Happy Birthday Melinda!! You are a Wee Friends treasure and Matriarch!

There are many thanks to shared!

• We want to extend another huge thanks to the Garden Growing Committee and everyone who has helped nurse the garden along. We are truly grateful for the volunteer time you have given Wee Friends. The garden is growing beautifully!

• A special thanks to the Tank-Chadderton family for buying WF a globe for our summer travels! Thanks, too,  to all of our families who bring in materials for us to use and Wee Sprouts for us to enjoy.
• Thanks for all of you who have brought in sunscreen!
• And just a reminder that there will be no farm trip this Wednesday.

Today we welcomed Jada and Max to Wee Friends! They’ve had great first days and we are glad you are here!

 

Today we took flight…..to Chile! We started by studying Chile’s national flag and painting one ourselves.

We handed out everyone’s passport, hopped aboard the WF airplane and flight attendant Lisa prepared us for take-off. We arrived safely, had our passports stamped and met Paulina on the wooly alpaca poncho she brought for us to sit on.

As friends passed through customs, they shared great stories of other travels. Everyone got settled and Paulina taught us a Spanish song. She showed us photographs of different Chilean terrain. She brought us a Chilean bag, winter hat and mittens, and we explored the wooly textures.

She brought an indigenous dollie and two different types of flutes.

 

Friends chose their own instruments and joined her in a Chilean jam!

Thank you, Paulina, for teaching us about your native country!

We headed outside soon after and our friends began a bug hunt. Today’s finds were slugs, centipedes and a black caterpillar. They decided to slug races.

Today’s Wee Sprouts are snap peas. Breakfast was Kix and bananas. For lunch, Lisa prepared whole wheat penne pasta with tuna and green peas, and mandarin oranges.

Hope you are enjoying your day.

Happy Monday!

Our Monday started off with quiet reading time where Chloe and Clara sat together in the rocking chair and read books together. Sloane smiled for the camera as she road the lion!

P.K. made noises as he banged two tools together. He laughed as he made these noises. Marina worked with Miss Marty on colors. They used stackable cups and talked about the different colors. Marty pointed out that the purple cup matched Marina’s purple shirt.

Ellie called out different animals that she noticed. She said, “Cat!” She mentioned that she had two cats at home.

Clara and P.K. worked with the felt board and wooden shapes together. When P.K. was all done with the shapes, he put them back into the wicker bin. This was a great help!

Sloane and Marina headed into the play kitchen where they made pizza and birthday cake! Marina made sure to taste test it first. Sloane gathered up the ingredients and put it into a basket.

Outside, P.K. did a number of activities. He started out riding the teeter totter then headed to the blue dog. He rocked back and forth on the blue dog and used his feet to push him.

Sloane started out pushing the grocery cart but then decided to ride the tricycle. She went and put the grocery cart away which showed great listening skills! Marina pushed the grocery cart and said she was going to the grocery with Mommy.

Ellie worked on her gross motor skills by walking slowly on the tree stumps. She kept her balance and was very cautious on the small stumps.

Marina sat on the porch and worked with Legos. She was asked what she was building and she responded, “Birthday cake!”

Elizabeth and Marina practiced going up and down the stairs. Not only did this help their balancing skills but their gross motor as well.

For breakfast, our friends had cheerios and pears. AM snack was carrots. Lunch consisted of whole wheat noodles with tuna, cheese, and green peas along with oranges. PM snack was whole wheat crackers and craisins.

Have a great evening!

-Mindy

 

Happy Friday!

Today we said goodbye to four very important people at Wee Wee Friends: our fabulous teacher, Paulina and three wonderful children: Olivia, Aiden, and Ozzie.

Paulina has been a huge part of Wee Wee Friends and we are truly going to miss her. Paulina and her family are heading back to their roots in Chile in December! While they’re in for a great experience, the Wee Wee family will sure miss her and her family as well.

