Busy, busy, busy and more

Hello!

What a busy day...we had fun playing musical "feeling" chairs back by popular demand....a cooking project where we watched and helped how our pancakes are made for lunch. Then this afternoon we played hide and go seek outside; what a hysterical experience! I love the children who hide their eyes but are convinced that no one can see them. Hilarious!

We are just a busy place with lots of new and exciting experiences just waiting to be explored! Every day brings growth and development of our children who are excited to be here everyday. Please come join us and explore the fun!

Have a great evening!

Miss Sue

You Old Snake in the Cotton

Hello Friends,
It was a fun and interesting day. We set up our water tables outside and used them as Sensory Tables with cotton and small animals hidden in the cotton balls. Then we played trying to find all of the animals, snakes and more. This was soooo fun and kept their interest for quite some time. We also played "Simon Says" with our emotions..."Simon says smile, Simon says laugh". Each child got a turn to give a command.

Then we learned more songs about feelings..."When your happy and you know it..." and more.

Enjoy the photo!

Miss Sue

Paint Your Mood

Hello FOCs (friends of Cherub)

What a busy day! We played a different version of musical chairs...feelings chairs. We stomped around the chairs when we were pretending to be mad, laughed and skipped around the chairs when we were happy, cried around the chairs when we pretending to be sad, etc. and everytime a person/chair was eliminated they were a winner and we clapped for them.

Then we painting to music this afternoon...we learned about opera...a story sung to music and painted how we felt when we heard rock and roll, opera, jazz, classical, etc. It will soon appear after it dries on one of our bulletin boards. We used our fingers, paint brushes, paint rollers, sponges and more. It was a blast...both children and I though so...

Have a great evening....make it great!

Miss Sue

Oh What a Feeling!

Hello Fellow Followers,

This week is all about feelings....learning that feelings are neither right nor wrong and how to express them. We looked at pictures of children feeling sad, mad, surprised, happy, silly etc. Of course, our friends stated that they have never felt sad or mad before. Perhaps from their point of view, but from this side of the fence we've seen it all!

We had an interesting visit this morning from a young man from DVC who is majoring in Early Childhood Education. He had to do an observation of children interacting with teachers for about an hour. As Bette and I spoke to him, he told us that he is an alum of Cherub! Wowee! Life comes full circle!

Johanna will be back today and we are celebrating her birthday with a "homemade" cake. The children helped mix, pour, stir the cake batter.  It's on the homely side of beautiful, but I'm sure it will taste great!

Have a great day!

Miss Sue

What's in Your Heart?

Today we made our own hearts...along with blood, arteries, veins, we added what was in our hearts...maybe it was your dog or mom and dad...some grandmas and grandpas, brothers and sisters...so cute! Come see our bulletin board to check out who's on your child's heart! Happy weekend!

Cardiology 101

Hello Followers,

Did you know the average human heart beats about 100,000 times per day?! Today we learned all about our heart and how to keep it healthy. We made our own stethescopes and listened to our hearts...first at rest then after we ran around the playground or rode our bikes real fast. Wow! What a difference!

Then this afternoon, we talked about healthy foods and not so healthy foods. Each of us took a paper plate and decided what we would like to make for dinner with lots of pictures of food. It was hilarious to see the combos people put together....Coco-puffs with a side of salmon, donuts with veggies, chocolate cake with corn on the cob!

Oh life is good here at Cherub....the laughter, the smiles, the wonder and amazement on our friend's faces everyday makes it worth while...

Have a good one,
Miss Sue

Scrub Your Worries Away

Today we continued our study of germs...we looked at all kinds of soap; dishwasher soap, dish soap, bar soap, toothpaste, dog shampoo, people shampoo, laundry soap and more. Then we made our very own puppet, Slippery Soap, from Blues' Clues. We talked about keeping ourselves, our clothes, our dishes clean...so much fun!

