FARM TODAY!

The older children had a great morning at Prairie Winds Farm. We started our trip by helping Ms. Charlotte water her garden starts and pot some plants that had been transplanted.

When that was done, Ms. Charlotte asked us to help thin out a bunch of overgrown Day Lily plants by the house. We were able to dig up and take 4 large boxes of Day Lilies to add by the slide and the upper bicycle ring at our WF playground!

While doing the gardening, the kids worked cooperatively at digging, sorting plants from weeds, and investigating the many different earth worms. F.1.8 Engage in a scientific experiment with a peer or with small groups of children using sharing/turn taking skills. F.4.2 Identify attributes or characteristics for comparison. F.4.3 Classify objects by an attribute (characteristic) and share their thinking with another. F.4.4 Participate in discussions related to their findings.

After our gardening, we took the WF scraps back and fed the pigs.  Then we helped move the chicken coops to fresh pasture, and fed and watered the chickens.

After our work was done, we were able to meet the two new 4 day old baby goats.  Everyone enjoyed cuddling them!  Probably the highlight (as you can see from the expressions in the picture below!) was when an adult goat went pooh in front of the children.  With this group of mostly 4 year old children, potty processes and humor is a hot topic.  Hmmm, I wonder how we can tie this into our Life Lesson series on WF potty habits???

We also carefully observed both the baby goats and the cow with her calf nursing and had a discussion about the milk that is produced for the babies.  F.1.9 Ask and answer questions about the world. F.3.9 Observe and explore a variety of live plants and animals.

The next thing we did was take a walk through the prairie and woods.  We stopped along the way to notice and identify blooming flowers, evidence of woodpeckers, crawdad mud houses, and insects.

We took about 20 minutes and the children swung on vines, roamed the wooded area and added sticks to child built wood “houses”.  On the way back to the barn, the children took turns riding the 3 horses on a brief trail ride.

Finally, to end our day, I helped Ms. Charlotte apply first aid to a wounded turkey.  We discussed the wound and I applied an antiseptic spray while Ms. Charlotte held the turkey.  Afterword, the kids had a rare chance to pet and carefully examine the turkey up close.  Turkeys are generally not tame, but this one has become accustomed to being held because of his injury.

All in all, I couldn’t be more grateful for this NON-rainy Monday and the chance to enjoy our farm this week!

Goop!!!!!!!!  Today Tami set up three bins and filled them with corn starch and water. Kids mixed, squished and stretched the goop, experimenting with texture and consistency! F.4.1 Use vocabulary that indicates understanding of scientific principles (e.g., sink, float, melt, solid, liquid).

A stack of robot books arrived today, gathered and delivered by Wee Friends personal librarian, Carol Barbour. Thank you Carol!! Friends ate them up, spending a large amount of time studying the pictures. We will dive into them next week and see if a study emerges. F.1.3 Name objects from a picture book. F.1.4 Hold book right side up, looking at pages and pictures. F.1.5 Turn pages from front to back.

Our cottage climber has been a huge hit! Older friends climb up down and all around and many of our younger toddlers are able to climb up and down the east side of the log house. We ask our smaller friends to stay on the east side when climbing because the west side of the house has a drop off that their feet can’t reach as they descend. It doesn’t deter them, however, as the view from the top is exciting and they are victorious! F.1.2 Perform stability skills alone and/or with a partner. (e.g., transferring weight so as to rock, roll, stand on one foot for six seconds and walk up and down steps with alternating feet, tumbling skill of somersaults and log rolls, and walking on a balance beam forward and backward).

Beginning the Basics life skills program will continue working with potty and hand washing procedures next week. This week Melinda and I heard a few friends singing their ABC’s while washing their hands! F.4.2 Show a growing independence in hygiene, nutrition, and personal care when eating, dressing, washing hands, brushing teeth, and toile ting.

Enjoy this beautiful day!

Tumbling day! F.1.6 Show anticipation for regularly scheduled events.

Tami and Melinda brought the outdoors in by helping friends plant grass seeds. They filled one bin with seeds and another with soil. The kids explored the textures of the seeds and soil while measuring the seeds and planting them in plastic cups. They watered the cups with a squirt bottle. F.1.4 Make selections from the science objects and materials available. F.1.5 Use the five senses (touching, smelling, seeing, hearing, tasting) to investigate the environment and to gather information.

Melinda read The Secret Birthday Message by Eric Carle. They discussed the details of the story, including how they would act it out and what images they might recreate with paint at the art easel.  F.3.2 Actively look for or keep attending to things that an adult points to, shows, or talks about. F.3.5 Ask questions and make comments about a story being read.

Imaginative play was full force both in the Lego loft with dinosaurs and in housekeeping with dollies, scarves and food. A few friends built towers out of magnetic rods and spheres.

Our pirate study has officially phased out! While we are exploring ideas and activities related to spring, we are also listening intently to conversations and watching closely for any other interests the children express. If we hear/see something occurring repetitively over a few days (the robots!), we cultivate this interest to see if it will actually turn into a study. A study can last one day or one month! A child initiated study is our aim and it’s always exciting to see where Wee Friends are headed!

Have a great day!

A Robot Buzz has hit Wee Friends! Many of our friends have been interested in robots so we captured their excitement yesterday by assembling several different sized boxes to create a moveable robot. The kids grabbed markers and furiously colored their new friend. They each had a turn walking around, exploring new spatial boundaries inside a box! They continued their robot play today in the truck room.

Thanks to everyone who brought in cereal boxes! We put them to use today creating more robots! Using plastic bottle caps, pipe cleaners, beans, glue and paper, friends produced some incredible robots!

Forced by the rain to stay indoors, we exercised our gross motor muscles with  alphabet yoga, tug-of-war and rocking in the hopscotch boxes while singing “Are You Sleeping?”, toppling safely out.

We played a music game in which we hid instruments behind our puppet theatre screen. In a large group, we all sat and friends took turns going behind the screen, choosing an instrument and playing it. We then guessed which instrument we were hearing. Melinda sang the words to “Listen to the Rain” and we played  instruments as she sang, exploring loud/soft, smooth/choppy and ‘rest’  dynamics.  Enjoy the video of our exploration! 

Video of Listen to the Rain Activity

Have a great day!