Happy Monday!

**Reminder: Re-enrollment forms are due Friday, February 14th if you want to take advantage of the $25 discount. If not, the en-rollment form is due March 1st. Thanks!

Our PREK1 group sign in has been quite popular over the last several months. As PREK1 group members are completely their sign in, several younger peers stand around watching, often asking questions like, “Who’s next to sign in?” or “What is sign in about today?”. We love the interest in sign in as younger peers are clearly taking away information that they’re retaining simply by watching.

Today’s sign in focused on a book from our MACK collection titled, ‘I’m The Best’. We’ve read this book before in group. Children were asked about one of the main characters, specifically the main character who thought ‘they were the best’. Everyone signed in under the character ‘dog’ and several friends were quick to share more events that they had retained!

Later on in PREK1 group, we read the same book we had worked with earlier in the morning for sign in. Once we were done, we talked about the three important things that make up a story: characters, setting, and events! Throughout the week, we’ll identify each as we read books from different genres.

K.RL.2.3: Identify important elements of the text (e.g. characters, settings, or events).

At the art center, our kids enjoyed using a variety of materials to make valentines for friends and family.  Those that could write their name, printed it inside their card.  Others that were able, used their kid spelling skills to write “Happy Valentines Day” inside their valentine.  Older friends did a great job teaching younger kids who wanted to wrote too.   Kids learn extremely well from other kids which is a benefit of a multiage classroom.  As kids get older, they get the chance to teach others, further solidifying the knowledge they have gained.  These kinds of projects create authentic situations where kids want to write and teach, more so than working on required practice worksheets.  This method has been proven to create conditions for deeper learning!

There are several in our class that enjoy experimenting with movement.  We added materials to the round table this morning to invite our kids to look for new ways of creating movement.  Asher found a solution to the balls rolling away at the bottom of his ramp using to some of the available blocks to make a “trap”.  This is one reason these activities are open ended.   Kids have the option to find solutions to problems as they encounter them because there are multiple ways to use the materials provided!  This leads to creative problem solving and deeper learning experiences. 

PREK2: During group time we read “My Heart is a Zoo”.  We all came up to sort our heart shapes according to pattern after the story was finished. 

Breakfast– Whole wheat toast with butter and banana.

Lunch– Whole wheat pasta with red kidney beans, fresh pineapple/grapes, and fresh carrots/cucumber/green beans.

PM snack– Whole milk yogurt with graham crackers.

Wee Sprout– Fresh cucumber/pepper/carrots.

Have a lovely night!

-Wee Friends Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-02-10

Happy Friday!

Reminder:  Re-enrollment forms are due next Friday, February 14th for the discounted re-enrollment fee.  Thank you.

We began our morning acting out our favorite songs.  We danced with dancing scarves to Shake Your Sillies Out,  went on a Bear Hunt with our stuffed bears and was a sleeping bunny for See The Bunnies Sleeping song.

We then headed into the kitchen to paint with purple, red and yellow tempera paint using a cotton ball and Q-tip.  The friends experimented with both of them.  Friends were seen blotting or spreading the paint with their cotton ball and making thin lines and dots with their Q-tips.

Cece is beginning to eat table food.  She loved her banana today!

Breakfast:  Whole grain brown rice cakes with cream cheese and fresh pear slices.

Lunch:  Honey Ham lunch meat, whole grain wheat flatbread, fresh cucumber and pineapple slices.

Afternoon Snack: Goldfish crackers, Colby-Jack block cheese and cucumber slices.

Wee Sprout:  Yellow bell peppers.

Have a great weekend!

WWF Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-02-07

Happy Friday!

We’ve been exploring the four main text genres this week: nonfiction, fiction, fairytales, and poetry. Today, PREK1 children came to the sign in board where they chose a “book” at the bottom of the board. We identified the title and they were able to turn around to the ledge and find the actual book! We looked at the title and cover and children were asked to determine which genre their book belonged to. Everyone was able to choose the right genre! They sorted their book into the correct genre before writing their name.

K.RL.3.1: Recognize familiar narrative text genres (e.g. fiction, nonfiction, fairytales, poems).

