When our girls were two and one-half years old a strange thing happened. People couldn't stop talking about preschools. Other parents told us about all the places they visited. One mom had a matrix to decide where her daughter would go to preschool. I never understood the fuss. We always knew where we wanted our daughter to attend preschool: the Farm and Nature Discovery Preschool at The Center.
We wanted them to learn about colors by exploring the fall leaves. We wanted them to plant bulbs and watch them grow. We wanted them to go on the "muddy, murky creek walk." We wanted them to learn about animals by going through the barn.
The day we signed up our girls for the Farm and Nature Preschool we felt like we won the lottery. The preschool building is designed like a red barn. The Anderson Activity Center looks like the inside of a log cabin.
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Their years there were as wonderful as we hoped. Through the years they participated in a live nativity where a child carrying a duck ended up with a duck poop on his coat. Our girls came home dirty and exhausted after a trip to the chicken coop. They took pony rides and played with the piglets.
Along the way they also learned all the academics they needed to succeed in school. It was a wonderful experience. I am very happy with our local public schools, but I've always said that if the Farm and Nature Preschool opened an elementary school I'd gladly pay tuition. We adored it that much.
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The days were fun and educational. Our girls came home with fabulous stories about calfs and chicks and foals. One day I went to pick-up the girls and saw a volunteer standing about half-way up the driveway. All the cars stopped and waited. A minute later I saw a horse gallop by. A minute after that I saw a man with a lasso try to capture the horse. All the kids stood on the school porch watching the fun.
This Monday, February 3 at 10:00 a.m. is the first day to register new families for the Farm and Nature Preschool. This year families can register for the new Kindergarten program as well. This is the most unique way to start your children's life-long love of learning. For more information visit http://thecenterpalos.org/Preschool.html or contact director Kristin Hale at (708) 361-8933.
