Outdoor Playground and Garden

Located at 18 Greenough Circle, Brookline, Ma., Little feet is situated in a single family home at the end of a small cul-de-sac just outside of Brookline Village. A flagstone pathway located left of the cottage garden front yard leads to a safe, stimulating fenced-in outdoor play area.
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Among the outdoor equipment is a large sandbox, a climbing structure with attached slide, numerous stand alone slides, several play cottages, a variety of riding toys and other vehicles, plus three small picnic tables. In the summer we make great use of two wading pools, several water tables and a sprinkler. From early spring through late fall, the children are involved in creating, harvesting and eating their own organic garden, also located in their playground.

Indoor Play Spaces

The entire first floor of the house is used for the Little Feet program. The approximately 850 square feet encompasses a large living room / play room, a brightly lit kitchen, and a lovely dining room.

The living room is one of our two main play spaces. It is very active during periods of free play. It is here that we often set up activities on a large  table, engage in block play, conduct daily circle time, and have teacher -led and independent reading. The room contains a substantial library of children's literature located in an ever-changing display case, two adult sized bookcases, and a variety of baskets full of books. Finally, we also use the living room for music, movement, and indoor games.

Across the entrance to the living room is the dining room. Here we have a quiet area with pillows and baskets of board books. Children often bring toy trucks or baby dolls and blankets into this room, engaging in imaginary play as they move full speed ahead through their toddlerhood and beyond. This space is also used at times as a playroom for the younger children and as a space for working on large floor puzzles. Late each morning, the dining room is converted into a nap room for our post-lunch rest.

The Kitchen

Perhaps the most important room at Little Feet is the kitchen. This is the second of our main play spaces. Here we gather regularly throughout the day. Seated together at our large rectangular table, the children eat breakfast, snacks, and meals. The kids love to help with the preparation of special snacks on a regualar basis. Our cooking projects give everyone a golden opportunity to master turn-taking, as well as dabbling in the culinary arts.

Also central to kitchen life at Little Feet is our wide- ranging art curriculum. With a strong tilt toward open -ended creativity, the children are offered a vast array of materials to explore, often in tandem with curriculum themes such as the seasons and holidays. Drawing and painting are offered with many different materials including crayons, markers, water and oil based pastels, finger and tempera paints. The kitchen is also a hub for many fine motor activities such as puzzles, pegboards, play dough and wooden sorting and stacking toys. Also in the kitchen, as the year progresses and the children become older we introduce additional table activities such as board and matching games, math activities, and science projects often related to our spring and summer garden.