Warm Play Dough

Monday morning, we were going to make new play dough.  The boys were playing with Anthony's tractors and the girls were busy playing house, so I made some new play dough by myself!  It was a little different for me to do that by myself; usually everyone loves to help.

The girls wanted to play with the warm play dough.  I can't blame them.  That is still a treat to me.  The boys didn't want to stop playing with tractors.  It rained all afternoon, so we got the play dough out again.  Bronwynn warned the boys that the play dough was really hot, and they were so confused.  It had cooled down by then:)  There was some real creating going on!  We had people, pizzas, gas stations, cars...

Sharing Time

We have added sharing time to our circle time in the morning, and the children love it!  We used to sing Good morning songs, and songs with everyone's name in it, but they are all old enough and have been together enough that they know each other's names.  So we changed it to something more advanced.  They each take turns standing up and telling everyone something...whatever they choose.  Great intro to public speaking!:)  They are all so respectful, and listen politely to the others.

Some of the things they repeatedly share is... "I love my Mommy, and Daddy, and Grandma, and Grandpa (Nana and Papa, G.G. Pop)"  (I usually tell them that is really nice, and they should tell you that when they see you again.)

"I like when my Daddy, (Grandpa) takes me on the tractor to...spread manure, bale hay, wrap hay, rake hay...."

"Daddy went swimming with me."

"My mommy took me grocery shopping."

It is really cute to see them as they twirl their shirts, and listen to what they have to say.  They often imitate each other, so we do get a lot of repeat sharing. 

They have also started to do it during free play time.  They often take turns being the teacher and reading stories, but today they were taking turns standing and sharing something.  Maybe you'll see it at home too.:)

Papanack Zoo

What a great time we had on our field trip to Papanack Zoo.  Check it out ...

 Carribou

                                            Bronwynn and Anthony checking out the goat.

 Anthony, Lillian, Bronwynn and Grace are all waiting for the black bears to be fed.  The bears also know it is almost feeding time; they are pacing.

 This zoo keeper fed the bears by hand through the chain link fence!!  Melon, grapes, carrots, bread...

 This little monkey had lots of fruit to choose from.  He was looking for somewhere to eat the mango that is in his mouth.

This Zebra is Melinda's Child, she was born at the zoo last summer.  We saw Melinda, the mother, too!

 This is where the racoons lived.  Grace wondered if they made it look like a rustic old barn because racoons are attracted to old barns in the wild:)

                                                                         Geese.

 Baboons.  That grey one with all the hair is the alpha male, Bosley.  The baboon walking away is a mom with her baby under her belly - catching a ride!

 Is this where the name 'monkey bars' came from?  We wondered this as we watched this monkey hang.

                                              There were three friendly donkeys!

 Peacocks.

 Lions.

 Lemurs.

  There is a male Pere David's deer back there.  His antlers were incredible!

             

                                            What a neat play ground they have!

                                                 Bye Papanack Zoo.  We had a great day!

                                                       Lillian was all tuckered out.

 Bronwynn was sleepy too, but the construction on the highway kept her up.  She's a good little faker for this picture though!!

                                Anthony was having a snack and watching a movie to relax!

Watermelon Pizza

Yummy!  We tried watermelon pizza for snack.  We are all enjoying the new summer menues.

 Noah and Anthony have been working on this great big hole for a couple of days.  After every thunderstorm we have, it gets a little filled in.  They've been working so well together to dig it out.

 Of course, when the girls saw me photographing their brothers they both said, "Can you take a picture of me?"

                                          Bronwynn wanted to show off her climbing skills!

Enjoy your weekend, and check back early next week for pictures from our field trip.

Drip, drip, drop!

Grace showed us a new game, and we LOVE it!  It's called drip, drip, drop and follows the same rules as duck, duck, goose.  You use a water bottle, and put a drip of water on the children's heads, then the child that you want to chase you, you put a DROP of water on their head.  We all have wet hair and t-shirts by the end of the game, but it is fantastic because it has been so hot lately.

We're all excited to get in the pools and sprinklers again this afternoon to cool off.  Hope all of you are staying cool!

Painting and Stars!

What a great way to start the week.  We seem to have many toilet paper rolls in our art shelf, so I put some on the table this morning with some paint, and watched them create!

                                                         Oh, the concentration!

 I noticed some interest in stars last week, so I got out my astronaut felt board set.  What fun!

 I filled the art shelf with stars and moons.  Can't wait to see what creations happen with all this stuff!

     I even found some books about stars and planets.  Should be some good learning in these!

We've been busy!

Wow, your children are really keeping me on my toes.  We have been having a lot of fun at day care, and I am having trouble getting time to get my camera or computer to update this blog for all of you!

We picked some lettuce out of the garden for our taco salad on Wednesday, and then we drew pictures of ourselves picking lettuce in our journals.  Too cute!

We've been playing a lot with the babies (dolls), and took them on an adventure this morning.  We had to pack up, and moved all the chairs to make our car.

We had the sprinklers out yesterday, and had a great time getting wet and cooled off.  What great fun.

We've been going down to see the pigs; do they ever get muddy when it is HOT.  They really roll in the mud!

And of course, swinging, sandbox, biking, art, ....

Come back soon, and I will get some new pictures on here!

Apple Porcupines

 We had apple porcupines for snack.  The children  really enjoyed this.  They each made their own.  Who knew apples, cheese and strawberries could be so much fun?!

Welcome, Sol.  We are so excited that you will be joining us this summer. 

What weird summer weather we've been having.  You can't see it in this picture, but it is pouring rain while the sun is shining.  The girls sat on the porch to wait out the downpour - the boys stayed in the sand box under the umbrella of tree leaves the rain didn't bother them.

Face Painting!

Grace brought her face paints and everyone got to get their faces decorated!!!

Fun in the sun

We brought sheets outside today, and made our climber into a fort.  What fun!!

 

We have had an obstacle course, a soccer game, a t-ball game, and done lots of biking outside, and played in the sand box.  It's been great not to have to go for a walk to the bus.  Lots of time to really explore outdoor play!