Hello! We’ve had a wonderful wee day. This morning started out with magnets! Friends explored how magnetic wands and washers interact.

We also had some very ripe bananas  that needed to be used. The solution? Make banana muffins! Clara helped write down the recipe and included her own special drawings.

Friends thoroughly enjoy the process of baking. Highlights from today’s kitchen session include peeling and mashing bananas, pouring ingredients and using the ice cream scooper to spoon out muffin batter.

Besides muffin making, friends were very engaged in cooperative play today. We love seeing what friends build together and the games they create with one another. In housekeeping there was a hilarious game of “opposite restaurant”. You never quite get what you order at that restaurant!

Wee Sprouts: Tomatoes. Breakfast: Nature’s Path Raisin Bran and bananas. Lunch: Whole wheat flatbread with refried beans and cheddar cheese, fresh green beans and pears. Snack: Homemade banana muffins and mozzarella string cheese.

Link to the photo album: WF 11/24/2015

One more day to Pajama Day! We’re excited to see all the PJs tomorrow! Safe travels to everyone traveling for the holiday. –Jessica

Please note: We will be closed this Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving. Also, Wee Friends is having pajama day this Wednesday. Wee Wees are invited to participate!

Rosemary and Anna painted this morning at the easel. Rosemary said she was painting circles, a diamond, and a rainbow!

Later, we got the drums and shakers down. Ruby and David liked to use the shakers as drumsticks.

 

Breakfast was toast with butter and sugar and banana. Lunch consisted of whole wheat pasta with cheese, oranges, and peas. Afternoon snack was pretzels with cheddar cheese.

Have a great night!

Amanda

Whenever there is snow on the ground, the Wee Friends are excited to play outside!

The snowy environment provides a multitude of experiences for our young friends. The uneven terrain challenges friends’ gross motor skills and body awareness. The addition of new toys such as sleds allow friends to practice social skills like taking turns. Plus, the snow is the ultimate cold sensory experience!

The first thing friends did today was gather around the sandbox to get an icicle. 

Friends love feeling the cold ice and snow in and around their mouths!

The snow also gives friends plenty of chances to use their bodies, pushing and pulling heavy sleds.

Wee Friends LOVE sledding.

Wee Sprouts: Carrots. Breakfast: Toasted whole wheat bread with butter and fresh pears. Lunch: Whole wheat pasta with cheddar cheese, carrots and grapes/oranges. Snack: Organic whole milk yogurt and fresh apples.

Link to the photo album: WF 11/23/2015

Stay warm! –Jessica

Happy Friday!

**Just a reminder that we have a three day week next week!

It was a morning full of collaboration. Whether friends are working together to accomplish a specific task or sharing a toy, the dynamic between our friends continues to grow.

Before we headed outside, Miss Melinda used a book to create a gross motor experience inside! First, friends paired off in twos.

We then read “Jonathan and his Mommy.” Each page had a specific movement such as ‘take BIG steps’, run (which we did in place), walk backwards, and tip-toe. Children held onto the hand of their partner and acted out each movement throughout the house.

It was an excellent way to become active while inside! Moving our bodies around is always a positive thing .

It was a bundle up, snowsuit kind of day. There were mixed emotions about this..

With the sun, it wasn’t too bad!—With this, please make sure your child comes appropriately dressed for each day. We talked about the possibility of s-n-o-w coming this weekend..

Breakfast– Brown rice cakes with cream cheese and oranges.

Lunch– Big pancake (it was a hit!), cheddar cheese, watermelon, and broccoli.

PM Snack– Mozzarella string cheese and pretzels.

Wee Sprouts– Carrots.

Hope everyone has a lovely and safe weekend.

-Mindy

Wee Friends 11/20/2015

Happy Friday!

Friends took turns in the classroom swing today. It was Franklin and Ruby’s first time trying it! Ruby thought it was fun and exciting, while Franklin thought it was relaxing. He looked like he was comfortable enough to take a nap.

Enjoy the rest of the pictures from our day!

Breakfast was Chex cereal and banana. Lunch consisted of Miss Jessica’s homemade pancakes, watermelon, and corn. Afternoon snack was mozzarella string cheese and pretzels.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Amanda

There was lots of climbing and jumping in the gross motor area today!

Then more energy was used by dancing with and waving around the shakers. Rosemary and Anna have been especially interested in music and dancing this week. There have been a few impromptu dance parties!

Breakfast was toast with butter and cinnamon and pears. Lunch consisted of turkey and cheese sandwiches, bananas, and pears. Afternoon snack was wheat crackers with sweet pea butter.

