A Peek into Our Precess Program

A Peek Into Precess

The fundamental goal of our small pre-preschool program is to provide a foundation for a love of learning and enrich your child's social and emotional skills.  If you are looking for a pre-preschool program, or a program to supplement a part time program, look no further!  Fall Session Begins September 11.

We do so many fun activities each week...many of which you could re-create at home.  Here's one of our favorites, tie-dying bandanas!

Tie dying bandanas is an exciting art activity that also helps with fine motor skills and color awareness. The best part is that no matter how you choose to color the fabric, it always looks brilliant when it's finished! 

White bandanas cost about $1 each and tie dye kits with 3 colors including 3 pairs of gloves and rubber bands cost $2.99-3.99 at Michaels or Flax. 

To begin, kids take their bandana and scrunch it into a tight ball. Then they need a little help placing the first rubber band around it. Kids should be able to then put 2 or 3 more rubber bands into their ball without help (or more even!). Then kids put on the plastic gloves; don't worry about fitting fingers in, they will be big and that's okay.

Kids can take turns with each bottle squirting dye onto their bandana and also watch their friends. Afterward put them in the washer and rinse them before drying them in a dryer. The next day children can see what their bandannas ended up looking like! They can wear them on their heads, neck, legs, or use them as a blankie for a baby doll. This is definitely one of our favorite activities in Precess. 

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About The Program

Precess is a small drop-off program, for children 2.5-4 years old, to explore and discover through hands-on, sensory rich, play-based experiences. Each day, we start out with free play in Recess' expansive indoor playspace. Then we move on to share a snack and a story together. Learning and fun continue as we explore science experiments, create artwork, and play movement games. Through these varied activities, children learn following directions, working together, routine, and other key skills for learning success.

In Precess, we strive to create a warm and welcoming space for individualized learning through play, stories, songs, and art. Paired with the diverse playspace, Precess Kids is all about creating a unique learning environment that supports the development of young children.  

LEARN MORE and visit: www.recess-sf.com/precess

Toddlers in the Kitchen - Sign up now

Can Toddlers Really Cook?!  

What do you actually do in Toddler Chefs? 

We really do cook!

Here's how each class is structured.  We begin each day with a "taste test." Every child smells, feels, tastes, and learns about each ingredient in the day's recipe.

Our chefs then take turns chopping, pouring, mixing, blending, rolling, mashing... all the steps needed to prepare the food for the stove or oven. Teacher Carissa usually handles the "cooking" portion of the class, while our little chefs take a break with blocks and puzzles.

When are food is ready, it's time for the best part - eating our creations!  

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Benefits of early exposure to cooking 

• In class, we chop, mix, blend, stir, crack, pour, and shake our ingredients together.  All of these activities develop hand/eye coordination and fine motor skills.  These are skills that are important for tying shoes, hand writing and typing.

• Exposure to new tastes, textures and smells.

• Especially with food, it's incredible to watch a toddler's openness to trying new things when they see other children trying new things too!  

• Children who play a key part of the cooking process have a boosted confidence and pride when enjoying the final product.   

• You'll gain strategies for involving your child in the cooking process at home (they really can do SO much!).

• You'll learn fun, simple, quick recipes to can recreate at home. 

• Lay the foundation for preschool and beyond through the classroom format of this class.  Your child will begin to practice listening to a teacher, sitting for extended periods of time, taking turns, practicing patience, interacting with peers... and more!

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Some of our favorite creations so far: 

• Pesto sauce with noodles
• Banana oat bars
• Funny face pizzas
• Fruity smoothies
• Hummus and crackers
• Quesadillas with guacamole
• Fried rice
• Veggie tostadas
• Lettuce wraps

AUGUST CLASSES BEGIN 8/7.  

Tiny Toddler Chefs, 18-30mo, Mondays at 9:30am,
and Toddler Chefs, 2.5-4yrs, Mondays at 4pm. 

Cost:  $100 for the 4 week series (includes play before/after each class)
Members SAVE up to 25%! 

Sensory Friendly Playtime - It's Here!

For some children, particularly those with autism or sensory processing disorders, a visit to a space like Recess can be difficult or overstimulating.  Kids melt down.  Music, bright lights, and a lot of action are just too much to take in all at one time.  

This summer, we are thrilled to be launching a program that's been in the works for years, Recess for All.

Since we opened nearly 10 years ago, Recess' playspace, has been inclusive. We welcome children of all abilities, from all walks of life. We have welcomed ABA therapists with special professional memberships who meet their clients at Recess. We've had children on the Autism spectrum come for open play and join our Precess program.  Kiddos with a variety of other developmental delays, sensory processing disorders and physical disabilities have been able to thrive at Recess.  

But we've always known we could do more to meet the needs of all children. So last fall, we brought together a team of professionals (a Special Ed PhD, Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists, Pediatric PTs, parents, advocates, an infant mental health specialist & a recreational therapist) and launched our Recess For All initiative. Through this incredible brainstorm, were able to pull together expertise from a variety of disciplines and identify ways to make Recess more inclusive during open hours, and more useful for children with disabilities during times Recess is closed to the general public.

Our first sensory friendly playtime is July 26.  

With this new offering, our goal is to support families of children with autism or sensory processing disorders by providing these Sensory Friendly Playtimes events every month. Our first one will be July 26, 2017.  

We'll be limiting the number of families who can attend at any given time, turning down the lights and sounds, providing adaptive equipment for those who would like it and, if available, bringing in volunteer therapists to create a welcoming environment for families who wouldn’t be able to visit during regular hours.  

During these play times, we'd love your feedback.  Whether you are a parent or a professional, we want to know how we can create the most optimal environment for your child to play.  

Other goals under Recess for All:

• Increase Recess' library of resources for parents who are curious about their child's development, those who are just starting down the path of diagnosis and the families who are looking to connect with others in the same boat. If you have books or resources to donate, please get in touch.  If you are in need of resources, let us know!
• Build a lending library of various tools to be available for kids who need them.
• Starting in the fall, host support groups for parents.  
• Starting in the fall, provide childcare for children during designated times, while parents can take a break, work in the Workspace, or use the community room to chat with others, read a book, meditate. 

What else would you like to see?  How else can we support YOUR family? Please let us know. 
 

Is your child a candidate for Sensory Friendly Playtime?

Tell us more as we organize sign ups:

Visit our Recess For All page for additional information.