If you stroll through the halls of Just Like GRAMMY & POPPOP’s and hear the faint sound of a lullaby or a upbeat toddler tune, you’ve likely found your way to our Raindrops room. This week, we are so excited to introduce you to one of our wonderful Lead Teachers, Ms. Chrissy!

The Raindrops classroom is a busy, joyful space designed for our little ones who are officially “on the move.” Whether they are master crawlers or brave toddlers taking those first wobbly steps, Ms. Chrissy creates an environment that feels like a musical hug.

A Nurturing Presence in Pewaukee

While Ms. Chrissy is a newer face at our Pewaukee daycare, she joined our team with years of meaningful experience in early childhood education. Her transition into our school family has been seamless, largely because of her naturally patient and nurturing soul.

It’s one thing to read about a teacher’s credentials, but it’s another to see it in action. My own son has formed such a sweet, genuine bond with her—seeing him light up when he sees “Miss Chrissy” is the best testimonial a parent (and an owner!) could ask for.

The Magic of “Goodnight Moon”

Every teacher has that one story that feels like home. For Ms. Chrissy, that book is the timeless classic “Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown. Her reason for choosing it is something every parent can relate to: Nostalgia. Ms. Chrissy spent years reading this book to her own children when they were small, and those quiet, bedtime moments stayed with her.

I feel the exact same way! I spent many nights reading those same words to Madison. Even now, I could probably recite the “hush” and the “mush” from memory. At our school, we love these types of stories because they bridge the gap between the classroom and home. They remind us that reading isn’t just about literacy—it’s about the bond formed when a child is tucked in and feeling safe.

Visit the Raindrops Room

We are so lucky to have Ms. Chrissy’s expertise and bright spirit in our 1K program. She truly embodies our “Let Them Be Little” philosophy by leaning into the songs, the snuggles, and the slow, steady pace of toddlerhood.

If you’re looking for a Pewaukee early learning center where your child is cared for by educators who treat them like their own, we invite you to come meet Ms. Chrissy and the rest of our talented team!

At Just Like GRAMMY & POPPOP’s in Pewaukee, we believe that the heart of our school is our incredible team of educators. Today, we are so excited to shine a spotlight on a teacher who has been bringing joy, dedication, and a whole lot of love to our center for nearly a year—Ms. Adelis!

Whether she’s leading a creative art project or sharing a laugh with the team, Ms. Adelis has a way of making every child feel seen and celebrated.

Learning at Their Own Pace: The Raindrops Way

One thing that makes our Pewaukee early learning center unique is that we don’t believe in “one size fits all” when it comes to age. Our classes are not grouped by calculated ages; instead, we focus on developmental milestones.

We know that every child grows, explores, and shines at their own pace. By grouping children based on their specific skills and emotional readiness, we create an environment where they can truly thrive. It’s all about finding that “perfect fit” for every little learner!

A Favorite Story with a Special Meaning

We asked Ms. Adelis to share her favorite children’s book, and she chose a classic: “The Rainbow Fish” by Marcus Pfister. While many of us know this story, the reason Ms. Adelis loves it truly touched my heart:

“It’s the first book I was able to understand in English. It’s a great reminder that we are all special and unique in our own way but can share those gifts with those around us. We get to share who we are and our unique talents with these little ones every single day.”

How beautiful is that? Honestly, “The Rainbow Fish” hasn’t always been at the top of my personal must-read list—but hearing her perspective totally changed the way I see it. It reminded me that we all have “shiny scales” to share with our community.

Visit Our Family in Pewaukee

We are so grateful to have Ms. Adelis as a Lead Teacher on our team. Her journey and her passion for inclusive, milestone-based learning are exactly what make our school feel like home.

Are you looking for a daycare in Pewaukee that treats your child like family? We’d love to have you visit the Kindness Hub, meet teachers like Ms. Adelis, and see our “Let Them Be Little” philosophy in action!

Each class was asked to decorate a pumpkin. The only stipulation was that each child had to participate in part of the decorating and WOW did they do a great job!

Now, we need your help, because there is no way I could pick a favorite. There are many colors, creativity, and personality throughout the pumpkins.

Click here to cast your vote for the best pumpkin in Pewaukee!

Don’t wait… we need your vote by Wednesday at 6:00 PM Central time to count.

Take Advantage of the Listening Ears

I mean…I love singing along to Laurie Berkner songs when in the car with the grands, but it’s also a fun opportunity to make up your own songs. You

have a captive audience and a little bit of novety can be the perfect fit to fill in the time until you get to your destination. You can create songs with no purpose at all singing about the grass being green and that 1 + 1 = 2 with some animal sounds and rhyming. Or you can have intentional lyrics, like the one I created, Lenny’s Favorite that is teaching letters and names.

The Story of Lenny’s Favorite

There are more songs that I’ve created over the years that were forgotten after the first rendition and never sung again, but there are a few that have stuck around too.  In the three-year old classroom, I joined for lunch one day and while waiting for everyone to be served, I saw them getting bored so I just started asking what each of their names start with. Some answered, and then… here it comes….. to the tune of the Sesame Street song, “C is for Cookie“, Lenny’s Favorite Kim song came out:

“L is for Lenny, that’s good enough for me,

L is for Lenny, that’s good enough for me,

Oh, Lenny, Lenny, Lenny starts with _____”

[and I would pause and hear the class shout, “L”!]

