The Last Hurrah

Last Friday, Back Yarders celebrated their “Last Hurrah” with a camp-in at CCC. After a potluck dinner and a screening of the movie Kiki’s Delivery Service, kids and their grown-ups, and a healthy showing of siblings, settled into their tents and said good-night (with exceptions: Rumors that certain young parties attended an 11pm mint tea party have been confirmed).

In the morning, there were pancakes, lots of running around and hide-and-seek in the tents. Lara led a final circle with songs accompanied by Gabriel on guitar. Even after Lara declared the last song, “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad,” kids kept shouting out more requests, and more songs were sung—it seemed that no one wanted the circle to end.

For me and Pearl, after being away from school for the summer, the camp-in was a reminder of how much we enjoy the CCC community, and of the great friendships we have both made there. A neighbor of ours, whose kids attended CCC 20 years ago, told me that they still have many friends from those days. I can see why. These past two years have been so incredibly rich for our entire family. I never cease to be amazed by the creativity, commitment, kindness and love that abound at CCC.

So I won’t say good-bye, but so long, see you all soonish (as Rachel said in a recent email). I truly look forward to keeping in touch. And for those who continue on at CCC, enjoy these precious times. I know you will.

A Greener CCC

This year, Elise (Hazel Rose, BY) created and filled a new parent administrative position at CCC. As the school’s first “Green Guru,” Elise set out to help the community implement eco-friendly procedures, such as using greener products and cutting down on waste throughout the school.

I asked Elise to share some highlights from the past year.

Cleaning alternatives. One accomplishment was the adoption of Benefact, a nontoxic cleaner used in place of bleach products for cleaning surfaces. (Bleach has several known adverse effects on health and the environment.) But, Elise notes that some bleach must still be used for sanitizing dishes, due to licensing requirements for preschools. Purchasing a dishwasher (perhaps a project for the future?) would eliminate the need for bleach, she adds.

Cutting down on waste. Elise had a longtime leaky sink repaired; got the classrooms to start composting soiled paper products through the municipal compost program; and worked to improve the school’s compost system for food scraps. She also worked to cut down on paper towels and dish sponges by collecting old towels and rags to make washable cleaning cloths.

Future Green Projects. Elise has begun investigating solar panels (Do they work? Need to be cleaned? How to maintain?). She has also introduced ideas for greening supplies that teachers usually buy, and she has looked into a green school certification—a project for one to two years down the road.

“There is a lot yet to do, mainly in educating people so participation in all of it is more smooth, and implementing new systems,” says Elise.

The next Green Guru? As administrative positions for next year are being filled, Elise adds her two cents on the future of the Green Guru position: “I feel that if the school wants to commit to sustainability, the Green Guru position should be permanent. I think that is the only way for any more than one year's worth of slow progress to be made in this arena.”

A big thanks to Elise for helping our community to think and act more greenly!

Snack Week: Easy Pizza

Kids everywhere love pizza. Front Yarders have recently enjoyed two different takes on the perennial favorite.

English Muffin Pizzas
- Sara (Ethan, FY)

Sara notes these were surprisingly easy, and the kids loved them!

Whole wheat English muffins (Sara bought 32 muffins and almost ran out)
One large bag of shredded mozzarella (optional: shredded Tofurella for those with dairy allergies)
One jar of Trader Joe's pizza sauce

Cut the muffins in half and then again (so they're half-moons). Spread with pizza sauce, and top with shredded cheese. Bake in the convection oven until cheese is bubbling.

Pizza Faces
- Annie (Alex, FY)

A slightly more ambitious effort, Annie offers this recipe from Molly Katzen's Pretend Soup cookbook. The recipe calls for making the pizza dough, and I've included a link to help you in that effort, but no one will judge you if you opt to buy fresh dough at the Cheeseboard or Trader Joe's.

1. Make the pizza dough.

2. Preheat the oven to 400°. Lightly oil a baking tray.

3. Flour a wooden board. For each individual pizza, take a quarter of the dough and roll it out until it is about a 1/4 inch thick. (Note: This is very flexible! It doesn't really matter how thick—or even in what shape—the pizza ends up. Children love it regardless). Place on the baking tray.

4. Spread 1 tablespoon tomato sauce over the dough. Add slices of zucchini and mushrooms to create faces. Sprinkle with Parmesan and a small handful of mozzarella.

5. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until brown on the bottom and bubbly on top.

6. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then eat!

Snack Week: Sushi and Spring Rolls

Yelena (Sasha, BY) shares two fun recipes that got kids eating seaweed and vegetables. Way to go Yelena!

Vegan Sushi

Spread hummus on a sheet of nori (Yelena bought hers at Berkeley Bowl) and top it with a thin layer (approx. 3 to 4 tablespoons) of brown rice or sushi rice. Roll up and serve with soy sauce.

Veggie Spring Rolls

Soak rice paper (also from Berkeley Bowl) in warm water to soften. Assemble a variety of fillings and let children choose:
Seasonal veggies
Julienned carrots
Lettuce
Green onions (although these weren't popular with the children)
Sprouts
Flower petals (a "hot item")
Cucumbers, etc.

Place fillings in paper and make into rolls. Serve with a dipping sauce. Yelena mixed soy sauce, lemon juice, sesame oil and maple syrup. Delicious!

Snack Week: Sticks and Dips

It's easy to turn snack time into a fun activity for kids. Todd (Piper, BY) served up this successful combo a little while back.

Fruit Kabobs

1. Cut up assorted fruits (melon, pineapple, bananas, oranges, pears, berries, kiwis, etc).
2. Put the fruit on wooden skewers (or tooth picks, wood or plastic drink stirs) to make kabobs. This is something the kids can do themselves if you put the fruit out in bowls for them to choose from.
3. Serve kabobs with small bowls of yogurt (plain or vanilla) for dipping.

Bread Sticks and Dips

Simple: Just buy some bread sticks and serve with dips. Todd used whipped cream cheese. You could also try hummus or bean dip. Kids love dipping, and there's no need for utensils. Hooray for easy clean-up!

Snack Week: Keeping it simple

Elise (Hazel Rose, BY) shares some of her snack-time favorites. These are delicious, kid-pleasing and healthy as well as light on prep and clean-up. What's more, they both seem to fill the room with irresistible aromas that bring kids running to the table.

My favorite snack (which I now make every time):

Popcorn with brewer's yeast
Toasted sunflower seeds
Dried cranberries (renamed "blood raisins" on a vampireish day)
Apple pieces

For some reason this snack seems to have the right magic of "something for everyone," is all whole foods, doesn't have the allergy foods of the Back Yarders, and is easy on the wallet (as long as the cranberries are limited ). Please don't bring this snack to the Back Yard on the same week that I have snack! Because I will be bringing it, too :).

Another successful one:

Toast and Tea

Toast with jam and/or butter (I used that sprouted wheat bread)
Apple pieces
Toasted sunflower seeds or pecans
Tea (chamomile, mint, whatever ...)

I just toasted the bread as people came and quartered it, so if a lot came at once each got a quarter at first, or all the pieces if only one person was there. They seemed to like the idea of tea more than actually drinking it, but it did draw more people in. I asked each one what they wanted on toast as they came.

-- Elise (Hazel Rose, BY)

Snack Week: Beans and Rice

Here's a crowd pleasing recipe from Mazi and Finn's mom Kristen. Beans and rice ... so nice!

Beans and Rice, Jamaican Style
Serves 6-8

1 cup red kidney beans
warm filtered water
1 can coconut milk (or 7oz creamed coconut)
1 bunch green onions, chopped
(3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped) I don’t use this but I bet it’s good
3 cloves garlic, mashed
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper

Serve with rice

Cover beans with warm water, and leave overnight in a warm place. In the morning, drain and rinse the beans, bring to a boil and skim. Add remaining ingredients except rice. Cover and simmer for about 6-8 hours or until beans are tender. (I just throw beans and ingredients in crockpot and cook on high for 4-5 hours) Serve over warm brown rice. Yum.

-- Kristen (Finn, FY & Mazi BY)

Snack Week: Oatmeal

Hummus, carrots, crackers, cheese, apples -- for most of last year, this simple combination was my "go-to" whenever my turn came up as snack parent. The kids liked it, it was healthy enough, and did I mention it was simple? But at some point in our second year, my snack combo just wasn't doing it for me. I was in a rut; I needed inspiration, so I turned to my fellow grown-ups, many of whom were decidedly more ambitious and creative than I in the culinary department, and some of whom shared my love for easiness, but brought some fresh ideas to the table (so to speak).

