Hello!

*FINALLY, it looks like we’ll have good weather for FARM tomorrow. Group A will be going (Clara, Elliott, Riley, Eren, Jackson, Addi, Emerson, Daniel, Elizabeth). Weather permitting, we plan on taking Group B next week.

Miss Tami relayed that swim lessons went great today! Children are continuing to push themselves and learn new skills each week. A friend was overheard telling another friend, “It’s like riding a bike.” Given that the swim group is mixed with different ages, our older friends are taking great leadership and helping their younger peers.

While the swimmers were away, a group of children requested to do journals. It’s a great time for us to put our thoughts down on paper. A teacher is available to write down children’s thoughts if they’re not quite able to do so yet.

Many different building materials were used today. Collaboration was prevalent when friends were building with their peers.

In Kindergarten today:

We continued to explore our Social Studies fab of the week (K.4.1 Explain that people work to earn money to buy the things they want. Introduce money names and values). After reading ‘Angelina’s Birthday’, we discussed several topics that were offered up in the story:

*I asked for a show of hands how many of our friends do chores around the house. After giving a few examples, children took turns explaining what they did around the house to help their mom and dad. Elizabeth brought up the term ‘allowance’ which was then discussed!

*The overall understanding of working to earn money was a hot topic as children started raising their hand, offering up ways that their parents hard earned money is used. A few examples that were given were groceries, house payment, and “money for Wee Friends because if we didn’t pay, we couldn’t come to school!”

To end our discussion, I had everyone close their eyes. “If you were given ten dollars to do whatever you want, would you buy something with that ten dollars or save it?” After tallying up everyone’s answers, we’re mostly a ‘save’ group .

“We save money so that we can buy something that is more money than what we have!”- Wee Friender

Breakfast– cheerios and mixed fruit.

Lunch– egg and cheese roll-ups, fresh PPC watermelon, and cherry tomatoes.

PM snack– english muffins with no-nut butter and colby jack cheese.

Wee Sprout– cucumbers and red pepper.

Have a great night!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 5/10

We spent much of our Monday in the kitchen doing a variety of activities together. We started with the rice and birdseed sensory tub. Our friends love to use cups and bowls to scoop and pour the mixture.

Next we handed our friends paper towel rolls, which they used to drop toy cars and puff balls down that then rolled across the table or floor. Our friends had fun chasing them around the room! David had the silly idea to hold the paper towel roll against his mouth and yell. He loved how the tube magnified his voice.

Then we got out the pegs, one of our favorites activities. They always enjoy sticking them into the colorful boards and stacking them into towers.

Breakfast was Cheerios and apples. Lunch consisted of whole wheat pasta with shredded chicken, pears, and carrots. Afternoon snack was organic whole milk yogurt with mixed fruit.

Have a great night!

Amanda

Link to photos: https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=A58B8C61670EC2D4!89247&authkey=!APlcbw_gbv4MYqA&ithint=folder%2cJPG

Good Afternoon!

We want to send a BIG birthday shout out to Clara Rose today who turns FIVE! Where did the time go?! We hope you had a fantastic birthday. Thank you to Clara and her family for the yummy fruit salad for our afternoon snack .

Our Kindergarten fab for the week is K.4.1: Explain that people work to earn money to buy the things they want. Introduce money names and values.

When friends came in the door this morning, there was a coin matching game that was available. There are various levels of readiness for a topic such as coins and money in general but starting at a place that reaches every child and building from there is vital!

We had several discussions at the table that centered around the names of each coins and the amount that they represent. The kindergarteners and a few older preschoolers brought addition into the equation. For example, we put a dime on the table. When we figured out that it represented ten cents, we brought nickels into the discussion. Through conversation, we figured out that two nickels is equal to one dime.

Various children took the time to sort the coins into labeled buckets.

After reading a book that was centered around vegetables and the process of buying them at the grocery store, our large group talked about using money to buy items. When asked who had a piggy bank at home, almost every child raised their hand. A child commented that “to save money, you have to put it in a piggy bank!” The question, “If you could buy one thing, what would it be?” brought about varied answers from small toys to a REAL airplane. Money’s no object .

Tate requested the light table and different colored gems this morning. Many friends took turns using the light table for various purposes. Elliott and Clara separated the gems by color, eventually using the terms ‘the most’ and ‘the least’ by observing the groups that they had formed!

The art table was quite busy this morning as children had a clear cut end goal in mind for their projects today!

Breakfast– whole wheat bagel with butter and apples.

Lunch– whole wheat pasta with turkey, oranges, and carrots.

PM snack– Clara’s birthday fruit salad with organic whole milk yogurt.

Wee Sprouts– carrots.

Have a terrific night!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 5/9

Happy Friday!

Have a great weekend and a wonderful Mother’s Day!

Amanda

Link to photos: https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=A58B8C61670EC2D4!89108&authkey=!AHtBH2WDneO5GG8&ithint=folder%2cJPG

Happy Friday!

Pipe cleaners and beads were put out at the art table this morning. This attracted many friends! We made a plethora of necklaces and bracelets. Some friends used specific colors to make a pattern while some children chose their favorite colors!

Our younger friends become extremely proud and excited when they complete a task that is brand new! While making art, we strengthened our fine motor skills along the way.

The sign in board focused on the awesome weather that we have today and the different activities that are made available outside. Friends signed in under what they were looking MOST forward to!

We did ALL of these activities this morning.

The art table was a popular place to start off our outside time. Our older friends reminded their younger peers that the done paper goes into the DONE box .

The log house was used for many things today.

