Hello!

Well the excitement of our new climber definitely didn’t wear off! We were just as adventurous as we were yesterday!

 

Friends P.K. and Clara slid down the slide on their backs together as Zoey crawled across the climber to be with her friends!

P.K. found new things to do with the climber today. He loves finding new areas within the jungle gym that he can explore his gross motor abilities.

One of the many excellent things that we’ve found out about the climber is that we can easily see outside! Whether it’s friends arriving to school or parents picking up, we love to stand and look at our visitors and guests! P.K. called out this morning “Daniels here! Daniels here!” Sure enough, in walks Daniel and his mommy!

Daniel and Eren looked at themselves in the mirror! Eren made silly faces and kissed the mirror! Daniel studied himself very hard and moved back and forth slowly.

Teachers also partook in the fun this afternoon! Friends slid down with Miss Mindy and Miss Marty on the slide! It was a fun time for all involved! Taking turns was key and we did an excellent job at waiting our turn.

Throughout the morning, Eve and Zoey played with colorful blocks. Zoey looked inside each one to see what was in the middle. Eve took two blocks and banged them together making different sounds.

We also took time throughout the day to read different stories. Friends love sitting in different chairs to read to themselves.

For breakfast, children had chex and apples. AM snack was green peas. Lunch consisted of hummus on tortillas, pears, and mixed vegetables. PM snack was yogurt/soy butter dip with apples.

Have a great evening!

-Mindy

The Wee day began with a rehearsal. We’ve decided to put on a play. Thumbelina. The show opens with all of our friends singing and miming lyrics to “Sunshine on My Shoulders”. We meet the Thumbelinas on the lyric “sunshine always makes me high!”.

Everyone practiced the lyric’s mimed motions and popping out of the tulip petals.

Older friends helped younger friends.

Friends then gathered at the art table to paint their favorite part of the story on a mural.

We decided this would make a great backdrop for our play!

Jane and Ada sketched the Grinch, including healthy foods that landed in his tummy. All of the healthy foods were green, Ada shared.

Finn and Max shared the Grinch table, exploring the new pirate chest Lisa brought for Finn. As the healthy food discussion evolved, Pirate Finn and his first mate Max filled the chest up with plastic food, asking the Grinch “Is this healthy to eat?”

Melinda worked with friends at the table experimenting with all the different ways to create art and design with their first initial.

Lisa worked with friends as they counted, added and subtracted Magna Tiles.

As Finn explored an underwater sea book, Elizabeth sat beside him working with scissors.

She was creating Thomas the train. Finn’s ears perked up when he heard the name Thomas. He shared that Thomas lived in Hawaii near volcanoes. No, Elizabeth insisted, he lives in the shed. The debate was a hearty one with gentle voices used and lots of ideas shared expressively and respectfully. Ultimately, Finn agreed that, yes, Thomas does live in a shed, and it could be in Hawaii.

Lea discovered a new spot for her babies to nap.

As lunch was prepared, Mel offered friends a charade game: Kids Onstage. Friends picked a card, studied the picture on it and acted it out for other friends to guess. When Marina picked her first card, she acted out crying. After studying her next card, she squealed “oink! oink!”.

Jane began our post lunch group by singing “Calm Your Bodies”. Today, friends began working on number sketches to add to their alphabet boards.

Wee Sprouts: Carrots. Breakfast: Rice cakes with peanut butter and apple slices. Lunch: Whole grain flatbread with hummus, mixed veggies and pears. Snack: Peanut butter yogurt dip and apples.

Have a great day.

Happy Monday!

We’ve been anxiously waiting our new gross motor area. Teachers and friends walked in today to find a brand new structure. Thanks to Tami and her husband Charles for their hard work over the weekend! We had a great day exploring our area. Here are pictures throughout the day of children climbing, sliding, and playing on the habitrail! It sure did tire us out though!

Daniel discovered that you can go underneath the climbing structure. Friends followed suite as they crawled underneath playing follow the leader. It’s a tight space but it’s nice for friends to lay down and relax.

