The end of May was dedicated to getting ready for our annual Walk-A-Thon! After an unfortunate need to postpone, the day finally arrived! We were a little worried Mother Nature would maybe interfere yet again, but we wished away the clouds, and we had another amazing event! We had such a wonderful turnout, with families swarming the track with cheers and endless encouragement for our walkers and runners! 4/5/6, being the eldest in the program, helped a great deal in making the Walk-A-Thon a beautiful experience for the younger groups- cheering them on around the track, manning the face paint stations, placing stickers on bibs, handing out snacks and refreshments and we couldn't be prouder for the commitment, energy and dedication they displayed our entire afternoon and the weeks leading up to the fundraiser! On top of such a wonderful day, we easily reached our goal for the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism, with donations still rolling in! We want to thank you to all the LEDP families for their participations and donations! We will continue to take donations until Friday, June 5! Please be on the lookout for the announcement for our grand total!

We cannot believe we have less than a month left of school! Time sure does fly when you're having fun! Looking ahead, we will be working on our end of the year project, we will be finishing up with Mentoring with our last two meetings with first and second grade and look for Dungeons and Dragons to completing their final campaigns! We look forward to more fun and the sun and to ending the year strong! 

We hope that everyone had an amazing, fun-filled April Break! As expected, 4/5/6 returned recharged and happily jumping right back into our routines and activities! 

This month we are welcoming a new teacher to 4/5/6- Shannon! She has an extensive background working with children and is eager and excited to be joining the LEDP family as we wrap up our school year! Please feel free to give her a quick hello, she'd be so happy to do the same as she learns the ropes!

In the last few weeks we've enjoyed ending our afternoons outside- playing lots of soccer, football, tag, Four Square and kickball! The warmth and extended sunny days have really refueled our energy and excitement for outdoor activities!

Mentors met with Kindergarten and played two gym activities, one involving guarding our treasure and the next trying to retrieve it! The Kindergartners and Mentors alike had so much fun with these two gym games!

Artists also got creative making a bird's eye view, silhouetted cherry blossom scene creating their own heart silhouettes with paper, fine acrylic markers to create their trees and used Q-tips and pink and white paint to make their cherry blossom trees! Final results were absolutely gorgeous!

We also have been chatting, creating motivation artwork to line our track and gearing up for our annual Walk-A-Thon! One of our favorites events each year will be raising money for the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism! Please join us on Thursday, May 28th on the Lawrence track as we run, walk, jog around the track to raise money for such an important cause!

Check our The Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation LEDP feature on their website! Find the link on our homepage 😄 We look forward to seeing our LEDP community gather together for such a worthy cause!

Spring sure is trying very hard to make its appearance; we are so happy to experience warmer weather, longer days with sunshine while surrounded by blooming flowers and greenery! 

We are so happy to returning to ending our days outside! We'd love to just remind grown-ups to please make sure the kiddos are checking out with the 4/5/6 teachers, even with a simple wave, as most groups are ending their days as we are. With MCAS and with April break fast approaching, the 4/5/6ers have an ample amount of energy ready and geared up to play four square, tag, wiffle ball, soccer and have loved playing kickball with both Joe and Christian! With some temperamental  days, we've also enjoyed some extra gym time, playing Doctor Dodgeball! 

Mentors also met with second and third grade the last couple weeks- each leading active games in the gym! Mentors led second grade in a game called, "Treasure Hunt," with tons of cons decorating the gym. They split up the group into two teams and asked them to line up, preparing for a relay style activity. There were seven beanbags placed under randomly chosen cones and the objective was that each team race to find four beanbags for their team! Only one person per team ran to choose a random cone hoping to happen upon the treasure, if they were successful they would race back and place it in their hula hoop. If they didn't find treasure, they'd run back to their team, high five the next runner and so on! Second graders and Mentors had an absolute blast with this one! Third grade grade started with a warm up game with hula hoops as well! They created a circle, holding hands, with some friends holding onto either side of hula hoops. With three hula hoops in place, mentors picked two friends to start opposite sides of the circle. When the mentors said go, thirda graders ran clockwise, and when they heard the cue (a clap) they raced to find an opening of a hula hoop that led to a dodgeball in the middle. Whoever grabbed the dodgeball first won that round! Afterwards we played a version of dodgeball called Swampball! It is a 4/5/6 favorite where regular dodgeball rules apply, except their are areas coned off we call the "swamp," If you are hit, you run to the opposite side of the gym into the opposing teams' swamp. They can return to the game when a teammate (on the other side of the gym) throws them a ball and they make a clean catch.  This game was also a massive hit with both mentors and third graders!

We also spent two days working on Spring inspired keepsakes, creating our 3D versions of flowers using floral wire and decorating rocks with acrylic markers! Our artists had an amazing time using carious materials and mediums to create their sculptures! 

