Little Explorers

• Friday, March 20- We will have our normal sessions at Northern
• Friday, March 27th- We will have a combined class from 9:00-10:15 am in the PS room on main campus.

Dear Little Explorer Families,

Boy, there was a lot of chit-chatting today from the kiddos as they explored and played at our Northern space. The dinosaurs were stomping amongst the branches and greenery on the big rug as puck lights were carefully pressed to change colors and set a mood. The playdough was spread thin on the table, while cars and construction vehicles made deep tracks. The kinetic sand was molded and formed into different shapes, only to be cut and smooshed again. The light table was stocked full of colorful cups and plates that were stacked and arranged in interesting designs. Water color palettes were used to paint dainty little pictures on white pieces of paper, while our canvas was marked with paint sticks. The kitchen is alway buzzing as well as the puzzles and different kinds of blocks. What I loved hearing was all of the chatter today between the kiddos. You can tell that they have a lot to say to their friends and now feel comfortable enough to say it! We finished with 10 Rubber Ducks by Eric Carle and some great music making!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and see you next Friday!

Miss Claire

• Friday, March 6th- No Sessions- WCDS Spring Break
• Friday, March 13th- Normal sessions at our Northern classroom

Dear Little Explorer Families,

I so enjoy having our sessions in my second classroom, seeing how our littlest learners explore and interact with the space. It always inspires me to rearrange, shift, add or take away to enhance the learning of the children. This week was a little different as Miss Stephanie covered our session so that I could take care of my PS kiddos, but I know that did not stop the exploring or fun. Our kinetic sand became a home for dinosaurs with rocks and plants. The dinosaurs roamed the space even further and joined a new land on the rug filled with tree slices, stumps, plants, and lights. Our overhead projector casted shadows of dinosaurs and colored pattern blocks on the wall, while interesting designs were made on the light table. The canvas we have been working on was given yet another layer, lots of beautiful oil pastel markings. The playdough spanned across the table and had plenty of cars getting “stuck”. I hope the kids were able to save them! I’m sure the house area was hopping and that lots of new discoveries were made!

I will miss you next week, but I will see you in March!

With love,

Miss Claire

• Friday, February 27th- We will have our normal sessions on main campus in the Preschool classroom.
• Friday, March 6th- no sessions- WCDS Spring Break

Dear Little Explorer Families,

What a sunny session we had today as it is feeling a little bit more like Spring outside. The students added some lovely flowers and candles to our play dough, creating beautiful garden scenes. Long Slinkies and tubes stretched across the big rug as balls zigged and zagged down the shoots. The kinetic sand was molded using silicone ice cube trays, only to be cut and squished by tiny hands. The light table had cups and plates for stacking towers to house large bugs. The students marveled at their giant shadows on the wall as they were placed and manipulated on the overhead projector. Our canvas we started last week was given another layer of paint. Students rolled and dotted silver paint with textured brushes and scalp massagers, adding even more magic to the piece. I can’t wait to see where they take it next. The students were great listeners to our story today, Dog’s Colorful Day, and enthusiastic singers of our favorites.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and see you on campus next week!

Miss Claire

• Friday, February 20th- We will have our normal sessions at Northern.

Dear Little Explorer Families,

The love was all around today as we gathered together for another beautifully sunny session. The students explored colored cups on the window sill and rug, letting the bright light shine through. The colored cones were yet again stacked high and toppled over, all accompanied with roaring dinosaur sounds. The playdough was rolled and cut with fun cookie cutters, occasionally adorned with flower petals or cherries. The sensory table was filled with colored kinetic sand that the kiddos molded and smooshed in their tiny hands. The light table was all things love including pipe cleaner hearts, giant gems, and fillable heart and candy shapes. Some students stamped and marked on lace doilies, while a large canvas was rolled and brushed with shades of pink, white, and purple as the start of a collaborative Playgroups piece. We finished with our story, Tiny T.Rex and the Perfect Valentine, and sharing some love for each other as we passed out valentines.

I hope you all enjoy the holiday and see you next week!

Miss Claire

• Friday, February 6th- We will have a combined class with the We Two kiddos. We will meet from 9:00-10:15 am at Northern.
• Friday, February 13th- Normal session times at Northern.

