Saturday

Geology

Image result for geology rocks banner clipart
     SMART START students were introduced to the field of Geology both this and last year. This S.T.E.A.M (Science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) related unit primarily focused on the earth's natural structures.


Read below to view what was discovered during 2018 Geology week and 2019 Geology day!

     Future scientists were intrigued by our Geological displays. Exhibited were an assortment of rocks, gemstones, geodes, guides and investigative tools such as, magnifying glasses. Young learners engaged their senses as they explored the materials. 

     The class joined together in our outdoor classroom for an informational storytime. Miss Francesca read from a geology manual while peers passed around various types of earthly matter. All were most fascinated by the volcanic rock and geode. 

Some knowledge acquired during this lesson includes: 
  • Geology is the study of earth and its physical structures/substances
  • gemstones are pieces of mineral
  • earth's crust is the outer layer of the planet
  • there are gemstones assigned to each calendar/birth month
  • volcanic rock is created from erupted lava

     
   
  Last year, pupils practiced matching gemstones to their corresponding images in books and charts. This activity worked to reinforce the subject matter. This year, classmates decorated cases to store their own rock collections. All used stick on jewels and name tags to personalize their project. Afterwards, each child selected a few rocks to start off their collection.  



     SMART START geoarchaeologists experienced the great efforts of rock excavation. 
Last year, the crew unearthed stones, minerals and more in the school's sand excavation site. This year, motivated minds worked to extract gems that were encased in individual blocks of plaster. Tools used during excavation included: brushes, picks, sponges, popsicle sticks, and magnifying glasses for further examination. All were amazed and confident in their findings. 

    

   
   To complete the excavation process, the group gathered to dig up some candy rocks in ice cream. All thoroughly enjoyed their delicious discoveries and were able to identify what minerals their treats resembled. The favorites were the "ruby" and "emerald" candies. 


     Last year, budding geologists took turns hammering open a geode. All were surprised to witness the sparkling crystals hiding inside the outer layers. This year, preschoolers and prekindergartners partnered together to pan for gold in buckets of water. These hands-on activities provide students the opportunity to experience the subject matter first hand and to comprehend it in a realistic setting.



              

๐Ÿ’ŽSMART START๐Ÿ’Ž 

Wednesday

All About Ava!

     The first "All About Me" poster presenter for September was miss Ava! She patiently waited for this assignment and was eager to showcase her finished project. Ava displayed excellent public speaking skills while explaining facts about herself. Fabulous work, Ava!

Here are some details from Ava's poster:
  • Favorite animal is a horse๐Ÿด
  • Wants to be a hairdresser when she grows up๐Ÿ’‡
  • Enjoys riding her scooter ๐Ÿ›ด
  • Loves to go to the beach๐Ÿ–
  • Favorite food is strawberries ๐Ÿ“

     All enjoyed Ava's 4th birthday celebration at school! She brought in special cupcakes and goody bags to share with friends. Peers gifted Ava with a book and sang "Happy Birthday" to her in English and Spanish.

     Ava has been attending SMART START for almost a year now! She is kind, intelligent and acts as a great role model for our preschoolers. We look forward to witnessing you flourish as a prekindergartner, Ava!




๐Ÿ’—SMART START๐Ÿ’—

Monday

Dinosaurs

     SMART START traveled back to the prehistoric era both this and last year to learn about dinosaurs! 

Read below to view what we studied during 2018 dinosaur week and 2019 dinosaur day!


  Our dinosaur displays exhibited a variety of related books, dinosaur models, habitat structures, fossils and an encyclopedia. Pupils practiced identifying different species such as, Stegosaurus, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Apatosaurus, Triceratops, Pterodactyl, ankylosaurus and more. 
Here are additional facts the class learned: 
  •  Dinosaurs were reptiles 
  • All are now extinct 
  • The Spanish translation of dinosaur is: Dinosaurio
  • Some were carnivores/ate meat and others herbivores/ate plants
  • The study of dinosaurs is Paleontology 

2018

2019



      Dinosaur enthusiasts used fine motor and problem solving skills to assemble themed puzzles.  In addition, this year the group also worked diligently to match upper case and lower case T-Rex letter cards.
2018

 2019


     Young learners dramatic played with dinosaurs throughout the outdoor classroom. They roamed, jumped, stomped and roared around the yard and play structures. Imaginations soared as the  "dinosaurs" relived a day on Earth. Engaging in pretend play yields numerous benefits for children. Some being but not limited to:
  • experience the subject matter 
  • encourage creativity
  • promote literacy 
  • enhance social skills and communication
2018


2019

      The class circled in our outdoor classroom for a Jurassic storytime. All listened intently as information about dinosaurs was read. Our school chickens joined in and assisted with this activity. We discussed how chickens are closely related to dinosaurs, especially the T-Rex!

