Spend Summer 2022 at Pillar Kids!

March 6, 2022 by Amirh Davis Leave a Comment

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Spend Summer 2022 at Pillar Kids!

Are you searching for some summer fun for your little one? We are thrilled to announce that Pillar Kids Childcare has planned nine weeks of summer awesomeness to keep everyone happy! Each week between June 6 – August 5, 2022, children ages 2-5 years old are invited to explore two rich subject-matters with so much to explore: The World of Dinosaurs and Wildlife Around the World. Pillar Kids will be exploring it all! This thematic approach for our summer program allows teaching and learning to integrate with one another while keeping PLAY at the center of it all. Our summer activities are designed to support your child’s previous knowledge on each subject and spark new discoveries along the way! How cool is that?

Pillar Kids Childcare is designed for working moms and dads to work in our coworking space, which is adjacent to the childcare center. While you get your work done, your child enjoys the fun with our talented teaching staff. Plus when you sign up for one of our childcare packages, you get FREE coworking! Our camps run Monday through Friday 9-4pm. Click the link to view our childcare packages HERE. Families can sign up for monthly camps or individual weeks ($425/week) depending on their needs. Check out how it went at last year’s Pillar Kids summer camp.

NOTE: Parent’s must work onsite at Pillar’s coworking space in order for children to attend Pillar’s summer camp.

How to register:

Email kids@pillarcowork.com with your desired summer schedule.
Pillar staff will respond with a registration package and invoice to secure your child’s space.

Weeks #1 – 4: The World of Dinosaurs

June 5 – Jul 1, 2022

We’re kicking off our summer program by investigating dinosaurs! It’s time to jump in the time traveling machine because
we’re going back to the era of Jurassic Park! This month Pillar Kids will complete activities addressing a variety of developmental domains, including language/reading, gross and fine motor, math, science, music, and more! Join us as we explore the life cycles of various dinosaurs, taking a glimpse into what life was like in a very special, prehistoric time.

Weeks #5 – 9: Wildlife Around the World

July 5 – August 5, 2022

Did you know that educated science activities provide children opportunities to analyze, reason, and problem solve? During this
month, Pillar Kids will be exploring wildlife around the world, including habitats and animals from the African and Australian Forests, Amazonia, Asian Rainforest, Oceans and the Savannah. As a group, we will investigate various habitats, communities, and ecosystems to learn more about the species living within each unique habitat. Our exploration will involve conversations about the planet’s overall health and discussions around how we can do our part to enable a sustainable, long-term future for our planet. Come join us on our exciting journey!

Winter Wonder

February 7, 2022 by Amirh Davis Leave a Comment

A Month in Review

January 2022

With the transition to Winter came much needed rain here in the bay area and lots of fresh snow up in the mountains. So we brought the frigid fun indoors here at Pillar Kids. We’ve had lots of fun learning about the water cycle and winter weather for the first half of the month. From there we explored the way in which some animals hunker down for the winter to hibernate, and how in other areas like the arctic, animals come out to play!

New Skills

Early Literacy

Some of our most loved activities this past month involved our forest animal, penguin, and polar bear figurines. The kids loved using them for pretend play and acting out some of our favorite stories about slumbering bears and daredevil penguins (see “Currently Reading” list for titles & authors). We built dens out of blocks for our forest animals and our penguins swam through the blue waters of our water table with some friendly sea creatures! Acting out stories helps draw kids attention to key details in a text like characters, setting, and major events or conflicts. Building these skills in early childhood not only makes reading fun, but also prepares kids for kindergarten where they will be asked to identify details and retell stories as they learn to read.

Counting & Cardinality

We have also been building our math skills here at Pillar Kids, in particular our counting and measurement skills. We have been using our math manipulative cubes to compare and contrast the height and width of objects in the classroom and of each other! Clicking our manipulative cubes together to make measuring sticks also works to strengthen fine motor skills. We work together to build the measuring stick as long as our object or person and then count the total number of cubes.

Currently Reading…

“Bear Snores” on by Karma Wilson
“Archie the Daredevil Penguin” by Andy Rash
“Penguins Love Colors” by Sarah Aspinall
“Rain!” by Linda Ashman
“The Luckiest Snowball” by Ellior Kreloff

Hello Fall!

November 4, 2021 by Amirh Davis Leave a Comment

A Month in Review

The month of October has been full of learning about all things fall — from apples to pumpkins and, of course, Halloween! As the season changes outdoors, we also enter a new season inside the classroom. A new teacher and new friends has meant finding a new rhythm together, and we are all starting to settle in. Here are some highlights from the past weeks!

New Skills

Social Development

We have spent a lot of time this past month working on our social skills. Learning how to initiate play, navigate conflict, take turns, and communicate with peers are all skills we have been practicing daily in Pillar Kids. We are also learning how to set boundaries, offer an apology when needed, and help out our friends when they are struggling with something.

