This September, SMART START learned all about animals! Throughout this unit, our young learners engaged their wild imaginations, natural curiosity and desire to discover through nature and play based activities.
The class gathered outside for an informational storytime of, “There is a tribe of Kids.” This book details names for groups of animals. Some favorites included: a colony of penguins, a crash of rhinos, a flight of butterflies and a tribe of friends!
A donation box was decorated to hold items collected by our school for a local zoo and rescue center, “Animal Adventures.” This organization visited us later in the week with an interactive, hands-on animal encounter. See below!
“Animal Adventures” arrived with an abundance of animals and knowledge to share with SMART START. This fascinating experience provided the opportunity for students to touch and hold a snake, alligator, hedgehog, bearded dragon, gecko, ferret and more! All of our young learners bravely interacted with each creature. Introducing children to animals of all kinds (in a safe environment) reduces fear and fosters a respect for wildlife!
Eager explorers transformed part of their outdoor classroom into a jungle! They traveled through “tropical forests” observing gorillas, snakes and tigers and studied lions, zebras and elephants on a “safari.”
Friends established their very own “rescue zoo” using animal figurines and magna-tiles. Animals were separated into “exhibits” by species. Informal, learning through play at its finest!
Frames were decorated to hold a photo from the “Animal Adventures” presentation. Picture crafts capture special events and assist in the formation of memories.
Peers completed puzzles to build three letter words: BAT, CAT, ANT, COW etc. This lesson reinforced uppercase letter recognition and the use of phonics.
Thank you for reading!
šSMART STARTš
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