Action Photos

Over the years I have taken thousands of photos of my own children and the children in my care.  I love to look back on them and see how we all have grown.  I have learned, though, that sometimes the best photos are not the ones with a huge cheese face.  That sometimes taking photos of  them working and exploring are not only more fun, but usually brings me the best pictures, especially when I am lucky enough to get that natural smile, you know the one... that special smile that evades even some of the best photographers when they shot photos of children this age.  

The first set of photos are of the kids playing with our GREEN play dough that we made yesterday.  They were off playing in the housekeeping area when I put everything out on the table.  Once they saw it, they came running... no time to take off their outfits.

Little Man was the Knight in Shining Armor to Sprouts Princess ;)

I love this face... Sprout was beginning to make a new "cake" when Little Man started for her old "cake."
You can see that didn't go over well :)

Yes, Little Man is saying, "WHY?????"

The kids eventually wandered away from the play dough and went back to their Knight and Princess world, that is until I brought out the Dinosaurs... Making Dino Tracks is always enticing.

Even Head imprints can be fun...

Or wait, what about tails!!!

Sprout was bound and determined to get that Tail Track!!!
Little Man thought that was a great idea.

But feet were so much easier!!!

We got to spend another great morning outside today.  It was a little cooler than yesterday, but the sun was shining and the ground was pretty dry, so out we went and what a great time we had!!!  I can only hope for another 6 weeks of this!!!

Child Care Ends, Summer Begins

I remember the day Princess walked into my home for our first interview. She made herself right at home and thankfully stayed that way. She would spend the next 2 1/2 years here, growing into the beautiful, spunky, smart, lovable girl she is today. I will miss her.

It is unbelievable that today is her last day coming here. I am thankful that Little Man is still here and Princess will come pick him up with her mom next year. It won't be the same, but I know I will get lots of hugs and kisses when she picks up, and I will hear all about her adventures in Kindergarten. It will be a wonderful journey for her!!

So, now we start our summer vacation. Having families that work in education has it's perks, when it comes to vacations and holidays I pretty much know I will have them off. We have lots planned as a family this summer and we get started today.... I will miss all my kids and our routines, but I look forward to spending some quality time with my own children this summer. They sacrifice a lot of my time during the school year, that I really try to make it up to them in the summer. I look forward to our own adventures this summer!!!

3-D Art

It has been a quiet day today. The humidity has stayed away, but the breeze is gone. So, it wasn't as hot as it could have been, but not as cool either. We created some process oriented 3-D art today. We talked about the colors of the pipe cleaners we used, trying to get Sprout and Big Guy to repeat our words. Sprout could name almost all of them, and Big Guy here tried his best, and giggled a lot. I think he thought we either sounded or looked pretty funny saying "Yellow" over and over again... I never really thought what they must think when they see us over exaggerate words, it must be a sight. I must look in the mirror, but I have a feeling I won't do it like I would for the kids because I look so silly, even to myself :)

After we created, we painted. Paint is always fun. I bought these painting screens from Discount School Supply and thought splatter painting over our 3-D Creations would be fun, but the screens didn't do to well. It just blobbed the paint out and the kids ended up just painting on the Styrofoam with the brush.

I had let a friend borrow our pop-it beads a while ago and she returned them to us recently and the girls had a lot of fun making jewelry for each other. They kept telling me they were Ariel and Tiana... I kept telling them they were Princess Gorgeous and Princess Beautiful!! Lots of giggling ensued :)

Today is Sprouts last day for the school year. Her mom is a teacher and she will spend her summer home with mom. I will miss her. She is such a character and really brings so much joy to my home!! I will miss her smile every morning and her cry each afternoon :) It is a catch 22, parents love that they are happy to be here and don't want to leave, but sometimes I think they would like to just be able to pick up a happy toddler and go home without to much fuss. Sorry :)

How this little one has grown!! I will see you in August!!!!

Another Beautiful Day

Today was a most glorious day. It was sunny, breezy and not humid at all. We ate our breakfast and outside we went. We started by dumping all the water that had collected in our toys from the evening storms, then there was the inspection by the children that all the toys and "play worlds" they had constructed last week, were still where they left them. A lot of discussions and running. It is amazing how fast they can move when the weather cooperates.

I set the E-Z Up tent up on the patio to give us a little extra shade and set about putting out the paint and paint brushes at the easel. We had talked yesterday about using the easel to experiment with the paint, so we did just that today. I also filled the water table and left the hose out to use periodically throughout the morning. Some of us put on our suits and others didn't (my kids of course) and thus started a morning filled with laughter, friendship, investigating, and fun!!!

