Summer Enrichment Week 1: Fairy Tale Friends

Summer Enrichment at SMART START has been both engaging and entertaining for our young learners. The July & August program consists of hands-on, interactive activities that coincide with a weekly theme. 

Week 1:

📖“FAIRY TALE FRIENDS” 📖

The learning & fun commenced with a read aloud of two classic children’s fairytales, “The Three Little Pigs” & “Goldilocks & The Three Bears.” the class circled outside and listened intently to both tales. In addition, puppets were incorporated to aid in the introduction of each character. 

Students exercised their active imaginations and story comprehension skills while performing puppet shows. The exciting roles of the “Big Bad Wolf”, “Goldilocks” and more were brought to life. Bravo everyone! 

Peers partnered up for small group pretend play and story time talk. Books and miniature props were utilized to reinforce the narrative. We discussed the meaning of each tale and the lessons learned by the characters. 

Fairy tales are a fun and magical way to assist social and emotional development in Early Childhood Education. These storylines portray characters making choices that result in either negative or positive outcomes. Children are aware of this and often model their own actions and behaviors based on individuals from books. Due to this, critical thinking, emotional regulation, conflict resolution, self-discovery, acquiring core values and so much more are promoted through reading fairytales.

✨SMART START✨

Farm Fun

Read All About SMART START’S Farm Unit Below! 

Farm Backdrop Linked Here

Farm friends free played with various themed materials in their outdoor classroom. Barns, tractors, cows, sheep, pigs & more! Learning through play is essential for children to fully comprehend subject matter. In addition, play based activities promote creativity, language development, social skills, problem solving and so much more! 

Classroom chefs used ingredients and their inventive imaginations to create their own “pig” for lunch. Ham, cheese, bread, fruits & veggies- delicious! 

Students assembled foam farms to utilize as picture frames for their on-site farm event. Our young learners enjoy bringing these keepsakes home to share with their families. Capturing these Early Childhood Education experiences assists in the formation of memories and assists  children understand their world around them. 

Foam Farms Linked Here

Peers played the classic party game, “Pin the Tail on the Donkey.” Aside from encouraging lots of laughter, this activity also supports spatial awareness and coordination. 

Pin the Tail on the Donkey Linked Here

To conclude this unit, McDonny’s Traveling Farm visited our school with an assortment of petting zoo animals: chickens, ducks, bunnies, ducklings and a goat. This hands-on encounter ended with a pony ride- yeehaw! 

Colorful Bandanas Linked Here

🐴SMART START🚜

Insect Lifecycles

Insect lifecycles are a central component of SMART START’s spring curriculum. The magic of metamorphosis is observed first hand in our indoor and outdoor classrooms. 

Our young learners experienced significant stages in the lifecycle process of a butterfly, ladybug and praying mantis. 

Read along below:

🐛🦋The first insect lifecycle to be completed was the butterfly. Classmates witnessed five caterpillar larvae grow in size each day at school before they spun themselves into chrysalises. After about one month, the butterflies emerged and were released into our outdoor classroom.

🐞 Ladybugs were the second insect to fully reach metamorphosis. The tiny larvae crawled around their habitat until they transformed into pupas. About one month later, adult ladybugs were released into nature. Students were excited that both the butterflies and ladybugs flew off to lay eggs and continue the lifecycles. 

🌱 Peers were most patient for the final insect lifecycle to be fulfilled. The praying mantis nymphs lived inside their egg case for almost two months before they hatched. Once out of the egg case, there were around 150-200 praying mantis nymphs to release outside. Unlike the butterfly and ladybug, the praying mantis undergoes incomplete metamorphosis. The process of nymph to adult takes an additional 1-2 months. 

This spring science unit is always a class favorite. In addition, these lifecycle lessons can be correlated to the development that occurs throughout Early Childhood Education. Similar to the insects described above, each child learns and grows at their own, often unpredictable pace. Some can achieve certain stages or milestones in accordance with mainstream expectations while others may need additional time and assistance to flourish. Not all caterpillars spin into a chrysalis at the same rate or in the same way. However, if placed in a safe and nurturing environment, they will all emerge as beautiful butterflies. 

                                 🦋SMART START🦋

2023 Talent Show

 SMART START Students showcased their unique abilities at the annual "Talent Show." Our young learners exuded confidence as they proudly performed for their peers. Classmates in the audience patiently awaited their turn and enthusiastically applauded for each friend. 

Click Here to View the 2023 Talent Show

Special events such as this provide a platform for preschoolers to express their individuality in a safe, social environment. In addition, high self-esteem, creativity, good sportsmanship and hindering stage fright are all fostered and promoted. 

                       🌟SMART START🌟

Spring into Learning

Spring is in the air at SMART START! Our young learners have been embracing the season through nature based, hands-on learning. 

Read Along Below! 

🌱Students began their seasonal studies by planting green beans. Materials included cups, soil, seeds and water. Green beans are a great way to introduce gardening indoors and can be replanted outside late spring. 

🧩Peers partnered together to complete a puzzle. These collaborative activities foster skills needed to accomplish projects as a team. 

🎲The group engaged in games galore: board games, memory match, fine motor fun, and more! 

Here are links to class favorites: Eric Carle ABC Game, The Very Hungry Caterpillar: Surprise Slides, Lucky Ducks

📖 Classmates circled outside for a read aloud of the classic children's book, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle. The story was read in both English and Spanish. This storytime assisted in reinforcing Spanish vocabulary of fruits/foods and days of the week as well as two bonus spring words: caterpillar = oruga and butterfly = mariposa.  Book Linked Here

🍃The class contributed to spring cleaning their school by raking leaves and collecting sticks. 

The cutest cleanup crew!

🎨SMART START artists decorated the sticks they gathered using paint and glitter. 

⛅Spring has officially sprung in our outdoor classroom. Flowers are blooming, birds are chirping, the sun is shining, and creatures are crawling about. Friends have been observing these changes while learning and playing in nature. 

Thank you for reading about spring at SMART START!

                      🌷SMART START🌷

Happy Easter

                            🐰SMART START🐰

Dr. Seuss Day/ Read Across America

Read Across America Day is celebrated each year on March 2nd, Dr. Seuss’ birthday. This annual event is intended to promote literacy and encourage a love of reading. 

Our young learners had a fantastic day engaging in Dr. Seuss related activities. 

 Read below 📖

🔢 Dr. Seuss Day at school commenced with memory and counting games. Classmates enjoyed matching classic characters and practicing their counting skills. 

📕 Peers pondered over some Dr. Seuss stories. We discussed the career of an author and the process of writing a book. All were interested in this concept and were curious about other authors from our classroom collection. 

🖍Friends completed themed coloring pages and worksheets. Cognitive and fine more abilities were enhanced through letter tracing, mazes, connecting the dots, finding what is different, drawing missing items and more. Activity Books Linked Here

🍳The class brought the Dr. Seuss classic, “Green Eggs & Ham” to life. Using eggs from our outdoor classroom chickens, students made their very own green eggs and ham. This hands-on project consisted of cracking, mixing and coloring the eggs. SMART START Scientists were fascinated as they mixed blue and yellow food coloring to create the color green. Afterwards, all ate their lunch while listening to the story that inspired the meal. Green Eggs & Ham Book Linked Here

The significance of the book was explained to the group- always be open to trying new things! This message is especially important for young children as they are often cautious of eating different foods. In addition, March is National Nutrition Month and this “Green Eggs & Ham” lesson was a fun and delicious way to begin our extended nutrition studies. 

Thank you for reading all about Read Across America/ Dr. Seuss Day at SMART START!

                     📚SMART START📚