Our Tuesday started with some primary and toddler friends helping me cut snack, Theo was excited to help and taste the watermelon! Jasper and Asher showed up and we all marched outside! The weather was cool, but that didn't stop anyone from exploring playground and climbing/swinging on the dome climber working their little muscles! Alanna and Paislie arrived and had quick mommy snuggles before saying goodbye. They had similar looking Owl hats on and clearly recognized it! Teo and Ivy showed, then shortly after our last two friends, Joey and Koichi! We enjoyed the weather, and decided to have a morning picnic with the Primary class outside on the grassy knoll! It was great to integrate the 2 classrooms, and all the kiddos had fun sitting on yoga mats enjoying each others company! We rinsed hands and continued outside exploration, but did cut it short to come in for hand wash and art/sensory exploration. We created a collage of Halloween confetti and pumpkin seeds! We counted out each individual seed while gluing it to the paper! Each friend was so excited to add pumpkins, ghosts, and bats to their collage! We cleaned up, washed hands and started lunch! Before nap, Ms Toni made a visit and read a book to all of our friends about Halloween! She told them all goodnight, and gave them cuddles!
After nap, we had cuddles, books and milk, we did quick diaper changes and made our way to the table for some yummy snack! We had a quick snack than got ready to go outside and enjoy the wonderful weather, and everyone participated to help make the decorations for our Halloween Party! What a great way to finish the day!

Much love
Dom and Jackie

It must have been a restful weekend for most of these toddlers as every one was in a great mood today! We spent the morning hanging out and practicing our climbing on the dome, and decided to have a picnic to enjoy the beautiful weather. We sang songs all morning, and talked a lot about "clear, sunny skies." We sang five little ducks many times, and Ben and Alanna were very happy to show us how they like to quack. We went in for lunch and snack, and woke up to a dance party. We had extended free-play and these little guys really showed their maturity as they played peacefully and independently for a long time! Ivy and Ben spent much of their time in the kitchen, While Jasper and Koichi stayed in the building center reading books and driving cars. Teo, Theo, and Paislie used dry erase markers on the dry erase board, but Theo and Paislie moved on pretty quickly while Teo worked, focused, for a long time making scribbles. Ivy took a bunch of food to the table and soon her, Paislie, and Alanna were pretending to eat fruit. Annabelle carried the dish washing soap around and talked about washing hands and how both mom and dad wash the dishes at home. Wren kept her company and they chatted it up for a while. Asher spent some time vacuuming and then joined Annabelle and Wren to chat. Then Ben spent some time "fixing" the vacuum. We noticed Wren and Ben were both wearing Thomas shirts, so we had a small photo shoot. We went outside and ran around...it was a great day!

It was a really chilly morning, but everyone looked so cute all bundled up! When I got to school everyone was outside trying to figure out if they were cold or not! Some friends opted to sit with ms Jackie and ms Lizzie while Ivy, Jasper, Joey, and Annabelle explored the playground not letting the cold get to them! We took some cute "fall" pics then marched in for snack! We washed hands and sat for some watermelon and banana! Some of our friends have been rejecting washing their hands, so we took a few minutes to discuss the importance of washing our hands before and after we eat! Once we were all done with snack we made our way to the deck for some fun pumpkin carving and sensory exploration. Ivy, theo, wren, koichi, Paislie, and Annabelle had such a blast digging into the pumpkin and feeling the seeds and pulp! They helped pull out the pulp and gather the seeds into a bowl! When carving, I asked if the pumpkin was mad or happy, we agreed on happy, so we cut out triangles for eyes and a half moon for a smile! They all loved seeing the pumpkin with a smile on his face! We cleaned up and I took half of the kids inside for hand wash, lunch and nap!
After nap, we read books, cuddled and had milk! We sat for snack, while ms Cherokee came to visit, she sang some funny songs while everyone was sitting, after ms Jackie made her way back in and music Friday started! She started off with some "monster mash" to get the kids into the spirit, they had so much fun jumping up and down, dancing silly and free while Jackie played guitar. We had Theo's mommy, and Annabelle's Grandpa stop in for some Music fun before they left for the weekend! Jackie continued with some of our favorites before moving to the primary room, while Mr Nick came to visit! He showed everyone the pumpkin he was carving, and we talked about the different shapes he was cutting. We got on jackets ad shoes, had a quick yo gabba gabba dance party, then headed outside for some free play/afternoon exploration! What a great ending to a fabulous Friday!

