Spuhler Sprouts

Friendship trailmix!

2011-09-16T00:11:00.001-07:00

Getting to know you!

2011-09-16T00:01:00.001-07:00

2011-2012 Spuhler Sprouts!

2011-09-15T23:36:00.000-07:00

Feelin the LoVe!

2011-02-17T18:12:00.000-08:00

and since it was a first... I had to post it!

Jack brought me this cutest Valentine bear...

my Valentines day was complete!

Don't be surprised that Jack is for sure my fave! ;)

Holly Jolly Christmas!

2011-02-16T12:31:00.001-08:00

Give Thanks!

2011-02-16T12:29:00.001-08:00

Spooky!

2011-02-16T12:09:00.000-08:00

2010-2011 Spuhler Sprouts!!!

2011-02-16T11:41:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday in November!

2009-11-30T09:20:00.001-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

That's What Halloween is for!

2009-11-24T22:33:00.002-08:00

The kids all came dressed up and ready for some Halloween Fun! We had some cute costumes this year and had lots of fun hitting the halloween pinata!
Enjoy the pics of the kids!

2009-11-24T22:33:00.001-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

2009-09-28T11:59:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN SEPTEMBER!!!

Friendship Trail-Mix

2009-09-20T16:59:00.000-07:00

I love this day when everyone brings a favorite snack of theirs to share with the class and we combine them all together and SHARE them with the rest of the class. The kids always have the BEST treats this day and enjoy sharing with their friends. Thank you moms for all remembering to bring something for your child, and for some of you for even bringing extras... just in case :)

Happy New School Year! 2009-2010!

2009-09-20T16:21:00.000-07:00

This year has started out so great and so smooth! I can't believe how great all the kids are doing and how fast they are catching on to the routine!

Actually, as awesome as they all are, which they truly are :), I think I may say and think that every year. I simply forget how little they are when they first start coming and how much they grow in every way during this year of school. I also forget how tired I am at the beginning of the year and how much energy it really does take! Maybe that's a sign of MY age, rather than THEIRS, haha... but we'll just keep blaming it on them! Cute kids.

I hope that you enjoy the pics and seeing your kids have fun at school. They really are doing great and are having a lot of fun during class. I hope the feedback you are getting at home from them is just as positive!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-13T22:46:00.000-07:00

We had a great time with our Easter egg hunt. Thank you so much for bringing your eggs to share with the kids! They had a lot of fun searching and finding the eggs and then splitting them up evenly in their bags. Can you believe April is half way over? Whew! Time flies!

April Birthdays

2009-04-13T22:43:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

For Eli's Birthday, his mom, Amy, was kind enough to come and make balloon shapes and animals for the kids. They loved it and had a great time with their toys. Thanks for taking the time to come, Amy! So fun, you are truly the COOLEST mom in the neighborhood ;)

March Birthdays!

2009-04-13T22:41:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Valentine Day love

2009-02-16T21:16:00.001-08:00

I just loved this class and how cute they all looked on Valentines Day. A whole group of just girls, looking as girly and cute as ever. Whatever! just look at how cute they are!

Happy Valentines!!!

2009-02-16T15:30:00.000-08:00

February Birthdays!

2009-02-12T10:23:00.001-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!

January Birthdays

2009-02-12T08:24:00.001-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!

Holly Jolly Christmas Programs

2008-12-12T08:22:00.000-08:00

I sure hope you all enjoyed the holiday programs as much as I did! The kids were great and sang so good! I was so proud of them! I was a little surprised, to be honest, that every single one of them stayed up on the "stage" and didn't cry or go sit with mom! That was huge! Thanks for coming and enjoying the show! Enjoy your holiday season and we'll see you all back when Mesa Schools start, around Jan. 5!!!

2008-12-08T14:38:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!

Thanksgiving Feast

2008-12-08T14:30:00.000-08:00

A turkey is a funny bird,

His head goes wobble, wobble....

And he knows just one word,

It's gobble, gobble, gobble!!!

(your kids know that poem, say it with them!)

We had a great Thanksgiving feast in each of our classes. Thank you so much for bringing your item to share with the class. We are so thankful for all our many many blessings.

Some of the things the kids said they are thankful for are:

Mom

Dad

Cars

Golf (Eli, ha ha)

Bed

Toys

Shoes

Here they are, in their cute pilgrim hats, enjoying their Thanksgiving Feast!

Thank you to all you moms and dads for allowing me to have a part in your children's lives.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!

Just can't get enough of the beautiful outdoors!!!