First, it was used as a climbing house where our gross motor skills were put to the test!

Then later in the morning, it became the primary place where rollie pollies were being taken to. (Insert BUGS!) A searching group was formed to collect pebbles and grass for the rollie pollies to live on. A conversation was had about what the rollie pollies would feel most comfortable on!

The little people vehicles were put into a line as friends put one little person into each vehicle. We had a clear cut vision of what we wanted to do.

Of course, running to exert energy as well as using our imagination in the sandbox was a given on a beautiful day like today.

BIKES! You mean we can get out bikes?! Friends focused (we tend to stick out our tongues were extremely concentrated.. ) while using the green balance bikes which are by FAR our favorite.

We had a lovely end to our week.

Hope everyone has a great weekend, especially our AWESOME moms! We appreciate you!

-Mindy

Breakfast– rice cakes with no-nut butter and pears.

Lunch– tortillas with hummus, apples, and green beans/carrots.

PM snack– colby jack cheese and pretzel crisps.

Wee Sprouts– carrots and red pepper.

Link to pictures: WF 5/6

Enjoy the photos!

Breakfast was English muffins with sweet pea butter and bananas. Lunch consisted of whole grain brown rice with shredded beef, peaches, and peas. Afternoon snack was quinoa cakes with refried beans.

Have a great night!

Amanda

Link to photos:  https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=A58B8C61670EC2D4!88914&authkey=!AOB5xyZgXktGAhw&ithint=folder%2cJPG

Good Afternoon!

When each child comes in every morning, they usually have a routine that they follow. Predictability in the morning can be a good thing! Some friends do the sign in board with their mom or dad while some others sit and read a story. Almost every child heads to the table to serve themselves breakfast.

There is an activity that is made available on the table most every morning as a way for children to come into their day!

This morning was full of art table creations, puzzles with peers, and finally…

SUNSHINE! We were beyond ecstatic about the weather. Friends made sure to take advantage of their outside time by interacting with their peers and running to exert some energy whenever they felt the need!

“This is what happens when you play with wet sand and dirt..”—Yes..yes it is .

In Kindergarten today..

Friends enjoyed poetry day! After we read a few poetry excerpts from ‘It’s Raining Pigs and Noodles’, we came up with our own poem. We’re working on coming up with a title and maintaining the theme throughout. Each child came up with a line to put in our poem.

One of the poems we read was about food that we DON’T like. Children raised their hands to give their ‘I DO NOT EAT’ food examples. A few that friends shared were vegetables, brussels sprouts, and broccoli/cauliflower (multiple times)!

…so basically just vegetables even though the Wee Sprouts we offer each day are gone by 10:30!

Breakfast– Corn squares and banana.

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

PM snack– Pumpkin seeds, fresh PPC peaches, and crackers.

Wee Sprouts– Green beans and carrots.

Have a great evening!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 5/5

Good Afternoon!

Working in pairs was definitely the theme this morning. Day after day, relationships with peers are strengthened. One of the many benefits of multi-age classrooms is for children to build relationships with peers their own age as well as younger AND older friends!

We saw many examples of amazing friendship qualities today .

It was quite a dreary day today. Still, friends required movement! We put on music so children could move their bodies. Maracas and streamers were brought out as well! Lulu’s absolute favorite song as of late is ‘Let It Go’. When it came on, we all realized she knew ALL of the words . She said, “This is MY song!”

We have had a group of children who have requested sequins every day this week! Today, the patriotic stars were made available. Using small dots of glue, we put different sequins on the paper, which allows us to work on our fine motor skills!

It was a raincoat, run to keep yourself warm, type of day!

We didn’t complain though .

Today in Kindergarten:

We’re still learning about different jobs and the tools/skills needed for those jobs. After reading, “What Do You Do?” which referenced different jobs in the community, we had conversations about what we would do if those specific jobs didn’t exist! For example, doctors. Friends started raising their hands and commenting on what would happen if we didn’t have doctors! “What would we do if we got sick?!”, one child said with a scared face. We also talked about tools that different professions need. “A dentist needs tools to look in my mouth!”

(It was quite an active, discussion lead large group today! )

Plumbers were a topic that we talked about. The girls of the group started talking about how our hair clogs the drain in the shower which is where plumbers come into play! Elizabeth took this idea to her journal where she drew the drain and different items that get stuck! “See! We need a plumber at our house!”

Breakfast: Malt-O-Meal with banana.

Lunch: Homemade english muffin pizzas, broccoli, and watermelon.

PM snack: Blue corn chips and hummus.

Wee Sprout: Tomatoes and cucumbers.

Have a terrific night!

-Mindy

Link to pictures: WF 5/4

Our friends painted colorful artwork for us to admire and to brighten up this rainy day. They used their hands and brushes to spread the paint over the whole paper and made many beautiful paintings!

This afternoon a few of our friends played with the Montessori object permanence boxes together. While playing with these, they are developing fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and are practicing precise hand movements.

Breakfast was Chex and bananas. Lunch consisted of English muffins with marinara sauce and cheese, strawberries, and carrots. Afternoon snack was crackers with hummus.

Have a great night!

Amanda

Link to photos: https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=A58B8C61670EC2D4!88673&authkey=!AGGin5U7TsUX1yw&ithint=folder%2cJPG

Good Afternoon!

Here are a few pictures from today!

For breakfast, children had kix and apples. Lunch consisted of sunflower seed butter on whole wheat bread, banana, and green beans. PM snack was cottage cheese and oranges. Wee sprouts were carrots.

Have a great night!

Link to pictures: WF 5/3