Much love
Dom and Jackie

We had a wonderful morning helping miss Toni move and shovel more mulch throughout the yard. Kate helped us out today, and the kiddos were really happy to see her. We went in early for a yummy snack, and then went outside where we sang name songs and talked about the days of the week. We brought out some glue and paper to make construction paper chain links for Halloween decorations we'll use next week. Koichi, Jasper, Asher, Ivy, Alanna, Annabelle, and Wren were very interested in using the glue this morning, while Teo, and Joey were very busy driving cars around the playground, Theo was walking around finding strange hats to put on his head, and Paislie was working on her climbing skills. We went in for lunch and nap.

When we woke up, we had a fun dance party and did some free play. Teo, Theo, and Annabelle have been obsessed with the dishwashing soap bottle in our kitchen, and have been taking turns washing dishes! Joey and Koichi drove lots of cars, and Alanna, Ivy, and Paislie had fun putting flower and bunny headbands on. Koichi, Paislie and Alanna took time to make their Spooky skeletons which are displayed in the front of the school, while Annabelle created her awesome glittery jack o' lantern. Asher, Jasper, and Wren were very much into making chain links and using glue. We had snack and Spanish time, and Jasper, Teo, and Asher were the first to volunteer their dance moves and we sang songs in Spanish. Soon after, Joey, Theo, and Ivy, and Alanna, while other friends stayed sitting and observing. When we got outside, we took turns using big shovels for the mulch and some friends joined hands to play Ring Around the Rosie. It was a fabulous day!

Love,
Jackie and Dom

Wednesday started with exploring the garden, and practicing our hula hooping skills. Theo started playing hide and seek with the blanket on the play scape, Ben was with his sister, Maya, going down the slide, while alanna, Annabelle, and Ivy hung out by the dome climber, trying their hardest to climb up. Paislie, Teo, Wren, and Asher were all peeking through the holes in the play scape, trying to look over the fence to see the big trucks! They explored and explored until it was time to go in for snack. Everyone marched in, saying hello to the Pre-Tots on their way, then sitting patiently, washing hands, and heading to the table. Our friend, Koichi, showed up just as snack was starting, he said his goodbyes to dad, and joined in! Ms Toni made her daily stop in our classroom with some very special gifts! One big pumpkin for the class, and small pumpkins for each child to explore and hold! Everyone was so fascinated with the pumpkins, that snack ended quickly so we could do some exploration! We made our way to the circle time carpet and practiced rolling the pumpkins and gently placing them on the floor. We counted the small ones, and the BIG one, which Joey and Wren clearly announced there was only ONE BIG pumpkin. Some friends tried to hold as many as they could, while Teo worked and worked on picking up the big one, but gave up saying “Heavy, Heavy” J  We counted our pumpkins one by one as we put them in a container for safe keeping! Once we were all done, and clean we marched back outside for some exploration and free-play! Close to 11, we wrapped up and transitioned inside for hand washing, lunch, and nap!  

After lunch and nap, we woke up and had some free play around the room. Wren and Joey had fun sharing their cars from home with Koichi, Ivy, Asher, and Ben, and Annabelle had fun taking Piggy along with her to read books! Teo and Theo had fun talking about how the big pumpkin was "too heavy" to pick up. Alanna had fun finding places to put pumpkins while Paislie hung out with the baby dolls. Then, it was time to paint the pumpkins! Every one sat at the table to paint pumpkins, (well, Koichi was having too much fun playing with cars, so he drove cars around the room at this time!)...every one got their own bit of paint and a paintbrush, and every one happily painted their baby pumpkins! We washed up, had snack, and then Miss Leona came for Spanish time! We read a book about cars in Spanish and sang the wheels on the bus...then lots of our friends joined in the song "Hermano Juan" and pretended to go to sleep and wake up to the sound of bells. We had a Yo Gaba Gaba dance party and headed outside! What a fabulous day!

Much Love
Jackie and Dom

We had a fabulous Tuesday today! The day started outside investigating dirt as well as a small bee who seemed to be at the end of his little life. We observed him together on the upside-down sensory table, and set him free over the fence. We went inside for some book reading and snack time, and quickly moved to circle time. We had fun talking about squares and sitting in squares, as well as having space. Dom read a cute story about monsters called "The Monster Who Lost his Mean" and the kiddos were engrossed. Then, we went to the tables to work on our lovely little Jack O'lanterns. We talked about triangles, half circles, where the eyes go, the mouth goes, and where we might want to put the stem of the pumpkin! Every one had fun figuring out where to put their shapes. Look on the wall near the the sign-in sheet for the little masterpieces! After we finished up, we headed outside where Toni and Dom's dogs, Teddy and Soy were hanging out. We learned about giving the dogs space sometimes, and being gentle with them! Then, Toni started a fun game of Ring Around the Rosie which lasted quite a while. 

