Gavin’s Monday… not a leap year

Hi!!
Hope everybody is having a good Monday! It started out pretty slow in the classroom with lots of talk about what we did over the weekend. The puzzles and manipulatives were popular activities this morning. Then the thought of the babies and new baby blankets occurred and everybody dropped their activities to go play with the babies in the kitchen area.
During outside time we talked about the weather and looked up in the sky at the clouds. The kids had a blast climbing all over the railing then jumping off at the end, running around the playground, making music on the xylophone and singing "All the Raindrops." We also explored what happened when we touched the rain drops that were still clinging to the playground. The kids loved exploring the puddles by putting things in them and trying to jump over them too. We were quite the little scientists today!
We all came together while singing the "Grab a Seat" song. Then we sang "Days of the Week" and decided that it’s Monday again. We counted the 28 days of February, then talked about tomorrow being the start of March. After that we sang the weather song and concluded that today is cloudy and wet.  Then we talked about our theme of the week (Weather!) and read "Clouds" and "What Do You See in a Cloud?"
After nap the kids had the opportunity to create their own puffy cloud by using Elmer’s glue to attach cotton balls, feathers, and coffee filter pieces to a cloud cut out. I apologize in advance for your glue covered children, but I have to point out that if your child goes home covered in an art project, it means they had fun! =D
Much Love,
Debbie & Lauren

Gavin’s Friday

Morning: We spent the morning talking about our snow stories and what the snow was like at our houses. We looked out the window and talked about the weather today and read some books off the shelf too. We colored with markers on butcher paper and let the kids pick their choice of toys off the shelf. This morning the puzzles, baby dolls, blocks, legos, squishy frogs and plastic people were quite popular. l
Outside/Science Rocks!: I barely even got the door open before a mob of excited two year olds pushed past me. So much for teachers first… Everybody was thrilled to find a fresh layer of snow on the ground this morning. We kicked it, picked it up, threw it, stomped in it, slipped in it, ran through it, and those that were brave enough did snow angles again. We also practiced packing snowballs and throwing them either at the wall or the ground to watch them go splat. Fabulous action/reaction science project. Little did I know that by teaching the kids how to pack and throw a snowball I’d be creating little monsters. For some reason throwing snow balls at your teachers and seeing what happens was a popular game. Some of the kids noticed a snow man on the preschool playground and tried having a conversation with him =]  We took out the bouncy hops and bouncy balls too, but most of the kids were too excited about the snow and ice. 
Circle Time: We sang the "Grab a Seat" song to bring everybody together then signed "The More We Get Together" once everybody found a spot to sit. We sang the usual songs to discuss the weather and day of the month and talked about February almost being over. Then we sang "10 in the Bed." After that we read "Sleepy Little Yoga" and went through all of the sleepy yoga poses. The kids loved it! After that we read "How Do You Sleep?" "Good Night Kiss" "So Sleepy Story" and "Nighty Night!" The kids still wanted more stories after that, but lunch was arriving so we went to wash our hand after promising to read more stories later. 
Art Smart: After nap we kept our bodies calm by making a mess of ourselves with finger paint! Those that didn’t want to make a mess were offered paint scrapers to move the paint across the poster board. We worked on using our fingers to write in the paint and talked about the oozy feeling between our fingers. The kids loved it! They had a blast getting to take their shirts off to avoid getting their clothes messy too.  Painting paper < Painting tummies.  =]
Hope everybody is having a productive Friday and has gotten the chance to enjoy the sunshine! We will see everybody this afternoon.
❤ Lauren & Debbie

6 months…….

Immy hit 6 months this week, so we had to get the photo sorted…….

And then Gavin got involved…..thank goodness one can only see waist up.  NSFW

Gavin’s Thursday

It was a pretty quiet start to the day. We ended up combining with Twos 3 because the numbers in the rooms were so low. The day started with much conversation about the snow and talk of what we saw this morning and the night before. Popular activities included the big plastic animals, the train tracks, the legos, blocks, and cooking in the kitchen area.
After mentioning going outside and playing in the snow everybody shoveled their snack down then was ready at the door in no time. The kids could hardly contain their excitement as they rushed out the door to go stomp and slide in the snow.Those that were brave enough did snow angels. We tried sliding in the snow and naturally we built a snow man. The kids had a blast packing snow balls then smashing them on the ground too. We encouraged running around and climbing and bouncing the balls and using the bouncy hops. We went inside as soon as the kids started complaining about being cold and having wet mittens though.
We sang our usual songs to discuss the day of the week and the weather. We counted the days of February and of course everybody told us it was Snowy outside. Then we read "Hush Little Ones" and "Can’t sleep without sheep."
After nap the kids had the opportunity to touch and feel some feathers. After deciding that they tickled, we painted with them!
Hope everybody is getting around safely and/or enjoying their snow day in!! We will probably see you all tomorrow =]
Much Love,
Lauren & Debbie

Annnnd a slight update to Gavin’s day

Update sent from daycare, too funny NOT to post.