Aiden, Olivia, and Ozzie have been children who have blossomed here while at Wee Wee Friends. Ozzie is heading back to Boston while Aiden and Olivia are taking the summer to spend quality time with their Mom and Dad! Their personalities will be missed so much!

We wish everyone (adults and children) the very best after their Wee Wee life!

**Also, just as a reminder that starting Monday, Wee Wee Friends will go down to eight children and two teachers, Marty and Mindy. Jada will be transitioning to Wee Friends on Monday and we know she’s going to do great!

On a happy note, we had a great day at Wee Wee! Our day started off with group book reading that children enjoyed very much. They requested different books that they wanted to read.

Children became very sensorial when Oobleck was made. It is a substance that when rolled into a ball together is hard but when you release it, it becomes liquid. It can be made by mixing 1 cup cornstarch and 1/2 cup water. Food coloring can be added for a fun effect. While some of our children loved getting their hands deep into the substance and manipulating it, others wanted to have soft touches. Even though there were differing levels of involvement, children did a great job at trying something new!

Paulina started up a dancing session in the living room where we listened to a new CD. We clapped our hands, stomped our foot, and snapped our fingers along with the music.

Our friends next door at Wee Friends offered us the rest of their salt dough! Our children were so grateful! They used ABC’s and pipe cleaners to make interesting sculptures.

For breakfast, we had corn bran and banana. AM snack was carrots. Lunch consisted of ham sandwiches, carrots, and strawberries. PM snack was a special brownie for Paulina, Olivia, Aiden, and Ozzie’s last day along with apples and string cheese.

Hope everyone has a safe weekend!

-Mindy

Good Afternoon!

We started off the morning with relaxation and baby yoga. P.K. softly twirled his scarf around his body. Chloe got a mat and laid down. She said, “Tired.”

P.K. was having fun with Paulina singing different songs. Marina and Olivia were having soft touches with Mindy.

Marina and Sloane ran around the room while music was playing. Jada twirled her streamers around as she spun around the room.

Olivia practiced making her circles. She is getting very detailed and determined to make great circles. She even got very close to the paper and closely moved her marker to make a circle.

Marina joined Sloane in the kitchen where they painted with red paint with some sparkles added.

Elizabeth said she had a ‘princess’ dress on today. She spun around to show her friends!

 

A few friends headed to the sandbox where they worked today to fill it with sand! They then enjoyed the sand by filling cups!

Ozzie sat on the swing where he sang the ‘ABC’s’ in different tones. He sang low and he sang high! He even sang the ABC’s when his mouth was closed. Earlier in the morning, with the help of Paulina, he counted to 30!

Aiden enjoyed working with soft fluffy balls and different shapes. He felt the different materials with his hands. He loved the different sensorial materials today!

For breakfast, we enjoyed eggs with banana. AM snack was snap peas. Lunch consisted of whole wheat tortilla with melted cheese, banana, and cucumbers. PM snack was cheese and crackers.

Have a great evening!

-Mindy

 

Parent Communication:

Thanks to the families who have brought us bottles of sunscreen. If you haven’t had a chance to bring in sunscreen for your child, please do so at your earliest convenience!

Today Lisa began the day by asking “What is your favorite way to travel?” Friends discussed this and charted their answers. Later, they used scissors to cut out tracks: zig zag, straight, and curvy. We gathered cars, trains and airplanes, laid the paper tracks on the black felt board and experimented with our creations.

Other friends worked with alphabet sand blocks, sketching familiar and unfamiliar letters, sounding them out and determining if there were any friends whose name started with the letter.

And out came the salt dough! Kai and Isaac created volcanoes. Stephen, Nate and Finn loved cutting and adding  pipe cleaners. Ada measured with precision and spent most of her morning working with the dough and morphing it into different things. Macy helped each friend measure, pour and mix. Max observed patiently until it was his turn to mix it up.

Tami hung our solar system that we worked on last week!

Lisa created a math game using dice and a sheet with pictures of different transportation vehicles. First a friend rolled the die, then they counted that many spaces and put a poker chip on the square, counting out loud as they went along.