We went in for lunch and nap, and when we woke up, it was time for an awesome Yo Gaba Gaba dance party. We took the babies to the carpet and took turns dancing with babies and being gentle with them! We got our shoes on and ended our day outside...it was fun fun fun!

Love,
Jackie

Joey, Annabelle, Theo, Ben, and Jasper were our early birds this morning. All very excited to get to the playground and let loose! We marched out along side ms Maya, who led the way to the door. On the way out, Theo was hanging out with his big brother Archer! Once outside everyone practiced their dome climbing/swinging. Some asked for help to get up to the next bar while other opted to go under the dome and look up! Alanna and Paislie arrived, and everyone was excited to see them, as they were out on Friday! Theo said goodbye to archer and mom and went to help Dom water the plants! Ben, Theo, and Joey are all great helpers as they help me untangle the hose and pull it as hard as they can :) Ivy, Teo, and Asher showed up, we played a little more then noticed it was time to head in for AM snack! We had a very "dry" snack this morning of prunes, apricots, and raisins/craisins! But everyone loved it! After snack we washed hands and sat on the circle while Ms Jackie read a book. We talked about the days of the week, and the weather.  After we made our way back to the table to do some fun, Halloween art! We've been talking about Spiders and Pumpkins, today we focused on making Spiderwebs with cotton balls! Most friends enjoyed the glue and cotton balls, Theo and Asher were not to happy with the cotton getting stuck on their gluey fingers, while Ivy, Teo, Jasper, Annabelle and Ben tried to figure out how to pull the cotton apart and place it on the glue. Paislie, Alanna and Joey enjoyed sticking the cotton on the glue, but found the glue much more interesting and exciting, they had a wonderful little sensory experience. Once done, we washed the glue off our hands and marched out for a quick free play time. Soon it was time to come back in for lunch and naps!

After nap, which was very long today! Guess everyone had a busy, long weekend, we did diapers and made our way to the table for snack. As we sat, Ms Jackie read a book about "Baby Sister", we talked to Ben about his newest baby sister, Naomi, and also to Ivy and Annabelle whose mommies have babies in their belly! It was great to hear what our friends think babies do, say, and see! joey was very excited to say he is a big boy now, but used to be a baby :)
After snack we washed hands and had a quick dance party, before our friends made their way to stations. Joey, Teo, Asher, and Ben made their way to the construction area, and built long, winding tracks, while Ivy cooked in the kitchen, an Paislie made her way to the baby crib, to check out the "sleeping babies"! Alanna found a stool an looked out the window , Jasper had a dance party to himself! We got shoes on and marched out to enjoy this beautiful, breezy afternoon

Much love
Dom and Jackie

It was a chilly morning and every one was wearing their long sleeves! We had fun free play outside playing games and chase before we lined up to head inside. We had a delicious snack of Craisins/Raisins and Pineapple and then read some books (Teo and Annabelle brought new books to share with us today!) and had a fun dance party! Every one sat at the tables to use glue and Q-tips on paper to make fun skeletons! We showed the kiddos an example, guided them a little, and watched as they placed Q-tips where ever they pleased to make a masterpiece. Jasper was especially interested in the cotton balls we used with the glue, what a sticky mess! Wren and Joey started off very careful, placing their Q-tips ever so gently before mixing them up. Theo managed to get a couple of Q-tips glued in his hair...we let him sport his cool hair-do throughout the morning. Ben had fun mixing the glue with his Q-tips, as did Ivy. Teo enjoyed a fun glue sensory experience, while Asher was interested in squeezing glue out of the bottle and Annabelle wanted to see how many Q-tips she could pile up! Arianna, Toni's little cousin, had fun poking at the glue with her Q-tips and watching what her friends were doing. After glueing, we all marched to the deck to find bubble wrap! Every one had a blast stomping and squeezing the bubbles to make them pop!

We came inside for lunch and nap and after we woke, we got dressed and had fun music time with Jackie! She brought out her guitar and we did the class favorite "Everybody needs to jump up and down" and heard some new songs like the Hokey Pokey, where we talked about our different hands and legs, and the "I gotta pea" song, a song about veggies, show and tell, and a funny pun on the word "pea." We had a blast dancing and it was soon time to eat snack and go outside! we read some books before we headed out and ended our day in the beautiful weather outside!