2008-11-17T08:43:00.000-08:00

We are loving loving that we can have playtime outside and the kids love that they can run and play all they want. It is such a fun way to get out their energy and we are all loving the fresh air together.

Spooky Halloween Fun!!

2008-10-30T15:16:00.000-07:00

Enjoy the cute pictures of the kids in their Halloween costumes and hitting the pinata!! Have a safe and Happy Halloween!! Eats lots and lots of candy!!!

2008-10-30T15:13:00.001-07:00

Getting Ready for Halloween!

2008-10-27T22:46:00.000-07:00

As we get ready for Halloween and it's fast approach, we have been learning some fun Halloween rhymes and songs. Some of your kids may have been trying to say these at home and might be frustrated that you can't say or sing with them. So, I thought I'd post the words, although you won't have the music to the song, you'll at least know the words to say :) Have fun!
5 Little Pumpkins
5 Little Pumpkins sitting on a gate.
The first one said, "Oh my, it's getting late."
The second one said, "There are witches in the air!"
The third one said, "Oh we don't care."
The fourth one said, "Let's run and run and run."
The fifth one said, "It's Halloween Fun!"
Whoooo went the wind and OUT went the lights,
5 Little pumpkins rolled out of sight.
3 Little Pumpkins
(this is a song, sorry I don't have the tune for you)
3 Little Pumpkins sitting on a hill,
A witch came flying by.....
Ha ha ha, I'll take you all
And make a pumpkin pie, Ha ha!
Say and sing these with your kids--you may be surprised how much they can say on their own. It's really cute!

2008-10-27T17:29:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!

Day at the Park

2008-10-22T22:40:00.001-07:00

With the weather finally colling a bit, we took advantage today and spent some time at the park! We had a great time getting out and enjoying the day... looking forward to many more fun park days to come!!

Friendship Trail-Mix

2008-09-16T15:11:00.000-07:00

Here they are, sharing their snacks they all brought to share! Thanks for participating! They loved it all!

Getting through the first week!

2008-09-08T21:43:00.000-07:00

We are off and starting and the kids are all doing great! We do have some tender feelings and some tears, but with time we will get through that, as long as we are consistent together :) Here are some fun pictures for you to enjoy of your kids! They are cuties that's for sure. By far the cutest year of Spuhler Sprouts EVER! And yes, I probably do say that every year... :)

This week we are learning about friends and sharing. We are using the book "The Rainbow Fish" which the kids love, and we get to paint our own rainbow fish and put a sparkly on it! The kids LOVE to paint and these fishies turn out so cute. I hope you enjoy yours at home!

We will also have our friendship trailmix day this week, Wednesday and Thursday! Don't forget to bring your favorite snack to share!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!

The 2008-2009 Year Begins!!!

2008-09-02T12:16:00.000-07:00

Here we go, starting a new year of Spuhler Sprouts! Today was the official day for Open Houses! I got to meet some really cute new kids and moms (and some dads)! I'm hoping it will be a great year again!

I still have some openings, if anyone you know is interested, please send them my way! Would love to have ya!

GRADUATION!!!!

2008-05-01T21:53:00.000-07:00

Our programs turned out so great! I hope that you were as pleased with your kids as I was. I also hope you each got a CD with all of the songs so that you can hear your kids sing them for you the way they will sing them for me in class (without a whole crowd watching them, ha ha). This year was a great year with such fun and cute kids. It was a pleasure to teach and be with them this year and I'm so proud of them! They are all wonderful and have grown so much!!! Keep in touch and have a wonderful summer! Love you all!!!

And the year is coming to an end!!!

2008-04-04T20:12:00.000-07:00

Can you even believe that this is our last month for Spuhler Sprouts!!! We were able to get outside the other day and enjoy these couple of weeks of spring that we are having. The kids had a great time and were able to get out some of their continuous energy. As we come to an end of the year, it has been so fun to see how much the kids have changed and grown! This is a huge year for them and they have been a pleasure to be with.

2008-04-04T20:00:00.000-07:00

Easter Egg Hunt and Fun!

2008-03-14T20:55:00.001-07:00

Love you!

2008-02-14T20:36:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentines

2008-02-14T20:25:00.000-08:00

It was so fun to see so much Valentineness oozing from this class, I had to capture it.

