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%! 

Staying Healthy

Here at Recess, we often get inquiries about how we maintain a clean environment and what we do to prevent sickness from spreading. While we have a number of practices to keep our space germ-free, nothing is foolproof, especially around curious youngsters, so we rely on your help to keep everyone healthy.  Here is how:

WHAT WE DO TO KEEP OUR SPACE CLEAN 

• Daily Sanitation. Every single surface, every toy, every play structure, and each little toy in our space gets sanitized every single day. We use a combination of vinegar and hydrogen peroxide to sanitize.  This non-toxic combination kills germs and keeps infants (who love to taste test toys) safe.
  Tip if you're cleaning toys at home and would like to use this method, note that for the sanitizing to work, vinegar and hydrogen peroxide must be sprayed from separate bottles, not from one combined bottle.
• "Mouthed Toy" bins. We have several designated bins throughout our space for mouthed toys--toys that our little ones have drooled/sucked on. Please keep an eye on the toys that will inevitably go into your infant/toddler's mouth, and before they go into the mouth of another kiddo, your job is to intercept the wet toy and place it in the bin.  Our job is to then sanitize that toy before it goes back into circulation.  
• Hand Wipes & disinfecting foam. Throughout our space, you'll find antibacterial hand wipes and foam dispensers. Kids love to get some "soap" out of the dispensers and rub rub rub until it disappears! Hand washing is the best way to prevent the spread of illness.  But when soap and water are not available, please use the wipes and sanitation foam provided.
• Friendly reminders. So many of our members (infants, pregnant women, grandparents, etc) have compromised immune systems and require a clean space! The Recess Team is diligent about asking families with children who visibly sick to stay home and get better.  But we count on YOU too.  We're not medical professionals and there is, of course, a grey area, around kids who experience cold-like symptoms for reasons other than a cold (ie: a runny nose when they're teething). So please be diligent when considering a visit to Recess about keeping sick kiddos at home. If your child isn't well enough to be at school, they aren't well enough to be at Recess.  You'll see this same information in emails/publications to clients too.  

HERE ARE SOME WAYS YOU CAN KEEP YOUR LITTLE ONE HEALTHY AND HAPPY

• Wash hands often. Before you eat, after you eat, after playing at the park, etc. Washing hands can be a tedious task, but find a fun way to make it an enjoyable activity! Sing songs, buy colorful soap, make funny faces in the mirror.
• Cover your cough! By aiming a cough/sneeze into your elbow, you help to slow the spread of germs. Sneezes and coughs into hands (or the air) are a surefire way to spread germs. Help your child identify where their elbow is and model this behavior by doing the same. For older kids, calling it a "Dracula" sneeze or cough is a fun way to get them to pretend to hide behind a cape, while keeping sneezes and coughs covered!  
• Practice healthy living. You are busy.  So are your children.  In spite of the daily shuffle, try to make sure your whole family prioritizes getting enough rest, nutritious foods, some activity, and enough fluids to keep those insides running smoothly and in tip top shape to ward off illnesses. City life with a young child can be a challenge, so being proactive and boosting your immune system is crucial. 

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.

Cultivating the Cultivator: Self Care All Year Through

“...when your cup is full, it runs over to fill those around you.”

— Aviva Jill Romm

Now that June is here and Mother's Day is over... the massage coupons have been used, the flowers have wilted, and the pedicure looks like it needs a touch-up, how do we keep this concept of self-care going throughout the year?

The other day, a friend texted me that she had just had surgery on her shoulder and was now spending the day in bed for the first time in 10 years. She told me this felt like the first day she truly “had off” since she had become a mother. I could relate to the feeling: several months ago, I had spent a day at the hospital and in some strange way, it felt like a retreat. This bothered me greatly. It seemed that everyone did survive without me that day, and it begged the question, "Why don’t I take a day off every once in a while? Why don’t I take a morning, an afternoon, anything?” I would readily hire a babysitter to go to work, to volunteer in my son’s class, even to run errands for the family, but when, if ever, did I hire a babysitter to sit in a cafe alone with my thoughts for an hour?

Self-care seems like a buzz word these days and often seems like one more thing we don’t have time for, or one more thing we are failing to accomplish. The past few years I have been trying (often desperately) to see it differently. Instead of a big hovering to-do list, I’ve been learning to see self-care as small acts of intention that we choose each day. When we make a point to extend the same care and respect we show our children and families to ourselves, we nourish ourselves. We are sending the vital message to our children that we are worth taking care of.

When we take the time to prepare a healthy meal for ourselves, instead of absently grazing as we hurry through our days, we are practicing self-care. When we make the time to care for our bodies through exercise, acupuncture, or even scheduling that dental check-up, we are practicing self-care. When we decide to take our kids on a walk through the Canyon instead of the playground they are begging for, because we know the time in nature will be more life-giving for us, we are practicing self-care. When we decide to put down our phone or computer and eat our lunch on a real plate, uninterrupted, or read a book, or go to bed early, we are practicing self-care. When we acknowledge that we can’t do it all, and we seek out support from others, we are practicing self-care.

And when we finally admit to ourselves that the “super mom” concept is as elusive as Wonder Woman herself, we are finally, I believe, heading down the road to better care of ourselves. As mothers, especially in this hectic, demanding chapter of raising young children, it can be very difficult to carve out protected time to care for ourselves. It can be helpful, then, to identify moments where we can care for ourselves in the midst of parenting. These small, ongoing moments of mindful self-care can keep us nourished year-round as we grow through this season of life.

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About the author

Rebecca Walsh- Founder and Director, Early Childhood Matters

Early Childhood Matters' founder and director, Rebecca Walsh is an early childhood expert and local mother of three. She has over twenty years of worldwide experience in the field of Child Development.

Rebecca's primary focus is helping parents to understand the developing brain of children, while providing methods to establish connection and effective positive discipline tools in the early years. Her passion is sharing with parents and caregivers the wisdom and experience she has gained from working as a director, lead teacher, supervisor, parent educator, teacher mentor, and most importantly as a parent of three young children. 

Rebecca has decades of experience: founding preschools internationally, developing early childhood and at-risk youth programs throughout the Bay Area, directing head start programs, and teaching and mentoring at Pacific Primary. She holds a Bachelor's degree in childhood development and a Master's in Religion and Psychology.

Since founding Early Childhood Matters in 2010, Rebecca has worked with parents throughout the Bay Area and beyond [from New Orleans, LA to Melbourne, Australia] to help them better understand and support them on their journey to nourish the minds and spirits of tomorrow’s world.

Learn more at www.earlychildhoodmattes.org and Keep an eye on Recess' Workshop Schedule for Rebecca's great workshops like Introducing a New Sibling, Your Willful Preschooler and Parenting through the Toddler Years.