Little Lamb Dayhome

CATERPILLAR UPDATE 🐛

What a fun surprise this morning! Overnight, all of our caterpillars turned into chrysalises. The children were so excited when I showed them and couldn’t wait to take a closer look.

Together, we carefully moved them into our flight cage so they’ll have lots of space to fly around once they emerge as butterflies. It’s been so exciting watching every stage of their transformation, and the children are just as invested in it as I am.

Their imaginations were running wild today. Some thought we should add toys to the cage for the butterflies to play with, while others drew pictures and made special artwork for them. I just love seeing their excitement and creativity.

We also took turns gently misting the chrysalises to mimic the morning dew they would experience in nature. The children noticed that every time we moved them or misted them, they would wiggle and shake. We talked about how that’s their way of protecting themselves, their defense mechanism to help scare away predators. The children thought that was so cool!

This butterfly journey has brought so much wonder, curiosity, and learning. Now we’re eagerly waiting for the next exciting step watching them emerge as beautiful butterflies!

A Day at the Park — June 12th

We had such a wonderful time during our park visit at Helen Pacholko Park! The children enjoyed exploring the playground, playing in the sand, and spending time outdoors together. We also met up with some friends from another dayhome, and it was great to see everyone playing, engaging, and socializing with one another.

The highlight of our day was a special visit from our friend Ellis, who used to attend our dayhome. I could really see how much they missed each other. They were so happy to be reunited, spending time together, rolling around in the grass, laughing, and playing as if no time had passed at all. It was so beautiful to witness.

We enjoyed our snacks and picnic lunch at the park, making the most of the beautiful day outdoors. There was lots of play, lots of laughter, and plenty of happy memories made. What a great day! ❤️

WE ADDED A BIRD FEEDER TO OUR OUTDOOR SPACE! 🐦

It all started during lunch almost 2 weeks ago when the children began talking about birds. They wondered what birds eat and said it would be nice to leave some food out for them. This conversation gave us the idea to get a bird feeder for our backyard.

We looked online together and found all kinds of bird feeders. One that really caught our attention was a solar-powered bird feeder with a camera. The children thought it was so cool that even if we didn’t see the birds in person, the camera could record them and we could watch the videos later.

This past weekend, I picked one up from the store, and since it was not raining on Tuesday, we got to finally set it up together. The children were so excited to help. They took turns carrying the box, talking about how heavy it was, helping unpack everything, and figuring out where the pieces went. They also helped fill it with bird food and find the perfect spot for it in our yard.

As soon as it was set up, the children couldn’t wait for a bird to visit. They kept asking me, “Can you check the phone?” and “Are there any birds yet?” We checked the camera a few times, hoping to see our first visitor.

No birds have stopped by yet, but that hasn’t stopped the excitement. The children continue to check on the feeder and look around the yard, eagerly waiting for the day a bird discovers our little bird restaurant. We are all looking forward to seeing who visits first! 🐦❤️

The children finally got to meet our newest dayhome friends.. our caterpillars! 🐛 We are all excited to see the changes that happen in the days and weeks ahead. We can’t wait to watch their journey from caterpillar to butterfly together! 🐛🦋

You guys, I’m not trying to make you jealous… but my Little Lambs absolutely spoiled me with all these yummy treats today! 🥧 I might need a bigger snack drawer. 😉😜

✅Apple Pie
✅Cucumber Pie
✅Strawberry Pie
✅Flower Pie

So many yummy treats, so much kindness, and one very grateful provider! ❤️🐑

The rain brought so many changes to our backyard, and the children were eager to explore them all. As we headed outside, they immediately noticed that things looked different. We slowed down, observed, and investigated together.

One exciting discovery was finding that some of the seeds we planted last week had started to sprout. The children were thrilled to see the tiny green shoots popping up from the soil and proudly remembered helping plant them.

Rainwater had collected in many of our bins, toys, and containers, which quickly became the focus of our play. The children gathered buckets, scoops, and cups, spending a long time transferring water from one container to another. They worked together, compared amounts, and tested different ways to move the water around. Some even decided the new slide needed a wash and got busy cleaning it with their buckets of rainwater.

The flowering crabapple tree had also left us a beautiful surprise, covering parts of the ground with a blanket of blossoms. The children enjoyed touching, collecting, and talking about the flowers they found.

One of the most engaging moments came from something very simple, a small hole in the cup holder of our toy car. The children gathered around, completely fascinated as they watched the water slowly drip out from the bottom. This sparked lots of conversations and imaginative play. Before long, the toy car had transformed into a coffee maker, and the children happily asked one another, “Do you need coffee?” as they served cups of pretend drinks to their friends.

May 27, 2026

One of our thoughtful parents brought the children a brand new sprinkler, and they were so happy and grateful to try it out. The moment the water started spraying, everyone ran toward it with huge smiles and excited squeals.

The children spent so much time running around the sprinkler, jumping through the water, and chasing one another. Some stood waiting for the water to reach them, while others ran straight through it over and over again laughing the whole time.

The sprinkler also became part of their car wash play. The children continued washing toy cars, ride-on toys, and tools while pretending to be car wash workers and customers. There were so many social conversations happening as they played, planned, and shared ideas together.

Then they remembered our spaceship sprinkler from last year and excitedly asked if we could use it too. Once I brought it out, the fun became even bigger. The backyard was filled with movement, imagination, and teamwork.

Through these moments, the children were building gross motor skills as they ran and balanced on the wet grass, sensory exploration through the water play, and social skills through sharing space, taking turns, and creating games together. ❤️

May 26, 2026

We turned our outdoor space into a little car wash station. The children were so excited right away and stayed engaged for such a long time. It’s always amazing to see how water play naturally brings so much focus, creativity, and social interaction.

The children used sponges, towels, and water to wash the cars. Some were busy scrubbing while others dried the cars carefully with towels. Before long, the play turned into pretend play as they became car wash workers and customers. I could hear them talking back and forth, asking whose turn was next and telling each other their cars were “all clean now” and “super shiny.”

There were so many opportunities for sharing, teamwork, and taking turns throughout the play. Some children worked side by side washing together while others helped each other and pass around the towels and sponges.

The children were strengthening fine motor skills through squeezing and wiping, using gross motor skills moving around, and building friendships through conversations and collaborative play.

Just water, sponges, towels, and imagination but the learning and joy that came from it was endless. 🚘🧽

May 25, 2026

Our giant beach ball finally arrived, and of course we couldn’t wait to use it right away! The idea actually came from the children’s love for playing ball with our neighbor through the fence. Before, they used to toss a small beach ball back and forth with him, but for some reason that ball disappeared and we could never find it again. Ever since then, they kept asking if they could still play ball with our neighbor.

We tried using a basketball instead, but it was a little too hard and tricky for everyone to enjoy safely. That’s when I thought, “Why not order another beach ball… and make it giant this time?” 😄

Sure enough, the new experience brought so much excitement, laughter, and movement. The children ran, tossed, rolled, and chased the giant ball together while figuring out how to work as a team. At first, sharing the giant beach ball was not easy. Everyone wanted a turn at the same time, and there were moments of frustration as they learned how to wait and cooperate.

But through gentle guidance, conversations, and collaborative play, I watched them slowly begin to take turns, include one another, and celebrate each other’s excitement. What started as a simple idea turned into a meaningful learning experience filled with teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and social-emotional growth.