Christmas Party

We had so much fun today at our Christmas party! A HUGE thank you to everyone for Brenda's gifts as well as gifts for Cindy! We appreciate your thoughtfulness!!! Santa came to visit after we colored a picture and talked about Christmas. In fact, he came right as we were singing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer! Enjoy pictures below on the slideshow. Some of the kids were so funny...we had tears, we had laughter, we had smiles and frowns when we tried to get pictures with the jolly old man. We even had all of them combined in a couple of kids. We won't be doing circle time for the next two weeks (over break)...we will continue with the letter Oo. Thanks again, for all the nice gifts. We love to work with the kids during circle time. It's our favorite time of the week!!!
Brenda and Cindy

Nn Week

Today we reviewed our letters as usual and talked about our new letter, Nn. We talked about some words that started with Nn and the sound it makes. Presley brought The Night Before Christmas to read and the kids loved it. Katie brought a napkin and a nickel and Grayden brought two trains - Nevel and Ned and also a nickel to share. Good ideas! The kids colored their weekly pictures for their notebook and each child got a note from Santa to take home for the letter Nn. The kids also finished one of their crafts for their parents (gift for Christmas). Next week we will not have a letter. We will celebrate Christmas and Brenda will hand out the kids' gifts. It is always a favorite time of year for us - our annual Christmas party! Looking forward to that! We will also have a special visitor during our party - someone the kids will love (hint - red suit). See you on Tuesday!

Mm Week

This week we learned about the letter Mm and some words that start with Mm such as monkey, mitten, mop, and mirror. We reviewed all our letters and learned to sign the letter Mm (show three fingers and fold down over the thumb). The kids had some great things that start with Mm this week. Presley had a book called "I See A Monster" that the kids loved! She also shared a Minnie Mouse. Katie shared some mittens and money. Grayden was the winner with the most things that start with Mm - Mader, Mickey, Molly, Monty, Murdoch, Muck, Mighty Mack, a motorcycle, a moose, and a mug. Great job, Grayden! The kids also were excited to hear that we would sing their two favorite songs about monkeys! They also colored their weekly pictures for their folders and we went into the kitchen to make something special for their Christmas trees - mittens. We also worked on our project for Christmas. Next week is Nn wee so be sure to bring those Nn things!

Ll Week

Today we learned the letter Ll and words that begin with Ll such as lollipop, lamp, lamb, lion and ladder. We learned to sign the letter Ll - have your child show you! We reviewed all our letters and shared our Ll things we brought. Grayden went all out and brought a light up shirt (Rudolph - how cute!), Lightning McQueen, and a little log. Presley brought Lambchop and Caedon also brought a Lightning McQueen. Good ideas kids! We sang "This Little Light of Mine" song and the kids enjoyed it! Not a familiar song but they like doing the actions to the song. We then made lollipops and worked on a Christmas craft - that's right a Christmas craft. It will be here before you know it and we have to stay ahead of the game! Next week we will work on the letter Mm so bring your Mm items.

Kk Week and Thanksgiving

We decided to keep today action packed and continue with our new letter - Kk and celebrate Thanksgiving. We reviewed our letters as usual and learned to sign the letter Kk. This one was hard to do. Most are doing well with signing. We also shared what everyone brought for circle time. Katie and Konner brought themselves to circle time! Presley and Addy brought a kitty, Briella brought a Hello Kitty, and Grayden brought a key and kangaroo card. Good job at finding things. We also talked about Thanksgiving and the first meal the Indians and Pilgrims shard. We talked about the importance of sharing and being thankful. The kids shared what they were thankful for...most said, turkey, grandparents, moms and dad, pets and brothers and sisters. Cute. We sang the Mr. Turkey song as well

Mr. Turkey

Mr. Turkey

Are you getting nice and fat

We will eat you at Thanksgiving

Now, what do you think of that!

The kids made their way to the kitchen to color their weekly pictures and made a kite. We also finished our fall project to take home for our parents and made pilgrim hats as well. Enjoy pics below. Next week is Ll week so bring those Ll things!

Jj Week

We had circle time today and celebrated Caedon's birthday. It was Jj week so we learned to sign the letter Jj (like i, but make shape of J with pinky finger as you are signing it). We also reviewed our letters and sang the alphabet song. We talked about things that start with Jj such as jelly, jack in the box, jump, jacket and jester. Presley and Addy brought Jo Jo to share and Briella brought lots of very pretty jewelry that she had fun modeling for us. Jeff said he didn't bring anything and I said, "yes, you did...you brought yourself." He enjoyed that-I even took a nice picture of him to put on this posting! We also did some jumping jacks (the highlight of circle time for the kids) and sang "Jingle Bells." We also colored our weekly pictures and made a jack o lantern...some kids made sad faces, and the others made happy faces. Very fun. The kids finished up their turkey crafts and then we did some celebrating - Caedon's birthday. His cupcakes were fabulous!!! Happy birthday Caedon! Next week is Kk wee so bring those things that start with Kk. We also will be needed some baby food jars for an upcoming craft, so please send some if you have any. We will need one per child.