Dear Little Explorer Families,

Brr, it was cold today but I am so glad you braved the weather to come play. It was another beautiful session, this time in the comfort of the Preschool classroom. The students explored real snow adorned with icicles, ice cubes, scoops, and cups. If they didn’t want cold fingers, they had the option to explore a snow dough made with corn starch and conditioner. What is wild is that it still felt cold! The House center was full of activity today as the kiddos cooked and took care of all of the phone calls. The light table was all things snow and ice as images filled the wall from the overhead projector. The block area was filled with lights, cans, fluffy snow, and squishy foam cubes. There was lots of stacks that grew higher and higher and came tumbling down. Lastly, the cars had another appearance as tracks were made on a shiny “icy” surface. There were even some animal tracks that made there way through the wintry paint. We read Ten Sparkly Snowflakes together, sang and rolled our wheels, and made some fabulous music with our instruments.

I hope you all have a nice, warm weekend and see you next week!

Miss Claire

• Friday, January 30th- Little Explorers will meet at our normal time (9:00-10:15am) on main campus in the Preschool classroom.

• Friday, February 6th- This will be a combined class from 9:00-10:15 am at Northern.

• Some families were asking for the playdough recipe I use. Here are two that I find the most success in. https://thesoccermomblog.com/fall-playdough/ and https://kidsactivitiesblog.com/206/play-dough/

Dear Little Explorer Families,

I love how as the year progresses, the students really start to notice and interact with each other. Today was filled with lots of social engagement as we played and explored together. The block area had lots of towers again that were built high and knocked over as giggles filled the space. Our sensory table was filled with bright red cranberries and orange spice tea. The students carefully ladled and stirred the mixture, scooping into tiny bowls and colanders. Some even noticed how they were little balls and could easily be rolled on the floor. The light table was adorned with our colored stackers and blocks while bursts of colored smoke projected on the wall. Our big ramp, cars, and paint came back again this week, accompanied by the larger tires. It was fun to watch the color mixing happen as the cars zoomed down the ramp and as some friends smooshed their hands together. Our playdough was dotted with wooden circles, popsicle sticks, and wooden napkin rings. Lastly, the windows became even more colorful as students made marks with our paint sticks and glass crayons. We finished with our story, Ten on the Sled, and some great singing.

I hope you all have a great weekend. Stay safe and warm!

Miss Claire

• Friday, January 23rd- We will have our normal session time at Northern.
• Friday, January 30th- We will have our normal session time at main campus in the Preschool classroom.

Dear Little Explorer Families,

While our group was missing a few friends this week, that did not stop us from having a cozy and playful time together. Our light table became our sensory exploration with our bin filled with fluffy “snow” pom poms and a few containers to fill and dump. There was also a table full of snowflakes, cds, clear cups and tealights to arrange and rearrange. Our block area was full of activity as towers of cones and blocks ere made, only to be tumbled down by our little learners. Each time a tower fell, we would yell “timber!” and follow with giggles. Our playdough was marked with special tracks from our animal figures and rubber stamps. Inspired by the kiddos love of marking on different surfaces, we used glass crayons, Stabilo pencils, and paint sticks on the big windows and our acrylic easels. Our green trees were given a final touch of glue and loose parts, including buttons, feathers, and paint swatches. Lastly, we did some ramp painting using long sheets of painter and varying types of cars. We ended by enjoying a yummy snack, read a cold, snowy day book called Snow Day, and sang our favorites.

I hope you all enjoy your weekend and see you next week!

With love,

Miss Claire

• Friday, January 16th- We will have our normal session at our Northern classroom

Dear Little Explorer Families,

Boy, did it feel good today to have our youngest learners back together. There was definitely an extra special energy present as we explored and played. Our trees were given another splash of green and some shiny metallic paint, giving them a nice amount of shimmer. The light table was adorned with reflective cds, shiny garland, tube lights, and clear cups for stacking and filling with colorful geometric pieces. New puzzles, graciously donated by one of the We Two families, caught the attention of several of the kiddos. The yummy apple cinnamon playdough was smooshed and accessorized with bright red gems, popsicle sticks, and various bottle caps. All kinds of wooden blocks made their way onto the big rug, accompanying the newly added identity blocks. It was so fun seeing the reactions of the children as they found their own block and reacted to the images of their playmates. The kiddos really seemed to enjoy our new rainbow climber and showed their maneuverability skills on our soft block mats. Lastly, the house center was in full swing as pots were stirred and laundry was washed. We ended our time with a wintry story, Snowmen All Year, even with the weather feeling more like spring than winter.

I was so happy to see you all today and cannot wait for next week. Enjoy your weekend!

Miss Claire