Special Features

Special features at Helen Edwards Early Childhood Center will include: Kidsville, Library, Computer labs, playground areas, play room, stage, music room, art room, tricycle path, 6 portable activity centers, three-dimensional hall entrances, and cafeteria.

  MS. FUENTES-Computers

Computer labs – the main computer lab will house 20 individual workstations and be located in the library. Computers will be used to teach and improve basic reading and math skills. Each classroom will have one teacher computer in it and each class has 3 computers of their own. Beginning key boarding and computer skills will be developed through games and activities. 

MRS. SISSON-Librarian

Library – there is a full service library for teachers, students, and parents. Parents will be welcome to check out books to take home and share with children.

MRS. GIBSON-Rhyme Time

Rhyme Time – a time dedicated for fun stories, rhymes, finger plays, songs and games that reinforce classroom learning concepts.

Playground areas – there are 3 safe playground areas for our children to use to help develop physical and social skills. They are enclosed in courtyards between the wings of the building.

MRS. CHAMBERS-P.E. Playhouse

Texas Playhouse – the children will develop and establish basic physical fitness and coordination skills in this area.

Cafeteria – the cafeteria provides two meals a day, meeting all state dietary health standards.

Each wing, the library and Kidsville in Helen Edwards Early Childhood Center has a special theme and character associated with it.

Caterpillar Court – this giant caterpillar is an icon that will establish the location for the students that belong in the classrooms behind its door.

Lily Pad Lane – perched atop a giant lily pad is the happiest frog in Kaufman County. He is really big, but his happy disposition makes him as gentle as the most cuddly teddy bear. Perched like a giant sentinel, he guards the doorway to a cluster of classrooms and marks the entrance that no child will forget. Having found the lily pads in this backwoods area, you won’t mind stepping into the pond or skipping over the pattern of inlaid rocks.

Rand Road Station – the train only runs on imagination, but youngsters have plenty of that. Its colorful exterior is a ready invitation to climb on board and travel to fantasyland. Be an engineer, a conductor, or just settle in to ride the rails. Not only will a one-time visit to this area be an exciting adventure; it will cement the image in the mind of the child who may need direction to their classroom in the days to come.

The Castle – a magical entrance into the library. No knight in shining armor ever had a more enchanted castle; no longhaired damsel a better view from the tower. It is every child’s dream sculpted to child size proportions and the children can go inside to hear a magical fairy tale.
   The seal of a proud clan hangs over the drawbridge entrance. Battle flags fly over the parapets above, but the sounds that come from inside aren’t the sounds of clanging swords or the clink of armor; they are the laughter of children and the reassuring voice of a teacher who has converted this cozy space into a unique reading room or teaching space.
   A castle wall surrounds the library and its hollow shell holds the library’s treasure—its books. What better place to whet the appetite of a young reader, or challenge the mind of a preschooler than the courtyard of a castle. Step forward fair lady, stand up young warrior, you are about to be knighted into the Helen Edwards Early Childhood Center school of honor.

The Learning Tree – This tree welcomes children as they enter the school. It is the first thing they see and the last thing they’ll forget. The big smile and winning eyes of the wise old oak will ensure a jolly beginning for the school day.
   Don’t be surprised if there are other smiling faces seen peeking out from behind the trees and comical branches or looking through the windows in the whimsical tree house. This is also a secret place for the kids in Kidsville.
   Step to the back of the tree and there is more to see than bark. The split-level tree house is a great place to play, and its easy access ramp makes the lower level available to wheelchairs. Fill both levels with children and it’s a snug and cozy retreat for telling stories, or reading a favorite adventure book. 

MRS. FROSCH-Kidsville

Kidsville – a technology center that is equipped with much more than computers. It is a place for youngsters to develop there imagination, write a book, feed the animals, or fix a snack just to name a few.

Windmill Pond – this interactive water table housed in an 8-foot galvanized stock tank, has a trough that catches over-runs and spills, and routes them back into a tank below.
   A hand-cranked lift moves the cups of water from a reservoir to a point above where it is poured into a plastic trough and runs down to supply the water for filling any number of containers.
   The windmill is for decoration, but everything else on this table does something.
   By turning a crank on the side of the tank, one can fill cups that are fixed on a pivot and dump into a large container that dumps into an even larger one.
   A circular trough on the surface of the table is filled with water, and hand-cranked pumps force water under the surface causing the water in the trough to circulate. By turning cranks, three jets are activated and kids can float boats or plastic ducks in a circle. It is a learning experience that requires a lot of cooperation. If there is no one to crank, all the action stops.

Snack Shack – this just may be the most popular spot in the entire learning center. With full size appliances, a double oven and a working sink, there is no telling what goodies might be served across the spacious counter to the left. Check the clock on the wall and gather the kids at tables; there is pizza in the oven.