Another feature that friends like are the two mirrors that are up in the habitrail area. Emma enjoyed talking to herself while seeing her reflection in the mirror!

We loved exploring the slide. Throughout the day, friends went on their bottoms, on their backs, bellies, and even on their feet!

For breakfast, children had cheerios and apples. AM snack was green beans. Lunch consisted of whole grain noodles with chicken, green peas, and oranges. PM snack was string cheese and graham crackers.

Have a great evening!

-Mindy

What do our friends think about throughout the day? We listened in to our friends working and playing and here are a few things we heard.

Macy: “ Some people have two grandmas and two grandpas.” Friends around Macy shared about their grandma and grandpas and the people that make up their families.

Finn: “When the music starts—-hit it!” Friends request their favorite songs all day long. They NEED music to create their imagined worlds.

Jane: “ I can’t wait to go to Potions today-my dad is the Potions Master.”

Teacher: “Where is Potions?”

Jane: “Do I have to explain everything about Hogwarts’s or what? Ella read it and now I know a lot.”

Ada: “I love noodles, Oh yah, baby!” Lunchtime whole wheat noodles with chicken (peas and pear slices) is always a favorite and gobbled down.

Marta: “I’m going to Mega-la-public.” (the Dominican Republic) said Marta as she kneaded homemade play dough with sparkles, sprinkles and cutting/molding tools.

 

Lea: “This is a messy project for Ben.” A long conversation was had as to whether or not this was an appropriate project for Ben. Ultimately, Ben chose not to work at the table, but it remained a great concern to Lea.

Elizabeth: “Mommy says after Wee Friends I can go to Starbucks.”

Ellie: “La La Loofey! That means I’m silly!” Everybody got silly when Max came to school with his gigantic moose. Lisa led friends on a sensorial exploration sneaking through the snow and emerging into sunshine. She invited friends to trace letters, squares and circles in the moose’s fur. They tossed the moose in the air like a parachute and, finally, calmed their bodies with a moose meditation.

Wee Sprouts: Celery and green bell peppers. Breakfast: Corn Chex and pear slices. Snack: Goldfish and Craisins.

Enjoy your day.

Happy Friday All! It’s February already? Where did January go?

Here are a few pictures from today. We had an eventful day. Between enjoying our last day of the open gross motor area and being engrossed in pretend play, we had a jammed packed day! We are super excited to see what Monday brings with the new gross motor area. Stay tuned on Monday for gobs and gobs of pictures!  

For breakfast, children had cheerios and pears. AM snack was a mixture of corn and peas. Lunch consisted of homemade broccoli soup (soup was requested by Clara Rose ), biscuits, and apples. PM snack was apples with a fabulous yogurt/soy butter dip. It was a hit!

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

-Mindy

 

We stay pretty engaged on the days we can’t  get outside. Whew. Here’s a peek at our morning’s whirlwind of Wonderful Winter Mania.

Puzzle Mania.

 

Frozen Heart Mania.

Broken Heart and Matching Mania.

Pouring Your Heart Out Mania.

Magna Tile and Train Mania.

 

Music and Microphone Mania.

Meditation Mania.

Wee Sprouts: Celery sticks. Breakfast: Applesauce Malt-O-Meal. Lunch: Tami’s homemade broccoli and cheese soup, biscuits and apple slices. Snack: Cheese sticks and pears.

Stay Warm!!!!

Happy Thursday!

Our day started out with a bang! We shook our shakers up to the sky and down to the ground. Throughout our music session, friends made sure that others had shakers as well. A few of our friends shared their instruments with others.

To add to the intensity of our music time, the drums were also retrieved. We pounded on the drums softly and loudly.

Zoey added in a little piano to go along with the rest of the instruments.

Once we were done making music, we turned on the music and used the circular rings to incorporate in our music time. We used the rings to spin around our arms.

A popular toy the last couple of days has been our stackable cake. There are ten different layers of cake. The cakes are different colors and have a number on each cake. We talk about cakes one through ten.