Have a good night!

Amanda

Today cars were built. 

Bridges were constructed.

Stories were shared and poems read.

And friends gathered to listen to even more stories! 

Kindergarten: Today’s kindergarten work was an extension of activities in which Elliott and Elizabeth were already engaged. Elliott began playing a game that involved naming pictures of different objects. He was challenged to figure out the first letter of each object. While some were a breeze (ball starts with B), others needed a few more clues (igloo starts with I). Still working on the tricky vowel sounds! Elizabeth helped write a thank you card to our visitor from last week. Besides writing the words in very neat handwriting, she also included detailed drawings and invited other friends to sign.

Wee Sprouts: Carrots. Breakfast: Kashi’s Cinnamon Harvest cereal and bananas. Lunch: Whole grain bread with turkey and cheddar cheese, carrots and bananas/oranges. Snack: Peanuts and graham crackers.

Link to the photo album: WF 11/19/2015

Hope you enjoy the day! –Jessica

Please note:

Inclement Weather/ Emergency Closing Policy

We ask each family to sign up for text notification for immediate communication of important or emergency information (closings, etc.). All weather related closings will be announced via this text service.  Be on the lookout for text communication if South Bend or School City of Mishawaka is closed or delayed as I will send confirmation that we are open or if we are delayed/closed.

Text this message: @weefr

To this number: 81010 (works like a traditional 10 digit phone number)

ADDITIONAL EMERGENCY CLOSINGS:

You will be contacted by text for any of the following emergency closings.

• Utilities– if for any reason we are without electric, gas or water.
• Disease-Board of Health orders closure for disease control.
• Provider illness– multiple teachers are ill with a contagious illness.
• Child Illness– more than 50% of the children have a contagious illness.

 

Our friends enjoyed many kitchen activities today!

They started with shaving cream this morning.

In the afternoon, they played with the Magna-Tiles. They all made their own imaginative structures. Anna and Rosemary also helped Franklin make some of his own.

They did a variety of other activities after that, such as puzzles, pegs, and giant bugs!

Breakfast was whole grain oatmeal and pears. Lunch consisted of tortillas with hummus, pears, and broccoli. Afternoon snack was wheat crackers and string cheese.

Have a great night!

Amanda

One of the most fulfilling parts of being at WF is the opportunity to observe so many rich interactions between children. Every day friends are interacting, negotiating, questioning, offering advice, sharing their opinions and so much more. Through these conversations friends are constantly learning social and emotional skills, as well as naturally discussing academic content.

Some of today’s language experiences included friends discussing how to draw a star:

Friends read Glad Monster, Sad Monster with Miss Mindy and talked about how they feel in different situations:

At the round table friends worked together to make a very long stack of pegs:

Sometimes conversations even come in the form of songs:

Ring a round the rosie, we all fall down!

Wee Sprouts: Carrots. Breakfast: Whole grain oatmeal and bananas. Lunch: Whole wheat flatbread with hummus, fresh broccoli/carrots and grapes/pears. Snack: Refried beans and blue corn chips.

Link to the photo album: WF 11/18/2015

Enjoy the rest of your day! –Jessica

*Reminders:

• Pajama Day is next Wednesday, November 25th!
• WF will be CLOSED for Thanksgiving on Thursday 11/26 and Friday 11/27 and for Winter Break 12/21 through 1/1

*Also, today we found a bow-shaped sliver ring in one of the donated plastic bags we use at WF. Please let us know if it belongs to you!

Today Clara took over as teacher and led students in the alphabet song (notice the pointer!)

Other friends slid bean bags down slides, explored using their handmade “terescope” and matched shapes in a spinner game.

We also used ALL of the blocks…

Kindergarten: The kindergartners decided to create journal pages documenting their work today. Elizabeth took the picture below (making sure no one else was in it) and made a drawing of her creation, a boat. This led to the realization that the beginning of the word “boat” is similar to the beginning of another word she knows, “boo”.Then Elizabeth realized if you add a “t” to the end of “boo” it makes “boot”! Elliott chimed in that adding an “m” to the end of “zoo” makes “zoom”. We’re learning so much about letter sounds and words everyday.

Elliott detailed his plans for his sewing project:

Wee Sprouts: Cucumbers. Breakfast: Kix and grapes. Lunch: Whole wheat tortillas with refried beans and cheddar cheese, cucumbers/tomatoes and bananas. Snack: Pumpkin muffins and mozzarella string cheese.

Link to the photo album: WF 11/17/2015

Have a wonderful afternoon! –Jessica