We danced into Monday. We also talked to friends about birthstones and discovered who knows their birth date! Friends practiced writing their names and choosing the jewel that matched the color of their birthstone.

We headed outside as soon as we could and created a fossil dig in the sandbox, using the salt dough fossils we made last week. Finn created rules to follow and shared with us how he found several dino bones in his own backyard!

The Doodle Bug Team continues to collect pill bugs. Today we discovered the difference between a male and female. We also learned how a mama doodle bug hatches her eggs. We think we found a mama in the process of giving birth. Wee Friends were amazed and excited. “Stand back-you’ve got to see this.” exclaimed Elliott.

Ada found a fly who couldn’t fly. She rescued the fly and created another glass jar habitat for it. We studied what flies might eat and fed the new pet a small flower and a dead doodle bug. Ada and Elizabeth are keeping close tabs on their new specimen.

The backyard baby dolls give our Wee Friends and siblings pure comfort and joy-and good practice being a contributing member of a family!

Look how this newly formed family took care of Lea: helping her cocoon herself under the cool, silky sand. This large group of friends collaborated peacefully and worked toward one goal. They showed understanding on how to care for Lea’s body so that she was not hurt.

Right now we are harvesting tomatoes, potatoes and cucumbers. Thank you to the Garden Committee who came this weekend and weeded the garden. It looks beautiful and inviting-and delicious!

Wee Sprouts: Elliott’s garden tomatoes (thank you!). Breakfast: Whole wheat toast with cinnamon and pear slices. Lunch: Turkey and cheddar cheese sandwiches, WF garden cucumbers and apple slices. Snack: Bananas and cottage cheese.

Have a happy day.

Happy Friday!

Clara and Eve took advantage of our low crew this morning and spent a while in the kitchen painting. They used different supplies such as a cardboard circle and rectangular paper. We talked about the different sizes. Friends did a GREAT job at describing what they were painting. Clara said, “I’m painting Mommy’s office!” Eve also let us know that she was painting a doggie! She also let everyone know that the doggie says, “Woof!”

Not only did our friends have a lovely sensorial painting session, but the vocabulary to go along with it was AWESOME!

During the late morning, friends gathered for a couple of Eren’s requested favorites!

In one of the books, it says to wish for what you want. We closed our eyes and wished with all of our heart!

For breakfast, children had whole wheat toast with cinnamon and blueberries. Lunch consisted of soy butter on whole wheat bread, mixed vegetables, and blueberries. PM snack was crackers and cheddar cheese.

Have a great weekend!

-Mindy

SWIMMING REGISTRATION DUE TODAY!

It’s been a wonderfully busy Friday!

First, today we say goodbye to Amanda Brown! Amanda has spent two weeks with us earning service hours for her senior year at Washington HS. The kids adored her and the teachers appreciated her initiative and terrific ideas! Thank you, Amanda! We hope you’ll come back and visit us!

We welcomed friends to school today with a table full of gems. We matched them and sorted them. We created more scrabble rocks and spelled out names with them. Sloane and Marina requested a game of Candy Land for more color matching and sequencing.

Having a trapeze in the classroom has given Wee Friends a chance to conquer the twists, turns and flips introduced to them on the Blue Bus. We keep a close eye on them!

The older girls joined the younger new sisters in housekeeping story telling.

Ada and Elizabeth created another new habitat today, this time for a Black Garden Ant. We studied characteristics of the Black Ant, including its habitat. Then the girls got to work.

Lisa’s mani/pedi salon was open for business and had a waiting list.

We studied another form of rock: sea shells. These were found on the beach with holes in them. We talked about erosion and breakage. Friends made necklaces.

Leo found weights. We experimented with heavy/light and he laughed out loud watching the light weights being tossed in the air. He counted them-1-11.

Mel brought the book Listen to the Raindrops by Kirk Lignell. She read it, played the accompanying song and then invited friends to curl up on cozy green mats and listen to our own gentle rain falling outside. We experienced the sprinkle of raindrops (spray bottle), the clap of thunder (two wooden blocks) and the flash of lightening (camera flash). Friends expressed that each of the sensory experiences was fun-not scary at all!

And then we ate tacos. What a terrific fine motor exercise to roll the tortillas and hold the taco intact while eating it!

Lunch: Tacos with fresh WF garden tomatoes, cheddar cheese and blueberries. Wee Sprouts: Carrots. Breakfast: Kashi and pear slices. Snack: Apples and yogurt.

Have a great weekend!

Happy Thursday! It’s August already?!

Today, we celebrated Emma Claire turning TWO! Her birthday is tomorrow but we celebrated it today! Thanks to the James family for bringing in our afternoon snack: a fruit cookie for every friend! Happy birthday Emmie!

For breakfast, children had whole wheat toast with cinnamon and banana. Lunch consisted of chicken noodle soup, blueberries, and mixed veggies. PM snack was Emma birthday snack (fruit cookie) and string cheese.

Have a lovely night.

Caleb kept his birthday a secret yesterday—we found out on the sly today and want to say HAPPY Big 4th BIRTHDAY, CALEB! We love having you at Wee Friends!