On Monday morning, Paulina will be here at 9am to teach us about Chile. It’s the first stop on our Around the World in 55 Days! We can’t wait!

Wee Sprouts: Snaps peas and tomatoes, Breakfast: Raisin Bran and bananas, Lunch: Melted Mozzarella cheese on whole wheat tortillas, cucumber slices and bananas!

Enjoy your day.

Basic Salt Dough Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of fine salt
• 1 cup of flour
• 1/2 cup of water (may add more)

  Instructions:

  • In a large bowl, combine the salt and the flour
  • Make a well in the salt/flour mixture and add the water
  • Knead until smooth and shape into a ball
  • When not in use, wrap in plastic or store in an airtight container

    HINT: To get a softer dough you can add more flour. Adding more salt will lend a more granulous affect. Use wallpaper glue and the dough with be more cohesive. To add color to your dough, use different types of flour or add food coloring or paint.
    Knead to get an even color.
    You may also paint your ornaments and sculptures after they dry.

Good Afternoon!

Happy 2nd Birthday to Miss Olivia!

Our friends started their Wednesday off with some relaxation yoga. Children lay on their stomachs and backs to relax. This is a great way to start off our day. Everyone seems to start off their day refreshed and ready to play!

After yoga ended, we got out our musical shakers. Ozzie and Chloe had a great time running while shaking their musical instruments. P.K. shook his shakers while he also shook his head!

Once outside, children jumped in the car! They said, “We’re going to the gym!”

Ozzie gathered a pail and shovel to scoop and pour the sand. It was rather tricky because the shovel was really big. He had to take his time to make sure that all of his sand ended up in his pail.

Children practiced their running abilities by running around the bike circle. Their coordination is growing everyday!

When running got tiring, children sat on the pavement ready for their bikes. They knew what they should do and did it! They are putting the rules that we have outside into action!

Once the bikes were out, Jada wanted to ride the tricycle. She used her legs to push herself but started to use the pedals at the end! P.K. loved sitting on the blue dog. He rocked back and forth. Ellie pretended like she was going to the grocery store. She went and grabbed a grocery cart and headed to get food!

Aiden was reaching towards people and toys today! His legs are getting stronger as well. He loves standing up with the help of an adult.

Clara practiced her drawing today using markers. She used white paper and colored using one marker and progressed to using two markers at the same time!

For breakfast, our friends enjoyed cheerios and banana. Children had snap peas while outside this morning for AM snack. Lunch consisted of chicken and noodles, carrots, banana, and ham. PM snack was homemade raspberry ice cream, special cheese and crackers that Olivia brought in for her birthday, and hard boiled eggs.

Have a great night!

-Mindy

Wee Sprouts: Carrot and celery sticks, Breakfast: Raisin Bran and pears, Lunch whole wheat pasta with roast beef, mixed veggies and pineapple.

Enjoy your day!

Happy Tuesday!

Hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday weekend!

**Just as a reminder, WWF will be CLOSED Friday, June 29th through July 8th for our annual summer vacation.

Jada started off her morning with the felt board. She talked about different colors that she saw such as red and different shapes that she saw such as a circle. The recognition of shapes and colors is continually growing at WWF. She then decided to make a birthday cake out of Legos!

Children hid under the red sheet as it went up and down! Our friends liked touching the thin material and ducking underneath the sheet when it came down real low. Then, we used the sheet as a bed where our friends curled up and rested for a short period of time.

The drums were brought out so our friends could have music time. They listened to the music and the beat and followed along using their drum.

Friends joined each other in the kitchen where a car track was made on the table. Stop signs were made and put on the table. Ozzie shouted, “Stop!” He recognized the sign and spelled the word out: s-t-o-p.

Once outside, P.K. practiced opening and closing the windows on the house. He opened them and shouted, “Ah!” He loved riding the blue dog! He used his feet to push himself.

 

We gathered in the shade where a variety of summer hats were brought outside for us to play with! Children put on a variety of hats, even many at the same time!

