Let's Go Fly A Kite

     Summer is full of fun activities for all ages!  One of our favorites here at SMART START has been kite flying! Our young learners absolutely loved participating in our kite unit.  Not only did the children have the opportunity to fly a kite, they helped make them.  SMART START artists designed the kites by painting them, drizzling glue and then sprinkling glitter. Colored ribbon was added for the tail once the kite dried. The children also helped to construct the kites and enjoyed being a part of the engineering process.

     SMART START students love to sing! We have incorporated the children's classic, "Let's Go Fly a Kite" from Mary Poppins and "My Kite" from Barney  into our music program this summer. They sang loud and proud as they flew their kites! 
Here are the song lyrics for "My Kite" below so you can sing along at home!
Flying so high with its tail in the breeze Up in the air with greatest of ease Flipping and dipping with colors so bright I love to my kite
Whirling, twirling, high in the air Whirling, twirling, floating up there At the end of the string, there's a wonderful thing I love to fly my kite
Look at it flutter and dance all around Hear the wind blowing it high off the ground Feel the string tugging and just hold on tight And you can fly a kite
Whirling, twirling, fly in the air Whirling, twirling, floating up there At the end of the string, there's a wonderful thing I love to fly my kite
     Each SMART START kite is unique, beautiful and vibrant! The children worked so well together on this collaborative project. We waited for the perfect windy day to fly the kites and it was well worth the wait. They had so much fun running around our backyard as they watched their kites soar up to the sky. SMART START friends thoroughly enjoyed the kite building, decorating and flying process and were extremely proud of their hard work! Their smiles and laughter clearly indicated that kite flying is a perfect way to spend a summer day with friends.
 

💙 Mary and Francesca 💙

Slushies

     SMART START friends were so excited to make homemade slush! They each decorated coloring sheets to put inside their "special treat cups" using crayons and markers.  The cups looked adorable and our little artists enjoyed creating their masterpieces!

Decorating slushie cups and enjoying their special treat!

      Here at SMART START we have our very own slush machine! Our students worked together to add ice cubes to the slush machine and then took turns grinding up the ice. All were amazed watching the ice shavings stream out of the machine as they held down the button. Next, each added cherry flavoring to their cup of shavings. With a spoon in their hand and a smile on their face the children enjoyed their refreshing cherry slush!

Click the slideshow below to see all of our slush making fun!

💙 Mary and Francesca 💙

Weekend With Barny the Barn Owl

     Barny has really been enjoying his Summer visiting his SMART START friend's homes! The children look forward to hearing what Barny did at each and love to ask questions.

     Theo and Nora had their turn to bring Barny home. Barny had so much fun with two of his favorite SMART START friends. Theo and Nora completed the checklist with Barny and each did something special on their own with him. Best of all, Barny was invited to Nora's 2nd birthday party! There is something special about sharing in the joy of learning with a sibling. Fabulous teamwork completing your checklist! Thank you for taking such good care of Barny, Theo and Nora. He had a blast!

     Next up, Mickey! Mickey was jumping with joy when he found out it was his turn to take Barny home. Mickey was looking forward to showing Barny to his younger siblings and letting them join in on some big brother fun! Mickey kept Barny very busy and made sure to give him a fun weekend! They even played catch. However, Mickey noted on his checklist that Barny was not very good at catch. SMART START friends have been giving him some lessons at school (although not much improvement yet). Our young audience enjoyed listening to Mickey tell them about his special weekend with Barny! Thank you for showing Barny a great time and completing your checklist, Mickey!

     Benny and Barny- best friends! Benny had a fabulous weekend at home with his buddy, Barny!  He did a lovely job telling us all about his special time spent with Barny and how he made sure to include him in everything he did!  Benny colored his checklist beautifully and completed every item on it. SMART START friends loved listening to Benny share his stories!  Thank you showing Barny a great time and for being a nice friend!

     Kaylee's turn to bring Barny home!  Kaylee had an action packed weekend with Barny and loved telling her SMART START friends all about their adventure.  Barny picked a great weekend to go home with Kaylee because she went up to her family lake house in New Hampshire!  Kaylee kept Barny busy and completed all items on the checklist, along with playing the piano, video chatting with her Pop in New York, making Mickey pancakes for breakfast, and going for a boat ride! Thank you for an exciting weekend, Kaylee!

     Siblings, Avery and Michael, were beyond happy to bring Barny home with them for the weekend.  Avery and Michael enjoyed spending time with Barny at home and included him in all of their sister and brother fun.  They completed their Barny checklist and were proud to share their experience with friends.  Barny enjoyed riding and napping in the car with Avery and Michael. Sounds like Barny was tired out from all the excitement!  Thanks so much for showing Barny a great time, Avery and Michael!

                                         

💙 Mary and Francesca 💙

Bubbles and Beans

     Bubbles, Bubbles Everywhere! Our students are having so much fun playing outside with the bubbles they made here at school with soap and glycerin. Our SMART START friends sing songs while dancing, jumping, hopping and running through the bubbles. Blowing, catching and popping bubbles have brought many smiles and lots of giggles for our young learners. Bubbles are truly a childhood staple that never cease to bring endless hours of entertainment for children of all ages.

"There are bubbles in the air, in the air.

 There are bubbles in the air, in the air.

There are bubbles in the air, there are bubbles everywhere.

There are bubbles in the air, in the air."