Today our big kids finished their calendar project.  They used their kid spelling to write the letters they heard in the word “calendar”.  They also worked on writing numbers as they wrote the year 2025.  The kids then added decorations that represented the year ahead.  We are excited to put them together so the kids can take them home to use!

This morning we enjoyed a sort and build activity at the round table.  We found all of the objects that matched the color of the tray near us.  Then we used it to create something.  Albert made a trap for all of the green cars.  Arthur made a rocket.  Another friend put all of his blue vehicles into a “blue ocean”. 

In the art center friends have been interested in making “wearable art”.  Ryan created an entire outfit complete with boots, arm bands, a crown and a cape!  It’s amazing what kids can do when given the openness of time to explore, using their hands to build what is in their minds!

Breakfast– Brown rice cakes with peanut butter and fresh watermelon.

Lunch– Peanut butter sandwiches on whole wheat tortilla, fresh grapes/clementines/banana, and fresh carrots/cucumber/pepper.

PM snack– Goldfish and block cheese.

Wee Sprout– Fresh pepper/cucumber/carrots.

Have a fantastic weekend!

-Wee Friends Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-02-07

Good afternoon!

We engaged with musical instruments this morning. Our friends played the individual pianos and xylophones as well as the xylophone we have on the wall.

Enjoy some pictures from the rest of our day!

Lunch: Whole grain brown rice with shredded turkey, fresh strawberries and cooked carrots.

Afternoon Snack: Whole grain wheat Ritz crackers with peanut butter and fresh cantaloupe/watermelon slices.

Wee Sprout: Red bell pepper.

Have a wonderful evening!

WWF Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-02-06

Good Afternoon!

Enjoy a few pictures we were able to snag with our late start time!

No breakfast with our late start!

Lunch– Brown rice with shredded pork, fresh grapes/watermelon/cantaloupe, and fresh carrots/green beans.

PM snack– Trail mix with granola, seeds, and raisin.

Wee Sprout– Fresh green beans/pepper/carrot.

Have a lovely night!

-Wee Friends Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-02-06

Good Afternoon!

We prioritize eating healthy food at Wee Friends so our PREK1 group dove into food groups this morning for our sign in activity! Each child chose a card from the bottom of the board and sorted it based on the food group to which it belonged to!

K.DA.1: Identify, sort, and classify objects by size, number, and other attributes. Identify objects that do not belong to a particular group and explain the reasoning used.

Earlier in the morning, several PREK1 children made their own calendars which played off an interest of theirs from last week. So, it was only fitting to read, ‘A Child’s Calendar’ in group today! We wrote it under the nonfiction section of our chart and added reasons as to why it was a nonfiction story.

K.RL.3.1: Recognize familiar narrative text genres (e.g. fiction, nonfiction, fairytales, poems).

Some of our older friends have expressed interest in making calendars.  There are a few kids that made versions of their own at the art center for “pretend”.  Toady we offered our older kids the option to make a real calendar.  Each child that had the interest received 12 calendar pages. Before we got started we talked as a group, remembering things that happened during each month.  We talked about holidays, the seasons and any other ideas or memories we had.  Then we each chose how we wanted to make a calendar illustration that represented each month.  All of the kids working on the project were incredibly open to collaborating and sharing ideas.  It was great to see!

Many enjoyed exploring a loose parts welcome activity.  Friends were invited to see what to create using pipes and rings.  Some made tall towers, some counted how many rings they could fit on a pipe.  Some made fire hoses adding the rings for pretend gaskets.  It was open ended!

PREK2: Today we read the story “The Crayon Box That Talked”.  After the story we thought about what we would draw with our own box of crayons.  We made a class list of our ideas on the board.

Breakfast– Overnight oatmeal with cinnamon and fresh blueberries.

Lunch– Farm fresh scrambled eggs with whole wheat flatbread, fresh watermelon/pineapple, and fresh cucumber/green beans/pepper.

PM snack– Hummus and tortilla chips.

Wee Sprout– Fresh green beans/cucumber.

Have a great night!

-Wee Friends Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-02-05

Happy Wednesday!