Clara worked on her fine motor skills when she carefully built a tower using the different sized squares. She had to be very precise and gentle while building.

It happened by accident. But isn’t this how the best things in life are found?! The stairs/steps combo in our gross motor area accidently got flipped over. P.K. looked at it. He tested it out. He found out that it was sort of a teeter-totter. Friends Eve, Clara, and Eren soon joined the fun. In pairs, children took on the teeter-totter. This was difficult for our friends! Not only did they have to balance themselves but take into consideration what their partner was doing!

If someone made a wrong move, they were both tumbling down!

Our balancing skills got an extensive workout! We found that children put their arms out to the side to try and retain balance when they were struggling.

Friends grabbed a bucket to sit in to watch the show!

The mirror is an excellent place to bond with friends. It’s interesting to look in the mirror and not only see yourself but your friends as well! Daniel held onto the pole and leaned back. Children love to watch their reflection move!

For breakfast, children had whole wheat toast with cinnamon and pears. AM snack was corn. Lunch consisted of cheese pizza, mixed fruit (banana/oranges), and mixed vegetables. PM snack was Miss Tami’s homemade banana-oatmeal muffins. Yum!

Have a terrific evening!

-Mindy

Day 4 and Ben has mastered navigating the habitrail—fearlessly and with great joy! Still, friends (and teachers!) are keeping a watchful eye.

And we were off. Sequencing was an area of focus today. Last week, Tami worked with friends on sequencing the action of a story she read aloud. Whether it’s teacher led or child driven, sequencing happens all around us in many different ways.

Mel led an activity in which friends had to sequence five directives.

1) Pick up three spheres.

2) Place them in a basket on the table.

3) Climb up and down and out of the habitrail.

4) come back to the table and choose three spheres.

5) Return them to their original place.

Start over!

Lisa invited Finn, Ada and Max to share with her a special activity. She recorded their actions in the order in which they shared them.

Finn: “Look at my letter ‘o’”.

Tami set various sized plastic hearts and red rocks in the sensory bin. After working at the sensory bin, Lea moved to the art table, tore a piece of paper in two, and with a big smile said “Laurie! I broke your heart!” Of course Elton and Kiki joined the party as we sang “Don’t Go Breakin’ My Heart”. Lea was very proud of her joke and we decided to break hearts again soon!

When Elliott noticed Ben playing with the heart materials, he hustled over and put all the little rocks under the larger plastic heart containers explaining: “Look! I put the rocks under so Ben wouldn’t get them. He’s too small.” Isn’t that fabulous?!!!

We’re all enjoying communicating with Ben via Baby Sign Language.

Yarn, paper and ooey gooey glue. A sensorial delight.

Dr. Seuss continues to captivate our friends as Lisa’s rhyming study continues…

Marina: “I made an ‘M’!!!”

Here’s what happens when Tami introduces new materials…wide eyed joy.

Wee Sprouts: Carrots. Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and bananas. Lunch: Cheese pizza, applesauce and mixed veggies.

Snack: Wee Friends Banana Bread

6 eggs, 6 bananas, 2c whole grain oats, 2c whole wheat flour, 2tsp baking soda, 1/2c sugar (brown or white), 1-2 tsp. cinnamon. Bake in 9×13 dish at 350 for 30-45 min.

Have a great day.

Hello! Hope everyone is having a fantastic Wednesday!

Our morning started with a big, scary monster: P.K. the monster! He growled at us and showed us his scary face! He took off his hood and we realized it was just P.K.! Phew!

Once P.K. took off his mask, he settled in the chair with Clara. Forming relationships and bonds throughout the day can come from spending time with one another. Clara and P.K. sure do enjoy each others company. They’ve been buds since infancy!

To get settled into the day, we headed to our gross motor area where friends rolled around on the soft material. Not only is this area geared toward gross motor but the materials found can increase ones sensory knowledge. The activities in this area and soft to the touch. When pressed in, they change shape which is interesting to our friends!

Our train expert headed to the train and car area where he made his own train track! He then searched around the area for his favorite train.

