Reading to worms from picture books, digging in the dirt and transforming pine cones into bird feeders—all those fun learning activities are part of a unique, nature-based Portland Public Schools summer program helping rising kindergartners and first-graders get ready for school.

Starting kindergarten or first grade can be a big transition, but the program—called Step-Into-Kindergarten-and-First-Grade—helps make that transition easier.

The approximately four-week summer program, held at Reiche and Talbot elementary schools, is a school readiness program for students entering kindergarten and first grade this fall. Through engaging, hands-on activities, students have been building foundational literacy and social skills—ensuring a confident start to their elementary school journey. The nature-based activities include read alouds, songs, writing activities and tasks involving motor skills.

Lessons on a recent August morning at Reiche included reading to worms and exploring the school garden to learn how plants grow.

Before the students headed outside into the school garden, teacher Amy Wu was out there scooping compost filled with worms into little glass jars for each student. She made sure that each jar contained at least one worm for the students to have their own little invertebrate to read to. Wu placed the jar on picnic tables and covered each jar with a picture book. She said the covering is necessary because local robins have learned her routine throughout the summer program and help themselves to the worms. 

The students squealed with excitement as they uncovered their new worm friends and showed them to their classmates before the story reading began, as shown in this video. In addition to being fun, the activity gave students a chance to learn social skills important to success in school, such as listening to their teacher, following instructions, taking turns and sharing. 

After the students shared their books with the worms, it was time to move into Reiche’s garden. Wu said outdoor learning is a big part of the school curriculum at Reiche, and the program helps familiarize city kids with being outdoors in nature.  The school garden is a little oasis of vegetables and flowers, and also includes a peach tree heavy with fruit and a resident rabbit that likes to nibble on the bounty. 

In the garden, students took turns visiting various stations to learn about the elements plants need to grow. One of the most popular was the soil station, a sandbox filled with dirt with some water added. The students enjoyed scooping up the resulting mud. After a clean-up with the aid of a garden hose, the youngsters moved to other activities, such as turning pine cones into bird-feeders by smearing them with peanut butter and bird seed— providing a healthy treat for birds when hung in a tree. The fun activities were not only learning opportunities but helpded students hone their fine and gross motor skills. 

Overall, Wu said, the Step-Into-Kindergarten-and-First-Grade program “builds on [the children’s] social emotional skills and their early readiness skills and their emergent literacy skills—and hopefully these students are the leaders for other students that didn't take part."

The program is free to participating families. It is funded by the Foundation for Portland Public Schools and PPS.

This year, the first day of school for students in grades 1-12 will be Aug. 31. Pre-K and kindergarten students will start on Sept. 1.