Ii Week

This week we had circle time on Wednesday. The kids learned to sign the letter Ii (holding pinky finger up only) and reviewed all the other letters. We had lots of fun with what Presley brought for Ii - Indians (and other little people that have to do with Thanksgiving). It gave us the opportunity to discuss Thanksgiving, the Indians and Pilgrims. We also talked about things that start with the letter Ii - Ice cream, Insect and Indians. We also sang "Itsy Bitsy Spider" for the letter Ii - a song the kids really love. The kids colored their weekly pictures and made our craft - an igloo (with an eskimo). They were so into their craft we decided to add some more crafts to our time for the upcoming holiday...something the kids will take home later in the month. We sure stayed busy! Another great circle time day. Next week we will learn the letter Jj. Make sure the kids bring something that starts with Jj on Tues. and Wed. as I am not sure which day we will have circle time yet during that week. See you then!

Hh is for Halloween!

Our Halloween party was spooktacular!!! In attendance was a peacock, a firefighter, a stinky kitty, Spiderman, Mike Wasowski, an ND cheerleader, a dragon, Tigger, a lion and Jo Jo! VERY FUN! We did circle time first and reviewed how to sign our letters. We learned to sign the letter Hh for Halloween! We also talked about other words that start with Hh such as horse, hat, happy, and Halloween. The wanted to sing their "Five Little Pumpkins" song in honor or our party today. We immediately went out to the kitchen to make our craft...a Halloween necklace. The kids got to choose between a ghost, pumpkin or kitty. They had fun making them. I told them to be sure to where them for Halloween. Brenda took the kids out to the garage to do the pinata - a favorite part of our Halloween party. Lots of candy was the prize...thanks to all the parents who helped supply it. Caedon brought straws for everyone Briella brought yummy cupcakes, Jeff brought cookies, Katie brought doughnuts, Grayden brought juice and rice krispie treats to share, and Konner/Karson brought bags of candy for everyone. Another big thank you for making our party so great! To end our party we got to watch "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" Enjoy lots of pictures here. Also, the kids get to bring home their bats they made last week for our party. Next week is Ii week - bring things that start with Ii. Happy Halloween!

Gg Week

We worked on reviewing our letters today and how to sign them. We learned to sign the letter Gg - don't forget to ask your child. They all know how to do it. We also talked about the sound of Gg and things that start with the letter. The kids were anxious to share what they brought...Grayden brought "himself," gum and Gordon the train, Konner brought a goose, and Briella brought a gloworm that she was very proud of showing off. As soon as Konner showed his goose, Grayden piped up and said, "let's play duck, duck, goose!" So we did. The kids had lots of fun doing that! They also wanted to sing "Five Little Monkeys" and "Five Little Pumpkins" for Halloween. We then were able to color our weekly pictures, make our "foot" ghosts and "sucker" ghosts. Lots of fun! The kids were really into the craft part so we decided to make one of our crafts for our Halloween party. They did great! They all stayed busy and worked hard. Next week is our Halloween Party...for Hh week! The kids don't have to bring anything for Hh since we will be having our Halloween party. The party will be on Wednesday the 31st. We are asking for parents to donate candy or non candy items for the kids to put into the pinata. Please let Brenda know by this Friday if you want to bring something. If you want to bring something for the kids to eat or drink please let us know as well. Thanks and looking forward to seeing what everyone decides to dress up as next week!

Ff Week

We had fun today...We started by having circle time and reviewing our letters and how to sign them. Everyone is doing well with that! I am assuming they are working at home with this. Grayden brought fruit and frankenstein to share, Briella brought a froggy hat (very cute!) and Presley brought a Franklin doll that her daddy fixed for her! We talked about things that started with Ff such as frog, flower and fly. We learned to sign the letter Ff (looks like you are making an "okay" sign with your hand). The kids colored their pictures to put in their folders and made a fan as a craft. We also sang our "Five" songs since Five starts with our letter. Five Little Pumpkins, Five Little Monkeys Teasing Mr. Alligator and Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. We had lots of FUN today. Next week we will work learn the letter Gg so bring your Gg things!!! See you then!

Five

The kids are loving the songs we have been singing... and I have tried to incorporate the numbers into their learning as well. We have been singing three different songs with "5" and showing them how to count on their hands.

