We Two

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

Dear We Two Families,

The love was in full force 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 and wooden with acrylic blocks were carefully stacked high as students collaborated on designs. 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, smooshed, and cut with their hands and other tools. The light table was all things love including pipe cleaner hearts, giant gems, and fillable heart and candy shapes. A new material was introduced today…tine puzzle pieces. It was so cool to see some of the students manipulating the pieces together into intricate designs and shapes. Lace doilies were stamped and marked with love, 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, Lilly’s Chocolate Heart, 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 our Little Explorer friends. We will meet from 9:00-10:15 am at Northern.
• Friday, February 13th- We will have our normal sessions at Northern.
• Saturday, February 21st- WCDS Open House- If you are interested in learning more about our Preschool program, please come visit us. You can register here.

Dear We Two 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 soup, made cookies, and fed the dinosaurs. The light table was all things snow and ice as images filled the wall from the overhead projector. Cubes were sorted and cups were carefully filled with all of the loose parts. 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. Some of the students found the beautiful items we have in PS, such as seashells and crayon pebbles, to use in their explorations. 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 So Much Snow together, sang and stomped our feet, 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- We Two will meet at our normal time (10:45 am-12:00 pm) on our 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 with. https://thesoccermomblog.com/fall-playdough/ and https://kidsactivitiesblog.com/206/play-dough/

Dear We Two Families,

I love how much the students are starting to notice each other and really starting to engage in genuine play with each other. The block area had lots of towers again that were built high and knocked over as giggles filled the space. We made some pretty tall ones together! 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. 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. The large paper was dotted with not only tire tracks or “footprints” but also so many hand prints! Our playdough was spotted 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, Harold Loves His Wooly Hat, and some great singing. My favorite part was the music we made together as the kiddos shook their shakers, banged their drums, twinkled the xylophones, and rocked the tambourine.

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

Miss Claire

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

Dear We Two Families,

The room was full of playful energy today as my little learners explored each provocation. 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 quiet activity as towers of cones and blocks were made to let the wooden train pass through. Some of our friends even went for a ride of the train! 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, guessed who the tracks belonged to in our story Tracks in the Snow, and shook our shaky eggs extra hard today.

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

With love,

Miss Claire

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

Dear We Two Families,

Boy, did it feel good today to be back together again! 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 our friend Charlotte, 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. Some of the cars got their wheels stuck again…maybe we need a car wash? Or we should get them even dirtier with some paint? 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 and stepping stones. 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

• Friday, December 12th- Breakfast with the Elves from 9:00-10:15 am. We will meet in the gym on main campus for a yummy breakfast with our 5th grade elves and then head to our Community Room for some festive playtime. It is our last session until January!

Dear We Two Families,

What a festive mood the kiddos were in today as we kicked off our pre-holiday provocations. Our tree quickly became decorated with colorful baubles, bells, strings of tinsel, and branches of berries. They did such a great job, I want them to come decorate my tree at home! Our sensory table was filled with dry oats that was oh so carefully spooned and dumped into gingerbread pans and tins. The light area was a wintry scene with lights, our blue cones, reflective cds, Magna tiles, and jingle bells. Cardboard trees, both big and small, were an invitation to paint with varying shades of green. Our small world involved a plethora of woodland animals, giant pinecones, and wooden trees, while the big rug turned into a snowy train area with our wooden train and fluffy white cotton batting. Lastly, the kiddos filled, opened, and shared “presents” with each other using cardboard boxes and little trinkets. They were quite generous with each other!

We ended our time together with How to Catch a Gingerbread Man and a few songs. I look forward to celebrating the holiday season with you all next week! Have a great weekend!

Miss Claire

• Friday, November 28th- No Session- Thanksgiving Break
• Friday, December 5th- Sessions at our normal time at Northern
• Friday, December 12th- Breakfast with the Elves on main campus from 9:00-10:15 am (Little Explorers and We Two will be combined)

Dear We Two Families,

The Preschool classroom was extra lively this Friday as we gathered together for our playgroups. There were cars traveling through tunnels and on the maze-like road on the big rug, moving past big towers and buildings. The rainbow arches were also carefully arranged and then messed up again to start the cycle all over. The light table was sprinkled with Magna Tiles, magnetic people, and our translucent magnetic cubes. Tall towers were constructed carefully and then squealed with delight as they toppled over. White paper on the table and easels mixed with tempera paint sticks made for some fresh mark-making, including vertical lines, swirls, and figures. Our veggie printing from the last couple of weeks was relaunched with a new material, homemade glitter glue! The students scooped and spread the fun mixture all over the paper. Our sensory bin was filled with a cloud dough, a simple mixture of flour, oil, cinnamon, and ginger. The moldable substance was fun to stir, mix, and scoop. A little messy, but we love a mess! We can’t forget the love of a play kitchen by this group as the table was set and yummy meals were made. While a bit chilly, I was so glad the weather help up for the kiddos today so that they could enjoy ur outdoor play space. I know they have been waiting to use the climber and slide. Sorry for the mud!

We finished our time together with the story Pearl and Squirrel Give Thanks by Cassie Ehrenberg and the best rendition of the Dinosaur Song yet!

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday filled with lots of family time and good food! I am so very thankful for all of you and the time I get to share with you and your children!

With love,

Miss Claire

• Friday, November 21st- We will have our sessions at normal time in the Preschool classroom on main campus.
• Friday, November 28th- No sessions- Thanksgiving Break

Dear We Two families,

There was a lovely hum of concentrated exploring and learning in the room today! It was so enjoyable to watch the kiddos explore the new and relaunched provocations. With the mirrors still up and the lights still out, there was lots of self-reflection happening in our cozy little corner of the room. It was interesting to watch each of their faces in the mirrors as they made marks with dry-erase markers. Our sensory bins were filled with a pie dough-like mixture, made from flour, pumpkin puree, and oil. There was lots of stirring and scooping going on with the different tools, as well as some cars getting stuck again! Our big carpet was overtaken with all kinds of magnetic items, including Magna tiles, cubes, bingo markers, stones, wands, and little men. Add in some metal cans and cookie sheets and you have yourself a full-on science moment. The puzzles even made their way out today and boy are these kiddos quick! The printing we did last week was relaunched with different cookie cutters and metallic paint. That little extra sheen on the fall colors created a really beautiful piece. I wonder what we could add next? I love children’s literature so it was nice to see so many of our classroom books being enjoyed together. We ended with our story, The Leaf Thief and some excellent dinosaur stomping and scarf-waving.

I hope you all have a great weekend and I look forward to having you in my other classroom next week!

 💖 Miss Claire