Good Afternoon!

The welcome activity focused on using our one-to-one correspondence skills. There were several flower cards available. Using the counters, children put the correct number of counters on each flower depending on the number that was shown. For example, a flower that had the number 4 (representing four petals) would have 4 counters on it!

K.NS.4: Perform one-to-one correspondence tasks.

In kindergarten today:

Our kindergarteners plus a few older preschoolers grabbed trays and met at the circle table. Each child participating had their own bag of spoons. White spoons were the lowercase spoons while the clear spoons were the uppercase spoons. The goal was to match the lowercase spoon to its matching uppercase spoon.

There were many techniques that came about. Lulu and Max worked together for a while. They put the spoons across the entire tray and just started searching for matches. Lucy separated the clear spoons and white spoons before starting the matching process.

Lulu commented, “Once you start finding matches, it gets easier!” Maddie and Lulu completed this activity several times and after the first time, they both stated, “I want to do this all by myself this time!”…and they did!

During the process, we came up with words that started with specific letters. For example, Lulu found the letter ‘L’. As a group, we brainstormed words that start with the letter ‘L’. Lucy, Lulu, lion, and lollipop were just a few that were thought of!

Lulu also noticed that a few of the letters looked EXACTLY the same on the uppercase and lowercase spoons. “These p’s look the same!” We talked about a few letters that look exactly the same in the uppercase and lowercase form (just a little bigger in size). We came up with the following list: C/c, O/o, P/p, S/s, V/v, W/w, X/x, and Z/z.

K.RF.2.4: Identify and name all uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet.

The rest of our day involved some quality outside time. It was still a little chilly so we grabbed those jackets before heading outside!

Breakfast– Whole grain oatmeal with honey and PPC raspberries.

Lunch– Scrambled eggs, whole wheat tortillas, PPC banana, and fresh snap peas.

PM snack– Blue corn chips and refried beans.

Wee Sprout– PPC snap peas.

Have a lovely night!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 9/6

Good Afternoon!

The FABs that we will focus on this week are:

K.RF.2.4 Identify and name all uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet.

K.RF.3.2 Orally segment words into syllables.

K.NS.4 Perform one to one correspondence tasks.

K.NS.5 Count up to 20 objects arranged in a line , a rectangular array, or a circle.  Count up to 10 objects in a scattered configuration.

In large group, we read ‘Tacky in Trouble’. Before we started reading, I asked the question, “What are syllables?” A few friends said that we hear them in words so to build upon that, I commented that the syllables are individual sounds we hear in a given word. I asked them to pay attention in the story because afterwards, we would count the number of syllables in the names of the characters we read about in the story.

After the story was done, friends started naming off characters names. We used two techniques to figure out the number of syllables in each name; the clapping technique and the ‘hand under the chin’ technique.

The clapping technique focuses around clapping when you hear each unit of sound. For example, TACK (one clap)- Y (one clap). The second technique we used has children put their hand under their chin and say the word. How many times your chin moves is how many syllables are in a word!

Once we were done, MANY children said, “Hey! All of the names have two syllables! It’s a pattern!”

We had a TERRIFIC first swim session. Children in the beginner class focused on their back float and kicking with their legs while children in the advanced class worked on putting their face in the water and making bubbles while using their arms and legs to move throughout the water (sometimes unassisted!).

The reading area was a popular place with many friends today. They enjoyed looking at the books themselves or asking a teacher to read many books to them!

A few friends were using their creativity as they built with the magnet blocks in the science area.

The bikes were very popular this morning. Grady used imagination play to pretend he was a traffic light. He would say red light or green light and his friends would either stop or go as they were riding by the deck.

Breakfast: Whole grain wheat bagels with cream cheese and bananas.

Lunch:  Hummus on whole grain wheat tortillas, snap peas from our garden/PPC cauliflower PPC pears/bananas.

Afternoon Snack:  Goldfish crackers and peanuts.

Wee Sprouts:  Fresh cauliflower.

Have a great evening!

Rebekah

Link to pictures:  https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuliNpCOKtuMEc8IimyMA

Our friends turned the log house into an ice cream shop! They sat in the window with their shovels and sang, “Who wants ice cream?” They pretended the pebbles were the ice cream, which they scooped onto the window ledge. Then they offered the delicious treat to a friend!

Breakfast was whole wheat cinnamon raisin bagels and banana. Wee sprout was peas. Lunch consisted of whole wheat tortilla with hummus, banana, and peas. Afternoon snack was wheat crackers with cream cheese.

Link to photos: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuliNsToI3kUz61ZMFrQA

Have a good night!

Amanda

Happy first day of September!

**Just one last reminder: Y swim classes start Tuesday, September 5th!

Here are just a few pictures from our Friday!

Breakfast– Rice cakes with peanut butter and banana.

Lunch– Hummus on whole grain flatbread, fresh watermelon, and fresh green beans.

PM snack– String cheese and graham crackers.

Wee Sprout– Fresh zucchini and carrots.

Have a lovely holiday weekend! We’ll see everyone Tuesday morning!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 9/1

Please note: Wee Friends will be closed Monday, September 4 for Labor Day.

Enjoy the pictures from our day!

Breakfast was Kix and oranges. Wee sprout was peas. Lunch consisted of whole wheat flat bread with hummus, watermelon, and peas. Afternoon snack was string cheese and cheese crackers.

Link to photos: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuliNkZX4e5ouJXEhEMjA

Have a good night!

Amanda

We opened up the sensory table in the kitchen today for our friends to play in the corn together. They started off by using spoons and measuring cups to scoop the corn into bowls until they were full and then dump out. Then Mack ran to the housekeeping section and came back with two frying pans. Friends then pretended to cook the corn. They pretended it was hot and told each other to blow on it. Emma said there was steam coming off of it and that “it will cool off.”