    The children have been busy taking care of their green and yellow bean plants. On the first day of Spring they planted their bean seeds in a cup of soil to start the growth process for our Summer garden. They later replanted their beans to a bigger garden outside as the temperature became warmer. They have been busy tending to and watering the beans to make sure they grow. We have recently harvested our crop of beans and what an abundance we had! The children, as well as our classroom pet Pilot, enjoyed them as afternoon snack. SMART START friends were excited to take home some beans to share with their families. Our students embraced all of the gardening responsibilities. There is something special about growing your own food and then eating it! Learning to follow simple directions and use basic skills while working together is a great way to bond and help build confidence.

  

💙 Mary and Francesca 💙

Farm Field Trip at SMART START

     We have been learning about all things farm during the month of July here at SMART START. As an extended unit of study, a traveling petting farm came to school for an on-site field trip. This was the perfect field trip to experience animals first hand and learn a bit more from the experts!  The children prepared for the animals arrival by putting on their SMART START field trip t-shirts and singing a SMART START favorite, "Old MacDonald Had A Farm."

     SMART START friends behaved wonderfully and were eager to interact with the animals and learn more about them.  The animal caretakers loved the enthusiasm from our young learners and spent time educating them about farming, farm animals, and the care involved. The children listened intently, asked questions and even provided commentary based upon what we have been learning during our focus on the farm for our July curriculum.  It is refreshing to see them make connections. What bright students we have here at SMART START!

     While the children loved learning about the farm, their favorite part was getting the opportunity to meet and spend quality time with the animals. SMART START friends pet, held and fed the bunnies, chicks and chickens, ducklings and ducks, a calf, and a goat. They also had the opportunity to ride a pony!

     Our little farmers enjoyed this experience and it was a pleasure to witness. Once again we thank you for continuing to support our Field Trip Program here at SMART START.  It allows us to provide your children with an extended learning experience on a intimate level in which they are learning and growing from these enrichment opportunities.
                                                          💙 Mary and Francesca 💙

Ingaldsby Farm Field Trip

     SMART START friends were excited to attend an off site field trip at Ingaldsby Farm in West Boxford. Before departing for our adventure, we put on our field trip shirts and discussed expected behavior and safety rules.      The highlight of our trip to Ingaldsby Farm was blueberry picking. It is blueberry picking season here in Massachusetts and the blueberries were plentiful and delicious. The children had so much fun picking and eating blueberries while filling their bags to bring back to school for afternoon snack and some to bring home. We hope you enjoyed your freshly picked blueberries with your little ones.  

           Ingaldsby Farm is home to many farm animals. The children enjoyed feeding the animals fresh vegetables from the farm and petting them. They did well taking turns and were very gentle with the animals. Our young learners toured the farm singing the classic "Old MacDonald Had A Farm" and making animal sounds. During music time at school we have been practicing "Old MacDonald" so it was sweet to hear them singing happily and feeling proud. It was a pleasure watching our students experience the farm animals and we hope they share their farm animal stories with you. Be sure to ask them questions about what animals they saw, the sounds they made, and what food they fed the animals.  

           Another staple at Ingaldsby Farm as well as other North Shore farms are the apple cider donuts. Our SMART START farmers loved having a picnic on the grounds eating donuts. A special morning snack for the day! 

     A trip with preschoolers would not be complete without some fun on the playground! Ingaldsby Farm has a unique playground for children and our SMART START group was eager to play. They loved the wooden train and took turns pretending to be the train conductor. The children were greatly entertained in the sandbox area- always a fun sensory activity! Imaginations were very busy while our young learners played as the best of friends.  It is so rewarding to see the friendships they are developing here at SMART START as it is an integral part of their social and emotional development during their preschool years.

     Our Ingaldsby Farm Field Trip was a success and fun was had by all! During the week our little chefs put on their hats and aprons as they prepared to make breakfast- blueberry pancakes! They worked together measuring, mixing and cooking in our SMART START kitchen and were quite proud of themselves! The blueberry pancakes were delicious and the children enjoyed eating them!

                                                    We thank you for continuing to support our program here at SMART START and allowing us to provide the best care and educational experiences for your children.                                                      💙 Mary and Francesca 💙

Farm Fun at SMART START

     SMART START friends have been enjoying our farm based curriculum during the month of July. Summer is the perfect time to be teaching our young learners about the farm and farm animals. We are so fortunate to live in an area surrounded by a wide variety of farms that are family friendly and make for an ideal outing. Whether it be petting the animals or picking fresh fruit and vegetables, a trip to the farm is a memorable experience for all!
     We have been busy filling our summer days here with all things farm!  The children have been learning and practicing some childhood classics such as, "Old MacDonald Had A Farm" and "Five Little Ducks". It is a pleasure to hear them sing and dance! Our students always look forward to story time at school and enjoyed all the stories revolving around the farm this past month. Farm puzzles and a new board game were introduced to work on problem solving. "Count Your Chickens" is a group cooperation game which teaches counting and important social development skills as they work together to help the Mother Hen collect her chicks and bring them back to the coop.

     SMART START artists were engaged in dramatic play by wearing farm animal masks and putting on puppet shows.  The children had such fun acting out the different animals and the sounds they make. They also each made a farm animal hand puppet using different colored paper bags, foam animal parts, glue and markers and crayons. The puppets came out adorable and we hope your child has fun using them at home.             Click below to see SMART START friends enjoying Farm Fun!

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💙 Mary and Francesca 💙