“Gavin had an accident after nap and is out of clothes. So he’s wearing a pair of extra pants and is going commando… The extra pair of pants is a little small for him, and all we have are extra girls clothes. Just thought I’d give you a heads up so you weren’t surprised when ya picked him up.”

Hence the capris below……commando

Gavin’s Wednesday

Hello Everybody!!
It seems like everybody is very excited about the snow. Or the exact opposite. Either way, I keep catching kids (and teachers) glancing out the window to check. Snow Day? Maybe? Rumor has it the center may be closing early if conditions get as bad as the weather man says they will. Just a heads up!  Here is the trouble we got into today:
The morning was buzzing with talk about snow!!  Kids found their place in the classroom by finding friends to play with and activities to do.  Debbie bought new baby blankets for the class so wrapping up babies was a big hit this morning.  No more taking turns with our 2 baby blankets (aka bandanas!)  We feel so official!!  Some of us got out some early energy and played tickle and "Catch ME!" and riding on the teachers back!  It was fun!

Outside we were all really happy and excited to see that their was still snow on the playground!!  We made snow balls, a little mini snowman, and Shini started to make snow angels and everyone followed!   We got a bit wet (Hence all the wet pants we have hanging off all the cubbies) but it was a blast!!  We had to cut outside time short today too because everybody was loving picking up the ice/slush and that got all their hands and mittens wet. We had a blast sliding in the slush too!

We sang the Grab a seat song then signed "The More We Get Together" as everybody found a spot to sit. After that we counted the 23 days of February and decided that today was Wednesday. When I mentioned singing the weather song everybody shouted "SNOW!" Apparently we’re excited about the snow. We continued on with our sleeping theme and read "Time to Sleep", "Good Night, Tiptoe" (which seems to be a new favorite) and read/sang "Bedtime in the Jungle".  Most of the kids were pretty captivated, so we made it through 3 books today. Woot!

After nap the kids had the opportunity to do a rag roll, or paint/print with a piece of wash cloth to make nifty patterns and textures on their papers. For some reason every time we do a painting project the kids end up painting their hands and bodies more than their papers… Must be a two year old thing =] Hooray for messes!

All in all, we are having a great day!!  If it does come to bad weather, everyone be extra careful getting out and about! 

Much Love,

Debbie & Lauren

Gavin’s Tuesday

Hello Everybody!!
Hope you all got to enjoy your 3 day weekend as much as possible. The kids have had a busy day back from what sounds like an eventful weekend! Here’s what we did today:
The kids all had their stories to tell from the weekend as they were dropped off. We took out the pegs and peg boards to build towers with, as well as the legos and blocks. This morning the big plastic animals and the big wooden planes trucks and cars were popular too. We got the news that Lauren will be in the kitchen working with Shelley all week though. So we will have Rahma in the classroom for the time being, which is good since Rahma has known most of these guys since they were babies!
We had music class today, so our outside time was short, but well used. We went out on the playground and ran and jumped and played chase until everybody was panting. Then we scurried down the hallway to make it to music class in time. In music class the kids loved singing about animals hiding in the jungle, ribbon dancing, 
We sang the grab a seat song while everybody was finding their space, then we sang the usual songs to discuss the weather and the date. We counted the 22 days of February and decided it was snowy, cold, and cloudy today. I had the kids guess what the theme was this week by stretching, yawning, and laying down. They looked at me like I was crazy, then guessed "Sleeping!" and told me to wake up. They were right! We talked about why our bodies need rest and what yawning means and what lullabies are for. Then we read "Getting Enough Sleep," "Shhhhh! Everybody’s Sleeping!" and "Sleepy Oh So Sleepy." The kids were quiet and captivated through all three books!
After nap the kids had the opportunity to work on their pincher grip by coloring on the white boards. They loved coloring their pictures then using the paper towels or their fingers to erase the lines. Fabulous fine motor skills!  I let the kids look through the new library books too. They were fascinated by all the pictures!
Have a fantastic rest of your day, and we will see you later!