Also, we are making a "good deed" chain. Everytime we see someone doing something good, we add a link to the chain. We add links for sharing, helping each other, being kind, being a good friend. We grew from no links to over 5 feet long! We decided to keep it up all year to see how many links we can grow! Check it out!

We have so much fun, please come join us! We have so much fun....

Working at the Chair Wash

Hello Friends of Cherub,

Today was another perfect day to be outside and play in water! This afternoon, all of our friends brought out their chairs and set them up to be washed. Today we continued our conversation regarding germs; including rubbing everyone's hands on a piece of bread to show how germs grow. We have it safely stored in a baggie and can't wait to see what grows on it! Yech!

This afternoon we worked on our socialization skills by talking to each other, fine motor skills by squeezing our wash cloths out, cooperation skills by helping each other and sense of humor skills by laughing the whole time. We washed and scrubbed our chairs, then set them in the sun to dry. They look spectacular! Enjoy the pix!

Bathing to Keep your Dinosaurs, Babies and Animals Healthy

This week is all about health, eating healthy and how to keep ourselves nice and clean. Today we bathed our dinosaurs, baby dolls and animals. It was soooooooooo fun to get them and ourselves all lathered up and wash them. We talked about how to take a bath, how to wash our ears and behind them, our feet, arms and hands. Then we practiced with our animals and baby dolls. Then we rinsed them off, dried them and let our towels dry in the sun. We dried our clothes in the dryer to speed up the process....

Tomorrow is a talk about keeping our environment clean by washing our chairs outside too...more from the "car wash" tomorrow.

Have a great evening!
Miss Sue

Welcome to the Cherub Tea Room

Hello FOCs,

Life is busy around here! Lots of news to report! Yesterday, Wednesday, 9/14, we used our finest manners at the lovely and upscale "Cherub Tea Room". We had a table cloth, real tea cups, tea pots and got dressed up to come to the party. Everyone wore a lovely scarf and brought their best manners with them as we dined on finger sandwiches, strawberries and 'nilla wafers decorated with pink icing. It was a lovely affair....we learned about napkins in our laps, please and thank you and passing our treats around. It was a blast.

We kept their attention for nearly 45 minutes and had a blast doing it! I think we will have more of these parties in the future.

Also, I would like to announce my "engagement" to fine young man who is 3 years old. I was proposed to yesterday with some "faux" flowers and his head on my shoulder. He asked if he could marry me...of course I said yes. I have received numerous "marriage proposals" over the years, but none so sweet as this one. I discussed it with my husband of 31 years, and he was agreeable to my marriage from Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. to my fine suitor. I guess I will have to hyphenate my last name...whew!

Have a great evening!
Smiles,
Miss Sue

Friendship, Manners and Sharing

Hello Cherub-ians,

I got so busy yesterday, I forgot to post. First off, we have a new part time staff member in the afternoons named Johanna. She comes to us from Orinda TOPS and YWCA. She has almost 20 years experience working with children aged 0-5 and couldn't wait to start. She will be working M-F 2:30 until 5 or closing, rotating duties with me. She is a delight and the children really enjoyed being with her!

Secondly, we are learning all about sharing, manners and friendship. We made a friendship wreath, our very personalized 'Circle of Friends" and a chain of good deeds that are being observed. Our chain is growing longer every time we see someone helping a friend, sharing, being kind and using their manners. We also have had a few chains taken off when people were not as nice to each other as they could be.

We even are using some of our new found skills in the yard! Check the photos out below! Happy day to all!

Hugs all around,

Miss Sue

Happy Friday Everyone!

Hello Followers,
We had a busy week and a busy day today. First we got our pictures taken. They will be back in about 2 weeks. Everyone looked great! We learned more nursery rhymes like Hey Diddle Diddle. We were so busy we even forgot to make our placemats.

Today we said goodbye to Janelle. She has taken a full time job at a school in Walnut Creek. It is soooooo sad to leave her, but we are happy for her, too. As you know, we have a low enrollment here at Cherub and Janelle needs full time employment. Plus it is a chance for her to go to a large center and see what life is like on the other side of the fence. She promises to come visit frequently.