Sometimes it's just great to catch the shot you want to... he was so overjoyed with himself!!

The kids have taken to getting inside the easel and creating portraits if each other, this one was done by my son of Princess... it was pretty good considering the paint and brushes they have to use :)


Peek-a-Boo

Big Guy here was a little hesitant using the paint with his fingers yesterday, but today he was right there investigating the brushes, the paint and even trying to get under the easel like he saw the other kids doing. I am glad I put it out in a different way for him to enjoy.

I always try to leave messy art out for longer periods of time, as the littler guys have such a short attention span that they don't always get the true benefit of using the materials. Inside I am not always able to do that though. Little Man has a tendency to grab and dump or eat just when I blink :) So we have to limit the activity when we are inside, but outside, like today... man they had a blast!!

These two spent A LOT of time here today. They painted, sprayed, cleaned and painted again. It was wonderful how they discussed what they were painting, how they would achieve the finished product, and even painting together at times. They would walk away for a spell, but returned over and over all throughout the morning. It was nice to see how much they enjoyed it.

Of course, who doesn't love the sprayer on the hose!!


I took this photo right before we went in to change. We have been going through so many towels lately that they all seem to be in the wash or dryer right now. I sent my son to get some from upstairs for us to use and he only brought done 2 towels for 3 kids.

"That's okay!" says Princess, "Come here Sprout, I got ya."

Princess wrapped her towel around Sprout and gave her a little hug and that cute growl we Mom's do when we wrap our little ones up after a bath, shower or pool. It touched my heart and I had to turn away because I only have Princess for a few more days, and I will miss how loving she is. I have the greatest job in the world, but sometimes it is down right sad.

Last Day of School

Yeah... it's the last day of school!! Um, I think that's good, right?? :)

Summer break brings with it its own set of challenges. Keeping my own 4 school age children busy, keeping the little ones I still have busy, along with vacations, summer baseball, and keeping cool. Hmmm.... maybe school isn't so bad.

I read parenting magazines about how to make the last day of school memorable... throwing ice cream party, swim parties, big signs welcoming summer, etc... and I have every intention of creating one of those things. Then all of a sudden the last day of school is here and I realize not only didn't I plan a great end of school memory for my own children, I didn't create one for the daycare kids, I forgot the teacher gift, the award ceremonies, and the water balloons for the water balloon challenge!! Oh man...

Thankfully I always get things better the first week of summer. We will have our sign, we will have our ice cream, and we will definitely have water play... lots of it!! So, to all of you Mom's, Daycare Providers and Teachers... WELCOME SUMMER!!!

The Beginning of Lasts...

The school year is ending, the lasts are beginning. How sad it is. Today is my Little Miss M's last day. We had our Graduation/Spring Program last night, tears were shed, DVD's watched, and the kids did a wonderful job singing and performing. I try to make sure not to have a last day fall on the day of our program, I don't want a rushed goodbye.

So today I got about a bazillion hugs and kisses from Little Miss M. I told her the story of her first day and week here. It is a story I love to tell because her Daddy, who loves her so much and got to spend a lot of those first months with her, brought her to daycare to her get acclimated, for a week. :) Ok, it wasn't a whole week, but it was a few days. We were glad to have him, and see the bond he shares with Little Miss M. I know leaving your baby with someone else has got to be hard, the separation different for everyone.

I then got to get my hands on her. She has always been a spunky little girl, from day one. She would laugh, smile and soak everything in. She loved the kids, she loved people, and she loved coming everyday. I don't think I remember her ever having a day of separation anxiety. Kozy Kids was a second home for her, an extension of her own. I love that I can provide that.

I got to see her first steps, hear her first words.... those are memories I will always cherish.

Little Miss M has grown into such a character. She is smart, lovable, and super silly. She loves cracking jokes, telling silly stories and driving my own boys crazy. She comes in each day and gets right to work, playing with her friends, always stopping for a hug or kiss in between. She loved circle time, singing, and writing. She loved to pretend to be like the big kids and would practice until she got something "right" so she could show all those preschoolers they weren't the only ones who could write their names.

There are so many things I will remember about my time with Little Miss M. Most of all I will remember the love. The love I feel in the hugs, the looks, the smiles.