We've had a wonderful start to Spring and look forward to coming back from April break recharged and ready for more fun in 4/5/6!

The last few weeks 4/5/6 has really enjoyed the warmer weather and spending as much time as possible outside! They love playing Four Square, football and fifth grade have been organizing  a massive game of Sandman!

We've also has some epic games of Doctor Dodgeball in the gym! One day we had a forty-five minute block of time and each team went back and forth- just as we maybe thought one team would finally become victorious, someone would hit the backboard with the dodgeball only to bring their doctor and soon thereafter their whole team was back on top!

Our kiddos continue to enjoy puzzles! Our second grade friends also created two massive word searches for us to complete and we had two large groups happily completing their gift! It even motivated our fourth graders to create their very own word search! 

Mentors met with the Kindergartners and the 1st graders the last two weeks. We created paper tulips using stencils, cardstock and fun straws to create our flowers! With the help of our mentors, we taught our Kindergartners how to make an accordion fold then our mentors hold punched their tulips and we weaved them through their straws. First grade also created a bouquet of flowers! We used origami paper to create bouquets with a simple fold and used tissue paper to create the flowers! They crumpled up little pieces of tissue paper, dipped them in glue and placed them along their drawn stems. Although lavender was the inspiration, our little artists created their own version, changing each bloom on the stems!

We'd like to remind families once more to please pack an extra snack for your kiddo's afternoon.

We are so excited to be welcoming Spring and look forward to more time outside! 

The last few weeks have been busy busy busy in 4/5/6! We have enjoyed, hopefully the last big snow day! The kiddos have loved playing in the snow, building forts, snow people and simply enjoying the freedom of running and playing in this winter wonderland! In the same few weeks we also enjoyed our first 70 degree day in months and it was also equally enjoyed by all; it's always a beautiful day when we can end our days in the sunshine!

Mentors also created "potted flowers," with both second and third grade! We used paper plates for the flower pot and the artists created their own designs for their tulips and daisies along with their flower pots! The final pieces were so beautiful and many of our mentors also joined in on making them!

Keeping up the momentum in hopes of more warmer weather and sunshine, Irene and the kiddos started the two step process in making more potted flowers with floral wire, glue and nail polish. It will take a bit of time before we have the final results, but please check out our next newsletter for the final products!

Also just a reminder to please pack extra snacks for your kiddos- with LEDP written on it- so they have an afternoon snack to fuel their afternoon. 

The last few weeks have absolutely flown by and Mother Nature gave us quiet the surprise with our first and biggest blizzard in four years! I think everyone- children and adults alike- were thrilled to see enough snow to build snowmen, snow forts and enough to create a winter wonderland we've been hoping for! Although spaces have been a bit limited, the kiddos have had a blast playing in the snow! The snow didn't interfere with our athletes desire to get an awesome football game in- truthfully,  we think they may prefer these conditions, as it adds another layer to the game. 

This week Mentors met with first grade and made some Valentine inspired art, drawing what they love and makes their hearts happy! They then collaged their hearts with tissue paper, sprayed a bit of water and tie dyed their Valentines. The mentors joined in on the fun and chatted about how excited they were for their Valentines day exchanges!

4/5/6 has really enjoyed completing puzzles the last few weeks- completing the ones we have, with two more on its way we are eagerly awaiting to tackle! Having this room this month also means our shop keepers are open for business once again- this time a special on Boba Tea and Tacos! What an epic combination! 

We want to wish everyone a wonderful February break and are excited to jump into the rest of this month fully recharged! 

The last few weeks of January brought us one of the biggest snowstorms in 4 years! I suppose our snow dance really worked! We were able to make it out a handful of times and the kiddos absolutely loved playing in Lawrence's winter wonderland! Just another reminder that we'd love to make it outside each day Mother Nature permits it, so we ask that you please, please send your child(ren) with the proper winter attire (i.e. boots, snow pants, hats, gloves, winter coat etc.).

This month mentors met with 2nd grade and made ice skating winter animals! They got creative coloring in a penguin or polar bear and used magnets, cardboard, craft sticks and a glass-like plate to create their own wintery scene and their skating friend! Mentors did such an amazing job connecting with the little ones and really walking them through each step so patiently. We received raving reviews from both Francesca and Janet!

This time around, two different campaigns have begun for Dungeons & Dragons crew- with Armand leading yet another adventure, along with Christina and Fiamma stepping into dungeon masters for the first time! We wish all our roleplaying adventures luck in their quests!

Although these winter months looks like more inside time- it's always a special time as we get to see more mixed friendship groups come together whether it is in a classic game of Clue, a friendly game of monkey in the middle in the gym or an absolute favorite, simply rolling around on scooters gliding on all fours.

