For the past couple of months, I 've been participating in the Healdsburg Community Nursery School(HCNS) with my 33 month old twin grandchildren, Rody and Sophia. It’s been an amazing experience.
Here they are, out on the school’s field trip to the Pumpkin Farm in October.
This past Saturday, I attended the “Giving Thanks” celebration at the school. In the front yard, kids were squealing and laughing in a “jumpy house,” and adults were conversing in the warm fall sun. There I met Emily McGrath and her HCNS alumni son, Finnegan, 5 ½, photo below. His younger brother, Aidan, is in the same class as Rody and Sophia. She organized the celebration with the help of the other school board members.
Inside the school, I smelled cookies, which were just coming out of the oven. Standing back by the kitchen, I met Nora Bulloch, whose friend from Burlingame was shoveling the cookies in and out of the oven. I asked Nora why she liked HCNS, and she responded that it helps parents “act appropriately went they participate in their kids’ education in the upper grades,” and “it helped me learn how to be as a parent.”
Well! I have to admit that Teacher Lisa, who is there in the morning when the twins and I attend, is helping me learn how to be a grandparent. Here’s an example: The kids wait in line on a bench in order to play on the swing that’s suspended from the ceiling in the front of the schoolroom. My grandson Rody took his first twirl on it, then got back on the bench to wait for another turn. When he decided to do something else, I jumped into his place on the bench and said “I’ll save your place, Rody.” Lisa gently reminded me that I had missed a teachable moment. I think you get the idea.
One of the most wonderful things about HCNS is how it encourages kids to use their imaginations. Here’s the kids’ kitchen.
I had no idea who important it is to create an environment that enhances a child’s ability to imagine until I read Can The Right Kinds of Play Teach Self-Control?. Now, if I can just let the kids develop their own imaginations. That means I need to exercise some self-control and just watch what they are doing instead of plunging in and acting like a three year old myself.
Here they are, out on the school’s field trip to the Pumpkin Farm in October.
This past Saturday, I attended the “Giving Thanks” celebration at the school. In the front yard, kids were squealing and laughing in a “jumpy house,” and adults were conversing in the warm fall sun. There I met Emily McGrath and her HCNS alumni son, Finnegan, 5 ½, photo below. His younger brother, Aidan, is in the same class as Rody and Sophia. She organized the celebration with the help of the other school board members.
Inside the school, I smelled cookies, which were just coming out of the oven. Standing back by the kitchen, I met Nora Bulloch, whose friend from Burlingame was shoveling the cookies in and out of the oven. I asked Nora why she liked HCNS, and she responded that it helps parents “act appropriately went they participate in their kids’ education in the upper grades,” and “it helped me learn how to be as a parent.”Well! I have to admit that Teacher Lisa, who is there in the morning when the twins and I attend, is helping me learn how to be a grandparent. Here’s an example: The kids wait in line on a bench in order to play on the swing that’s suspended from the ceiling in the front of the schoolroom. My grandson Rody took his first twirl on it, then got back on the bench to wait for another turn. When he decided to do something else, I jumped into his place on the bench and said “I’ll save your place, Rody.” Lisa gently reminded me that I had missed a teachable moment. I think you get the idea.
One of the most wonderful things about HCNS is how it encourages kids to use their imaginations. Here’s the kids’ kitchen.
I had no idea who important it is to create an environment that enhances a child’s ability to imagine until I read Can The Right Kinds of Play Teach Self-Control?. Now, if I can just let the kids develop their own imaginations. That means I need to exercise some self-control and just watch what they are doing instead of plunging in and acting like a three year old myself. 
Great job, Gail! How did you get the photos interspersed between the text? I like that!
ReplyDeleteBeing a parent of one of the other children in Rody and Sophia's class, I would like to agree with everything that Gail shared here and add that one of the most valuable aspects of this pre-school, in my opinion, is the on-going parent education component. There are mandatory parent meetings once a month that are always a little difficult to get to because they are during the week and make for such a long day when you've worked a full day and haven't even really seen your little one. However, every time I go, I am always blessed by my interactions with the other parents, the parent education that is age specific; relavant, useful and helpful and/or the presentations that are offered for helping make your home safer, car seat safety, etc. Having a teacher like Teacher Lisa who is obviously on the cutting edge of all aspects of educating the pre-school child, is very comforting and my child is absolutely thriving here.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Gail, for writing about the preschool--it's a bright look into the villagers who help raise our grandchildren. I'm glad you enjoy it so much and they are such a treasure for Healdsburg.
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