER THAT GENERATES THE PICTURE LINKS IS CURRENTLY NOT WORKING. I’LL TRY AND POST PICTURES TOMORROW MORNINING! THANKS!

Happy Monday! We hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

We started our morning off by engaging ourselves with coloring and utilizing our fine motor skills. Friends love to color and make all kinds of beautiful creations. When our  little guys color in their journals their concentration level is phenomenal, even with our littlest friends. With infants and toddlers, concentration/attention span is usually dependent upon developmental age. According to Day2Day Parenting, “If you have unrealistic expectations of your toddlers attention span, it can lead to temper tantrums and other upsetting behaviors. The average attention span for a child eight to fifteen months is generally around one minute or a little longer to a single toy or activity.” By the time they reach two years of age and older, their attention span has increased quite a bit.

It was a gorgeous day to play outside! Friends were actively engaged all over the outdoor environment. The teeter-totter and cars/bikes were a huge part of our morning fun! Gross motor activities can be so much fun!

Breakfast: Whole grain cinnamon raisin bagels with butter and oranges.

Lunch: Whole wheat/grain pasta with butter and chicken, carrots and fresh PPC blueberries.

Snack: Whole milk yogurt and graham crackers.

Wee Sprouts: Carrots.

Have a lovely evening!
Marty

LINK TO PICTURES:  https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuljJB2Mlx5KB-3j3L2KA

Good Afternoon!

Child: “What do we do here?”

Teacher: “Well you can do whatever you want: make patterns, sort by colors, or count them.”

Child: “Oh! Well then I’ll do all of that!”

When we put loose parts or manipulatives on the table or trays, children use their imagination to take the activity wherever they wish. Several children explored the hexagon pieces this morning. Friends took the hexagons and sorted them by color as well as making different patterns on their trays.

Max and Lucy started putting links together by the circle table. This lead to them using all of the links which ended up being LONGER than the length of the house!

Anna stood at the front of the house with one end of the chain while Lucy stood at the back of the house with the other end of the chain. It was quite an impressive display of teamwork!

“On 3—one, two, three, WEE FRIENDS!”

Breakfast– Rice cakes with cream cheese and PPC banana/fresh strawberries.

Lunch– Homemade whole wheat english muffin pizzas, fresh oranges/apples, and PPC snap peas.

PM snack– String cheese and goldfish.

Wee Sprout– PPC cherry tomatoes/cucumber.

Have a fantastic weekend!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 4/27