Building Blocks

For May (online only)

Building Blocks
Karen Venegas

Building Blocks is a place where you join in the educational process as an active participant. We are a parent/family cooperative pre-school designed for you and your child. We have two programs in our school: 2½ - 4 year olds come on Tuesday and Thursday and our pre-K class meets Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Both classes meet from 8:30 a.m.to 12:30 p.m. Our calendar aligns with Loma school district’s so that your family can function as a team. We have a basic curriculum of shapes, colors, literacy, and readiness with a large supply of art, science, physical activity, and pretend play. Children learn how to work in groups, solve conflicts, share materials and ideas, work with other adults, and have fun together. Moms and dads share their expertise, loves, and cultural traditions.

We are sponsored by the Los Gatos-Saratoga Department of Education and Recreation and are teamed with the LPJUSD and the Loma Prieta Community Foundation.

We have posted our class lists for next year, so if you’re looking for a school for your family and your child, call 408-353-2847 to arrange a time to see for yourself.

Be sure to join us on May 16 for our flea market (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.).

From our February issue

Building Bocks Preschool
Karen Venegas

Building Blocks is a parent/family cooperative preschool designed for parents and children. The school is sponsored by the Los Gatos/Saratoga Community Department of Education and Recreation, Loma Prieta Joint Union School District, and the Loma Prieta Community Foundation.

We have two programs for children: Our pre-K program meets MWF (4-5+ years) and TTh is for children 2.5 – 4+ years. Both classes meet from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. We are taking applications for next year’s classes. In addition, we could create a Mommy (or Daddy) and Me class on one afternoon. We would like to have at least six families (children 16 months to 30+ months) and will determine the day of the week based on mutual agreement.

Call if you’re interested in a school committed to friendships, support, education, and community. You can arrange a visit and see for yourself by calling us at 408-353-2847.

From our September issue

Building Blocks
Karen Venegas

Building Blocks is a parent-family cooperative preschool and an adult-education program. The adults work as teachers under my guidance. They support the school with fundraising, maintenance, and curriculum, and they actively build friendships as they explore the joys and challenges of parenting young children in our community.

Two programs meet from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., on Monday, Wednesday, Friday for children age four-to-five+ years; and on Tuesday, Thursday for children two-and-a-half to four+ years.

Some parents have shown interest in another Mommy- (or Daddy-) and-Me class in the afternoon. We’d like to have at least six families (children 16 months to 30+ months). Together, we will select the day of the week.

A photo of a delightful potato-head “Indiana Jones” creation from our most recent construction program is posted on our website.

If you’re interested in a school committed to building community, and providing fun and education in a preschool setting, Building Blocks may be the school for you. To see our school call 408-353-2847.

Building Blocks is associated with and supported by Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint High School District and Los Gatos/Saratoga Community Department of Education and Recreation.

From our August issue

Building Blocks
Karen Venegas

This summer we continue our exploration of water and various kinds of construction, in addition to the puzzles, drawing, painting, and physical play of our usual curriculum. Our garden is in full swing. We have vegetables, cosmos, and giant sunflowers growing taller than our fence.

Our end-of-the-year celebration was wonderful. We sang about birthdays, dinosaurs, and exploding pea pods. We honored each child with our traditional handprint T-shirt, a certificate of completion, and a special crown they made themselves. We also paid tribute to three women who have been an integral part of our school for many years: Pennie Dembry, Kelly Frimmersdorf, and Florence Beckmann. We send them to Loma with our deepest love and gratitude.

Our two pre-school programs are Monday, Wednesday, Friday for four-to-five+ years, and Tuesday, Thursday for children two-and-a-half to four+ years. Classes meet from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Our 2009 fall program begins August 31. We are almost full for the year. We might add another Mommy-(or Daddy)-and-Me class in the afternoon if we have at least six families (children sixteen to thirty+ months).

If you’d like to see our program, or want more information, call 408-353-2847, or check out our website: www.buildingblockscoop.com

From our June issue

Building Blocks
Talking About Moms and Dads
Karen Venegas

We have been working on projects like Mother’s and Father’s days. In our Mother’s Day surveys, we learned that most moms love to wear fancy dresses and to nap on the couch, and that most of you make macaroni and cheese as a favorite dinner. You are beloved, beautiful, and your children are watching you with love. What a joy to hear their words about you. We can’t wait to hear what the children say about you dads (or mom/partners), too.

We are learning about birds and dinosaurs, writing and drawing shapes that include our names and addresses, and exploring our five senses. We also do experiments with sounds, smells, and unseen objects.

If you are looking for a school designed to support growth, education, play, and building community on the mountain, call us at 408-353-2847, or check out our under-construction website at www.buildingblockscoop.com.

