Adventure Day At MVPNS

Adventure Day is an all-​field-​trip, nature-​oriented explorer program offered by MVPNS. As a parent, I feel extraordinarily fortunate to have such a choice nearby.
This extremely inspiring and unique program can only be offered by very few preschools on the west coast, and here is why:
1) The preschool must be located in a sunny weather belt with easy access to an abundance of interesting fauna and flora, so that such a program can operate throughout the year.
2) The preschool must have an exceptionally high adult-​to-​student ratio to take 4-​to-​5-​year-​olds outdoors for explorations at a variety of area parks and nature preserves.
3) The preschool must be deeply rooted in the community so that it has a unique insight of various destinations.
After going through the above requirements, MVPNS happens to be perfectly positioned to offer this phenomenal nature program called Adventure Day.
Adventure Day is essentially is a junior geology, nature science, history and fitness programs all rolled into one. Just by looking back at the places I covered with my daughter in 2012, we went from from an overlook on Skyline Boulevard to Poplar Beach in Half Moon Bay, explored the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge near Alviso and Russian Ridge in San Mateo, discovered the secret of making dye from redwood cones in Redwood Grove in Los Altos, walked in the woods behind Villa Montalvo in Saratoga and observed birds in the Palo Alto Baylands. We even visited the Pichetti Reserve twice, not because Teacher Marie ran out of ideas, but to showcase the difference in wildlife in winter and spring. These trips along with many others that I don’t have the space to list out in detail here, will no doubt become one of the fondest memories of my daughter for years to come. More importantly, Adventure Day allows me to relive my childhood all over again. I looked forward to every Tuesday more eagerly than my little girl.
Each itinerary and pick of location is very well thought out. Each class introduces children to plants and wildlife that children are likely to observe that day. Whenever possible, the ever energetic and knowledgeable Teacher Marie arranged for naturalists to come along and give us an introduction of the destination. We also learned how the Ohlone Indians made fire, we assembled kites and used oak galls to dye leather. We read books in the shade of glorious trees and ate snacks on sturdy rocks. Someone may argue that I could have very well gone to these destinations on weekend family outings, but I would not have known half of the places to go in the first place, and I would have missed out on the rich and age-​appropriate program content. On top of this, my daughter would have lacked the company of her classmates that helped her develop social skills.
The best thing about Adventure Day is, it strikes a perfect balance between a more conventional preschool approach and a nature embracing philosophy. I was originally looking at Leaping Lizards of Palo Alto, but going out every class sounded a bit excessive because after all, I need to sit my daughter down for academic study, a pre-​requisite for an Aisan tiger mom lol. However, all the preschools that pride themselves in academic studies don’t have any nature programs that come even close to Adventure Day. I believe that children learn from a wide array of experience, they need classroom learning and they certainly crave interactive learning in the outdoors, which is in their nature. Therefore, Adventure Day is a perfect «supplementary» program for the preschool routines.
In 2012, the adventures we took every Tuesday morning was the best gift I could give to my 4-​year-​old girl.