Five Little Pumpkins sitting on a gate
The first one said "it's getting late."
The second one said "there are witches in the air"
The third one said "we don't care"
The fourth one said "halloween is fun"
The fifth one said "let's run run run"
And out (clap) went the lights and five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.

Five little monkeys sitting in a tree
Teasing mister alligator can't catch me no you can't catch me
Along comes mister alligator quiet as can be
Snap (clap)
-Repeat till you get to one
Snap (clap) - missed me missed me missed me

Five little monkeys jumping on the bed
One fell off and bumped his head
Ma ma called the doctor and the doctor said
No more monkeys jumping on the bed
-Repeat till you get to one
(YELL) No more monkeys jumping on the bed!

Ee Week

This week Brenda did most of the crafty things...she had the kids color their weekly pictures on Tuesday. Most of the kids had their Ee items from last week to share...Katie brought an envelope, Briella brought ears and an eggman, Presley brought Elmo, Caedon brought an elephant hat, Konner brought an engine and Grayden brought an engine also along with Emma Kate - a very cool book that Brenda read to them. The kids also made their craft...an elephant to take home.
Today, Cindy came and taught the kids to sign the letter Ee. We also reviewed our letters and our colors as well. Next week we will learn the letter Ff on Tuesday. See you then!

Sickness Delays Circle Time

Sorry about getting to the posting late...we had some sickness at Brenda's house last week, therefore cancelling circle time. Good news is Brenda is feeling much better and back to work...I think Brenda has actually only called off work twice in the 30 some years of daycare home service! That's gotta be a record!!! We will have circle time with Cindy on Wednesday this week (Tuesday she will be going on a field trip with Gabi at her school). We will update then! We are on Ee this week...in the meantime, continue to practice signing with your child.

Dd Week

This week we learned about the letter Dd, reviewed our colors, and started shapes and numbers! Presley brought a duck and a doggy, Briella brought a toy duck, Katie brought a duck and Dora, Caedon and Konner both brought dinosaurs, and Grayden brought a duck along with Dr. Pepper especially for Brenda! The kids had fun sharing their toys and things they brought. They also got a kick out of a game that we played...Doggy, Doggy, Where's Your Bone? They loved it. We reviewed our signing of the letters and learned how to do Dd. We also read a book called I LIKE FALL and sang a song called "The Squirrels are Hunting For Nuts." We then proceeded to make our Dd craft...doorknob hangers for our rooms. The kids had loads of fun picking out cute little things that they liked. We also used that time to talk about colors as well. The kids also colored their weekly pictures for their folders.

The Squirrels are Hunting for Nuts
The Squirrels are Hunting for Nuts
They're here, they're there, they're everywhere
The Squirrels are Hunting for Nuts.
They bury them deep in the ground
They bury them deep in the ground
They're here, they're there, they're everywhere
They bury them deep in the ground.
They stand up straight and tall
They stand up straight and tall
They're here, they're there, they're everywhere
They stand up straight and tall.
A great week indeed!

Cc Week

Today we had circle time and we reviewed our letters by signing them. The kids are doing GREAT at that! We learned to sign the letter Cc. We also had to sing our "Bumblebee" song because the kids love it. We clapped along with the ABC song also. The kids had show and tell with their Cc things they brought. Caedon brought himself, along with candy for everyone and some cars - thanks for the candy Caedon!! Grayden brought a cute cow and a chinese dragon, Katie brought a Cat, Briella brought a Carebear, Konner and Karson both brought cars, and Presley & Addy wore their camp shirts, brought a crab, Croakie (from Jo Jo's circus), a computer and cows. All very cute ideas from everyone. We did Calendar time together and read a book for Cc - Clifford's Pals. The kids enjoyed it. We then went into the kitchen to color our cameras with pictures of Clifford camping. Brenda and I also worked a little bit on the colors for this week. We will work on them all each week along with the letters from now on. Next week we will learn the letter Dd. Please have the kids bring something that starts with Dd and also, have them practice signing the letters we have already learned. They are doing a great job with this! A great week indeed!

Bb Week

The kids are catching on quickly to signing the alphabet. Jeff's mom must be working with him at home because he knew how to sign Bb without being showed! Good job Jeff! Briella brought herself for circle time, along with a bear that was a bride and she also wore a belt! Presley brought Boo Boo bear and Katie brought a beach bag full of Bears. We sang about a baby bumblebee...




I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee
Won't my mommy be so proud of me
I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee
Ouch! He stung me!
I'm squishing up my baby bumblebee
Won't my mommy be so proud of me
I'm squishing up my baby bumblebee
Uh oh! I'm all dirty
I'm wiping up my baby bumblebee
Won't my mommy be so proud of me
I'm wiping up my baby bumblebee
Oh no! I'm yucky! Mommy's gonna be mad at me!