New Camera, Pizza Nite, GP and El Visit, Zoo

We have had a great week. To start, some new pics from the gang at BH showing Immy hanging around, and visiting her bro.  Gav rides his bikes etc past her window at playtime and she totally sees him.  Christine caught some of the action for us……

 

 

 

Earlier this week Dad had a pizza night when he was solo with the kids.  G had his own station setup to make his pie.  Immy was very amused.

And GP and Gramma came for a visit.  We headed to the zoo as a Sat highlight, but the temperature was definitely a low light.

And as I get used to the new camera, some various attempts around the house at capturing the family…

 

Gavin’s Thursday

Happy Thursday Everybody!!
It’s been yet another busy day so far. Everybody showed up to school pretty early this morning so the activities picked up quick. Some of the kids went right for the usual books and babies routine, others waited their turn to use the cash register and practice some pre math skills. We also took out the people and talked about what kind of people they might be or what kind of job they’re working based on what they were wearing. The kids are great at figuring this stuff out!
The kids watched the clouds roll by and looked for the sun. We had a new teacher Ms. Tatyana join us for outside time, so they had fun figuring her out too. The kids loved climbing on the playground and pretending to ride a horse on the bench. We’ve been working on climbing up the walls by planting our hands on the ground and walking our feet up the wall behind us too. The kids love being upside down!!
During circle time we decided it was Thursday February 16th, and that it was cold, cloudy, and a little sunny. Then we read "My Friend Bear" and "Ira Sleeps Over" which all the kids identified with because both of the main characters in the story had teddy bears too!
After nap we stuck with the teddy bears theme and had the kids use sea sponge to paint a teddy bear brown. We also set out the teddy bear lacing cards, the sorting bears and the "Goldilocks and the 3 Bears" felt board story.

Happy Hockey Day in Canada

Today was a great day, we started off heading over to Dave and Jodi’s house to join Jen and Ben Boon, and Mark and Carla for Brunch.  They have a lovely house on Mercer Island.

When we got back, most napped, for a few minutes, followed by some Hockey, Costco and Safeway. Good times. 

School pics of Immy, and hanging at the house……

Not much to say here I guess, we grabbed some pics from the gang at BH, thought it would be good to share them…..

These 2 were taken in music class. 

That’s Immy’s friend Miles.  We think he uses Hair Product

Immy is feeling better, Daddy got a new Camera

So Immy is back at daycare, and feeling a LOT better.  Fever, Pink Eye and Teething is a tough week for anyone, let alone a 5 month old. 

Daddy got a new camera for his birthday.  A Nikon D3100 Digital SLR Camera.  It is so sweet, and it actually takes a better picture.  Needless to say, this week there have been several thousand photos taken……

(left) BIG HUGS for his little sister…..

 

(right) kids will eat anything

 

 

 

 

“I didn’t do it”

 

Nothing like a well placed dinosaur

I call this series the ‘faces of a hungry man who wants to show off his (1) dimple’

Immy’s First day at School!

So Immy went to Bright Horizons this week, and is about 2 doors down from her big brother.  The entire daycare knows that Gavin has a little sister_2_doors_down.  He goes looking for her.  For example, he was outside, riding some bikes, or trikes, or motorbikes or something, and he rides his lap past her window.  She sees him, he sees her, its like magic.  She laughs and cheers, he slaps the window and jumps up and down on his little 2ft tall buddy Alee (who announced to me yesterday at pickup ‘ I took a big poop!’).. 

….hey alee ….. get G-Man to drop a deuce with ya next time…….

Today Immy was feeling much better as she manages her impending tooth arrival, but was in amazing spirits.  She apparently laughed and smiled all day, while eating and napping more than we expected.  Her teachers, Christina and Natalia are both great, and keen photographers.  So, it looks like we will get a regular stream of piccies to share with our blog-o-sphere fanbase. 

Today Immy also started Music Class!  Its not just some Raffi wannabe singing to them in a clown outfit, its actually an interactive class they all do.  Apparently she enjoyed it, and was spotted holding a rattle and smiling.  Pics will be coming soon………. 

The pic above is Immy with all her girlfriends having coffee and croissants in their classroom.  It has lots of Windows, and on the odd day its sunny the room is beautiful and bright.  They totally gossip and natter on like little school girls, pointing and texting the boys sitting on the other side of the room.  Like Miles for example, is a little fella that seems sweet on Immy.  Wait till you see his bed head.  It is just absolutely hilarious.

This bottom pic is Avery sitting with Immy.  The holding hands thing was totally spontaneous.  Apparently Avery was telling her story of her on again off again thing with her man , and she needed a hand hold to get through the drama……

More to come as this party gets into full swing……..