From our March issue

Building Blocks Preschool

Karen Venegas

At Building Blocks we are marching into spring, through the recent puddles, and into daylight savings and those luscious longer evenings. In our classes we have been sewing and weaving, just like the birds with their nests. We are discovering the birds around our school, feeding them and doing some experiments with what they like best to eat. We’ll also create nesting bags of yarn and lint to facilitate nest-building. Watching the many varieties of birds from our classroom window is one of our favorite activities. Learning to be still and quiet is another valued skill.

We also have moved fully into the hospital/medical/fire curriculum. In our fantasy playroom, we have a hospital complete with equipment like face masks, hair covers, white coats, stethoscopes, and toy syringes.

In addition, we will visit the Redwood Estates Fire Station and invite an ambulance to visit us at school. Our yard outside has the beginnings of a fire station, and we’ll continue to add materials as the play develops, but firefighter hoses and helmets go a long way with our preschoolers and, as you can see in our photograph, we’re having fire drills.

In our adult curriculum, we have been asking “what delights us about our child?” “What challenges us?” We will spend the next few weeks looking at students and the questions they are asking as they figure out their world.

We will put together our fall 2009 classes by the end of this month, so if you’re interested, let us know now. Our Mommy-and-Me class (for children 16 months to 30 months) meets on Thursday afternoons from 3 to 5 p.m. Come join us with your smaller-than-preschooler.

Our partnership with LGS Recreation (and the Saratoga High School District) who sponsor our Adult Education program and our connection with the Loma school district makes our school program possible. Through them we are able to bring growth and development to all our students, both adults and children. If you are looking for a school that is designed to support growth, education, fun, and community building on the mountain, give us a call at 408-353-2847 or visit our in-construction website at www.buildingblockscoop.com. We will be happy to answer your questions, and arrange for a classroom visit to our wonderful school

From our February issue

Building Blocks
Karen Venegas

In February we will begin a curriculum focusing on friendship and love. Our classroom tree will be festooned with hearts and the things we love. It will have things like “I love Star Wars!” and I love my mommy” along with the delightful surprises that come when you ask a child about whom or what they love.

A special love at Building Blocks is sharing circle. Each week in the Monday-Wednesday-Friday class we share something we bring from home on a given theme. There were surprised looks on everyone’s faces when Maybel brought in her toy dog. It was as big as a real one and could even whimper and shake paws. When it was time for teacher Karen to turn it off and put it away in Maybel’s huge bag, it looked as if everyone was going to cry.

Another thing preschoolers love is hammering. We’ll be hammering, gluing, and creating things from wood scraps, old thread spools, etc.

Our January adult education meeting brought us people from the Burrell fire station to talk with us about emergencies and emergency plans. Our adult homework is to generate specific, articulated plans for emergencies for our own families. We have fire drills, earthquake drills, and practice “stop, drop, and roll” and “drop, cover, and hold.” We’re also planning visits to the firefighters at the Burrell station. Also this month, we’ll have our open house on Saturday, February 7, from 12 to 2 p.m.

We’re learning to jump from higher places, the rules of wrestling, the difference between a claw and a talon, or a paw and a hoof. We are learning to play together and to listen when our friends are speaking. We are learning to say “stop!” and “thank you.”

For more information, call 408-353-2847, or visit www.buildingblockscoop.com.

From our January issue

Building Blocks
Karen Venegas

Recently, there have been several examples of our Building Blocks community in action as our members nurture a grieving family, attend to the sadness of a child wanting his papa (who must leave for work), or guide a tender-hearted three-year-old jealous of the expanding friendships of her best friend.

In January, we will expand our bakery to become a store and restaurant—complete with menus, cash registers, and learning a bit about fractions through pizza slices. We will also continue to study wild animals. You should hear the roars in our song of Leo the Lion, his lioness, Leah, and their cub, Eva.

In the MWF class, we played a game of crouch and pounce. We did lots of baking, explored triangles in many different ways, looked at trees and leaves, and are continuing to investigate changes in light, temperature, and weather. While we are hoping for many days of rain, we are also glad to run, jump, and spin in our wonderful outside yard.

In our adult curriculum, we have been observing body placement in our class environment and noticing that where we are affects what happens with the children. We’ve also gathered titles of our favorite books. Thank you to Valerie Lewis, owner of Hicklebee’s children’s bookstore, and grandma of Gracie and Joey, who enchanted us with many of her newest books at our November meeting.

Our classes are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for children ages four to five years old, and Tuesday and Thursday for children ages two-and-a-half to four years. old. The classes run from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Call us at 408-353-2847 or visit www.buildingblockscoop.com.