Friends got a choice of painting or not. It’s important to give children choices throughout the day so they feel responsible for their play and learning. Of course, every child wanted to paint. So that’s what we did!

Today, we did partner painting. Not only does this help with children’s social skills but the opportunity to watch others paint allows for new ideas to be nurtured.

Eve and Eren used a thin paint brush. We looked at the strokes that they made on the paper. Friends noticed they were small and it took a lot of paint to get the paper colorful!

Clara, P.K., and Daniel worked with thick paint brushes. The strokes were much wider and it was easier to fill the paper.

We put a few works of art up in the classroom so that we could see the difference between the amount of paint that was put onto each artwork.

Clara stuck with her painting technique throughout her art experience. She would slowly move the paint brush toward the piece of paper and push the tip onto the paper. This way, a lot of paint hit the paper and some even splattered which Clara loved!

Daniel liked her technique so he tried it also!

A few works of art .

Plus some of us even got it on our face!

Once we cleaned up the paint and headed back out to the classroom. Clara and Eve headed to the mirror where they admired their reflections. Clara must have liked it because she gave herself a kiss through the mirror!

Zoey is enjoying the new gross motor area. The ability to crawl and roll around works for her! Lately, she’s been standing on various items such as the blocks and foot stool by the open window. While standing, she maneuvers her way down. Her balance and coordination are getting a work out!

Before lunch, friends Daniel and P.K. headed into the kitchen where they played with pegs. Multiple shapes were put on the table for our friends to pick from. P.K. chose to build up with his pegs. Daniel thought about the colors of the pegs that he wanted to use.

“I have a heart!”, says Daniel.

Lu Lu spent most of the day on the floor. Between cooing and rolling to her side to get a toy or see a friend, Lu Lu’s day was quite active!

Plus, she’s started on yummy baby food. A few of her favorites are peas, sweet potatoes, and carrots!

To end the day, we had a relaxing time making goodies in the kitchen. Between ice cream, milk, and pizza, we were all quite stuffed. Eve made sure to tell teachers, “Hot” before she handed us her dish!

For breakfast, children had eggs with cheese and toast with soy butter. AM snack was green peas. Lunch consisted of rice with beef, oranges, and broccoli. PM snack was rice cakes with cream cheese and raisins.

Have a great evening!

-Mindy

Our new friend Ben loves the habitrail and his new friends are very aware of his safety! This morning, as a teacher watched from below, Finn, Jane, Arleigh and Ada kept post at different points….just to make sure Ben stayed safe as he learns how to navigate the habitrail.

Sequencing and counting activities continued today throughout the classroom, in various ways.

Friends fall into their developmentally appropriate version of the activity naturally. Here, what started as counting and sequencing hearts became a cutting and gluing experience. We morph with the ideas as they flow, knowing that friends are gleaning individualized learning experiences as they go.

Sloaners is very comfortable amidst a pile of small objects. Whether she is building with trios, racing cars or imagining farm life, she loves the sensory experience of her body being being surrounded by materials.

 

And CRASH….the favorite moment. And the chance to begin again.

At Wee Friends, we grow friendships (insert WF Anthem) but also techno savvy kids. Here Lea expressed “We’re watching our movie!”

Emergent Spark of Interest: Dinosaurs.

Idea Ignites: Friends are interested in a non-fiction dinosaur facts book led to a hearty discussion about how the dinosaurs became extinct, the evolution of man and volcanoes!

We first used sticky foam to create the earth and watch a meteorite crashing into it. Then we offered our friends clay for their own exploration. We compared the clay to Play-Doh, observing that was harder than Play-Doh.

Marta: “Look! It’s a crib!”

Lisa has begun a rhyme study with her post-lunch small group. She’s using our extensive Dr. Seuss collection to teach friends the concept of rhyming and to let them create rhyming words.

Our older friends continue working on their alphabet boards.

Wee Sprouts: Carrots. Breakfast: Applesauce Malt-O-Meal. Lunch: whole grain rice with beef, orange slices and broccoli. Snack: Greek Yogurt and apple slices.

Have a great day.