Dinner Table Conversations

2008-02-07T15:19:00.000-08:00

Okay, so if you think about the conversations that happen around a dinner table, now or while growing up, you can probably remember some funny things happening, maybe some funny memories? Well, now picture 9, 2 year olds doing just that..... wish you all could be a fly on the wall for these conversations! I just had to capture one class in action, between the cheers with matching color cups, to the role play with popcorn or fishies, to the constant laughter, it's pretty darn hilarious! One of our favorite times during class.

Okay, so give me a break here... Punky Power for sure! Love it! I just couldn't resist!

Spuhler Sprout Friends!

2008-01-31T15:44:00.000-08:00

2008-2009 Registration!

2008-01-25T06:51:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone-- I'm getting ready to send out information for next years registration. So, if you are intererested, or have any friends or family that are interested, please let me know and get me your info so that I can send you out a form. First come, first serve--meaning, first to get your registration and fee in--not just call me. This is important to remember :) So, please let me know ASAP so that I can get the info out! Thanks!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2008-01-15T16:02:00.000-08:00

I sure hope everyone had a great holiday break, and I'm pretty sure that everyone (moms especially) is excited about being back at school! When that first day came around, I have to admit I was thinking, man, one more week sure would be nice! I was getting a new roof put on my house and haden't gotten Christmas taken down or put away, my house was still a mess! But, it has all worked out and everything is back to normal now! Glad to see all the kids again and it's nice that they have all jumped right in and remember the routine perfectly! I've got a few that have started the potty training process, which usually always happens with the Christmas break. So, we have fun with that experiment. We're gonna jump right in and do some fun crafts, probably get some fun play time at the park and before we all know it, it's gonna be the end of the school year! Reminder: Spuhler Sprouts goes only through April, I know, sorry. I'll try to get some fun pictures of the kids in the classroom this semester and with the buddies that they seem to hang with most. They are great, and they are ALL doing great. Stay consistent and they will too! Check back and I'll keep ya posted!

Holly Jolly Christmas Program

2007-12-17T08:41:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas programs at Spuhler Sprouts went so great. Almost all of the kids stayed up on stage, which is a huge accomplishment right there. For many of them, this was their first time to be up in front of a group of people like that, and that can be a scary thing to do! Each performance/class was different but all were fun and festive. I hope you all enjoyed the programs and that you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy safe New Year! We'll see y'all back here January 7!

You Can't Catch Me, I'm the Gingerbread Boy!

2007-11-27T18:02:00.000-08:00

Today we made Gingerbread boys in class and watched a fun story about the Gingerbread boy. It's always a fun day for the kids as they get to cut out, bake, and decorate their own gingerbread boy. Some LOVE the cookie, others hate it--but for those who enjoy it, here's the recipe I use:

1/2 cup shortening (I use the butter kind)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup molasses

1 egg

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves

Oven 375 degrees

In a mixing bowl beat shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add about half of the four, the sugar, molasses, egg, vinegar, baking powder, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves. Beat till thoroughly combined. Beat in remaining flour. Cover and chill for 3 hours or till easy to handle.

Divide the chilled dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough at a time 1/4 in ch thick. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 6-8 minutes or till edges are lightly browned. Cool on the cookie sheet for 1 minute.

We decorated the cookies with store bought squeeze frosting and M & M's. Yummy/Easy!

Have fun with this and Enjoy!

I Am Thankful For........

2007-11-23T08:29:00.000-08:00

We had a great time celebrating Thanksgiving at Spuhler Sprouts. We spent a few days talking about all the different things we have to be thankful for such as our mom and dad, family, houses, cars, clothes, shoes, beds, etc. There are so many things to be thankful for!

On Thanksgiving, we had a big Thanksgiving feast where all the kids brought something to share. We had turkey meat, rolls, potato chips, grapes, cheese, olives, pickles, carrots, juice, and don't forget the dessert!

When I asked the kids the day of the feast what they were thankful for,

these were some of their responses:

Mommy

Daddy

Balloons

Toys

Star Wars

Animals/Pets

House

and

Nacho!

Fun at the Elephant Park!