So this week, I'll be posting a few of these ideas and recipes -- let's call this little foray Snack Week. So grab a rice cake, and come along! First stop ...

Oatmeal Bar!

This one is so easy, and the kids really like it. Just whip up a big pot of oatmeal, and bring a bunch of fixin's for kids to spoon and sprinkle on themselves. It's like a salad bar, but for hot cereal. Some toppings might include:

Apple Sauce
Cinnamon
Berries
Bananas
Raisins
Dried Cranberries
Nuts
Yogurt
Milk
Soy or Rice Milk

Having lots of things on the table to spoon from gives kids the chance to practice, "Please pass the ..." and everyone likes to customize. This snack also generates lots of conversation around likes and dislikes, unexpected combinations of flavors, textures, etc.

Celebrating the Lunar New Year

Happy Year of the Tiger! Last month, CCC'ers enjoyed a whole week of activities celebrating the Lunar New Year. The children made and hung paper lanterns, decorated a large paper dragon with sparkles and shiny scales and paraded the dragon around the school with lots of noisy drums.

At circle time in both classrooms, teacher Kathy Chew explained Chinese New Year traditions and passed out red envelopes, with the help of her grandson. Below, she shares what this holiday means to her.

The Lunar New Year is a special time for our family, when we look forward to sharing time together and with friends. To prepare for the beginning of a new year, we clean the house, get a haircut and new clothes, and buy a bag of rice. We decorate our home with flowers or plum blossoms, set out a plate of oranges (for good luck), put up red and gold symbols for happy thoughts of peace, health and happiness and prepare a special candy box with treats to share with visitors.

During a two-week celebration, we visit family and friends. Children are given red envelopes, decorated with pictures or symbols to wish children a Happy New Year. At the end of the two weeks, there is a parade with many firecrackers, drums and cymbals; the loud noises are to scare away bad luck. There are also many lions/dragons, a symbol of good luck.

There are 12 years in our lunar cycle. Each year is linked to an animal. This is the year of the Tiger, special for me as I am beginning my fifth cycle.

At CCC, I shared how my family celebrates and invited our grandson Tyler to come help me pass out red envelopes and say "Gung Hay Fot Choy" (Happy New Year) to each front and back yard friend. What a special moment for me as a teacher, parent and grandparent.

-- Kathy Chew

Love, Sweet Love

Love was in the air at CCC on Friday with the annual Valentine's Day celebration. Children brought cards and other small tokens to fill each others' Valentine bags and decorated the classrooms with lots and lots of construction paper hearts.

Back Yarders traveled to the Front Yard for a group serenade of love songs, including favorites like If You Love Me and Skinnamarink. Then the older children escorted their younger schoolmates to the Back Yard classroom for the traditional "ice cream sodies"--Italian strawberry soda with vanilla ice cream... and straws, of course!

Afterward, both yards were open as the kids mingled, played beanbag toss, put on tattoos and painted their own faces. Meanwhile, the plum trees bloomed brilliantly all around, their pink flowers a perfect complement to the colors and joyful spirit of the day.

Thanks to Annie (Alex, FY) for the photo.

Looking at Art

Last month, Back Yarders enjoyed a field trip to the Berkeley Art Center in Live Oak Park, a short walk down the street from CCC. Lara and participating parents took the kids in two groups to view the center’s annual members’ showcase—a collection of diverse works all responding to this year’s theme of “red.”

BAC’s Suzanne Tan and Ann Weber greeted the children and quickly dispatched them on a lively treasure hunt through the gallery, searching the paintings, drawings, photos and sculptures for a list of images.

Afterward, each child was asked to stand next to his or her favorite piece of art, and to talk about why it was special. Before leaving, all of the children deposited money in the donation box, while Suzanne and Ann explained the role of donations in supporting the gallery. The kids really seemed to enjoy the outing and Lara hopes to plan more trips to BAC in the future.

For me personally, I was struck by how simple and effective the two age-appropriate activities were and it made me want to get out to more museums and galleries with Pearl, and certainly to do more drop-ins at the BAC, which is a free and easy outing on our way home from school.

I recently came across this article on the Savvy Source website, written by Ginger Carlson. She includes tips for helping kids to observe art, describing observation as fundamental to their own creative process. She has some great ideas for starting conversations with kids about what they see in a work of art and how it makes them feel.

