AFC PINE AM

  Today we took the time to relax, play in our jammies, eat some cookies, and watch a movie! These boys work so hard every day that it only seemed appropriate to enjoy the last day before break the most relaxing way we could. After some playing in the gym we all settled onto the carpet to eat some cookies and watch the holiday Trolls movie! Have such a safe and happy break, we will see you after the start of the new year 😊

  Wow! What more could we ask for on this week before the holiday break?! It was a busy morning full of snow exploration, s'more makin', and giggles galore. Although not everyone was stoked about roasting the marshmallow around the fire, each boy found a way to enjoy them once we got inside! Enjoy these cute and hysterical pictures from our morning. Don't forget about PJ day tomorrow! 

This morning was filled with a lot of exploration using flashlights in the fort we built! We spent most of it going in and out of the fort and even had our meeting underneath the blanketed roof! It was definitely a nice change of pace to do something a little different. Looking forward to s'mores tomorrow! 

This week we are gearing up to embrace the winter and everything that follows along with it! B has such a great memory that he remembered the snow we saw from last year! The video below for reference 😊 It got us thinking... how can we recreate the snow we saw last year and are anticipating this year?! Making snowflakes! Each boy took their own approach in creating beautiful snowflakes that will hang from our ceiling and give us that warm fuzzy feeling of snow falling.  Yes, we do know that snowflakes are typically green, red, yellow, and orange, but it sure makes the snowflakes a lot more interesting to look at! To end our day we listened to some stories about snow and the many creations that come of it! Happy Monday! 

  The boys had such a fun day today celebrating J's birthday! He will be 4 on Saturday so we took the opportunity to make him feel extra special here at school.  J brought in a balloon which the boys went crazy for! They played "keep it up" along with watching it stick to everyone's clothes from the static electricity. Unfortunately, the balloon did not last very long seeing as it popped from an unfortunate accident with a stick, BUT the fun didn't end.  J requested to have some bubbles so we had a big bubble party!  To end the day, J got a special birthday song with a pretend cake and candles. This was the perfect way to "blow" out the candles per COVID guidelines. Happy birthday, J! We love to celebrate you and all of the joy you bring to our small classroom 😊

  Ah, the magic of magnets! Since the beginning of the year the boys have been very curious as to how objects can stick to certain surfaces. We have tried out and abundance of different toys that stick to a variety of things in our classroom including: magnets, suction cup toys, and painters tape. They have noticed that all of these different materials don't necessarily stick to the same surfaces. Why is that? To continue our exploration on all toys that stick, the boys have had the opportunity to play with magna-tiles!  Both boys walked in Monday morning with curious eyes of the random metal objects suspended above the light table. Each of them walked around the table and really inspected what was happening! It was definitely more fun to swing the random mason jar lids and other metal pieces than to try and build off of them.  Today, however, the boys started to engage and were able to start putting some of the magna-tiles onto the suspended apparatus. They were able to experience

  On our last day of the week this week we took a nice long walk around the neighborhood and looked at all of the festive decorations. L was particularly interested in seeing all of the colors, sparkles, and shapes in the windows around town! We are so fortunate to live in a community that celebrates all kinds of holidays. The make our walks a little brighter on these gloomy days.  Have a great & safe weekend! Looking forward to next week and the many joys it will bring 😊

Anyone else ordering out on nights you don't feel like cooking? Found a favorite go to restaurant? Well I am happy to announce that the Pine room has had their soft opening for our little restaurant this morning! All three boys were eager to get their hands on some pretend food and kitchen tools to start the day. J worked hard chopping up vegetables & fruit while L plated the food and served everyone around the room. A was our quality assurance guy as he inspected each piece of pretend food for perfection. Each boy played a small role in our make shift restaurant, but stayed engaged for a long time this morning. Their pretend play skills are really starting to form nicely and we are able to revisit some activities from the beginning of the year. It's an amazing transition to say the least. 

  We had such a fun Tuesday morning! Today was the first day that all three boys really engaged and participated fully during our meeting time with Julie. These days are usually filled with a lot of movement, music, and high energy. Today was no different! We introduced the mini parachute to the boys. We first began by just practicing holding onto the parachute and moving it up and down. Giggles filled the room as it was creating a sort of windy effect. As the boys became more familiar with lifting it high and then down low, we paired some favorite songs to keep them up and moving.  Unfortunately I do not have a video of such sweet playing. With three busy boys it's all hands on deck when playing new or unfamiliar games. Each boy took a turn going under the parachute and allowing the movement of the fabric put them into a calming trance. The game lasted about 10 or so minutes and the boys continued to stay engaged as songs changed and demands increased. It was so refreshing to hear