Publishing Plaza – decorated as a one-story office building, this workstation holds everything that is needed to print a poster, create a brochure, or publish and bind a book.
   Good light from three alcoves makes close work easy, and the shelves above and below hold all the supplies needed to keep this production facility humming.
   A red, white and blue mailbox is built into one end of the Publishing Plaza. It is a great place to put valentines, letters, or even deposit a note to the teacher.

Cyber Center – this area is decorated as an office tower and serves as a work space used for document design.

Critter Corral – a red, boards and batter front, decorated with a portly pig and a cocky chicken invites kids into the live animal area. Aquariums and terrariums line both walls at kid height, and food for all is kept on shelves above and below.
   Cage cleaning, or whatever maintenance is necessary, can be done on a table top nearby, and tools for each task are stored below.
   Light coves overhead supplement lights in the various terrariums, and there is even warming rocks for our scaly friends.
   Hop in for a quick study or circle the building for an even closer look.

Little Broadway – it is a great way to start the day or take a fun-filled break any time it pleases you. This theater is complete except for one very important addition – the presenter. Coach a child to give the weather report, tell what day it is, or rotate the world globe and track what’s happening in foreign lands.
   When the puppeteers are in town, the stage is set and slapstick with a message comes to life.
   Videotape any part of the action and pass the presentation along to the classrooms, and if you have a canned presentation, show it on the television screen above.

Helen Edwards is equipped with six portable hall activities. 

These rolling stations will travel to each hall by the end of the school year.

Learning Is Our Business – of all the activity carts, this may be the most practical. It not only holds all the supplies; it has individual workspaces for kids and even one adult size for the teacher.  A mixture of 3-D and 2-D graphics makes its function clear. It’s all about numbers on one side and letters on the other.

Corner Store – fruits, vegetables, meats, canned goods and boxed goods greet children when they arrive at this miniature market. Take the basket from its bin or select a shopping cart and shop to your hearts content.
   When you’re finished shopping, proceed to the checkout counter to complete your purchase. A toy cash register allows for further interaction as children learn their numbers, the value of money, and the different food groups.

Helen’s House – for the little homemaker, this split-level playhouse is a dream. The cabinet doors in the kitchen open to ample storage for their favorite pots and pans. The stove burners give off a permanent red glow, and imaginary water flows freely in the play sink. In this kitchen dishwashing is a pleasure. With the teacher’s help, “mini” meals or tasty snacks can be eaten with the best of table manners.
   The front doorbell rings, and the light switches turn on fixtures located overhead. The windows open and shut, but since they have no glass, it’s hardly necessary.

Discovery Island – the experience you’ll have here is about as close as you can get to being outdoors without getting bitten by chiggers. One side has easy-to-assemble bug parts with how-to-graphics posted above, but like Mr. Potato head, the options for a crazy creation are endless.
    On one end of the cart, there are two wire mazes that challenge the operator to move beads from one side of the contraption to the other. The other end of the cart has plastic tubs that can hold almost any prize that is picked up in the great outdoors. Want to see what a specimen looks like? Hold it under the magnifying glasses, turn on the enclosed light and check it out. 
    The other side of this cart has a large work area for rolling out play clay and imprinting the play clay with a variety of prints that might have been made by animals.

Health Central – for painless dentistry and an “A-1” medical report, you can’t beat these pint-sized examining rooms. One has a miniature dentist chair and a display cabinet that might contain any number of interesting things like a set of talking teeth, a collection of tooth brushes, and a giant tooth model that comes apart to show a below-the-gum cavity.
   How-to graphics promote better brushing and Tim the Tooth shows off the virtues of a giant toothbrush. It’s no wonder the kids on the wall are smiling. They’ve just given this repot- “Look, Mom, no cavities!”
   In the doctor’s examining room there are posters showing how blood circulates and a chart naming all the bones in the body. The examining table has a vinyl cover, and with toy stethoscope in hand, we’re ready for a physical.
   Cabinets hold casts of ears and eyes, and an assortment of body parts that are available for the teacher’s use in giving tips on health care.

Super Stars - this miniature stage is perfect for the would-be performing artist. With pullback theater curtains and a backdrop that allows actors access to the stage, there is nothing missing but the audience.
   Costumes for dress up are housed in the kid-sized closets on both ends and a collection of hats makes topping off an outfit a breeze.
   In the cabinets above there are special things that are locked away for teachers only. One of the cabinets may even be accessed from both sides since it holds the latest in a kid-sized Karaoke machine.
   Quiet! The stage lights have come up and the show is about to begin.

Copyright © 2005 Helen Edwards ECC

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