The kids loved that song and we had to sing and do the motions 4 times! Lots of laughs!
We then made our bunny bags full of Bb things...bandaids, balls and balloons. The kids really enjoyed playing with their blown up balloons before lunch. We also made sure all the kids colored their weekly pictures of Bb for their folders. Fun week indeed!

Aa Week

Last week we learned the letter Aa and we sent out the newsletter to everyone via email. We also celebrated Cindy's birthday (which was the most fun part for the kids). Here are a couple of pics of our first circle time week.

happy birthday Cindy

we just wanted to let Cindy know how much we love her and hope she has a very special day on her 34th birthday, Have a GREAT DAY Happy Birthday

New Year of Circle Time

We will try to update the blog at least once a week with pics and/or news about Circle Time, whether it be from Cindy or me. Please be patient with me, as you can see I have been kind of slow this past year. Cindy came today to bring a list for everyone to put their email addresses down on so we have them updated and added. Next week we will start our ABC's - we are going to teach the kids sign language again this year - we enjoyed the last time we did this. Please have your child bring something that starts with the letter Aa next week on Wednesday as well as perhaps something special that represents them. Thanks and looking forward to Circle Time 2007-2008!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Happy Birthday Chad
Just wanted to wish Chad a very Happy Birthday,hope you had a very happy day, and hope you enjoyed your ice cream cake.
We LOVE YOU
mom and dad

Addison's First Birthday

Addy will be turning 1 on August 9th and like I said before, Presley and Addison stay home during the summer time. We celebrated today and she got some great gifts. She especially loved the cupcakes that mommy and her nana made for her. Thanks for those yummy treats! Since it was her birthday Aunt Cindy took her out to put her feet in the pool with Presley - an everyday happening when aunt cindy comes now. Happy early Birthday Addy! We love you!

Grayden's Birthday

Grayden will turn 4 on August 19th and since his mom is a teacher and keeps Grayden home for the summer we always celebrate his birthday before he leaves for the summer. We celebrated last Tuesday. Happy Birthday Grayden!

Patriotic

This weekend Jr. put up a flag pole for Memorial Day. We even put a spotlight on it. It was a lot of work but after it was all said and done, it looks pretty nice. Check it out! We also went to visit Cindy, Ben and the kids with Chad, Amber, Presley and Addison at the campground on Sunday. Jr. wanted to take ribs and chicken. He is getting to be a pro at cooking barbequed ribs! Happy Memorial Day!

Presley's Birthday Party

Today we celebrated Presley's 2nd birthday with cupcakes. The kids had a great time watching (and helping) Presley open all her gifts. She got Curious George DVD, Mr. Potato Head and accessories, a baby doll diaper bag, Playdoh, Dora, and a new little white puppy that she calls "doggy." We think Presley had a great day! Here are some photos from today.

First in the pool

Well every year Trenton or Tyler are the first ones in the pool and always have to brag about how cold it was and still they went in -when Chad was younger he was the first one but this year it was 7yr old Gabi. she jumped right in off the diving board,and I didn't have my camera,Cindy was here too,she could have taken the pics.
Tyler Gabi and Cindy were here today because Trenton was in Indy wrestling, he is
doing really well,Ben keeps us posted.
It was a beautiful day, and now it is time to clean up by the pool and put things away and get ready for the kids in the morning
by the way today was the first morning we had breakfast on the patio,it was a little chili so we didn't go out to the gazebo and we didn't stay out to long but
Gabi and I had our ice cream out there

More circle time

Here are some pics from circle time this year. We just finished with the letters and we will work a little bit on colors now. Our goal this year was to just get the kids interested in learning and hopefully pick up some learning as we go...they had fun and I think we reached our goal, everytime Cindy came for circle time the kids got really excited. We celebrated Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter also. Here are some pictures.

This is for Cindy

I always thought I was the mom and the kids{Cindy and Chad } were suppose to listen to me, well things must have changed because now Cindy is always trying to tell me what to do-and I am doing it- this Blog thing-so here it is.
This weekend was nice- we cleaned the garage, fixed Cindy's sweeper { she keeps pulling the electric cord out of the back] so Sid fixed that. and put new lights in the garage, and fixed my mom and dads door. , we also took Gabi to the skating party.
Maybe if this weather stays nice we can open the pool, we always have it open by now, and maybe Cindy will insist I learn to Blog with pictures and I will post some in the future of the pool and the hot tub too .
If this is to boring you can always look at Cindy and Amber's blog, they have plenty of pics for me too.
How is this for the first time blogger.
Brenda

Circle Time Day

We had circle time with Cindy today...learning the letter Yy. Made a picture on yellow picture with yarn. Just starting with this blog...more later