And if you want to explore this topic more, she also includes a list of books on helping children “learn to look” and connect with the world of art on a deeper level. With any luck, these kinds of activities can plant the seeds for a lifetime of enjoyment and appreciation for the arts.

Sandbox Diaries Vol. 4: Poop!

Overheard at CCC, courtesy of Allyssa:

A picnic was underway in the Front Yard. Amy was serving food and Alex approached.
Alex (to Amy): "Do you have any poop?"
Amy, after looking carefully: "I have a little poop."
Alex: "I want some real wicked pirate poop!"


Henry, glaring at himself in the mirror: "Abracadabra! I'm gonna cast a spell and turn you into a stinky poopy bottom head!"

Kindergarten Q&A: Rick and Otto

If you enjoyed the Kindergarten Q&A with Anna and Elsa, read on for another interview, this time with Rick Reed and his son Otto, who graduated from CCC last year. Lay your kindergarten fears to rest, Rick says, "It's all going to work out fine." Meanwhile, Otto shares a somewhat contrasting perspective...

Where is your child attending school?
Rick: St. Paul’s in Oakland.

School choice is often a personal one, but do you have anything you'd like to share about why you chose your school?
When we were choosing CCC, it just felt right the minute we walked through the gate. All the rational ideas about what we were looking for were trumped by the “this is it” feeling. We looked at multiple options for kindergartens. St. Paul’s was the last place we looked. Until we walked in the door, no place had that “this is it” feeling like CCC.

Of course, just because the place felt good to us, didn’t mean Otto would like it, but, so far, so good.

How is your child's transition to kindergarten going? Any surprises?
It’s a really long day—8:30 in the morning until 2:30 in the afternoon. There’s no napping! As working parents, we were counting on having Otto in aftercare. Aftercare was wonderful at CCC! But to our surprise, Otto has been too tired, and because the aftercare at his new school is for kids from K–8th grade, the little kids don’t get enough structured attention. The most challenging part is we miss Auden and the CCC aftercare.

How do you think your time at CCC helped prepare you and your child for kindergarten (and beyond)?
In terms of his parents, all the opportunities for participation in class gave us a window into the world of our kids. What a relief to see the range of different behaviors and how Otto fits. We also learned ways of talking with Otto (what’s your plan?), and of understanding his nature by watching how he approached his first weeks as a Front Yarder (he’s very slow to warm-up to new situations).

In terms of Otto, he really went from a feral beast to semi-civilized. He also made enduring friendships at CCC and to this day talks about his CCC buddies.

Any words of advice for current backyard families gearing up for kindergarten?
I can’t say that every family will have the Eureka! feeling we had when we toured St. Paul’s. But in talking with so many of the BY kids from Otto’s class, whether they are going to Cragmont, Thousand Oaks, Jefferson, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X or Park Day, they all report REALLY LIKING their new schools. So, I’d say as rationally challenging as it is for us parents to pick the “right school,” our kids are amazingly flexible and are likely to thrive wherever they land.

So, relax! It’s all going to work out fine.


Q&A with Otto:

What do you remember most about being at CCC?
Making tin foil swords with Teo.

What is something cool about being in kindergarten?
I haven’t decided on that yet.

How is kindergarten different from being at CCC?
(Unlike CCC), they make you do things in kindergarten and I don’t like it.

Concrete Pour: Go Behind the Scenes!

Coming back from the winter break, Back Yarders met with a delightful surprise: brand new concrete paths and patio in their play area. Many immediately took to the trikes and wagons, which had long been challenging to ride over the cracks and bumps in the old asphalt. What a difference!

The new concrete is stronger (with the addition of steel supports), and because the hard surfaces are all concrete, instead of the old concrete/asphalt mix, the entire yard is now unified, giving a sense of more space. The grade on the paths is also easier for kids to manage and there is no longer an issue of rainwater running towards the building.

Here Andy Brucker, Buildings and Grounds Chair, shares some of the behind-the-scenes action, which included threats of rain, major demolition and an accidental concrete spew! Read on for the details:

Over the break we removed all the existing cabinetry. Next we started the demo process, which took three days. The demolition contractor had to bring out a mini-bobcat (small tractor) with a concrete breaker, which made a lot of noise but helped get the concrete out. The concrete was much thicker than expected and really took a while to remove. I think there were seven people lugging the concrete up to the dumpster for two days.