2007-11-12T09:07:00.000-08:00

Today we finished craft early and had some extra play time at the end of class....so, with it getting a few degrees cooler, or just less hot I should say, we took the time to walk down to the Elephant Park and enjoy some time outside. The kids were so cute, walking by 2's to the park and they had a great time getting out some energy there. I always enjoy going to the park with the kids. Although, there was a mom there with her little girl and she seemed VERY annoyed with me that I would bring such a group of kids to the park when she was there with her daughter. Oh well :) I guess she should have signed up for Spuhler Sprouts :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2007-10-31T14:00:00.000-07:00

We had fun Halloween Party Days at Spuhler Sprouts this week. Most kids came in costume, had fun playing with their friends and had a blast sharing their candy and putting it in the Pumpkin Pinata! They all got a turn to "hit" the pinata and then we poured out all the candy and let them go for it and "clean it all up!" Some had a good idea what that meant and filled up their bags to capacity, others were happy with just a few things, so we made sure we shared with everyone. The kids were so cute and were cute little characters. Here are some pictures of them BEFORE they began to take their costumes off, and then with them hitting the pinata!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Mon/Wed Class

Tues/Thurs A.M. Class

Tues/Thurs P.M. Class

HALLOWEEN PINATA!

2007-10-30T14:57:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for Halloween!

2007-10-24T15:25:00.000-07:00

As we anticipate Halloween and it's fast approach, we have been learning some fun Halloween rhymes and songs. Some of your kids may have been trying to say these at home and might be frustrated that you can't say or sing with them. So, I thought I'd post the words, although you won't have the music to the song, you'll at least know the words to say :) Have fun!

5 Little Pumpkins

5 Little Pumpkins sitting on a gate.

The first one said, "Oh my, it's getting late."

The second one said, "There are witches in the air!"

The third one said, "Oh we don't care."

The fourth one said, "Let's run and run and run."

The fifth one said, "It's Halloween Fun!"

Whoooo went the wind and OUT went the lights,

5 Little pumpkins rolled out of sight.

3 Little Pumpkins

(this is a song, sorry I don't have the tune for you)

3 Little Pumpkins sitting on a hill,

A witch came flying by.....

Ha ha ha, I'll take you all

And make a pumpkin pie, Ha ha!

Say and sing these with your kids--you may be surprised how much they can say on their own. It's really cute!

ORANGE Day!

2007-10-23T22:06:00.001-07:00

The Eensy Weensy Spider and the Not So Scary Ghost!

2007-10-21T18:38:00.000-07:00

Here are some fun pictures of the kids with their spiders made from their hands and their ghosts made from their feet. We are having fun with the Halloween season and all the fun make believe crafts.

All About Me and My Family!

2007-09-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite weeks. It's so fun for the kids to tell their friends about their families, and especially to make a paper doll of themselves! They even get to pick out the clothing for their doll--be sure to look under the dress or shirt to see the pictures that they made of their hand and favorite color. Thank you moms for remembering to send their family trees with them! They are hung up in the classroom and will stay for just about a week or so.

Okay, since Brian and Tarrah thought they were so funny by pulling out this picture and sticking it on one of the family tree papers, I thought I could get them back by posting it! Ha ha! Now I can just be the bragger--since they are the ones that pulled it out-- that here I am at Mt. View Sadies with Brian, former baseball player and winner of the world series!

Poor Little Guy!

2007-09-26T15:12:00.000-07:00

This is our friend Gunner......

He broke his leg a couple of weeks ago and has now been able to return to school with a little help from the wagon :) He did so good scooting around the room on his bum, and then would get tired and want to sit in his wagon for a bit. The other kids were so cute and sweet with him, bringing him toys, books, or just wanting to see his big ouchie! We hope you get better quick, Gunner!

If you Chance to Meet a Frown, Do Not let it Stay!

2007-09-18T15:04:00.000-07:00

We made funny faces in class this week, with smiley's and frowny faces. The kids learned the song, if you chance to meet a frown, do not let it stay, quickly turn it upside down and smile that frown away.....

We are learning that we feel different ways all the time, and that's okay. Sometimes we are happy, sad, grouchy, tired, we have all kinds of different feelings at different times. Next week we will be doing our family trees, I will send them home on Monday and Tuesday.

The Way I Feel

2007-09-17T15:47:00.000-07:00

This week we are talking about feelings in class, I have put pictures of two of my favorite books on this subject, The Way I Feel, and Today I Feel Silly. The kids have fun making different faces as we talk about the different ways we feel.

Friendship Trail-Mix

2007-09-13T15:52:00.001-07:00

The kids had a lot of fun sharing their treats they brought for the "Friendship Trail-mix". We talked about sharing and how it makes your friends happy when you share, and that can make you happy too! They had lots of different kinds of treats to share such as fishie/cheese and graham crackers, marshmallows, raisins, cereal, pretzels, candies, and fruit snacks. Everyone seemed to enjoy at least most of the snacks shared and had a good time thanking all their friends for sharing. Thank you moms for all remembering to send something in their packs!

