Group Shots

It's really entertaining for me to look back on the group shots over the past couple of years to see how the children have changed.  Many of the kids with me right now have been here for 3 years or more.  We gathered for this group shot on friday during our Valentine's Day party.

 Photos are always better when the kids get goofy.  I told them to make a face.

It made me want to find some old photos.

 I love this one, above.  They are all practically toddlers!  Their legs are so short!

 We had escaped to the zoo.

 Look at their tiny faces. 

 These two took a trip to Home Depot with me.

Baby Petra is growing up right along with the kids.

♥♥♥Happy Monday!♥♥♥

Friday The 13th- Let's Have A Party

Could there possibly be a better day to throw a Valentine's Day party than on Friday the 13th?  I think not.  I love spooky silly superstitious nonsense, so I am feeling amused.  The kids are very energetic this morning in anticipation of passing out valentines.   Do you remember doing this as a child?  I do.  I remember it being a huge event- covering shoe  boxes or kleenex boxes with white paper and gluing hearts onto it.  As an adult- I don't much care for Valentine's Day.  I feel bad for all of the stressed out men in the world who are freaking out about impressing their significant others.  It just doesn't feel genuine.  Meanwhile, I do make a solid effort to make it fun for the kids!  Today will be a really fun time, and I am thrilled that the sky is blue, because we are going to need to get outside and run around.

Yesterday we created some heart shaped raccoons.  Simple, but sweet.

There are so many heart themed art projects.  

I did not take very many photos, it all happened so fast.

They were off to the back yard.

Meanwhile, the kids are still working independently to make up their nap time mats.  Every day, this guy comes to get me so he can show me what he has accomplished.  I LOVE THIS!  He is feeling so proud about it!  After extensive high fives and words of praise and encouragement, he joined his friends outside.

A cat followed.  She's a "close walker".  I am always worried that I will step on her if I'm not paying attention. 

We could hear the ducks quacking away down on the lake. 

See how they are standing on one leg?  Click on the photo to get a better look.  Do you see the fish fins sticking out of the water?

♥♥♥Happy Friday♥♥♥

Ten Little Valentines

 We are working on the number 11, but I didn't like what I had planned for preschool yesterday, and decided to help the kids create some simple counting sticks.   We have been using this song for ever, using different variations based on seasons or holidays.  This time, we sang and counted ten valentines.

The kids glued the words to the counting song onto the envelope. 

They spent a fair amount of time decorating the hearts.  Ten hearts each!

As they completed heart decorations, I taped the hearts onto large popsicle sticks.

 Each child practiced counting the sticks out and singing the song along with it if they could.   I found that most couldn't do both simultaneously, but chose one or the other and enjoyed just counting the hearts anyway.

♥♥♥

The valentines were tucked into the envelope for efficient storage. 

Out we went into the grass MUD. 

 ♥♥♥

 Here's a throwback Thursday photo- way back in 2010, we caught a caterpillar and kept it as a pet.  It cocooned and emerged as this creature.  I'm looking forward to Spring so we can order our caterpillars and watch them turn into butterflies again.  Good times!

♥♥♥Happy Thursday!♥♥♥

Painted Newspaper Hearts

I love the way paint looks on newspaper.   Maybe it is the layering effect that I find most appealing.  We painted newspaper hearts yesterday just for fun.

Free painting is a fun activity for any age.  I painted one, myself.  It's therapeutic to paint.  

I have often thought that I would love to have a space that allowed me to keep paint and paper available for the kids to use during their free time.  If I had a center dedicated to child care, it would be easier to make it available to them.  Not in our house, though.  Maybe outside in the summer time with the easel. 

They painted away.

We mixed red and white paint to create some pink.  We are looking for and noticing items around us that are pink and  white!

The results of these painted hearts was phenomenal!

♥I love them.♥

♥♥♥Happy Wednesday!♥♥♥