Next up was the layout phase: trying to figure out how to slope the concrete to allow the water to run off in the right directions and make it safe and pleasurable to walk, run and ride on. I did the layout with the contractor and his foreman. It took about four hours.

Then it was time for the big construction crew to come in and build forms for the concrete and set up the re-bar (structural steel). The crew was six people, and that took a day and a half. This took place during Monday of the second week of the break.

Then it was time to pour the concrete, except the weather reports were always calling for a chance of rain, which was making it look like it would be impossible to finish the concrete before the kids returned on January the 4th. That was definitely the hardest part of the entire job for me, worrying about the weather is a tough slog.

Anyway, we decided to pour on New Year's Eve day. At first the concrete pump broke and spewed concrete all over the place (Front Yard and Back), and the rain clouds seemed to be coming in. But eventually the sun broke out, and everything started going smoothly.

I woke up New Years Day and took all the family and Caroline and Sage up to see the beautiful new Back Yard that would be there to enjoy for years to come. That was a great way to start a new decade!

Plans and fundraising for the project were in the works for more than two years. Contributing to the design were Andy, the CCC teachers, Saul Picardo (CCC alum and architect) and Phil Worman (CCC alum and former B&G chair). Demolition of the cabinets was accomplished by the B&G crew. A big thanks to Andy and the B&G crew, and to all families past and present who donated time and money to this wonderful improvement!

(PS: For anyone needing help with concrete, Andy would like to recommend Mike Lozica, Lozica Contracting Inc. who did the demolition, concrete and finishing. “Mike was a pleasure to work with and a great concrete contractor. His number is (510) 334-6029. If anyone needs any type of concrete work done, he's reasonable and reliable.”)

(PPS: Want to see more photos of the pour in process? Join CCC's facebook page and check out the photo album: http://www.facebook.com/cccpreschool )

Kindergarten Q&A: Anna and Elsa

For Back Yard families, attention is turning to life beyond CCC. Kindergarten is on the horizon. Between all the conversations, school tours, information nights, open houses and online reviews, this can be a confusing and even anxiety-provoking time. Not to mention the fact that our little ones are - gasp! - growing up.

Fortunately, we have a great resource to guide the way: our CCC alums! In coming weeks, we'll be hearing from parents and kids who have made the transition from CCC to elementary school. Sure it's a big world out there, but they say it's not so scary.

First up, a Q&A with Anna Rainier and her daughter Elsa, who graduated from CCC last year:

Where is your child attending school?
Anna: Oxford Elementary School.

School choice is often a personal one, but do you have anything you'd like to share about why you chose your school?
I picked it because it is one of the smaller schools and I like the location. I also took my time to visit all the schools in the Central Zone (the zone we are in) and from all those visits I liked Cragmont and Oxford the best. What made me decide in the end was the size (Oxford being smaller), Janet Levenson, the principal who is such an awesome person, and they have a teacher's aid in each of the kindergarten classrooms. I also had in mind that if Elsa wanted to do after school at CCC, Oxford was a good choice. Elsa's kindergarten teacher walks her over when class is done at 1:20.

How is your child's transition to kindergarten going? Any surprises?
At this point Elsa has transitioned and is very happy to be a kindergartner. In the beginning it was really rough though, and she did not want to go to school. Every morning was a struggle with lots of "pep" talk to get there on time (which is 8am at Oxford). She also kept asking why can I not be at CCC? What was and still is difficult for me is the emphasis on academics and therefore less attention to conflict resolution, social skills and building of a community. They are after all just 5 (or some just 4) years old and need a lot of help to grow.

How do you think your time at CCC helped prepare you and your child for kindergarten (and beyond)?
All the talking and checking in with your friends that the teachers and parents do at CCC prepare the children to deal with conflicts by themselves. CCC kids know how to communicate and are not afraid to ask for what they need. Elsa already knows most of the parents and she sees them as someone to go to for support.

Any words of advice for current backyard families gearing up for kindergarten?
Take a deep breath and keep repeating: Everything will be just fine...


Q&A with Elsa:

What do you remember most about being at CCC?
Allyssa and Lara.

What is something cool about being in kindergarten?
Having a really nice teacher, Ms. Henderson. It is cool to learn how to write and read.

How is kindergarten different from being at CCC?
It is a much bigger school but the classroom is smaller. And you have to wear shoes.