It's that time of year again here in New England...Fall! This is one of our favorite seasons here at SMART START as the air is beginning to feel cool and crisp, leaves are changing colors, festive activities are upon us and the smell of all things pumpkin and spice put a smile on our faces. Fall warms the hearts of our young learners and puts a spark into our back to school routine. Come along on our adventure! Preschoolers had bushels of fun as they arranged an Autumn scene in our outdoor classroom! Flowers, pumpkins, haybales, apples and more! Our bunch was full of smiles on this fabulous day as they posed for adorable photos. "1,2,3... APPLES PLEASE!"
The great outdoors awaits us! Our backyard is inviting and the children always look forward to learning and playing daily in nature. Miss Francesca read many Fall themed books to our attentive patch. They highly enjoyed the stories as they basked in the sun and breathed in the fresh Fall air. When learning takes place in nature, students benefit tremendously as it:
- activates thinking outside of the box
- works on intrinsic motivation for learning
- increases creativity
- improves over health and well-being as well as social skills and behavior
- provides extra sensory experiences
- freedom to think and experiment
- promotes teamwork
Fall enthusiasts hopped in our red wagon and relished in the joy of a hay ride. With their muscles raring to go, the children took turns pulling each other around the backyard through our Fall scene.
Here at SMART START, we have the best Fall clean-up crew in town! Our rakers set right to work immediately once leaves began falling. Aside from a pile of leaves to jump in, this added chore brings other benefits such as:
- helps establish motor planning
- working together to achieve goal
- learning about the surrounding environment
- promoting physical activity
- learning about proper tool usage
- establishing good habits, responsibility and routines
Our older students had the special task of putting Fall flowers in the front yard. They were proud and filled with school spirit as they placed the flowers. A job well-done! Thank you SMART START landscapers!
Apple picking is a staple Fall family outing! While outside on a brisk morning, the children giggled as they shared past memories of such. They crunched and munched on delicious apples at snack time as we explained and taught about the nutritional benefits, many varieties and parts of Apples: stem, leaf, skin, flesh, core and seeds. They also learned a song about apples entitled, "The Apple Song".
🍎 "Apple Song" 🍎
Tune: Have You Ever Seen A Lassie?
Have you ever seen an apple, an apple, an apple,
Have you ever seen an apple, that grows on a tree?
A red one, a yellow one, a pink one, a green one.
Have you ever seen an apple, that grows on a tree?
The backyard Fall décor was not complete without decorations for the play structure. Our exterior designers were up for the task and displayed such teamwork!
- offers a path for critical language and literacy development
- increase in vocabulary
- improves speech and cognitive skills
- builds motivation, curiosity and memory
- develop a positive association with books
- enhances concentration, attention span and listening
Time for dress-up! The children looked adorable as they sported a dashing Fall patterned dress and bonnet, while others wore aprons to collect eggs from our chickens. Happy Fall kids!
Little fingers set to work as they peeled and pressed stickers onto cardboard pumpkins. A simple and engaging activity to master fine motor skills!
All students reported to the felt board for Math. They placed various fabric pieces such as, leaves, apples, pumpkins and squirrels on the felt board. Young learners worked together to count and create patterns. Group effort was in full force while confidence levels boosted! Their counting skills and sequence recognition is right on target!
SMART START chorus has been singing along to a class favorite, "I Like Autumn" during activities. We often hear them singing or humming the tune during free play. They have practiced quite a bit to learn and memorize the lyrics. Follow the link by clicking "I Like Autumn" to sing along at home with your child.
With plenty of hay leftover from our Fall décor, energetic children grabbed it by the handfuls and threw into the air. They ran, danced, jumped, laughed and sang as hay flew around and music played. Fall is full of surprises!
Talented artists circled around the activity table to create a Fall inspired project! Each received a white paper plate with a cloth colored leaf, bonkers, glue, paintbrush and colored confetti. We will join the spectacular leaves together to form a gorgeous wreath!
In addition, imaginative minds decorated large felt owls and leaves. Students used paint, sprinkled colored sand, added tissue paper and pops of color with fabric markers.
🖌 Arts and crafts are a priority in our curriculum. Here are reasons why: 🖌
- encourages fine motor skills
- neural development
- problem-solving abilities
- enhances learning in other subject areas such as reading, writing, math and science
- expression of feelings
- promotes creativity and happiness
- FUN!
Click below for more Fall Fun at SMART START!
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