Love,
Dom and Jackie

We started our Thursday inside, Jasper, Paislie, Theo and our great friend Miya all watched as I cut morning snack, apples! They had so much energy I had to take a break and we all marched outside to the playground. Once out, they explored the sandbox and dome climber while our other friends arrived, we also had a special friend come hang out with us. Toni's cousin, Airy, who is also 2 spent most of the day with us, she was very excited to meet new friends, and everyone welcomed her with open arms! :)  We ran and ran around the playground chasing our friends until everyone was tired then we marched inside for snack.  We washed hands and sat for snack, it was quick as we made out back out for sensory exploration, before we started our activity, Ms Jackie read "The Fly and The Spider", all my friends sat and looked at the pictures, we pointed out the spiders, flies and other insects in the book! Once we were done, we all migrated to the sensory table, where we explored FLOUR! It was such an awesome experience, and they loved the heck out of it.  Ivy, Alanna, Paislie and Wren all used scoopers to scoop the flour, while Teo, Theo, Asher and Joey explored with their hands! Jasper was busy with our new friend, Airy, they were going down the slide together, laughing and running back up To go down again! Wren had so much fun blowing and throwing the flour up in the air, Teo loved clapping his hands and watching the flour go everywhere! After a while they thought it was hilarious to chase Jackie around pretending to throw flour at her! Once the flour was all gone we made our way in for lunch, and nap!

After nap, we read books and had a special, super long cuddle time! We were done with diapers and milks just as Ms Leona started Spanish.  We sang and danced to the music, then Ms Leona closed out circle time with a book in Spanish! We had a yummy snack of hummus and multi grain chips, than washed hands. Got pants, socks and shoes on and marched out to the playground, where my friends explored the playscape and dome climber! Such a great Thursday!

Much Love
Dom and Jackie

We had a slow start to our morning as about half of our guys were just a little later than usual. Joey made a request early, saying "I want to paint today" and paint we did! We had fun free play, racing around the yard and taking long walks together holding hands. Teo and Annabelle led the way with Paislie, Alanna, Theo and Miya from the primary class! We looked at the garden and talked about how the baby plants need space to grow, and we can focus our attention on "their" garden if they want to dig and get dirty (the garden under the window is now the designated get-dirty if you want garden :). Ben was busy hangin' out with older sister Maya, Wren was being a little monkey on the dome, Paislie got busy shampooing her hair with sand while Asher raced trucks around with Joey and Theo walked around taking off his shirt and showing off his muscles. Soon friends got rounded up to sit on the fence as every one patiently waited to go in for a slightly later snack. Before and after snack, every one had a chance to look through and read some books we got from the library yesterday. There are a couple of hot items as many of the books talk about trucks and once features the coveted Thomas the Train...these books are a great way to learn about taking turns!

After books and hand washing we sat at the table to do some finger painting. Wren and Koichi very carefully dipped one finger in the paint at a time to make strategic markings on their paper, while Theo seemed to be having a fun sensory experience mixing up the colors. Ben said he didn't want to get his hands dirty and didn't touch the paint until he had a tool to use...soon his hands were covered in blue and he was happy to say "look! my hands are dirty!" Alanna and Paislie painted their face and hair a bit, Joey said he was drawing a picture of Mommy and Annabelle said she was drawing a picture for Mommy! Teo was very particular about what colors he wanted to use. Asher was very focused and intense, also seeming to put a lot of thought into his markings. We had so much fun finger painting! Before we knew it, it was time to wrap it up, wash hands, and head outside!

We had some free play, and then came in for lunch and nap! As we were waking up from nap, Dom found a giant dry erase board and we all took turns using different dry erase markers to draw with. Maya and Leina came to visit us at this time, and drew pictures on the board with their little brothers (so cute!). Joey, Asher, and a couple of others were done early, so they had the privilege of erasing the board. Soon every one was able to erase a little and it was time to wash up for snack and Spanish. We ate and read a book that Annabelle brought from home called What do You Feel Like? Theo and Joey answered "good" and Alanna and Paislie were very excited to make "angry" faces. Ben was really excited to stick out his tongue to make a "silly" face, and Annabelle was happy to announce to her friends that the monkey was balancing on a rope in some pictures! We had fun talking about our feelings in English, and just as we were moving on to the next book, it was Spanish time! Appropriately, we started off with a song about feelings in Spanish! We sang some of our favorite songs. At the end we took out bells and pretended to sleep as we sang "Hermano Juan." Once Spanish was over, we had a Yo Gabba Gabba dance party, got shoes and sunscreen on, and headed outside! What a great Wednesday!

Love,
Jackie and Dom