Conjunto Therapeutic Preschool Valentine’s Family Night Activity February 2024
We were trying to make a Sonic the Hedgehog box
At Conjunto Therapeutic Preschool, the essence of togetherness is at the heart of everything we do. Our learning environment, built upon the principles of mutual respect, trust, and collaboration, celebrates each child as a unique individual with inherent self-worth and special strengths. With a multicultural curriculum tailored to the developmental needs of preschoolers, we strive to create an inclusive space where everyone is encouraged to contribute to the ongoing design of their learning journey. Parents join for family days and night activities to share stories, talents, ideas and materials with the classes.
“That’s my Grandma!”
This February, in celebration of Valentine’s Day, Classroom #4 at our Española Hunter Street location buzzed with excitement as nine families joined us for a heartwarming evening of creativity and bonding. Classroom #4 is a mixed age class for three- and four-year-olds together in one environment. Participants included moms, dads, grandparents and a variety of preschoolers’ siblings. The children and their families used cardboard boxes to make colorful creations. They brought a box of their choice from home and decorated it with supplies provided by the teachers, including plenty of red! One boy and his mother worked on making their box into Sonic the Hedgehog. A participating grandparent who enjoys doing crafts as a hobby also brought in some materials to share with the families, as well as boxes of valentine cards that the kids could choose, so they could hand them out on Valentine’s Day. Some families that had not purchased Valentine cards, were very thankful for the grandmother’s donation. As the families left, many expressed their thanks for being invited into the classroom, outside of the normal school day.
After the boxes were completed and left to dry with the beautiful decorations, they were left to sit on each child’s cubby for others to see and admire. On Valentine’s Day each child placed their box on the classroom table, making it easier to see one another’s name as they handed out their Valentine treats. The Program Manager shared photos she had taken during the family night and the children exclaimed about the presence of their parents, a “Nana” and one another, toting their precious designs ready to receive notes and other sweets.
In coordinating a holiday theme with a corresponding activity, Preschool Program Manager, Johnna Aguino explained, “Because it was Valentine’s Day, we talked with the students about friendships, being kind, manners, sharing and the word LOVE.” During circle time when students were asked “What is love?” each respondent had a different answer. They included: “Kisses!” or “When my mom hugs me!”, “When I help my dad!”. And Aguino’s “all-time favorite” – “My teachers!”
In February, the teachers and preschoolers also talked about the heart -about the shape of the heart and the heart that we all have in our bodies; about the important job that it does for us, and why it is important to be healthy. The children were surprised to see that the common heart shape that we all know does not look like the heart that we have inside our bodies.
Conjunto Preschool serves three- and four-year-olds in the agency’s Rio Arriba Hunter Street office and is currently open for enrollment. For more information or to reserve a slot, telephone (505) 901-1119 or (505) 753-4123