Geography 🌎

      SMART START young learners embarked on an expedition around the globe! From touring the United States to "studying abroad", our young learners fully embraced this introduction to Geography. 

Come join us on our travels below! 🛪

        Our journey began right here in the U. S.! Classmates collaborated to complete a puzzle displaying all 50 states and capitals- Linked Here. We discussed the famous landmarks pictured on each piece and the various places pupil have visited. Future historians were most intrigued by the Statue of Liberty in New York and the Liberty Bell in Pennsylvania. 

        The New England state of Massachusetts was highlighted during outdoor circle time. MA is currently home to our school and students. The book "I Am Massachusetts" which portrays numerous cities and sights was read aloud to the group. The class conversed about their favorite spots in the state such as Cape Cod, Newburyport, Salem and the capital, Boston.

        Time to leave the continent.... Next stops Europe, Asia, South America and more! SMART START tourists selected an activity page featuring a country of their choice. Vocabulary was expanded through word searches, cognitive abilities were enhanced travelling in mazes and fine motor skills challenged via handwriting. This lesson provided a glance into diverse cultures and customs worldwide. 

        Eager Geographers concluded this unit through a variety of fun and games! Friends inflated a blue ball and used a globe to accurately place continent and ocean stickers. Afterwards, all played "Wonder Globe" (Sit in a circle, play music, pass globe, stop music, person holding globe picks a continent that they wish to visit). "Points on the Map" was enjoyed next (Hang up large map, line up, close eyes, one at a time approach map and point, open eyes, see which state/country is landed on). Lastly, the inflatable globe was incorporated into water play. While splashing in the sprinkler and sliding down the waterslide, peers pretended they were on the five major oceans: Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean & the Arctic Ocean. 

        Educating children about the world around them is an essential component of SMART START's curriculum. These teachings aim to instill a sense of wonder into our young learners and to ignite their natural desire to explore and discover. We hope you enjoyed accompanying us on our global adventure!

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SMART START Olympics

    Our young learners enhanced their gross motor and tumbling skills at our SMART START Olympic Games!

Click below to view! 🤸

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Farm Fun!

    This summer, SMART START students embraced learning all about life on the farm! 

Follow along our farm unit below🚜

    Classmates diligently care for their class pets each day at school. From placing hay inside the chicken coops, collecting eggs for mealtime to feeding and brushing the bunny, our students are quite the experienced future farmers! Nurturing animals is crucial for a child's social-emotional development as it teaches responsibility, independence, patience, increases self-esteem and so much more!

    Learning in nature is vital component of our curriculum. The group gathered in our outdoor classroom to explore themed literature and listen to a story time. In addition, pupils played a cooperative board game Count Your Chickens (linked here!). 

    Farm friends enjoyed free playing with a classic children's favorite, toy barns! Peers pretend played with various farm animals, tractors and their imaginations. 

    Fruit picking is a staple farm activity. Our young learners circled by our school garden to pick berries from the blueberry bush. 

    To conclude our farm festivities, a petting zoo came to visit! The class thoroughly enjoyed this hands-on encounter with goats, ducklings, guinea pigs, sheep, pig and a hedgehog. All interacted with the animals by brushing and feeding them. A fun and adorable way to introduce farm life!

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All About Science!

    SMART START's core curriculum places a large emphasis on S.T.E.A.M (science, technology, engineering, art & math). Educating young learners on these subjects allows them to formulate ideas, develop critical thinking, learn how to problem solve, explore, make discoveries, instill inventiveness and so much more!

Read about our recent science unit below🧪

    To commence our stem studies, students put on their lab coats and welcomed Doc V., a science educator and his years of expertise for an interactive microbiology lesson. The class was introduced to the concept of DNA and participated in a hands-on extraction study. Pupils were provided their own strawberries, test tubes, magnifying glasses and other materials. All successfully conducted the experiment and took home their very own test tube full of strawberry DNA! Click here for experiment instructions 🍓

    Eager engineers excitedly opened their Snap Circuits: Electric Circuit Kit (Linked Here!) Peers pondered over the instruction manual and constructed numerous designs to create sounds through electric currents. Patience and preciseness were utilized as each circuit must be properly connected for the electricity to pass through. This activity serves as an excellent introduction to physics lesson!

    SMART START Scientists engaged in a Science Fair at school! All brought in a S.T.E.A.M related item to put on display. Each classmate had the opportunity to introduce their exhibits: binoculars, hand-made invention, rock collection, star machine, habitat art, glass cased insects, plant roots, space board and a slime experiment.! After the presentations, inquisitive minds used magnifying glasses to explore the exhibition. 

     Mini meteorologists studied the weather and its changes throughout the summer season. Weather wheels and posters were utilized to teach about different cloud types. We discussed each clouds title and what role they play in the atmosphere. Friends were most fascinated by the Nimbostratus, a dark grey cloud that produces rain and snow!