P.K. sure did like the pink hat with the flowers. He kept pointing to a certain hat and once he had it on he said, “Hi!” Jada thought it was funny that she had a baby hat on! Olivia sported a pink and white baseball cap that she put on backwards. We talked about the different kinds of hats that our friends were wearing.

Marina, Jada, and Sloane gathered in the sandbox where they used cups, buckets, and shovels to build a castle! They helped each other out and worked great together.

Miss Paulina had some planting to do! Our friends watched as she planted some tomatoes in the back garden. Friends pointed and said, “Yummy.”

Clara investigated this afternoon using a cardboard tube. She put different things down the tube such as cars, her arm and foot, and blocks! She found out that some of the objects were too big to fit through the tube.

For breakfast, our friends enjoyed eggs with apples. Lunch consisted of chicken salad on whole wheat bread, corn, and honeydew melon. PM snack was cheese and pears.

Have a great evening!

-Mindy

Parent Reminders:

• Correction! Today was the last day of swimming! Classes will resume in the fall.
• Tomorrow, Tami will be taking the older WF group to the farm. Henceforth, the farm trip will be scheduled on a week to week basis. Remember, Charlotte loves for families to come out and you have an open invitation to go to the farm anytime!
• After checking our sunscreen reserve, we do have to ask that you bring in a bottle (spray, preferably) of sunscreen for your child as soon as possible. It goes fast!  This is not an item that WF provides for our families. Thank you so much for your attention to this.

While the swimmers were away, we discovered a basket of bean bags! Melinda set up a bean bag toss and each friend took turns tossing a bean bag into a turned over block.

Afterwards, we decided to make our own bean bags. We collected pea gravel, stuffed a cupful into an old sock, tied the sock up and used it to paint!

The independent work today included book reading, song singing and letter/number writing. Finn worked on writing familiar and new letters and Arleigh wrote her name and several numbers, by memory. We went on musical number hunts, listening for different meters in a variety of different songs and then tapping to the rhythm with wooden dowels. Afterwards, friends lined up all the dowels side by side and created a drum to play.

Wee Sprouts: Cucumber slices, Breakfast: Corn Chex and pears, Lunch: Chicken salad sandwiches on whole wheat bread, corn and a tossed salad.

Have a great day!

 

Happy Friday!

**Just as a reminder, WWF is closed Monday, May 28th for Memorial Day. Thanks!

Our Friday started with music time where Ellie decided to run around the living room! Here friends soon joined in with the fun and they continued to run! Along with running, they walked, jumped, and stomped!

Aiden loved looking at the colorful ribbon that he saw yesterday! He had a great session of belly time and loved listening to Miss Paulina’s music.

P.K. was in all different positions this morning! He was playing a silly game with his friends. He looked at them and then turned and laughed! When our friends were singing songs, P.K. went in the middle of the circle and posed as ‘downward facing dog’! He listened intently as Miss Paulina sang a song!

Children were very nurturing to their babies this morning. They made sure to have their babies covered up with the scarves and some even rocked them to sleep. They turned to their friends and said, “Shh…baby sleeping.”

P.K. and Aiden loved bonding today! Aiden loved touching P.K.’s arm and shirt and P.K. thought this was so funny! They were both laughing with each other.

Once music was over, P.K. and Clara decided to have some individual time where they both chose a different activity. P.K. played with the animals while Clara decided to work with different sized pails.

Our friends ventured on into the kitchen where a sensory tub was set up including water and colorful bubbles! Children used paint brushes along with the bubbles.

While outside, our friends helped our Wee Friends in a cleaning project that they started. Our Wee Friends were cleaning different toys with water and our friends decided to join in and help!

For breakfast, our friends had cheerios and banana. Lunch consisted of eggs with cheese, mixed fruit (oranges, strawberries, and bananas), corn, and English muffins. PM snack was craisins and string cheese.

Have a fun and safe holiday weekend!

-Mindy