2018



    2019
     

     Classmates gathered to enjoy their lunch in dinosaur fossil bowls. This mealtime provided students the opportunity to discuss what they have been learning during the unit. Conversations included favorite dinosaur species and wanting to become a paleontologist! 
  
 2018



    2019


     Last year, SMART START artists created their own handprint dinosaur. They decorated paper with stickers, painted their hand and made a handprint. Each project was labeled with the child's name and "osaurus." 
     This year, aspiring archaeologists used tools to find artifacts inside a fossil dinosaur egg. All picked and dusted until they managed to crack their egg open. Miniature dinosaurs were discovered inside!

2018



2019


     Peers paired up to use dinosaur rubbing plates. Each covered their plate with paper and colored with pencils until a dinosaur appeared. Pterodactyls and t-rexes were among the creatures created. This craft allowed students to practice holding a pencil in writing position while testing their knowledge on dinosaur species.

2018


2019


     SMART START paleontologists excavated dinosaur fossils that were buried in the sand and outdoor structure mulch. Brushes, picks and other tools were used to unearth the fossils. All used magnifying glasses to inspect the findings up close and attempted to name what skeletal part they thought the fossils were: arm, leg, tail etc.  

2018




2019

     Last year, future engineers put their fine motor skills and hand to eye coordination to work as they built a 3D dinosaur fossil of a Stegosaurus and Brontosaurus. They followed the step-by-step instructions accordingly. Superior building!

     This year, the group constructed their own dinosaur fossil model using fossils they uncovered in the outdoor structure mulch. All cooperated as they arranged and rearranged the skeleton pieces. The
class named the model a SMARTSTARTosaurus!

2018



2019


     
                                            
๐Ÿ”SMART START๐Ÿ”Ž

Tuesday

Erica’s “All About Me” Book and 4th Birthday!

     Miss Erica was the next author to present her "All About Me" book at school. She beamed with pride as she detailed her mini autobiography to the class. All were impressed with the effort Erica put into creating her book, presenting it and answering questions. Astounding work, Erica!

Here are some details from the chapters in Erica’s book:


  • Wants to be a princess when she grows up ๐Ÿ‘‘
  • Favorite colors are purple and pink ๐Ÿ’œ๐Ÿ’—
  • Likes to eat vegetables and bagels ๐Ÿฅฆ๐Ÿฅฏ
  • Goes to the beach with her brother Max ๐ŸŒŠ
  • She likes to go shopping ๐Ÿ›’




     Everyone was exited to celebrate Erica’s 4th birthday party at school! Erica brought in delicious 
cupcakes and goody favors to share with her peers. Friends gifted Erica with a book and sang “Happy Birthday” to her in English and Spanish. 

     SMART START has loved having Erica as a student for over 2 years! She is lighthearted, intelligent and always eager to learn. We are excited to witness you excel as a prekindergartner, Erica! 



Click below to hear SMART START students singing "Happy Birthday"



๐Ÿ’›SMART START๐Ÿ’›


Friday

Spanish Studies

     Hola familia and amigos! We are proud that Spanish studies is a part of our curriculum here at SMART START. It is evident through research that children learning a foreign language during their preschool development benefit tremendously! Children’s brains are able to absorb information at an impressive rate. Our young learners have welcomed this addition with open arms, ears and eyes and are learning new words daily!