We hope you enjoyed reading all about science at SMART START!

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Thank you Spring.... Hello Summer!

     Beginning in March, SMART START Students sprung right into spring studies! Our young learners fully embraced the gifts the season brought to their outdoor classroom. Nurturing class pets, sensory exploration in the sandboxes, carefree play on the structures, swinging high in the sky, enhancing gross motor skills and finding nature's treasures were a few Spring favorites. 

🌸View Our Spring Highlights Below🌸

      Summer studies have officially commenced at school! Classmates have been welcoming the season by enjoying their educational activities outdoors. The warmer weather provides opportunities for water play, nature appreciation, picnics with peers, stories in the sunshine and so much more! Learning in nature yields endless benefits for children. Some being, but not limited to fostering self-awareness, strengthening concentration, promoting respect for the environment, enhancing social-emotional well-being and igniting a child's innate desire to learn and explore. 

🌞View Our Start to Summer Fun Below🌞

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All About Lou Lou

   

    Miss Lou Lou was SMART START'S star student this past Spring! She beautifully completed her "All About Me" poster to share at school. All applauded Lou Lou's natural eloquence she exhibited with each presentation. Exceptional work, Lou Lou!

   

   Lou Lou's Poster 

    Lou Lou's 5th birthday celebration at school was a wonderful event! She brought in tasty popsicles and party favors to enjoy with her friends. Classmates gifted Lou Lou with a birthday book and sang, "Happy Birthday" to her in both English and Spanish. 

    Lou Lou has been attending SMART START since she was just 2 years old! This charismatic young lady is sassy, classy and the epitome of a well rounded student. She is studious, courteous, vivacious and has a genuine thirst for knowledge. You brighten everyone's day, Lou Lou!

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Animal Life Cycles

     During the spring season, SMART START incorporates the study of animal life cycles into its curriculum. Our young learners are provided the opportunity to be involved throughout the process of this natural science in a realistic setting. 

Learn about four different animal life cycles and the benefits of experiential learning below:

🥚🐣🐥🐔 Caring for chickens in our outdoor classroom is a segment of SMART START's daily routine. Classmates contribute to feeding, watering, cleaning and egg collecting. Everyone was eager to further their knowledge on the life stages of a chicken: egg, hatchling, chick and adult. Pupils participated in placing eggs inside an incubator, adding water to monitor humidity and rotating egg positions. We discussed the changes occurring within the egg as it forms from simply a yolk into a chick. After 21 days of anticipation, 7 chicks hatched! The class has been enthusiastically nurturing the hatchlings and have recently acquainted them to a coop outside. This biology teaching continues indefinitely as all will witness and assist the chicks as they grow into adulthood, lay eggs and begin the cycle again- learning through experience at its finest. 

🐛🦋 Eager Entomologists look forward to viewing the developmental timeline of a butterfly at school each year. This process consists of: watching a caterpillar come out of an egg, seeing it form into a chrysalis, celebrating the butterfly's emergence and releasing it into nature. We successfully hatched 10 Painted Lady butterflies this spring! Caring for the butterflies consists of adding sugar to a wet cotton ball for nourishment. It is exciting to view the insects using their long proboscis (straw-like tongue) to drink. To conclude this curricular aspect, the group circled together to hear the classic story, "A Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle through a story time and short film. Learning about metamorphosis firsthand is certainly an unforgettable educational event. 

🐞 Hatching ladybugs is another annual favorite. Tubes of larvae are poured into our ladybug habitat and a small amount of water is added each day. After about ten days, there were dozens of adult ladybugs crawling about. SMART START Scientists used magnifying glasses to inspect the insects up close and were able to hold the ladybugs. We discussed that ladybugs are a type of beetle that are bright red to protect themselves from predators. After this hands-on encounter, the ladybugs were set free in our nature classroom. All were surprised to discover a few eggs left behind in the habitat. These were carefully placed outdoors for the life cycle to start once more. 

🍃 Last but not least, the life cycle of a praying mantis was explored. These critters develop inside a large egg case that can take up to 6 weeks to hatch. Peers waited patiently for the insects to arrive. Friends were fascinated to see hundreds of mantids one morning at school. Magnifying glasses and natural curiosity were utilized once again to examine. All bravely held a praying mantis and some even carried a handful of them outdoors to be released into the school garden. 

📚 To reinforce life cycle learning, all took turns reviewing themed literature and materials to reflect and ask questions. Weeks have passed and our young learners are still applying the knowledge they gained from this unit. From finding a butterfly and stating that it, "emerged from a school chrysalis" to reminding the class that if we place eggs in an incubator they will take, "21 days to hatch", It is incredible what children can retain when exposed to subject matter through real life experiences. This method of teaching promotes a child's genuine desire to discover the world around them and sets them on their path to becoming a life long learner. 

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