Saturday, April 21 • 11 am – 2 pm

Families are invited to play, learn, meet the teachers, and

tour the facility.

camp opportunities for children ages 4-5.

• Talk to your child about what to expect.  Read some books about preschool, and give children an idea of things they might do in their classrooms.
• Visit the school with your child.  If your child’s preschool has an orientation day, attend it.  Your child will have a chance to meet the teacher and play with the other children with you by his or her side.  If the school does not have an orientation day, arrange for your child to tour the school in late August.  Point out specific toys or activities to your child that match his or her interests.
• Practice listening to stories.  Most preschools have a regular story time when children are expected to sit with the group.  If you haven’t done so yet, create a routine of reading to your child every day for 10 -20 minutes and visit the library during story time.
• The National Head Start Association recommends working on self-help skills, such as, hand-washing, buttoning and zipping coats, putting on and tying shoes, and using tissues and covering nose and mouth to sneeze and cough.
• If your budget allows, purchase a backpack for your child to take to school.  No, he or she won’t really need one for transporting non-existent homework, but the backpack will make your child feel like a real “big” kid on his or her way to school.  The backpack can be filled with school materials like crayons, scissors, and other art materials to use at home.  It can also be a convenient place to store a special “lovey” or pictures of the family in case your child needs some extra reassurance while at school.
• Ask your child’s preschool teacher or director if he or she has any specific recommendations for transitioning to preschool.

In Portland, we are lucky to live in an urban area that has lots of open space to explore. Here are my family’s favorite places to explore in Portland and Beaverton:

Berry-picking on Sauvie Island – The pick your own season starts with strawberries in late May/early June and continues throughout the summer with raspberries, blueberries, and Oregon’s own marionberries. Farm visits help children appreciate where our food comes from and understand humans’ interconnectivity with nature.

Walking the Springwater trail – The Springwater trail is a paved path that stretches from OMSI (the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) to the Sellwood neighborhood, with Oaks Bottom Wildlife Park in between. The trail is part of Portland’s 40 mile network of greenway trails. There are a lot of places to stop and view wildlife along the way – bring the it’s binoculars and the bird guides!

Hiking and picnicking around Mt. Tabor – Mt. Tabor is an extinct volcano and the site of a city park designed by the Olmsteds. On clear days, a relatively easy hike to the top rewards climbers with views of Mt. Hood and the city. When the children are tired of walking, there is a playground to entertain them and plenty of benches to set up a picnic.

Tualatin Hills Nature Park –As we drove to the park for the first time, my son insisted that I had a taken a wrong turn and said, “It doesn’t seem like there is any nature here.” Indeed, it doesn’t seem possible that a 220 acre wildlife reserve could be tucked among Beaverton’s strip malls. It’s shaded, flat, and mostly paved trails are perfect for little beginner legs. And the interpretive center, labeled native plant garden, and educational signs along the trail give ideas for what to look for during the hike.

Bethany Lake Park – There really isn’t too much to this park maintained by the Tualatin Hills Parks and Recreation Department, but it is one of the few duck ponds close to the school. A wide, paved path along the lake provides space for bike riding. The best feature of the park is the new community garden. During the summer months, the space is filled with a variety of plants, and families may even be inspired to apply for their own gardens through the parks and rec department.

Hiking on the Wildwood Trail – Since the trail abuts the school’s grounds, we have easy access to this 30 mile long trail that stretches through Forest Park from Newberry Road to Washington Park. In a perfect marriage of technology and nature, my children sometimes like to go geocaching along the trail. Sometimes, we collect twigs, seed pods, and leaves for later use in crafts. Sometimes, we just walk and talk.

These are just a few of the many family-friendly outdoor spaces in the Portland area. Get outside now and find your family’s favorite spot!