Have a great weekend! Next week is Sharing and Manners Week....can't wait for our High Tea on Tuesday!

Hugs,
Miss Sue

Cooking with Peanut Butter

Hello!
Today we learned the story of Hansel and Gretel...a cautionary tale about wandering away from home and into danger. The children loved the idea of finding a house made out of gingerbread, candy and cookies in the woods, but the idea of a witch fattening up a boy to eat him...scary! They loved the cleverness of Hansel when the witch asked him to stick out his finger to see how fat he was, but instead he stuck out a twig. Their eyes were open wide in amazement at the end of the story when the children finally found their father.

The other fun thing we did this morning is make Peanut Butter Balls. Truth be told, don't know who likes these better....staff or children.

PB Ball Recipe
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup honey
2 cups powdered milk

Mix peanut butter, honey and milk together in a large bowl to form a very thick mixture. Roll mixture in small balls about the size of a walnut. Roll the balls in either crushed cornflakes, finely chopped nuts, rice crispies or coconut. Place on waxed paper and refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour.

Back in the 80s when I was director here the first time, we used to make these at least once a week...then they went on hiatus for 25+ years until I returned to bring them back in all their glory! Yumm-o! Once you eat them, you can never go back!

This afternoon, we're making our Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star bottles....check them out!

Tomorrow....picture day and learning the nursery rhyme, "Hey Diddle, Diddle..." Watch for a fun project coming your way!

Smiles all around,
Miss Sue

The 3 Little Pigs' Houses

Hello FOCs,

Today we learned about The 3 Little Pigs...the Big, Bad Wolf and what kinds of houses they built. Check these out...straw, sticks and bricks. Then we painted our own Big Bad Wolf paintings by using paint and a straw...can you guess how we made them...by huffing and puffing the paint of course!

Tune in tomorrow for the story of Hansel and Gretel. We'll make our own trail to find our own snack! Fun!

We have so much fun here, come and join us!

Hugs,

Miss Sue

Nursery Rhymes Week

Hello Friends of Cherub,

Today we learned about the "Muffin Man" as well as all about Mother Goose. We are learning lots of nursery rhymes this week. We enjoyed making the "muffin man" this morning, so we could eat him this afternoon!

Keep your eyes out for the 3 Little Pigs....their houses and the Big, Bad Wolf....tomorrow!

Enjoy your day!

Miss Sue

Cup Cake Walk

Hi and Happy Three Day Weekend to You!

As Fair week draws to a close, we have had so much fun! We played so many kinds of games...and the grand finale our "Cup Cake Walk." One friend thought walked on the cupcakes to play the game. Well, that certainly is an option, but not quite the game we had planned. Our "faux" cotton candy is up on the bulletin board.

Also, we had a tasty delicacy today....cooked octopus....as you can see, they even tried to escape from the pan while I was cooking. In reality they were hot dogs, cut vertically and while they cook, they begin to curl. Our friends LOVED the idea of eating an octopus!

We have a winner in our M&M guess contest...as you know we had guesses all week from 1-1000. A fine young lady guessed 160 M&Ms which in actually the total was 174.

Next week, Nursery Rhymes....don't change that channel, stay tuned!

Hugs and More,

Miss Sue

Busy Day at the Fair

Hello FOCs (Friends of Cherub),

As our photos show, it's always busy day here. Although we have a small group of "chicken lickens" as I call them fondly, they know how to have fun! Today we played "Water Bottle Bowling" with colored water in water bottles and a ball. Each friend got 3 turns to knock them down. It was a blast!

Then we made our necklaces....pasta necklaces, of course, of varying colors. This is a great activity to develop eye hand coordination, fine motor skills and patience. Everyone looked stunning in the necklaces...rather fetching to say the least.

Additonally, check out the picture of our most tired friend....after a long morning of singing, dancing, playing games, winning prizes and riding your trike all over the yard. Whew! Life can be exhausting when you are 2 years old.

Have a great day!
Miss Sue