And there was another reason to celebrate today: Jane is in the house! She made everyone’s day by dropping by.

We spent most of morning outside, painting our rock collage and looking for moist spots in that might be home to slugs, bugs or other creatures. A black garden ant made its home in the Doodle Bug Habitat today. The question and concern is “Will the doodle bugs mind that an ant is in their house?”.

On a sad note, today we say goodbye to Ben. Ben, we love you! We will truly miss you and your lovely family at Wee Friends.

Have a good. day.

Wee Sprouts: Carrots and squash. Breakfast: Corn flakes and apple slices. Lunch: Homemade chicken soup, blueberries and melted cheese on whole grain flatbread. Snack: Peanuts and pear slices.

Happy last day of July!

Our mood throughout the day reflected the weather. Friends were spotted just kind of relaxing with friends or reading a good book in the reading spot. Of course, there were moments during the day where the volume got amped and friends got active. Children got together and paired up this afternoon and threw the balls to each other. They even matched a few balls with the colored blocks they were sitting in! We had the best of both worlds .

For breakfast, children had kix and banana. Lunch consisted of homemade egg salad, mixed fruit, and peas. PM snack was rice cakes with soy butter and cottage cheese.

Have a great evening. See you in August .

Friends were invited to create a still life drawing this morning. With a piece of driftwood and a crystalized rock set before them, friends used color pencils to express what they saw.

Lisa invited friends to create a rock collage. Using glue and backyard gravel, friends first drew pictures and then filled the images in with rocks.

The still life art project grew into a letter exploration with Caleb and a couple friends spelling out and writing their favorite works. Caleb wrote the name of every character in Winnie the Pooh.

Ada created a chart so that she and her Doodle Bug Team can keep track, each day, of 1) is the aquarium moist enough for the doodle bugs and 2) are they still alive. The Team spent their outside time collecting  more bugs, grasses, bark and kale for the inside habitat.

Caleb shared a book he wrote and other friends asked for their own pages bound by staples and tape.

We’ve been talking about volcanoes for a couple days and the part that rocks play in their formation and eruption. We discovered geysers and hot springs today and compared them to a volcano.

Wee Sprouts: Zucchini. Breakfast: Oatmeal and blueberries. Lunch: Whole grain flatbread, egg salad, carrots and grapes. Snack: Pretzels and cheddar cheese.

Happy Tuesday!

Today, friends read books. A lot of books. Mostly we read teacher books about animals. Friends took part in a small inquiry book session. Children talked about the different animals; whether they were small or big and what sound they made. Friends were observant throughout story time and pointed to different animals that they recognized. Emma pointed several times to kii-kii (kitty) .

Eren gave kisses to the moon. He’s been obsessed with the moon lately .

We gathered outside where friends scattered throughout the yard.

Between throwing balls, riding cars, and sliding down the slide, our outside time was wonderful!

For breakfast, children had cheerios and oranges. Lunch consisted of hummus on whole wheat bread, green grapes/strawberries, and peas. PM snack was string cheese and raisins.

Have a great evening!

Lisa began the day with a large group discussion on rocks. We talked about the different qualities and types of rocks. Friends rubbed their hands together to create heat, just like under the rock of the earth’s surface!

They explored the idea of fossils. Another small group gathered at the art table to create salt dough fossils.

Lisa explained what birthstones are and invited friends to another space to count and sort jewel toned rocks.

We compared a pumice stone (former hot lava!) to a heavy rock. We experimented with which would float and/or sink.

After heading outside, Melinda and several friends followed the flight of an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. They found an exact picture of it in our butterfly manual.

When Ada arrived, she noticed the moth habitat had been cleaned out. We decided it was a perfect time to create a doodle bug habitat. We studied aspects of the doodle bug online. As soon as Finn arrived, Ada met him at the door shouting  “Finn! Did you know the rolly polly eats its own poop?” She also learned that it’s more like a shrimp than an insect.

To quote Lisa,  “Today, we rocked it out.” Hope your day rocks, too.

Wee Sprouts: Carrots, zucchini and WF garden tomatoes. Breakfast: Cheerios and blueberries. Lunch: Hummus sandwiches on whole wheat, strawberry/grape fruit salad and peas. Snack: Cantaloupe and crackers.

Happy Monday!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

**The newest calendar for WWF/WF has been posted to the website. To find dates of closings/vacations, please go to https://weefriendskids.com/vacation-calendar/.

Independent play occurred this morning where friends chose what they wanted to play with. Emma interacted with the ‘little people’ all morning while Eve and friends built towers with various items. Play is not a luxury; it is a necessity.

Gross motor play also took place in the habitrail. We ran our active bodies around the room this morning going up the stairs and down the slide.

It was a lovely morning to be outside! The temperature was just right! We are enjoying these cooler temperatures lately .

For breakfast, children had whole grain toast with soy butter and oranges. Lunch consisted of ham and melted cheese on whole grain tortillas, corn, and blueberries. PM snack was whole wheat crackers with soy butter/yogurt dip.

Have a wonderful evening.