Playgrounds

Carmel Mountain Preschool is located on three lush acres with three separate playgrounds that are customized for the age group they serve.

Toddler & Two-Year-Old Playground

Our toddler and two-year-old playground has a play structure just the right size for children that are perfecting their running and climbing skills. There is an ample sized blue squishy to cushion their learning bodies. The children love to show their independence as they climb up the stairs and slide down the slide over and over again. There is a large sand area with plenty of sand toys for them to play with while improving their gross motor skills. The children enjoy “driving” the stationary cars and telling their teachers about where they are going and whom they are going to see. There are pots and pans on the fence that they can explore their budding musical genius on with an array of wooden spoons.

There is a flat bike path area where they can drive push cars or begin to experience the fun of riding pushbikes. The children have a playhouse where you can often see them playing make believe or simple games of hide and seek. The younger children really enjoy playing the magnetic board with the alphabet on it – they often are showing their teachers what new letters they have learned.

Three-Year-Old Playground

The first things you see when you walk onto our three-year-old playground are the large beautiful trees that have been naturally shading the enormous sandbox since the 1980s. The children love learning to take turns and pump their legs on the swing set. There are a few large bronze turtles that the children are often using as part of their imagination adventures. The play structure is very large and has features that appeal to a 3-year-old’s growing confidence and coordination such as chain ladders and tunnels. There is a large circular bike path that the children love to race around on tricycles – this is many of the children’s favorite activity. There is a larger playhouse that the children enjoy simulating home life in and different car structures that they enjoy “driving”.

There are multiple sensory bins on the playground and the contents change throughout the year. A very large part of the playground is the sand area that is filled with different treasures that the children can expand their fine motor skills and learning with

Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Prep Playground

The Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Prep Playground is huge and larger than many public parks. There is a large play structure that celebrates the children’s newfound ability to hang on monkey bars and climb poles. There are plenty of slides and stairs for climbing. A large shaded sand box is often filled with children exploring mixing water with sand or different ways to build castles. There is a large swing set and a Lego table. The children love racing around the huge asphalt bike path with a racetrack painted on it and playing hopscotch. The children have the opportunity to ride both tricycles and bicycles.

There is a Construction area with changing materials that the children create inventive structures with and often impress our teachers. The contents of the multiple sensory bins on the playground change to keep the children engaged and interested.

Sledding Hill

We built the CMP sledding hill because first of all, it is a ton of fun. You can hear the whoops and hollers of joy across campus from both students and teachers anytime anyone is on the sledding hill. Not only is it a blast, but our sledding hill provides preschoolers of all ages the ability to enhance their gross motor skills with their big body movements. Children need brain breaks in order to be able to absorb all the learning they do and the sledding hill provides this in a big way. It also teaches our children about how to manage age appropriate mitigated risk. They are able to scaffold their balance and climbing skills so that their bodies have the confidence and strength as they go out into the world. Can you imagine the amount of learning that would be enhanced if all our schools installed one of these amazing sledding hills?

 

Grassy Soccer Field

There is a large grassy soccer field on which children can play games and sports, run, picnic, and celebrate summer with water play.  This is typically where we hold concerts, science events, hip hop, outdoor yoga and other special events.  And our chickens love to explore the field when they are out of their Coop.

soccer-field-at-our-preschool