What does “mindfulness” mean to you and your family? With its roots in Buddhist teachings as one of seven factors of enlightenment, secular mindfulness is gaining real traction as a therapeutic tool to combat the stresses of our busy daily lives. Corporations like Nike, General Mills and Target encourage their employees to meditate at work. […]
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Family & Friends Gather for Annual Potluck Picnic in Arlington Park, El Cerrito
Nomura Preschool held its annual Fall Picnic on Saturday, October 5th. Held at Arlington Park every year in October, the event is an opportunity for current families, alumni, staff and friends of the school to get together. There were games for children and adults as well as a magic show by the Amazing Voila (one […]
Five Albums You & Your Kids Will Both Love
Don’t suffer through Kidz Bop on repeat. It’s not worth it. Kids can appreciate all kinds of music, including albums by contemporary artists. These five albums get high points for sing-along-ability, clear vocals and solid melodies to keep your kids dancing on the living room rug, singing to themselves or happily driving with you in […]
The Vegetable Garden at Nomura Preschool
As Spring blossoms into Summer in the San Francisco Bay Area, students at Nomura Preschool are observing the little seeds they sowed back in February turning into fully grown vegetables. Come harvest time, students and their parents share the bounty of lettuce, broccoli, bush beans, carrots, spinach, green onions, assorted colored peppers, pumpkins […]
Pennies for Patients: helping cancer patients with the LLS
Earlier this month, Nomura Preschool joined 400 other schools across the Bay Area in a program to raise funds for lifesaving cancer research, as part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Pennies for Patients program. From April 1st to the 12th, students collected spare change to support LLS’s mission: to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s […]
Obama’s universal preschool plan: what’s at stake?
After President Obama’s recent State of the Union call to “make high-quality preschool available to every single child in America” and his ensuing proposal for a national Universal Pre-K plan, a number of his claims and the studies behind them came under fire. Many have asked, why not focus on parenting, social services, or more […]
Music and the Young Brain: A Primer
From the first glimmer of recognition of “The Itsy-Bitsy Spider” or “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”, parents intuitively understand that music plays a positive role in their infant or toddler’s development. Singing or playing music soothes, engages and encourages children. Even when we speak to young children, we instinctively use sing-song tones, exaggerating the modulations of […]
Notable – (Delightful!) – Children’s Books of 2012
Books play a profound role in a child’s learning. Language skills and greater awareness of the world are just two reasons on a long list of the benefits of reading to your child. Active, engaged reading bonds the caretaker with the child, teaches important themes and introduces drama and wonder to the child’s life, both […]
Winter Concert 2012: Trains, bilingual songs, and holiday carols!
The Winter Concert is an annual December tradition at Nomura Preschool, and this year was a rousing success. Everyone gets a chance to perform for the audience, showcasing a variety of songs, holiday carols and even a play, featuring amazing costumes. The Chickie class set the stage with a few merry holiday carols. Music is […]
Halloween 2012: Pumpkins, Parades, and Popcorn!
On Tuesday, October 30th the Great Pumpkin came and hid a pumpkin for every student in our play yard. We loved exploring the yard to discover all the Great Pumpkin’s hiding spots! Then on Halloween, we marched around the neighborhood showing off our costumes – there was Batman, all sorts of Tinkerbells, Fairies, Princesses and […]