Field Trip-Preschool Entomologist

     Once per month we have our on site field trip at school. This month we welcomed a preschool based entomologist. An entomologist is a scientist that studies insects. Since we have been learning about ladybugs, butterflies and other insects this field trip was perfect!  

     To prepare for our monthly field trips we talk to the children about what to expect so they are ready for our special guest(s). We also wear field trip t-shirts. The children are filled with excitement and school spirit when they wear them. Not only are they learning and having a great time when our guest(s) visit, they also display everything we work hard on at SMART START (and I know parents and caregivers do the same at home) to instill in the students our SMART character building blocks: Service, Mindfulness, Achievement, Respect and Trust. Our young learners continue to amaze and impress us and our guest(s) with their listening skills and good behavior. 

     The entomologist taught the children about insects through stories such as, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, songs for example, Head, Thorax, Abdomen and dramatic play with fun props. The Metamorphosis process was taught along with more information about insects. The children were very curious about the live insects and enjoyed studying them with magnifying glasses and asking questions. SMART START friends pretended to be insects by dressing up and moving like insects on the ground and crawling through tunnels. The children absolutely loved this field trip!

   Please help continuing this learning process at home. Some questions to ask your children are: How many legs does an insect have? What is a butterfly's tongue called? Ask them to sing or tell the parts of an insects body/Head, Thorax, Abdomen for you. 

   Thank you for your support with our field trip program! It has proven to be a wonderful addition to SMART START!

    

Bugs, Bugs everywhere

Kaylee's favorite

Dancing around as bumble bees-Nora was our queen bee

Each child opening their plastic egg to discover what insect was inside

Learning about the butterfly's tongue-Proboscis

Cricket stories

Live insects

Bumblebee lifecycle

Emma metamorphosing into a butterfly

Children emerging out of their cocoons

Stories and songs

Future Entomologist

💙 Mary and Francesca 💙

Ladybugs

     The children learned about and witnessed the ladybug lifecycle: egg, larva, pupa and ladybug! At SMART START we have "Ladybug Land", a special observation habitat with a magnifying port. The children enjoyed observing daily the process of metamorphosis. To coincide with the curriculum we made ladybug hats and read books such as, The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle. We hatched ten ladybugs and each child brought one home to release into nature.

Theo and Nora in awe over the ladybug larva

Emma and Benny observing the ladybug pupa

One little ladybug coming to see Cody

Grouchy ladybug stories and giggles

  

💙 Mary and Francesca 💙

Yoga

     Miss Francesca is not only their teacher but also their yoga instructor here at SMART START.  The children love this special time with Miss Francesca and are always eager to practice yoga and demonstrate their poses. This is a great way to have our students relax, focus and instill mindfulness while having fun. Not only does practicing yoga help the children increase their flexibility and strength it also presents them with the opportunity to follow directions and build their self-esteem. You can see the confidence in their eyes as they hold each position and flow right into the next one.

    Another fun way that we incorporate yoga into our curriculum at SMART START is through a memory game with a variety of yoga poses. This game challenges the children to remember where each yoga pose is and make a match. We also read stories and sing songs that coincide with our yoga practices.

Stretching before yoga

Emma holding her tree pose

Theo - a master at warrior pose

Emma's version of downward dog with one leg up

Our downward dogs: Nora, Theo and Benny

Memory match yoga poses

Yoga creates children who are bright lights in this world increasing

their self-awareness and strengthening their bodies

-Shakta Khalsa

💙 Mary and Francesca💙

Spring is Here

     I think it is safe to say that spring is here! While SMART START has so many wonderful things to offer, our spacious, shady and fenced backyard is one of the children's favorites. You can tell by the smiles on their faces that the children thoroughly enjoy being outside.
  
   Our SMART START outdoor area is equipped to keep the children happy and playing and imaginations flowing. SMART START friends play so well together and every day is a new adventure. Our young learners are kind, gentle, curious, and imaginative. They take turns, help and include each other, act silly, and have fun! Being outside stimulates the senses. As their caregiver and educator, watching the children embrace the outdoors is so rewarding!

Mickey and Cody learning through play

Nature exploration

Nature hunt

Filling our nature boxes

Little inch worms on little hands

Sliding, climbing and crawling fun

Emma making a wish

Nora and Emma on the teeter totter

Bubbles, bubbles everywhere

Water play

Sprinkler fun

A child, more than anyone else, is a

spontaneous observer of nature

-Maria Montessori

💙 Mary and Francesca💙

Welcome Spring and Happy Easter

     We have been busy welcoming spring and Easter here at SMART START! After a long winter of many snowy, cold days, the children are eager to learn about all things spring and get outdoors! To welcome spring we read some books such as, The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle and planted green beans. The children enjoyed filling their pots with soil, planting seeds and watering their plants. Our young learners are patiently waiting for their green beans to grow. It brings us joy to see how proud they are of their hard work!

A song we sang while planting was:

First (Child's name) made the hole,
then he/she puts the seed inside,
he/she covers it up with dirt,
(child's name) planted green beans!

Watering our green bean plants

Cody, Kaylee and Mickey caring for their plants

     Smart Start was filled with all things Easter! Bunnies, baskets, and eggs, OH MY! The children simply loved to gather the plastic eggs and take them apart and put them back together again. A fun game we played was writing the 26 upper case letters on plastic eggs and trying to match them to work on letter and color recognition. They were so sweet dressing up in Easter bonnets, carrying around the Easter baskets and purses, and taking care of the furry little Easter bunnies. During circle time we introduced the song "Here comes Peter Cottontail" and the children loved to sing and dance along! We read several Easter books with the children which filled them with the Easter spirit. It's always nice to incorporate the holidays into your child's reading routine to help them learn more about the celebrations and make connections.

Kaylee fashioning Easter wear

Emma filling a special basket for the stuffed bunny she named "Pluppy"

Cody, Emma, Benny and Mickey matching colors and letters

   The children were very excited to color and decorate their own Easter eggs! They all did a wonderful job following directions and decorated many beautiful Easter eggs. Even the youngest one in the bunch at 7 months old had a fun time participating and kept up with her big kid friends. We are passionate about and love watching the younger ones observe and learn from the older children. After coloring their eggs the children chose a basket and filled it with Easter grass and placed their eggs inside to bring home. We had an Easter egg hunt in our outdoor area. Each egg was filled with treats. SMART START friends also decorated their own foam Easter egg using tissue paper, stickers, bonkers, crayons, glue and glitter. Each Easter egg was unique and we hope they looked beautiful hanging up in your home this year and for many years to come.

Egg decorating fun

Theo and Nora admiring their work

Zoe and her egg

Easter egg hunt

Easter egg craft

The Very Spring and root of honesty and virtue

lie in good education.

-Plutarch

💙 Mary and Francesca 💙

Bird Feeders

   The children see a variety of birds everyday in our outdoor area. As part of our spring curriculum we learned about birds and made bird feeders. The children absolutely loved this activity! They each rolled a piece of corn in peanut butter and then rolled it in birdseed. We enjoyed our afternoon snack outdoors with our feathered friends. Hope you enjoyed hanging the bird feeder sent home outside with your children. As an educator and caregiver I appreciate those moments with your children and listen to their comments and questions. They never cease to amaze me. I can only imagine what they are like at home.

Theo and Emma busy at work

Mickey and Nora sprinkling on birdseed

Group effort

"Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings"

- Salvador Dali

💙 Mary and Francesca💙