Our Learning Environment

REMEMBER… Dr. Seuss, The Wild Things and Ramona?

How many Dr. Seuss books can you remember? What was your favorite? During our “Seuss Celebration” we read all eighty-six. Imagine that opportunity! Imagine a library at your fingertips every day! Our love of books and the importance of literacy experiences for the children is demonstrated by our school library. With over one hundred books available daily (and several hundred more to be rotated on a monthly basis), our library gives children many opportunities to “read” and hear quality literature throughout the day, not just a “group time”. We use our themes to help guide our rotation of books. However, favorites can be requested at any time! We visit the neighborhood book store where we purchase new books regularly. Children often curl up with a friend or lounge by the fireplace with a good book.

REMEMBER… Gallons of glue, endless paper and crayons?

At our Writing Center these and other art materials are always available for the children to use and explore to their hearts’ content. When children are given opportunities to problem solve “which lasts longer and holds better, glue or tape?” or “what do you need to support the back of a paper mask?” they become creators, inventors and problem solvers. By having the opportunity to use these materials the child is developing the skills needed for writing as well as learning to express themselves in a creative way. The small muscle development and eye hand coordination necessary for holding pencils is strengthened by cutting, squeezing glue and gripping crayons.

REMEMBER… Playdough?

At ABC we use clay because clay has all the tactile aspects of playdough plus lots of extras. Clay, like most everything else in our learning environment, is always available. Children delight in getting out the clay and a clayboard when an idea hits them. We often hear them say “hey, let’s go make that out of clay!” and they dash off. Children who spend lots of time with clay understand it; they learn how to mold, shape and build so the clay will reflect their visualization. If a child decides he is happy with his creation, he can save it, send it to the kiln, paint it and mount it. A process that can take some time. This process requires patience as well as creativity. Although the masterpieces the children make are just that; the process is what is important.

REMEMBER… Planting beans in milk cartons?

We are fortunate to garden year round at ABC. We have an indoor gardening system that allows us to start from seed plants that we will watch, tend and enjoy. In early spring we will nurture these seedlings that will flourish in our outdoor garden. Preparing the soil, planting the seeds, watering and weeding are jobs the children enjoy as they wait for the flowers and vegetables to grow. Their patience pays off as they dig potatoes, pull carrots, and enjoy finding a “finally red” tomato. Every fall we celebrate our harvest together and make salsa. The children are always excited to pick the ingredients, prepare the salsa and share it with their friends and families.

REMEMBER… Block towers, empty boxes and train tracks?

Imagine a room with enough blocks and trains for children to build to their heart’s content. We feel strongly that limiting block and train play to a table or a corner robs the children of the chance and challenge of designing their own structures and layouts. Our block room has a wide variety of mathematically accurate blocks available. Through hands-on experience with unit blocks, children learn math and spatial concepts and develop social skills. Block play enhances physical development, expands language and fosters creativity. Block play stimulates dramatic play as blocks represent castles, cities and fire engines. Cooperation and verbalization are necessary skills for this area, as well as life.

REMEMBER… Sand castles, mud pies and splashing in water?

Imagine having a tub full of “slime” to touch, pour, squeeze and drip through your fingers. By rotating activities, our tactile tub becomes a place where children can dig for fossils, make mud pies or find hidden treasures. They experiment and manipulate a variety of textures while creating a continuous chain of rivers, waterfalls and lakes or a construction site where workers use pulleys to hoist sand and building materials into place.

REMEMBER… Dressing up, blanket forts and tea parties?

Imagine being a snake slithering around a block structure you’ve built or wearing a silly hat as you work on your favorite puzzle or wearing a beautiful dress while you dance around the room. These are precious and important childhood experiences. Dramatic play is the foundation for imaginative experiences. Imagination and creativity are enhanced as children engage in make believe activities that will become a part of their life. Cooking a pretend dinner, washing and cuddling a doll, dressing up as a firefighter are experiences that allow children to explore and experience roles and social situations. Dramatic play grounds a child and helps her to understand the world around her and her place in it.

REMEMBER…Making holiday decorations and exchanging valentines?

Children in our program play dreidel at Hanukkah, eat oranges and receive red envelopes at Chinese New Year and enjoy the piñata at Cinco de Mayo. These celebrations are not token holidays, rather a real reflection of our group and its diversity. The children know “Alexander celebrates Christmas and Hanukkah but Brianna celebrates just Christmas” just like they know Luca calls water “agua” and Anna’s mom speaks French (she also makes yummy crepes to share).

We recognize holidays and traditions as important events in your child’s life. We wish to celebrate along with you, creating lasting memories for your child. We hope that you will share with us your family’s traditions.

REMEMBER… Zooming on a trike and digging in the sand?

We have two separate playgrounds, each with its own outdoor experiences. Our discovery garden accommodates a child’s natural inclinations to poke, prod, nurture, jump, hunt, climb, and hide. There is a large area for running and a bean house for hiding with a friend while snacking on yard-long green beans. Children jump off raised garden beds and balance on a series of log posts. A mystical sea dragon enchants and oversees the energetic play.

Our discovery playground is a large deck with lots of room for riding trikes and exercising our bodies. Behind the trike shed is our own “sandy beach,” a covered area filled with real white beach sand for burying, digging, scooping and making sand castles. A child-sized rock-climbing wall strengthens muscles and builds confidence. Outside is a place to be one with nature, to exercise our minds and spirits as well as our bodies.

REMEMBER SAUVIE ISLAND… picking green beans, strawberries and corn?

You may not have these memories, but ask any of the children at ABC and they’ll tell you that Keanan is a great green bean picker, that blueberries grow at “Blueberry Kingdom”, that strawberries should be red, that Andrew can hand down huge apples from the apple tree and two year olds do lots of eating and not much picking. As much as we practice by experience, our children become expert produce pickers. We enjoy our harvest year around and believe in sharing the fruits of our harvest. Can you smell the fresh corn on the cob, taste the strawberry jam and the homemade apple crisp that the children take home to share with their families? Not only is the product shared, but the experience as well.

Telephone: (503) 288-5327
Email: abchild@hevanet.com

Julie Horner & Shannon Weir
3289 NE Dunckley
Portland, OR 97212