Little Miss M will go on to a new school next year, one in which I know she will do great at. She has everything she needs to succeed. A great first 3 years, and an absolutely wonderful family that loves her!! I will miss you Little Miss M... more than I could ever put down in words.

Being Kids

OUR DAY IN PICTURES

I was watching the kids play today, exploring things to do with the letter Ii... Ice, Insects, & Inchworm, and I realized that they were having so much fun just exploring the things I had set out for them. They were dripping food colored water down their arms as they shared the color they picked with each other, they made lots of noise as they crashed and crushed the ice cubes in the sensory table with the huge insects I purchased from the Dollar Tree, and cutting and decorating their inchworm, exactly how they wanted it, not how I wanted them to complete it.

They collaborated on so many things, even learning you can't swing tools and materials around without someone falling victim to a flying insect, and they learned that sometimes a wet, rainy day can be the most content day of them all. We didn't even have to resort to jammies and TV to have fun (not that we haven't had great fun having a jammie day, mind you). But, just setting up the environment, for independent play, gave me ample opportunity to give Little Man the extra TLC he needed today. It was nice to just BE today, and learn wonderful skills along the way.

Monday, Monday

We have been settling into a routine, finally. Having an infant in the mix really threw a wrench into the beginning of our year, but I am lucky, Little Man is such a happy, content baby. He goes with the flow, loves the kids, and seems to thrive on the constant motion of the daycare. As long as he is fed, changed, napped, talked to, sung to, danced with, held, and loved... he is perfect. Thankfully all that can be accomplished with the help of all the kids and routine.

We worked on the letter Dd today. We came up with a list of words that started with the Dd sound... Dog, Donut, Dump Truck, Dinosaur, and Doll to just name a few. We read, There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves by Lucille Colandro... I know, not much to do with the letter Dd, but we are still learning about Fall and the changes that take place during that time, so I thought what a great, funny book to help.

Miss Beth and I worked hard this weekend to move the playroom around a little. I added an adult sized rocking chair so Little Man and I can be with the kids while I feed him. It has been great today, and definitely cut down on the tendency to "dump and run" as we like to call it, when a child takes out a toy or toys and dumps it on the floor to realize they don't actually want to play with it, then they run... leaving it for later to be picked up, hopefully by someone other than themselves. Today was much better.

For a Monday it was pretty good. Having a routine, following it and being consistent with expectations has helped our days flow more smoothly, now we will have to see what tomorrow brings :)

A little of This... A little of That

I have realized how easy I had it last year. All the kids were mobile and walking. The biggest skill needing to be taught was potty training, and with Little Miss M and her family it was pretty much a breeze. So... I could take photos, have messy art out all the time, water galore, and getting out of the house was no big deal, just a potty break before we left and off we went to explore the neighborhood. This year, my minutes are so full, I have been having a real hard time finding the camera, let alone taking photos.

Today we work on our color RED, the letter Aa, and learned about Apple Tree's. We also worked on problem solving when we were building with the blocks and even when we were deciding who would pick up those blocks. We worked on our listening skills by listening to our friends when they wanted to share or when Shell asked everyone to wash hands. We learned that sand and Play Doh really do mix well together and make the Play Doh "shiny and sparkly" according to the Princess. One of our littlest friends learned that if you can make your legs and arms work together you can crawl... Way To Go Little Guy!!! Next thing we know you'll be walking!!! The Preschoolers are learning that they are the "big" kids this year, and are finding their leadership skills to direct and bring to life imaginative play as well as "helping" with the little people. What we do all day, doesn't always involve "academic" learning, but a lot of bits and pieces that help each child become confident Kindergartners.

Miss Beth was able to get these few photos today.... enjoy!!!

What, aren't I supposed to be under here??

Don't worry, I was just getting this RED block.

I am soooo Big!!!

Fun Times

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Just a few shots of our days, while getting back into the groove of being a group again.

What We've Been Doing

Friends

Miss Beth came to visit with her new Little Guy... I think our Little Man may have a new built in friend to play with!!

Little Man relaxing after filling his belly!!

Big Kids playing together after a long absence... It's fun to have Miss Beth and her gang come and play!!!

Cheese!!!

We have been getting used to having new kids at daycare this week. Our routine will have to be tweaked, some friends will have to learn patience, and we will have to get used to having an even more flexible schedule. So, this week we have just been free choice playing, learning where things belong, and playing with new and old friends. The first couple of weeks of a new year is always the hardest, but if you put the time and effort into it, you will reap the rewards later on!!