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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.
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