We are happily looking forward to longer moments under the sunshine.... bring it on February! :-)

Happy New Year to our 4/5/6 families! We hope that everyone had a fun-filled, relaxing holiday break and everyone's feeling rejuvenated for 2026!

4/5/6 continues to be a massive fan of Werewolf  which is always such a wonderful way to get a big group game going from various age groups! We even have friends eager to lead as moderator, leaving teachers able to join in on the fun! Another fan favorite has been GraviTrax, a marble run set with lifts, magnetic cannons and spiral components. It's been a popular choice to explore their imagination, creativity and engineering skills! Friends tend to build together, but most recently, they have loved splitting up the materials and creating  impressive, intricate competitions!

Mentors also met with 3rd grade to create winter themed paper plate snow globes! 3rd graders got creative with their snowmen and gingerbread people, winter themed foam stickers and pom poms! Please make sure to check out the Peer Mentoring page to see the kiddos in action!

Although winter season is among us, we do try and go outside even if it's for a short period of time. We ask that you please provide the right attire so they'll be comfortable throughout the afternoon. The field isn't always an option, so our kiddos have gotten creative and have been using other spaces such as the basketball court, tennis court and foursquare area! Luckily four square remains a classic and a 4/5/6 favorite, while football occupies any other space that allows it. 

If you have a moment, LEDP staff would very much appreciate families to check out our Amazon Wish List (with a link provided on the LEDP homepage). There you will find a lot of LEDP essentials; we thank you in advance for your consideration and generosity. 

We are looking forward to longer days of sunshine and fingers crossed for a little snow as well! 

To all of our 4/5/6 families, we want to start by thanking everyone who attended our first Parent Night of the year! We had such an amazing turnout, with all our kiddos excited to show their grownups how they spend their afternoons in LEDP! We especially loved the epic Munchkin game that lasted throughout the evening and the gorgeous wintery frames created by families!

Although Munckin remains a front-runner, the last few weeks has been all about Werewolf, Werewolf, Werewolf! A role playing game where each player receives an identity such as a werewolf, villager, bodyguard, seer etc. With their roles in mind, our townspeople commune to find out who among them are the werewolves and whom are mere villagers. Through strategy and debate, the villagers do their best to banish all the werewolves before they overtake their community! We especially love that with one word about playing Werewolf, we get such a mix of grades and friends coming together to play! 

Last week, we also got our first Doctor Dodgeball game of the school year! It was a battle of the best, as it was a 45 minute game that ended in a tie! With no victor in sight- midway we changed doctors and added a spy, which still did very little as both teams were so evenly matched! Needless to say, a rematch is absolutely in order! 

Just a few reminders that our afternoons now end inside, so we ask you to please double check your pick-up times with one of the 4/5/6 teachers for accuracy, as teachers will only wait five minutes past the designated time in order to get back to the group in a timely fashion. We understand that the weather may interfere with pick-ups and we simply ask you give the office a call or send an e-mail at your earliest convenience if there is a change in your child's schedule. 

Although we are sad to see the sun setting so early, 4/5/6 has absolutely been taking advantage of every moment while outside! The majority of the group love to play Wiffle Ball in the tennis courts, attracting a number of both fourth and fifth graders ready to show of their skills! When they aren't outside playing Wiffle Ball, they are anxiously hoping the gym will be available to continue their games, and if unavailable- they're chatting about it! Some friends have ventured out to play some hockey as well- event tempting our teacher, Christian, to join in on the fun!

The last two weeks, mentors also met with both kindergartners and third graders! With Kindergarten- our mentors led, "Hand, Shoulders, Knees.. Beanbag," as well as scooter relays! In the first activity, mentors tried to stump our kiddos with different commands using, hand, shoulders, knees and ending with "beanbag." When the mentor yells beanbag, the first third grader to grab the beanbag placed between them gets a point! Needless to say, taking out scooters always makes for a thrilling time! Third graders dominated in scooter relays, cheering their friends on right to the finish! Kindergartners had a blast playing Robots & Penguin Waddle Relay! In Robots, friends had to balance a beanbag on their head,  attempting to keep their treasure on their heads from one end of the gym to the other! If the beanbag fell, they had to freeze and wait for the two chosen technicians, to arrive and fix/place the beanbag back on their friends head- then the robot could continue functioning. The first there and back is the victor! We also had a ton of fun with penguin waddle relays as friends waddled their way with their teams to the finish- a waddle created while trying to walk with a dodgeball in between their knees!

Munckin still remains the front runner for games and we are just enjoying more time spent together inside! We'd like to thank the families who have generously donated items to our Food Drive! We will continue collecting donations until Friday November 21st!