Breakfast was Corn Chex and banana. Wee sprout was mixed veggies. Lunch consisted of whole grain brown rice with shredded beef, banana, and mixed veggies. Afternoon snack was rice cakes with cream cheese.

Link to photos: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuliNhS2mU1aJLSlCwciA

Have a good night!

Amanda

Good Afternoon!

With most of our fall transitions complete, we’re working on what our classroom is going to look like for the upcoming year. Our classroom is transforming into a family; meaning that at times, we get along fabulously while other times, irritation can set in. Most of these children have been together so long that they know an awful lot about one another. It’s completely appropriate for children to get frustrated with one another but what’s important is how we teach children to deal with these frustrations. It is absolutely okay to say, “I don’t want to play right now” or “I’m frustrated with you”. It’s in these early years that children form the tools to deal with different social situations. Words (kind words, of course!) are our most powerful asset.

I’ve attached a ‘teacher tom’ post that relates to this topic. We as adults set the example by showing what inclusion truly means.

http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/gray-area.html

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Friends looked out the window and saw a plumbing truck. Immediately, children shouted, “I wonder if they’re working on the toilet?!” We used our knowledge that was gained yesterday about what a plumber is!

Lulu went to the dentist this morning so in large group, we read a book titled, ‘Dentists’. Before we even started reading, friends started commenting;

“Oh I’ve been there! I get to watch a show sometimes.”

“I go to the dentist ten times!”

“The dentist said I have two loose teeth!”

While our background knowledge of the dentist office is extensive, we learned a few new things such as what a cavity is and how to fix it. We also saw pictures of tools that a dentist uses including a mirror, light, and explorer. At the end of the book, the author gave us a prompt: “Do you want to be a dentist when you grow up?”—We had more no’s than yes’s . Lulu said, “I want to be a superhero dentist!”

The rest of our morning was full of a welcome sorting activity using egg cartons and colored gems.

An art table that was busy all morning long!

…and of course the art easel that saw many paintings done throughout the morning.

Breakfast– Maple Pecan Crunch and PPC pears.

Lunch– Brown rice with shredded beef, PPC pears/grapes, and PPC corn on the cob.

PM snack– Cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese.

Wee Sprout– Fresh carrots/green beans.

Have a lovely night.

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 8/31

A child’s smile is the BEST smile!

Breakfast was Cheerios and oranges. Wee sprout was fresh tomatoes. Lunch consisted of farm fresh eggs with whole wheat flatbread, grapes, and fresh tomatoes. Afternoon snack was wheat crackers and string cheese.

Link to photos: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuliNZBEDtN9FdySPnjgA

Have a good night!

Amanda

Good Afternoon!

In kindergarten today, we played a bingo game that focused on community helpers. Lulu, Lucy, and Maddie each picked a board and teamed up with a younger friend to complete their board. I read a clue and children would look on their board to see if they had that community helper. Even if friends weren’t involved in the game physically, they were still using their listening ears throughout the house and would shout out the answer!

One of the clues read ‘I am a helper of the United States of America. I protect our freedom of our country. Who am I?’ We talked about the word soldier and what it meant. I showed them a picture of my step brother who is deployed in the Army. Lulu commented, “Wow. What does he do?” We had a conversation about the different things that soldiers can do to protect every day. A few other community helpers that we didn’t have any background knowledge on were janitor, lifeguard, and detective.

After playing multiple times, we talked about what it’d be like to be a dentist, astronaut, doctor, etc. We have a few dentists and astronauts on our hands .

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.

We tied this in to large group after read, ‘Franklin’s Neighborhood’. A web was created that displayed the different community helpers that we learned about earlier in the day.

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

Breakfast– Whole grain oatmeal with honey and PPC blueberries/banana.

Lunch– Cheesy scrambled egg roll-ups in whole wheat flatbread, oranges/grapes, and PPC green beans.

PM snack– Air popped popcorn with butter and PPC blueberries.

Wee Sprout– Fresh carrots.

Have a great night!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 8/30

Good Afternoon!

**Wee Friends will be closed Monday, September 4th in observance of Labor Day. Thanks!

In large group, we read a story titled, ‘Tuckers Best School Day’. In the story, we learned about Tucker’s school and a few specific rules and procedures that Tucker and his friends follow. After the story was done, we came up with our own list of school rules that we try our best to follow here at Wee Friends. After we filled the chalkboard up with ideas, friends talked about why these rules are important. Lulu shared, “If kids open the door, our little friends could get out of the school and run away!” A couple friends also shared that the rules are intended to “keep us safe”.

Social Studies: K.2.3 Give examples of classroom and school rules and explain how each helps us.  

We used our hands and eyes to work on our hand/eye coordination and fine motor skills using our puzzles. We used our eyes to look where the piece fits into the puzzles and our hands to connect those pieces together and place them into the correct spot in the puzzles we were doing.

It was a day for building!  Max built an airplane with the wood at the workbench, while Lulu and Grady built a ramp for their cars using the wood blocks in habitrail.

When it was time to go outside, we enjoyed many of our favorite activities.

Breakfast:  Kix cereal, PPC grapes and blackberries.

Lunch:  Refried beans and cheese on whole grain wheat flatbread, cherry tomatoes from the garden/PPC peppers and plums.

Afternoon Snack:Whole grain Wheat Thins crackers and peanuts.

Wee Sprouts: Fresh peppers.

Have a great night!

Rebekah

Link to pictures:  https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtTCDmdhjIuliNU8lA_XIhI8XwNB1Q