     Last year, artists gathered at the table for a lesson focusing on colors and numbers! Each had caddies filled with an assortment of markers, crayons and bonkers. We used this creative opportunity to introduce basic colors being red/rojo, blue/azul, orange/anaranjado, yellow/amarillo, green/verde, purple/morado, black/negro, brown/cafe and pink/rosa. A rainbow of Spanish colors filled the air as pupils chanted them out. Well done/bien hecho, amigo

2018

     This year, older Prekindergartners expanded their Spanish vocabulary using our whiteboard. Displayed was an assortment of words placed into categories such as, animals/animales, food/comida, school/escuela and more! Miss Francesca/la maestra described each category as classmates took turns choosing words to be translated. All did an excellent job practicing the pronunciation of each new word. Very good/Muy bien!

    2019

     SMART START students/estudiantes were excited to learnall about numbers and counting in Spanish in the outdoor classroom. A hopscotch mat was laid out as friends/amigos gathered and sat on a foam number. Each had a turn to practice their hopscotch skills while identifying and reciting numbers aloud in Spanish.

     Lastly, los ninos/classmates enjoyed a game of number memory match. Even Charlotte, one of our classroom pet chickens wanted to play! Number memory match provides children with the opportunity to not only develop their social skills with their peers, but challenge their reasoning and problem solving skills. Los numeros son divertidos/numbers are fun!

      2018

     Currently, our preschoolers are learning to count 1-10 while our prekindergartners are working on numbers 11-20. Young learners recently practiced their counting through a game using a deck of cards and dice. All took turns rolling the dice and then matching the number on the dice to the corresponding card. The class stated the numbers in both Spanish in English. This foreign language and mathematics lesson strengthened students number recognition, memory recall, fine motor skills and more! 

Counting in Spanish (1-20) goes as follows: (1) uno, (2) dos, (3) tres,  (4) cuatro, (5) cinco, (6) seis, (7) siete, (8) ocho, (9) nueve, (10) diez, (11) once, (12) doce, (13) trece,  (14) catorce, (15) quince, (16) dieciseis, (17) diecisiete, (18) dieciocho, (19) diecinueve, (20) veinte!


                                      2019                                          

     Espanol Bingo had been a favorite school activity both this and last year. Each player/jugador recieves a bingo card and markers. The cards are filed with a variety of objects and the corresponding Spanish words underneath. La maestra reads a card and estudientes check to see if they can mark it. All repeat each vocabulary word in English and Spanish as they are called. Once a child has five/cinco in a row, they shout, "BINGO!" Players/jugadores are always ecstatic when they marks cinco so they can select an item from our prize bin. So much fun/muy divertido!


                                                 2018                                                 

2019

     UNO is a riveting card game that is fun for all ages! Last year, La maestra taught the estudiantes the rules and object of the game (Be the first to get rid of all of your cards/cartas and when you have one card you say, "UNO"). This is the perfect game to practice colors and numbers in Spanish as well as simply reinforcing number identification. We loved watching them as they concentrated and anticipated their next move. Fun/divertido was had by all!

2018

     Twister was the game we selected to play this year! The object is to place your hands/manos and feet/pies on a color according to the spinner without falling over. SMART START amigos paired up to spin or take the mat. This activity enhanced color recognition, gross motor skills and following and giving directions. The most popular move was right hand on red/mano derecho en rojo!

2019

     Books are part of our every day routine here at SMART START. We are glad to incorporate Spanish reading into our daily learning. Our Spanish books/espanol libros are filled with all sorts of useful information for our estudiantes. We are reading books during circle time, independently and with amigos. Last year during circle time, the children/los ninos were each given a different colored scarf/bufanda. When la maestra said their color aloud, they had to wave their bufanda around and repeat the color as well. This year, la maestra has been reading some classic children's books in Spanish such as, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar", "Little Blue Truck", "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" and more! Los ninos have loved hearing some of their favorite stories read in Spanish and have recognized a substantial amount of the given vocabulary.

2018

2019


     This year, estudiantes were given Spanish name plates. Each wrote their first names on the cards. Afterwards, peers practiced introducing themselves using the phrase, "Hola! me llamo es (child's name)/hello my name is. Gran trabajo/great job! 

2019

     Estudiantes are doing extremely well incorporating the Spanish language into their vocabulary here at school. We hope they are sharing these new words with you at home to reinforce and practice newly acquired skills. Thank you for your support!

 



๐Ÿ’™ SMART START๐Ÿ’™