On September 17, 2011, the children of the Yerba Buena Gardens Child Development Center showcased their artwork at SOMACC's first ever art show! The collection featured pieces created throughout the year, exploring the students' relationships with their YBG environment. [photos courtesy of Mark Sandstorm]

The Butterfly preschool class visited the California Academy of Sciences to pursue their interest in sea creatures, which began when one of the children brought in a book on marine life. The children have been exploring this theme through conversations and art projects, including a sea creature mural.

Every Friday morning, our toddler and preschool children walk through Yerba Buena Gardens to ride the historic Zeum Carousel. This weekly outing deepens the childrens' understanding of their school’s context within the Yerba Buena Gardens community, and also gives them an opportunity to interact with children from classrooms besides their own.

Artwork is an essential part of daily life in our classrooms. It gives the children space to discover and learn while teachers collaborate with them and engage them in new ideas. We continually encourage the children to discover and rediscover materials, and share with us their ideas and intentions.

Our preschool children regularly explore the Yerba Buena Gardens in small groups. They bring large clipboards to sketch whatever captures their interest, and later continue these drawings in their classrooms. For our teachers, this is a great opportunity to observe the children and discover themes for further exploration.