This morning we explored some touch and feel baby animal picture cards.  We talked about the sounds each of the animals made and felt the different fur textures of each of the baby animals.

We then brought down the dancing scarves.  Each of the friends enjoyed looking through the colors they had and shook them to Shake Your Sillies Out.

We then headed into the kitchen to engage in the moon sand sensory table.  We were busy working on our scooping and pouring skills with the different sized scoops and exploring the sea animals in the mixture.

Breakfast:  Oatmeal with cinnamon/sugar mixture and fresh blueberries.

Lunch:  Farm fresh scrambled eggs with shredded mozzarella cheese, fresh watermelon, cooked broccoli and whole grain wheat bread.

Afternoon Snack:  Hummus on whole grain wheat flatbread and pineapple slices.

Wee Sprout:  Yellow bell pepper.

Have a wonderful evening!

WWF Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-02-05

Good afternoon!

Our friends engaged in dancing and following along to songs this morning. We started with “Sleeping Bunnies,” where our friends pretended to lay on the floor like bunnies that were sleeping. We then marched to “Ants Go Marching” with rhythm sticks.

We then made our way to the kitchen to practice our puzzle-solving skills. Every time a friend completed their puzzle, Miss Tina would give them a progressively complex puzzle. Our friends started with 3-piece or 9-piece puzzles and worked their way up to 15-piece or foam shape puzzles.

We brought down our soft blocks and Miss Bekah made an obstacle course for all of our friends to explore. We took turns going up on the blocks, going down the slide and then rolling our bodies on the cylinder block.

Breakfast: Whole grain Oatmeal Squares cereal with fresh banana.

Lunch: Chicken/Avocado salad, whole grain wheat tortillas, fresh pineapple slices and red bell pepper.

Afternoon Snack: Whole grain wheat bagel with cream cheese and fresh strawberries.

Wee Sprout: Cucumber.

Have a wonderful evening!

WWF Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-02-04

Good Afternoon!

PREK1 kiddos came to the sign in board this morning where they were first asked to identify their name! Once they found their name, they observed the strip of paper next to their name. Each child looked at three different groups of shapes. The goal was to identify the group that had the most shapes. A few children simply looked at the groups and were able to identify which group had the most shapes while others counted each group, using their one to one correspondence skills. Once they found the group with the most shapes, they circled that group.

K.NS.9: Use correctly the words for comparison, including: one and many; none, some and all; more and less; most and least; and equal to, more than, and less than.

Later on in PREK1 group, we tackled the second text genre of the week: fairytales. Today, we read ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’. We identified it as a fairytale immediately and made a list of characters or events within the story that makes it a fairytale.

K.RL.3.1: Recognize familiar narrative text genres (e.g. fiction, nonfiction, fairytales, poems).

We hope you enjoy some more pictures from our day!

Breakfast– Puffins cereal with fresh blueberries.

Lunch– Homemade chicken avocado salad on whole wheat bread, fresh pineapple/strawberries, and fresh cucumber/green beans.

PM snack– Whole wheat bagel with cream cheese.

Wee Sprout– Fresh cucumber/green beans.

Have a lovely night.

-Wee Friends Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-02-04

Good Afternoon!

We began our morning engaged in a variety of activities.  We played in the cardboard boxes, sat on the reading step to engage in a book and walked around the classroom in dress-up shoes.

We then headed into the kitchen to engage with loose part beads.  We worked on our color recognition skills, matching the colors of beads to our pattern card, stringing them onto our pipe cleaner and making a stack with them.

We then headed outside to enjoy the warmer temperatures and fresh air.  We were busy going down the slides, cooking in the housekeeping area, pushing the rocks with our bulldozer and working on our balancing skills on the balance beams.

Today Cece enjoyed eating some mashed peas with her lunch.

Breakfast:  Whole grain wheat bread toast with peanut butter and fresh oranges.

Lunch:  Whole grain penne pasta with shredded turkey, fresh cantaloupe and cooked peas.

Afternoon Snack:  Whole milk yogurt and bananas.

Wee Sprout:  Orange bell peppers.

Have a marvelous evening!

WWF Teachers

Link to pictures: 2025-02-03