SMART START handy helpers have been busy learning about construction work and what it entails. The children put their newly acquired skills and muscles to good use while assisting in projects here at school. With a rise and focus on engineering in our school systems and enrichment programs, we wanted to dive into this area of learning and development from an exciting, hands- on and educational angle. We invited our local expert, Glen the Andover Handyman, for our on site field trip to educate our young learners about the profession.
Our SMART START engineers absolutely loved our arts and crafts project for the construction learning unit! They used a variety of recyclables that we have been collecting here at school to construct their very own creation. Towers, castles, airplanes and more were built by utilizing toy tools and red, yellow, blue and green electrical tape to fix the pieces together. Once this process was complete, our SMART START artists put on the finishing touches using their creative ability. They used bonkers and markers to add splashes of color and drizzled glue to hold colored tissue and construction paper. Our students were extremely proud of their masterpieces, each unique and special!
The children had a blast as SMART START transformed into a mini construction site! We hung yellow caution tape and signs, placed cones around and dispersed tools throughout the "site." Our SMART START workers each wore a hard hat because safety comes first on the job!
To further enrich our unit of study we utilized puzzles, magnet books, figurines, toy tools, different types of vehicles and large wooden and cardboard building blocks. As always, we focus on enhancing the literacy skills of our young learners and read various books about construction workers/engineers/handy workers. Our pupils enjoyed learning about these community helpers and what they do to serve our communities. Intelligent and appropriate questions were asked during our open discussions, as well as during circle time, scheduled activities and free play. Knowledge is power and our students certainly crave it! We are so proud of them and constantly in awe of their continued progress.
It is only fitting that we took our SMART START helpers to our outdoor classroom. They used dump trucks and bull dozers to load and unload mulch, added new flowers to our play structure and tightened a few loose screws with their tools. We are so grateful to have such helpful and skilled children here at school!
Glen, the Andover Handyman, was a big hit at SMART START! The children wore their SMART START t-shirts and hard hats and patiently awaited Glen's arrival. They were excited to see and learn about all the tools in his tool box and even more eager to look at his big truck outside! Glen explained how he loads and unloads work related items in the back when he is going to and from a job. Our young learners were quick to ask questions related to topics Glen covered and even shared stories about how they are handy helpers around their own homes!
SMART START handy helpers and our local expert Glen worked hard during the field as they built and fixed things here at school. Projects included building a new playhouse castle, installing a new toilet seat with a built in potty, fixing the doorbell and several of our learning toys. The children were thrilled to work alongside Glen and he was delighted with his assistants. Not only did our pupils have fun tackling all these tasks with Glen, they learned quite a bit while doing so which added to a big boost in confidence levels!
Hands-on learning is the perfect way for children to make connections and develop skills to use in real world situations. While our SMART START engineers are deep in thought, working hard and most importantly having fun at play, they are fostering critical thinking and problem solving skills and more. Authentic learning at its best!
Thank you for your continued support of our on site field trip enrichment program. The children are thoroughly enjoying our focus on local community helpers and we hope our success continues
moving forward.
The children had a blast as SMART START transformed into a mini construction site! We hung yellow caution tape and signs, placed cones around and dispersed tools throughout the "site." Our SMART START workers each wore a hard hat because safety comes first on the job!
To further enrich our unit of study we utilized puzzles, magnet books, figurines, toy tools, different types of vehicles and large wooden and cardboard building blocks. As always, we focus on enhancing the literacy skills of our young learners and read various books about construction workers/engineers/handy workers. Our pupils enjoyed learning about these community helpers and what they do to serve our communities. Intelligent and appropriate questions were asked during our open discussions, as well as during circle time, scheduled activities and free play. Knowledge is power and our students certainly crave it! We are so proud of them and constantly in awe of their continued progress.
It is only fitting that we took our SMART START helpers to our outdoor classroom. They used dump trucks and bull dozers to load and unload mulch, added new flowers to our play structure and tightened a few loose screws with their tools. We are so grateful to have such helpful and skilled children here at school!
Glen, the Andover Handyman, was a big hit at SMART START! The children wore their SMART START t-shirts and hard hats and patiently awaited Glen's arrival. They were excited to see and learn about all the tools in his tool box and even more eager to look at his big truck outside! Glen explained how he loads and unloads work related items in the back when he is going to and from a job. Our young learners were quick to ask questions related to topics Glen covered and even shared stories about how they are handy helpers around their own homes!
SMART START handy helpers and our local expert Glen worked hard during the field as they built and fixed things here at school. Projects included building a new playhouse castle, installing a new toilet seat with a built in potty, fixing the doorbell and several of our learning toys. The children were thrilled to work alongside Glen and he was delighted with his assistants. Not only did our pupils have fun tackling all these tasks with Glen, they learned quite a bit while doing so which added to a big boost in confidence levels!
Hands-on learning is the perfect way for children to make connections and develop skills to use in real world situations. While our SMART START engineers are deep in thought, working hard and most importantly having fun at play, they are fostering critical thinking and problem solving skills and more. Authentic learning at its best!
Click below to see Construction Week Fun at SMART START!
Thank you for your continued support of our on site field trip enrichment program. The children are thoroughly enjoying our focus on local community helpers and we hope our success continues
moving forward.
