The hot weather surely does slow me down.  So there is no better place to be than “The Fountain”.  I could visually see the “The Little Peeps” perking up as they romped & played together in the cold water.  Relaxing on the bricks and chatting with your friends is just about the right speed for a day like today. Oh yeah, we topped it ALL off with a popsicle!!
………….. SLOW DOWN AND BREATHE!!!………..

Fall is in the air! The daylight has shortened, so it is time for our last swim of the season, or maybe not, as nature can be pretty darn fickle. It is “Mother Nature”, remember?

I do not know why, but the swim is glorious for them. I would classify it as invigorating.
We head to the back of the Mansion for coconut cupcakes followed by a roll/run down our favorite hill.

In the Daycare, we write in our journals and Ditty reads to us as we have our lunch.

Bye-the-bye, we are the proud parents of 17 pumpkins!

The day is cloudy, overcast, and without sun.
A most PERFECT day to create our own fun!

A day to read a book written by Dr. Seuss entitled What Pet Should I Get?

“What pet should YOU get?”
Ditty asks us all
as we draw,
create,
and have a ball.

What a mess we have made with glue, beans and seeds.
But all the creative decisions have been left up to me!

My very own pet
created by me.
Will come live in my room
and I might add, quite happily.

What a glorious day! We headed to the grove of Hickory trees and Oaks where the children scavenged for nuts to fill their wee pouches. It certainly filled the air with happiness!

We headed to the garden to gather tomatoes, potatoes, and cucumbers.

We used the tomatoes and cukes in our snacks.

Flatbread, vine ripened tomatoes, cukes , cream cheese mixed with a bit of dry Italian/ranch dressing. DELICIOUS.

Don’t forget to take my little friends for a walk this weekend. They LOVE it!

Today we played “Vegetable Hide and Seek.”

It was a lot of fun watching the children locate the ripened produce and then pick it.  Oh my gosh, we gathered carrots, beets, onions, squash, tom-a-toes,  and we dug potatoes too.

We found time to print on paper using our very own “po-ta-toe stamps”.

Homemade Zucchini Dill Batter Bread was served with a smear of cream cheese and consumed by ALL.

In the wee world of Ditty Day, we live happily ever after!

Off to the wildflower meadow we go!

We start gathering all sorts and colors to create a bouquet of beauty!   Nothing like a flower parade!

We are painting today. We will sketch with pencil and then use acrylic paint to produce original art.  First though, we must pick and wash veggies to bring home for mom to prepare .

Today, onions, beets and beet greens.

Home-made zucchini bread with journal work and a good read.  Mmmm. 🙂

The day is dry and warm. Just about perfect I’d say for a dip in the fountain.

First though, we need to do our garden chores. Pick beans and carrots.

Oh my, the pumpkin patch is taking over our garden. Let’s count how many pumpkins so far.

We have 6 so far with a lot of flowers still on the vines.

I wonder why it is so hard to walk sometimes!

We keep a journal and once a week on Ditty Day, we draw a picture describing how we spent our time together. Ditty then writes in each journal. We are even making our very own Ditty Day Adventure Book!

Homemade Banana Bread and books to listen to complete our morning.

Today, we will share time with bugs.

Observing them in their natural habitat and also learning a bit about them.
Insects have six legs and three body parts.

Some insects help us in the garden while others need a bit of restraint.
The insect world is fascinating.

We are picking beans and digging potatoes.

We are creating our very own “edible incredible” bugs. Rare new species found only at NEB!

Our journals and stories read to us will complete our morning.

What a day to explore! We were on the prowl for butterflies and walked everywhere.

We soon got tired “piggys”, so we cooled them off in the fountain.

Back at the daycare, we helped to make fresh lemonade and added a bit of mint from our garden. It was served with pretzels. Our pallet is beginning to appreciate the different flavor profiles.

When we started our walk, it was gloomy and overcast.  A great time to check out nature. Needless to say, it’s dirty work but we LOVE IT!

As a group, we decided to have our snack on our walk. Nothing like a fruit pop!

Yes! Our birdhouse is FULL of hungry babies!

The pepper plant is producing.

Thank you, June, for hosing us off.

Oh my! We just can’t get enough water!

We had a “drawing contest” today and everyone did a great job with their journals.

Poems For Children and two McDuff books were read to us.

It is pleasant to be little. Thank you, Mom and Dad. 🙂