Mathematical Reasoning

Many of our fall themed activities this month included math concepts and reasoning, including counting, sorting,measurement, and comparison. We “picked apples” and sorted them by color to see which category had the most and the least. We also “fed the squirrels” by counting acorns and used spooky ten-frames and spider rings to work on numbers 1 to 10.

Now Playing

TOOTY TA by Jack Hartmann
WASH YOUR HANDS WITH BABY SHARK by Pinkfong
THE CLEAN UP SONG by Shari Sloane

The Nature of Trees

September 7, 2021 by Amirh Davis Leave a Comment

“Same, same, but different” was our motto for the month of August. Our “All About Me” theme introduced Pillar Kids to classroom diversity, unfamiliar cultures, and family structures. As we transition out of this exciting and impactful theme, Pillar Kids welcomes a new study. For the month of September, Pillar Kids will be investigating Trees.

Trees are all around us. To name a few, trees provide us clean air and give necessary materials to live. Recently, our children at Pillar Kids have been collecting fallen “berries” from our great big tree outside. They are intrigued when discovering that these berries act as food to the many animals who surround the tree (birds, squirrels, etc). Investigating trees throughout September will give Pillar Kids the opportunity to explore specific topics such as:

What are the characteristics of trees?
Who lives in trees?
What food that we eat comes from trees?
How do trees change?

To support a tree investigation with your child, here’s what you can do at home:

Take a nature walk around your neighborhood or local park. Ask “I wonder” questions such as, I wonder what tree is the biggest?” “I wonder what tree is the oldest?” “I wonder what the tree trunk feels like?”
Collect tree objects (leaves, a sample of sap, branches) that you can bring home to create tree art.
Read books about trees such as: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Abiyoyo or Our Tree Named Steve

By the end of September, Pillar Kids will explore the fascinating ways that trees contribute to our world.

The Colors of Us

August 10, 2021 by Amirh Davis Leave a Comment

Summer camp has come to an end and we are thrilled to say that it was a great success! Our weekly themes kept us busy while having lots of fun as we studied and investigated various subjects of interest. As we transition out of summer camp and into the beginning of back to school season, we will return to exploring one theme for each month.

The topic of focus for August is “All About Me”. Throughout August, Pillar Kids will explore their individuality, interests, and families. At Pillar Kids, the children will have the opportunity to explore cultural awareness in the classroom. By participating in activities that support self diversity, Pillar Kids will create the understanding that we all have alike and unlike characteristics. As we welcome the new school year, “All About Me” will offer wondrous opportunities for Pillar Kids to connect with themselves, their peers, and their community.

What families can do at home to support “All About Me”:

When learning is shared between school and home, there are more opportunities to expand interest and knowledge. At home, families can support this month’s theme in several ways:

Explore books focusing on the self and diversity. (e.g. The Skin You Live In or What I Like About Me!)

Listen to music that explores the body. (e.g. Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes)

Gather family pictures to create a photo album.

By the end of August, Pillar Kids will celebrate all the ways that make them the same and different from one another.

Summer Camp In Full Effect!

July 14, 2021 by Amirh Davis 1 Comment

Our first month of Summer Camp is complete! June kept us actively engaged as a new topic of investigation was introduced each week. Throughout the month, we explored the Ocean, Outer Space, Bugs, and Arts & Crafts. Every day, something new and exciting was discovered at Pillar Kids. Our weekly topics of exploration encouraged Pillar Kids to ask questions and share familiar information with one another. Here’s a quick Summer Camp recap so far:

Week #1: Under the Sea

Pillar Kids dove deep into the trenches by learning about the ocean’s wildlife and structure. Questions such as, “What do whales eat?” and “How deep is the ocean?” were a few of the many curious questions that were asked throughout the week. Pillar Kids’ interest in the ocean encouraged them to investigate the wildlife that roams in each layer of the ocean.

Week #2: 1,2,3, Blast Off!

Pillar Kids were ready for lift off when they entered the second week of summer camp. Our space exploration week introduced
new concepts to investigate such as the solar system, rocket ships, and astronauts. Pillar Kids made real world connections when they discovered the moon and the sun were both outside during this week.

Week #3: Arts & Crafts

Pillar Kids let their imagination and creativity flow during this week. Our arts & crafts week encouraged Pillar Kids to create personal pieces of work by using various art mediums. Pillar Kids made several discoveries such as recognizing that red and blue paint make purple. This week encouraged Pillar Kids to create freely with no limitations.

Week #4: Bugs!

Pillar Kids investigated unique life forms by exploring various insects. During this week, Pillar Kids compared and contrasted insects such as ladybugs, ants, spiders, and worms. Pillar Kids discovered that insects come in all different types of shapes, sizes, and colors. By participating in a hands-on activity with worms, Pillar Kids were able to identify insect characteristics and traits.