I know… it doesn’t make sense… like how is an L good enough for me?  I don’t know… but… it has been a song remembered by many of the kids and we take turns singing through their names, animals, objects, and more. I’m pretty sure Lenny may have even introduced it to his family at home.

5 Steps to Create your next Toddler Earworm

1. Choose a simple tune. Pick a tune that you (or your toddler) enjoys and is easy.
   • Some ideas include: ABCs/Twinkle, Twinkle [did you even know that is the same tune?!]; B-I-N-G-O; and Open Shut Them.
2. Decide the topic. Choose if you are going to have a topic or just silly rhyming with no purpose at all.
3. Simple. Simple. Simple. Keep it very simple and start with lots of repetitive words & phrases
   • This is so you don’t forget the words and so that your toddler is all ears listening
4. Add some action. Add in some clapping and sounds, if you aren’t driving, of course!
5. Include them. Invite your child to sing along with you and just keep singing it over and over. Presto! You’ve got your new earworm.

Now you can sing it everywhere and share it with your family so they can help make your song, the latest earworm.

This article isn’t about how to be the next musician featured on stage at Summerfest, the song doesn’t have to make sense… it’s more about keeping your toddler and children entertained in the car while learning. [and maybe your car mate too!]

It’s not an easy task to get a class of infants, toddler, or preschoolers ready to go outside. You might think about it more in the winter about all of the layers to put on to stay warm, but the summer is a lot of work too! Thank you, Teachers! First, you want to make sure you are always guiding behaviors and cleaning up before the inside space is abandoned for outside play. So the clean up songs start playing or teachers start singing and children look for what they should do next.  I hear through the halls, “William, I see a book. Can you put the book away?”  “Good job, William!” and soon they are making their way to the bathroom for diaper changes, potty attempts, clothing changes, and…. SUNSCREEN application.

Tick tock, tick tock

It takes time and each child is at a different level so assistance happens in a variety of ways. Growth is so rewarding as you observe a child on day 1 of limp arms as you manipulate the disrobing and dressing into the swim wear followed by a blink-of-an-eye it seems of that same child taking their own shirt off and putting on their water clothes. It all takes time though when you have a handful of children and one teacher. They all have their own routines and systems and I admire them all!

Away they go

After they get their sunscreen on, they march outside to see what might await them to get their hands on.  This week we had our first real water day as it took a while to get our outside faucet working for the season.  We had an obstacle type inflatable water activity that sprayed water in different directions with tunnels to crawl through or sprays to jump in. From the infants who got their feet wet to the school aged summer campers – they truly had a blast!

Before you know it

It does seem long, and if you asked the children, I don’t think they are ever ready, but 30 minutes of outside play goes by fast! Before you know it, they are marching back inside with their towels and water bottles in hands to disrobe, diaper changes, potty attempts, and getting their dry clothes back on. Again, all by [mostly] one teacher per classroom. Usually by this time, the energy is spent, so they are ready for lunch and quickly followed by rest time!

Here is a Facebook post of a video reel of our recent outside play at Just Like GRAMMY & POPPOP’s. Enjoy and we hope you have a lovely summer of fun, whatever you may be doing!

As we prepare and dream about the features of our childcare center that will be somewhere in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, hopefully in the Lake Country area, we have a few things that we want to offer without question. I’m talking more than the assumptive standards, or what I would say are no brainers for a top-notch day care where I wouldn’t hesitate to have left my kids,

I’m talking … extras.

We have been talking back and forth with a space that we really like, but we just don’t know if it will work out based on what needs to be done to the building to make it just right for some of our nonnegotiables… like having a line of sight to all of the areas… or being as open and comfortable as we’d like… and yes, some other things I’ll likely write about later.

Nursing Mom Corner

One of the extras that we are committed to making room for is a private area where nursing moms can go feed their child. I remember back in the day when I’d be out and about and my daughter decided it was time to eat… I mean… when it was, it just was… she was in charge of her feeding schedule… so I made it work. If moms want to get in one more feed or even come during a break in the day to feed, we will have a space just for you.

Safe and Comfy

We always welcome your wishes and hope that you don’t hesitate to let us know how we can improve and make things better. We can grow the Nursing Mom Corner together! One of the things that constantly has me heartbroken is that with the responsibility of being a child care center owner comes making sure you always keep safety at the top of mind. So one of the features we will have in place is that this will be a locked area and we will have a sign in-sign out sheet. Only the nursing mom and her own child(ren) will be permitted in the room at one time. It will not be open for use for any other situation during business hours.

Back to Happy Thoughts

We are happy to support all of our parents and all of the children at the center in any way that we can. Offering a place to breastfeed your child before, after, during your time away from your little one will hopefully make things just a little bit easier for everyone.

I Read, You Read, we all Read Together!

At Just Like GRAMMY & POPPOP’S you will find a lot of books and a lot of reading happening. We believe that everyone can learn from reading and it is important to have a variety of options and different types of books for the children to choose from. Each of our classrooms will have a reading area filled with books appropriate for the age ranges within. Teachers will read books and GRAMMY & POPPOP will even read!

At home, reading is fun too. Using animated voices, pointing to colors and items on pages, and letting the child turn pages can all be ways to engage. Children seeing parents read can be motivating for them to read too. If you have many family members, maybe even start a twenty-minute reading party before bedtime routines begin – it’s a great example for all of the children.

(Hint: It’s ok if the little ones aren’t able to stay focused the entire twenty minutes on a book… keep going and it will improve over time.)