Rainbow Fish

2007-09-11T16:28:00.000-07:00

The kids had so much fun today painting their "Rainbow Fish". If you do not have this book, or have never read it, I highly recommend it for your family to have. It's so cute, colorful, and the story is such a great lesson on sharing. Enjoy a few pictures of the kids showing their fishies. The classes were all great this week so far, crying less, feeling more comfortable, and getting down the routine. I hope they have good things to report to you at home.

Mon/Wed class

Tues/Thurs a.m./ p.m.

Tues/Thurs afternoon class

2007-09-06T22:40:00.001-07:00

Tues/Thurs morning class

2007-09-06T22:33:00.001-07:00

Mon/Wed morning class

2007-09-06T22:26:00.001-07:00

Whew!!!

2007-09-06T22:02:00.001-07:00

Wow, we got through our first day of Playschool! What a couple of days! We got through with just a few criers, which is normal, hopefully they'll be able to get it over the next week or so and all will be smooth sailin from here :)
I have to say that I forget each year how much my throat hurts after the first couple of days from talking so much and singing so loud-- and also how much energy I use trying to keep the kids extra excited and thinking that school is so super cool. I do a lot of dancing and singing and acting extra crazy, hopefully not too scary for the kids--most of them for sure think I'm nuts. Good thing there isn't a video camera in the room :)
Enough about me--- I have some super cute kids in my classes this year. It is so fun to watch them interact, see who likes to play with who, and who is content to play by themselves. The beginning is hard, once the year gets going, they all start to play together much more and find their little friendships and who they click with most.
You may find your kids lining up their stuffed animals, babies, whatever, and singing the hello song to them. We all clap our hands and say, hello Kelly, hello Maggie, hello, so and so, and so forth. The kids love this and do start doing it at home. That is what it's from--one of our fun plays at school. We also do this at the end of class and say bye bye so and so, and so on. They did really good with the routine today, and that will even get easier and better with time. I don't change the routine at all throughout the whole year--they like consistency and like to know what comes next--especially when to expect mom to be coming to pick them up :) (Moms, please be sure to be on time to pick up :) some kids get so sad when everyone else gets to go home and they are still sitting there waiting for their mom to get there.)
As it gets cooler, I will let the kids go out in the front yard and kind of run around a little as they are waiting for you to come--it helps get some of their energy out after being cooped up in the room for 2 hours. But for now, it's too dang hot, so we'll stay inside. Please continue to come up into the garage to pick up your child. They are learning to stay on their bottoms till moms come to get them. Can you believe how awesome they all did that first day! They really get the system quick and learn to follow directions so well.

Open House

2007-09-04T23:01:00.000-07:00

Well, we had our first day of Playschool, not official--that will come tomorrow and Thursday! Good Times!!
It was great to meet you all and to see your kids. I'm excited to get to know them better and I'm sure they'll all do great. As I say in the policies packet, if you or your child does not feel comfortable, or if you just feel that they are not ready--I do not take offense to that at all and will totally understand if you need to pull them out. But, I would encourage you to try to stick it out at least the first month--you'll see, it will get better and I'm super cool and fun :) ha ha.
Keep checking back, I hope that you all will, and see the fun things that are happening here at the Spuhler Sprouts Playhouse!
See you soon!

The Time Has Come!!!

2007-09-01T18:58:00.000-07:00

Well, it's just about that time for Spuhler Sprouts Playschool to begin. I'm sure your kids that have older brothers and sisters have been asking and putting on backpacks for weeks now just waiting for the day! It's been a nice time for me to have my own kids in school and have a few days for just me before school starts. The room is being cleaned, painted, and revamped--ready for a new year and new kids with a few returning students who will be my best helpers EVER! It's been a nice summer off, but I'm ready to begin a fun new year of school! For those of you who have never seen my classroom, it is my garage converted into a classroom, but it works and keeps my house from getting thrashed :) Here are a few pictures of what you'll see at the open house.

One of my favorite parts of teaching playschool is the interaction I get with the parents and all the new friends I make each year. It's amazing how popular the name "Miss Kristen" has become, I'm overwhelmed by it sometimes :) I'm super popular with the 2 year olds, ha ha. I hope that you will all feel comfortable with me and with my program and that your kids will feel the same. My classes are full at this time, with a waiting list still to go--but I am determined to not give in again and add yet another class :) I'm crazy, but not stupid. Check in on the blog often, I'll be posting pictures of your kids and different projects and fun things we'll be doing during class.

We'll see you in a few days!

Yeah Spuhler Sprouts!!