Greeting Infant Fams,
We are starting the last week of October and spirits are high as we are preparing for our party this Wed. Reminder that they party will start at 4:30 and we will dress those babies that bring costumes right before it starts! We hope to catch a good pic of all the babes in their costumes! I hope to see you all there!

Today was an overall splendid day! We started our day off with some morning indoor free play! We had a quick lesson on "hats" as babies all watched me use a variety of baskets and bowls as a hat! They carefully studied me put them on and quickly take the "hat" off. We followed up with some morning snack where some babies are eating 2nd breakfast! These babes definitely have larger appetites now a days and so it seems like we have more like 3 set "meal/snack" times

• Parent's please feel free to pack your Sprout extra snacks for these times

After snack Walter, Jackson, and Genevieve went outside on the deck for some play before we hit the sack! The pre-tot class was also outside on the deck and so it was a nice opportunity for the babes to mingle and to visit with Gage! Julia and Miles stayed inside and had a special snack time at the table just the two of them! Morning nap went very well as babies slept close to 12! Circle time and lunch followed and it was smooth sailing for everyone! The babies have gotten into the routine of going outside right after lunch and so we made out way back on out! We watched and popped bubbles while singing our favorite songs. The time had gone and come for another round of "snacks' and so back inside we went. We had a quick round of hand washing then munched out as a group! There was lots of dancing during snack as I was making up some nice raps about the babies. Lots of booty shaking going on by Jackson and Genevieve! 
Walter was very happy playing with his bowl and block! He would toss it up and try to catch it (this was a game I demonstrated played earlier this morning with a basket and tenis ball)

Some of the babies were getting sleepy and so nap transitions started right after snack. We read 2 books then started patting friends to sleep. Jackson and Genevieve were showing no signs of being sleepy yet and so I took them outside to the backyard to burn some energy while the other babes started their nap! The duo walkers absolutely loved it out there! There was so much to take in and explore. They were very interested in the sand box, balls, and slide. The two played for a while and then joined friends back inside for nap. 
This concludes our day and  we all look forward to the rest of our week! 

Much Peace&Love,
Toni

Greetings Infant Class,
Hope everyone had a great weekend! I happy to report that all of our babies came to school healthy and happy! The babies seemed excited to be back at school. Some babies reported not eating and or sleeping their "usual" and with the help of some good ol group sleeping, eating, and playing on this routine Monday got our group right back into the swing of things! We started our day off with a little bit of snack and outside play time. Miles and Julia stayed inside with me while Gage, Genevieve, Jackson, and Walter played out on the deck with Mags! T
his works out so well because the younger babes get to have a more quieter tummy and jumpy time. They also like to get cozy (pre nap transition) a little earlier than the gang outside! Having this outside time right before nap also makes for a smooth nap transitions and the babies come into the waves and bottles waiting for them in the classroom and the eyes instantly start getting rubbed! 

We had a great nap where most babies were wanting to wake up after their first cycle but Mags and I tag teamed on some serious patting/rocking and successfully got all the babes into a 2nd sleep cycle! Everyone woke up with a smile on their face as we had an awesome snuggle time! The babies enjoyed seeing themselves on the screen of my phone as we took reverse camera shots! We then went straight into circle time! At the beginning of each circle time I like to ask friends where the Sun is and if we should let him into our circle! The older group of babies will now turn their heads and look towards the one 1 window by our sleep area ( Genevieve will sometimes point) and we then raise the blinds and welcome back the sun into our classroom!  The highlight of our circle time was reading our current favorite book, Polar Bear Polar Bear What Do You Hear? The audience was extra captivated by the animal sounds and pronunciations of the words/names. After circle time we crawled, walked, and got carried over to lunch. There are 2 pics from our lunch time today! We like to play fun music and the babies will shake their bottoms in their seats! After lunch the entire group headed outside to the deck for some play and tummy time! We laid out a blanket and read some books. We also brought out some bubble wrap for a quick sensory exploration! The babies then gave us some cues that they were ready for inside! We came in and had some snack then the older group of babes gathered around the wooden art table for an orange paint and colors sensory project. We used plastic cups to make orange stamp imprints on the white paper. The group enjoyed checking out the cups pre paint time and naturally banged it down like a stamp on the tray. Sprouts were then given an orange crayon to explore. Most of their initial reaction was to put it in their mouth then they held it a while and watched Sandy and I scribble, pat and tap them down on the paper. 

• Genevieve was extra into putting the crayon in her mouth. She did a bit of scribbling attempts but then ripped a piece of paper off and sat and played with that for a while
• Jackson was very observant of his teachers and friend's uses for the crayon before he decided he would tap the crayon on the white paper. He was very excited to stick his fingers in the semi-wet orange paint
• Walter had his focus face on the entire time which consists of his tongue sticking out. He had a firm grip on the crayon the entire time and was making long strokes on the paper with the crayon!
• Gage wasted no time and went straight to light lines on the paper. He tapped the crayon on the page to the beat of the song that was playing the background! 

We played our way up to second nap a second and every baby slept like a champ! We ended our day with snack and free classroom exploration! It was a splendid day indeed!
Much Peace&Love
Toni

Happy Thursday folks!  Today was a very vocal day for our friends.  We started the day inside saying hello to our friends and playing with toys.  We then transitioned outside for a little bit of box exploration.  Everyone took turns getting into boxes and having Sandy pull them around the deck.  They were a bit unsure at first, but after some play-time they were super enthusiastic and asking for more.  I think they liked it a little bit too much, hah; someones arms are going to be sore tomorrow.  We also put objects under boxes and played hide and seek.  We even put boxes on our heads, drummed on boxes, and tore some boxes into small pieces.  Thursday was all boxed out.  
In other news, we had another case of diarrhea in the infant room, and a case of diarrhea in the pre-tot room.  Everyone stay healthy!