We started our day out today with outside time today. The sun was so bright and beautiful we decided to go out early. After outside time the children came in and put away their things and had some free play time in the playroom before lunch. Dinosaurs and Unicorns seemed to be the popular free play activity.
Our lunch today was chicken salad sandwich, broccoli and cheese rice, pineapple applesauce, peas and milk. We didn't get enough vegetables today for our regular friendship soup, I'll send home reminders to hang up at home hopefully this afternoon! Snack today is carrots with veggie dip and water to drink.
After lunch the children had some free art time with crayons and colored pencils before nap time.

During lunch today Ryan and I met with the Director of Huntington Learning Center www.huntingtonlearning.com which is located on 55th Street NW. We discussed having them offer something to the children in our care whether they are in need of extra help in certain subjects especially in preparation for Kindergarten or during the elementary school years, or would like to be pushed further academically above and beyond the educational activities we do here. Huntington Learning Center sounds like a wonderful place, they seem to really have the children's best interest at heart. They have offered free diagnostic testing to any families referred from First Discoveries. If you would like any information please let me know and I'd be happy to pass it onto you.

We are still learning about winter ice and snow this week and have some really fun projects planned everyday this week. Today after nap time the children will be working on mixing colors- this time though instead of mixing colors with paint on paper, the children will be mixing food coloring colors on top of SNOW! What a fun way to experiment with color changing and also experience the way that snow changes as it gets wet or sits out in the classroom over time.
We also plan on using ice cubes in the sensory table with shovels, cups, buckets and spoons.




If we have time this afternoon we plan on writing a story "If I Were A Snowflake.."
I love these free writing activities. They are fun for the children, they feel proud of the creative work they do and they are also fun for me as well to watch them develop a story and hear what they are thinking. When we write creative stories we try to always share them with the class. This gets the children comfortable with standing in front of a class and speaking, and also helps the other children in the audience to be patient and wait for their turn and to practice being respectful listeners.