While it is often easy to focus on the big projects and activities that happen throughout our busy days, it is also important to recognize the little moments. Small things happen throughout each day that matter to children and those around them. Today we recognize the little moments of helping. 

Clara volunteering to sweep the bark off of our new car tracks:

Friends helping each other to get a bike unstuck and a costume on:

And friends helping one another build towers:

Every day Wee Frienders learn to give a helping hand.

Happy June!

-Jessica

Wee Sprouts: Bell peppers. Breakfast: Toasted whole wheat toast with butter and bananas. Lunch: Whole wheat pasta with kidney beans, watermelon and broccoli/cauliflower. Snack: Whole milk yogurt and fresh cantaloupe.

Happy Friday!

For breakfast, children had toast with butter and cinnamon along with pears. Lunch consisted of melted cheese flatbread, mixed vegetables, and watermelon. PM snack was cheddar cheese and watermelon.

Have a terrific weekend!

Today was another special day…Happy 3rd Birthday Naia! We are so happy we could celebrate with you today. Look how much you’ve grown!

Today we also enjoyed a visit from Laurie’s muppet! So. Much. Laughter.

Have a great weekend! –Jessica

Wee Sprouts: Grape tomatoes. Breakfast: Oatmeal and fresh pear slices. Lunch: Whole wheat flatbread quesadillas with cheddar cheese, carrots and fresh watermelon/oranges. Snack: Fresh watermelon with coconut cream and strawberries in honor of Naia’s birthday!

Good Afternoon!

It was tummy time central for Franklin! Flashing his adorable smile was just one of the many things that he did this morning!

After his morning nap, he headed outside with friends who were ecstatic to see him! A few of the older Wee Frienders asked questions such as, “Does Franklin have any brothers or sisters?” and “When will Franklin start eating food?”. We were all super intrigued by him and him by us!

Nahla took a quick breather from playing while Maya worked with loose parts in the backyard. She enjoyed filling up her airplane and school bus with rocks!

The teeter totters were quite a hit. Friends worked together to sit on one teeter totter and rock back and forth.

A little quiet time followed our naps. Nahla and Tate both got out a book and proceeded to read together. We don’t have just one literacy period throughout the day; friends are always interested and excited to read stories whether it’s alone, with a friend, or a teacher.

For breakfast, children had Kashi and banana. Lunch consisted of brown rice with cheese, corn, and pears. PM snack was rice cakes with cream cheese.

Have a great night!

We would like to wish a very happy birthday to Maddie! Even though you have only been with us for a few months, we can see how much you’re growing. Welcome to your 3rd year!

Today has been a day full of activity.

Melinda led friends in an exploration of things that start with the letter R based on a book request from a friend: My “R” Book. In the book, the main character finds things that start with the letter R and puts them in a box.

So we decided to do the same thing and collected things from around our classroom that started with R and put them in our box. We experimented with the R sound and practiced taking turns. This is an example of how child-prompted curriculum can create genuine opportunities for learning that naturally engage and excite friends. They have ownership of their work and learning! And it all started from a simple request to read a story.

Today we also continued our exploration of puppets with Laurie and used paper mache and balloons to create puppet heads.

During small group we read the story Another Brother by Matthew Cordell. In this book, Davy, a sheep, is alarmed to realize his 12 brothers want to copy him all the time! Eventually he learns that it’s nice to have someone look up to you…

We graphed the question: How many brothers do you have? and found out that more friends have 0 brothers than friends that have 1 brother.

Have a great day! –Jessica

Wee Sprouts: Cucumbers. Breakfast: Raisin Bran with fresh pineapple. Lunch: Brown rice with chicken, grapes, blueberries and peas. Snack: Whole fruit popsicles in honor of Maddie’s 3rd birthday!

Good Afternoon!

**Since we’re almost in June (already?), which I’m sure will fly by, just a reminder that WWF will have our yearly summer vacation starting Thursday, July 2nd through Friday, July 10th. WWF will reopen Monday, July 13th.

Annabelle started off her day by continuing to master crawling up the slide! After watching a few of her older friends complete the task, she went for it! She enjoyed getting half way up the slide then sliding down on her rear! Friends joined in .

We are still so enthralled in our backyard space.

Friends started to put rocks in the buses, airplanes, and fire trucks. This brings into play the concept of ‘loose parts’ play. For those who aren’t familiar, it’s where materials can be moved, carried, combined, and lined up in many different ways. For example; stones, sand, twigs, balls, and buckets. These materials allow for open-ended play. It’s crucial for our budding imaginations to flourish!

Here’s a link to an article I found that describes what ‘loose parts’ are a little bit more in detail as well as giving many examples.

http://extension.psu.edu/youth/betterkidcare/early-care/our-resources/tip-pages/tips/loose-parts-what-does-this-mean

For breakfast, children had cinnamon-raisin bagels with banana. Lunch consisted of egg salad on tortillas, corn, and banana. PM snack was string cheese and blueberries.

Have a lovely night!

When the big kids are away, the wee ones will play!

We started with a game that involved finding a number and then jumping on it.

All the movement led friends to ask for music and instruments. We played triangles, shook maracas and danced to songs from Sesame Street, Frozen and Raffi.

We practiced our fine motor skills with some bead work and discussed patterns.

Outside there was lots to explore, including roly polies:

It’s been a great day! Happy Wednesday. –Jessica

Wee Sprouts: Red, orange and yellow sweet peppers. Breakfast: Rice cakes with almond butter and fresh cantaloupe slices. Lunch: Homemade egg salad on whole wheat tortillas, fresh grape tomatoes and bananas. Snack: Hummus and blue corn chips.

Today we explored the prairie in a long nature walk.   The temperature was mild and the breeze was glorious.  And we found toads.  Lots of toads. 

Other highlights: red winged black birds, a very quick uncatchable frog, an unidentified unique looking beetle, assorted butterflies, moths, dragonflies, marshy wet stomping areas, swaying grasses, pretty flowers, a climbing tree, and mosquitos. 

Jessica will send out a classroom blog later today!

Enjoy your day!

Tami

*FARM TOMORROW! Group A (big kids) please plan on going to the farm tomorrow, Wednesday 5/27. The rain is supposed to hold off until the afternoon.

*We are also collecting toilet paper tubes this week. If you have any extra at home, we’d appreciate you bringing them in. Thank you!

We absolutely love our new outdoor space. Thanks Tami and Charles!

Hope you had a great long weekend. –Jessica

Wee Sprouts: Green beans. Breakfast: Kix and apple slices. Lunch: Cheesy whole wheat noodles, cauliflower and orange slices. Snack: Whole milk yogurt with fresh kiwis and blueberries.

Happy Tuesday!

Hope everyone was able to enjoy their Memorial Day weekend!

Teachers and friends were ecstatic to see the backyard transformation. We are so thankful for Tami and Charles’ hard work over the weekend. Children sure did enjoy it!

For breakfast, children had kix and oranges. Lunch consisted of whole grain noodles with cheese, broccoli, and oranges. PM snack was pretzels and cheddar cheese.

Have a great night!