4/5/6 has certainly finished off October strong! We are preparing ourselves for early sunsets which means less time outside, but more time playing group games, enjoying more extravagant projects and everyone's favorite- some epic Dodgeball in the gym!

We've added a few more games to our cart, including Munchkin which has rapidly become a 4/5/6 favorite! In Munchkin you're a fantasy hero kicking doors down in a dungeon! You're confronted by monsters and with defeat- you're rewarded with leveling up and treasure! Be the first to reach Level 10 and you're the victor! It is a time consuming game, perfect for our longer days spent inside!

This week we also met with 2nd grade for Mentoring where both mentors and second graders had a blast with Pass the Pumpkin, but especially with Wrap the Mummy!  Who wouldn't love the opportunity to wrap up the big kids with toilet paper, make a mess... on top of calling it a race to a mummified finish! It was also so fun to hear all the Halloween plans, costumes and candy favorites all our kiddos were looking forward to!

Looking ahead please make sure you are sending your kiddos with the proper attire as we always plan to go outside as long as the weather permits it. With the time change we will be finishing our days inside, so please make sure to check-in with the 4/5/6 teachers that pick-up times are accurate as we can only wait five minutes by our pick-up door to ensure we stay in ratio.Also, please be on the lookout for more information on our Food Drive! We thank you in advance for your donations and consideration to this worth cause!

For 4/5/6, October has introduced cooler days and it's our first month we return to the big room for some extra choice time! Although we've spent September ending our afternoons outside, with the weather changing and the time change fast approaching we have begun ending the tail end of our day inside. We have implemented alternating months in the big LEDP room with third grade- so every other month we will be able to play with some of our LEDP favorites. This includes continuous games of riveting foosball tournaments, lots of role playing/ imaginary play in the loft and extravagant structures made of our bigger building blocks! 

Last week we started off strong with Mentoring in Kindergarten with classic game of Cat & Mouse with the parachute. October will continue with our first meetings with mentors and groups, as this week our first grade mentors collaged fall trees with the little ones! Irene remains so impressed with their energy, enthusiasm and eagerness to lead!

Just a few reminders that as mentioned above we will be switching our schedule to accommodate the changing weather, therefore, we ask that with such a large group, you check your pick-up time with Irene, Joe or Christian to make sure they are accurate. We can only wait about five minutes by our pick up door with the kiddos, so staff can return to groups to remain in ratio. We thank you in advance! Time is just flying by and we look forward to another two spooky weeks!

The days are just absolutely flying by and 4/5/6 is really doing a wonderful job settling into our routines and getting to know our new teachers Joe and Christian! They've loved playing catch and schooling Christian in Four Square while Joe is amazing each and everyone of them with his close up magic! Each day they look forward to the next magic trick he has in store!

We've enjoyed the residual summer days Mother Nature has given us, spending most of our afternoons enjoying its warmth! Our fifth graders have taken it upon themselves to run a Dungeons and Dragons club under the supervision of our fearless leader, Mary! With eleven members and our very own, Armand as Dungeon  Master, there's a lot of adventure to be had with elves, dragons and the unpredictability of each decision each member makes to discover their destinies! 

Peer Mentoring has been introduced and we are looking forward to another amazing year for this years mentors! Thus far we have 22 mentors which makes for a very exciting year; their energy and enthusiasm always acts such vital fuel for Irene to make sure each and every project is fresh and the proper platform to show off their leadership skills!

We'd like to remind grown-ups to please, please make sure to wave or check out with a 4/5/6 teacher before leaving for the afternoon- it is helpful for the newer staff to learn names and faces upon pick-up. We thank you in advance for your cooperation! We look forward to bringing on Fall and spooky season! 

Welcome back 4/5/6 families!

We hope you had an amazing, relaxing, fun-filled summer and are recharged for another wonderful year in LEDP! 

This year we have quite a large group and are welcoming two new teachers to the 4/5/6 team, Christian and Joe! The first two weeks have been focused on going over some rules and expectations, getting reacquainted with our routines and schedules and really just enjoying the last remnants of summer while we can! 

Although fourth grade is new to the group, everyone has really jumped right in, exploring connections with peers and teachers and are very much into big groups games! Again, we really have been taking advantage of the beautiful weather with kickball as the main attraction, along with Four Square and football as other clear favorites. 

Just a few reminders, with a large group this year and new staff we ask that families and kiddos please make sure to check out with a Irene, Christian or Joe before leaving for the evening. We also want to remind families that LEDP does not provide snack, so please send each child with an afternoon snack. 

If you have some time and are interested, LEDP has created an Amazon wish list, with various LEDP staples and essentials. We thank you in advance for your consideration. 

We look forward to another amazing year and please feel free to chat and ask any questions you may have about your kiddos afternoon!