Welcome to Friends!
Come take a photo tour of Friends! If you would like to set up an in person tour please contact us at info@pafns.org or 650-856-6152.
We love reading!
Come read a book with us! Each classroom has a reading corner, as well as our outdoor space too. We love to read books as this is a great way to build children’s literacy and prereading skills. Access to books also offers the opportunity to stimulate children’s imagination and thinking skills.
Table-top exploration
We have a light table in each classroom that offers children the sensory opportunity to explore different materials that can help encourage fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, math concepts, creativity and problem -solving skills. If a peer is working there too, your child also has the opportunity to practice sharing and language skills too.
"Self help" invites creativity
Children are free to select any materials they may need from the self-help area to explore and create art freely. The children have daily access to an assortment of materials like paper, tape, pencils, crayons, pens, envelopes, stickers, hole punches, and scissors. We have self-help areas in each classroom, in addition to an art cart we can roll outside too.
Dance and play in the garden
Our garden is a magical place where children can explore the smells and sights of our lovely plants in our garden box or take advantage of our stage area for a dance show! We will sometimes read stories or play musical instruments down here too.
Sand and water imagination
We love sand and water play! When the weather is warm enough the children have free access to water to build and experiment with the sand and water in our large sand box space. The sanbox is a great place to develop motor skills like building up fine and gross motor strength as well as hand-eye coordination. It is also a great space for imaginary and social play opportunities while baking a cake or putting together a tea party. Look closely - you just might unearth a dinosaur, too...
Dramatic play
We have dramatic play spaces set up indoors and out to offer children the opportunity to use their imagination and cook up something for a friend, or dress up like a fire fighter or princess! It is a wonderful opportunity to explore their creativity and self-expression, as well as promoting high-level thinking, problem solving, turn taking and language development.
Building blocks (and math!)
While playing in the block area your child has the opportunity to problem solve, use their imagination and self-expression, while exploring mathematical concepts like estimation, using measurement symmetry, and balance.
Science is everywhere...
We have a science area set up in each classroom in addition to all of the hands on science opportunities we have set up throughout our playground. We set up a daily invitation in our science areas to provide the children the opportunity to explore and experiment with different scientific concepts. We love exploring different scientific concepts like the life cycle of the butterfly, weight and volume by experimenting in our water table with our balancing scales, or making chemical reactions with baking soda and vinegar. There is so much scientific fun to explore in preschool!
Table-top play builds skills
Table Top Activities and Manipulatives:
Come check out the various invitations we have set up on our tables to help build up children’s fine motor skills and hand strength, eye-hand coordination, visual discrimination, sorting and classifying objects, matching abilities, pattern recognition, and cognitive abilities.
Teacher-supported art
You will receive a monthly calendar describing our planned teacher supported activities each day. These activities will be set-up indoors or out. Children are invited each day to participate in the art activity if they so choose. Giving children creative outlets for their art encourages fine motor skills, neural development, problem-solving abilities, and an outlet for self-expression. We love offering open-ended art opportunities to explore and get messy with everyday!
Building with loose parts
We love to play with our loose parts in our oval area in our backyard. You may find some big block building, an obstacle course, or a big floor mat with building toys or trains. The children also love to move our loose parts around the backyard with our push carts too.
Large motor skills
Riding a trike is a great way to build up those large motor muscles. Our double bikes offer an oportunity to invite a friend along for ride!
Exploring our senses
You will find a sensory table setup in each of the classrooms, as well as in our backyard. We love to explore a variety of materials like playdough, kinetic sand, jurassic sand, play foam, water, dirt, etc. the sensory explorations that we have set up throughout our space provides opportunities for children to explore with their senses and work on building up their fine motor strength as well as their cognitive abilities while exploring science and math concepts like volume and weight or number recognition, depending on the materials set up. Sensory tables also offer a great calming space or opportunity for social connections or language development through interactions with peers at the table.
Climb, jump, slide...
Utilizing our play structure in the backyard is a great opportunity for children to work on developing their large motor skills and taking a risk. It is a place for climbing, sliding, and hiding too!