recess for all

More Music Coming to Recess - Fridays at 10

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This Spring, Mega is coming to Recess to share her musical talents (nestled into a background of Early Childhood Ed) with our community. 

Come play on Friday Mornings at 10am to meet her and enjoy this beautiful, interactive activity.

We all benefit from music in our lives. If we are exposed to music and given the opportunity to explore than no note will be out of reach. Just as a child needs to be exposed to books for literacy, children need to be exposed to live music to play it, enjoy it and try it.

Music education is similar to other early childhood classroom curriculum, it must be joyful and playful. Children play to make sense of their environment, the world they are socialized into and through play children begin to understand how they influence it.

Children need to be able to move their bodies -- and the Recess playspace is a great place to do so. It is important to allow children to feel the rhythm of each song or chant and feel the beats in their bodies. All of the activities she leads include fine and gross motor activities that are both suggested and guided.

Musical classes assist in the development of all of the developmental domains as well as overall health and wellness. Music is calming, relaxing and soothing to any soul no matter the age. During music class children utilize cognitive and language skills whenever they listen to song lyrics and repeat them back. If given a shaker and asked to repeat back a rhythm children must listen and count the beats to copy the rhythm. 

When in class with others, children have an opportunity to practice using social/ emotional skills to wait for their turn to dance in the middle of the circle, or to add a silly word to a song or to bring a movement idea to the group, as well as when the classroom group sings together to create a beautiful melody.  

Children use physical skills to do gross motor activities like hopping, jumping, stomping, twisting, etc as well as using fine motor muscles to hold a shaker, to hold hands, or to copy small body movements. Children will be active participants!

Mega Bloom began working with young children as a Naturalist ten years ago. Over the past decade, Mega has held many positions in various teaching environments from outside the classroom, teaching in gardens and the forest teaching environmental science to most recently teaching in early childhood education classrooms.  Mega has taught toddlers and preschool aged children for the past three years in Oakland, California. When interacting with young children, Mega takes notice of each child's individuality and emphasizes their creative strengths. Mega loves to facilitate music and movement activities with young children! 

 

Hope to see you and your children for the first class March 16th! 

Free for Anytime members - Included in Day Passes 

March Madness

Join us this month for all kinds of fun!

TUES - MAR 6, 3:30PM  Family Concert: The Singing Lizard! (1-4 Yrs)

TUES - MAR 6, 7:30PM   Introducing the Sibling

TUES, MAR 13, 6:30PM  Toddler Sleep (webinar format)

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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.