Happy Thanksgiving

   SMART START felt fortunate to have had the privilege of sharing Thanksgiving with your child(ren). This festive time of year allows us to focus and reflect on the many things to be grateful for. Our young learners were educated about the meaning of this holiday with an array of educational lessons, activities, hands on learning experiences, arts and crafts and a traditional meal. 

     Our library hosted a wide assortment of books for our young readers to look at in a group, with a friend or on their own. Miss Francesca, the children and Barny all joined together in our outdoor classroom for Thanksgiving story time. Students listened, asked questions and shared stories from home. The children also had fun working on different Thanksgiving puzzles and magnet boards. Their problem solving and matching skills are getting better each day!

  

    

     SMART START clean up crew waited for the perfect day for a traditional fall activity...leaf jumping!  They put their muscles to work raking leaves in our backyard. After several piles were formed, they jumped right in! Laughter, chatter and leaves filled the crisp autumn air as our energetic group ran around and jumped in and out of the leaf piles. 

     Arts and crafts for Thanksgiving consisted of a cut and paste turkey craft.  SMART START artists had their caddies on hand with supplies needed to decorate their project. The children worked on scissor skills while cutting out the pieces followed by gluing the pieces on construction paper to create their final product...a Thanksgiving turkey!

     SMART START chefs had the opportunity to participate in a traditional Thanksgiving recipe. Making butter! This is a fun, hands on learning experience. Activity supply list includes: glass jars (of any size), whipping cream (fill 3/4 of jar), salt (seasoned to taste) and a marble. The children combined the ingredients in their jars and shook them until butter formed into a mass surrounded by buttermilk. Our students were very proud to have made their very own homemade butter. What a treat!

     For a science sensory experiment, we taught our students about the pumpkin life cycle and the insides of a pumpkin, seeds and flesh. Each child wore safety goggles and used a magnifying glass to explore the inside of their pumpkin.  SMART START scientists scooped out, touched and examined their subject matter. They were surprised by the look and texture. Afterwards, we used the pumpkin flesh to make homemade pumpkin bread!  Our SMART START bakers put on their aprons, hats and mixed up the ingredients. All were fascinated that their science experiment helped them bake a tasty treat!  

    Beginning the week of November 7th, we began our collection for SMART START's "Friends in Need" box.  The children brought in nonperishable food items and were happy to help those in need and offer their donations.  Our young artists worked together to paint colorful paper leaves that they used to decorate our "Friends in Need Box."  We appreciate your generosity during our collection period.  We enjoyed working on this community service project with your child(ren).

     We gathered in our SMART START kitchen to celebrate the holiday with a Thanksgiving feast!  The children were eager to help prepare the meal and join together to eat. Each shared something they were thankful for. "Mommy" being the unanimous vote! Friends passed around each food item to one another and enjoyed our special dinner with all the trimmings. 

    Click below to view our Thanksgiving videos!

     Happy Thanksgiving to our SMART START families and friends.  We are thankful for all of you and grateful for your kindness and support. 

     

🦃 Mary and Francesca  🦃

Fire Safety Week

    October was Fire Safety and Prevention month which we celebrated here at SMART START! We addressed the many different aspects of fire safety from a wide variety of interesting and fun angles.  Learning and attaining this knowledge and acquiring certain skills is extremely important even at a young age. Not only did we teach our pupils about the importance of fire safety, the Andover Fire Department visited us here at school.  It was an honor to have the firefighters here with us and learn from the experts!

   🚒 Fire Safety at SMART START 🚒

     Our bookshelves were lined with an assortment of books about firefighters, fire engines and fire safety. Our students enjoyed listening to these books during circle time and it was apparent that they were intrigued by the content. We were impressed at their insight and ability to comprehend the information and ask intelligent questions.  A highlight for our SMART START friends was having circle time in our outdoor classroom.  Miss Francesca, along with the children, wore plastic firefighter helmets and took turns holding the fire extinguisher and megaphone. They certainly looked like the most adorable firefighters in town!

     SMART START Firefighters were delighted to incorporate the theme of fire safety into their magnet and puzzle repertoire.  These hands on fine motor activities served as a great tool for discussion about fire safety topics.  It was reassuring to hear the children conversing about the fire station and what it entails, what to do if there's a fire in your home, etc.  It is evident that the  pertinent information was absorbed as they put it into action in the classroom.

     Arts and crafts was a group effort project that SMART START Artists had so much fun creating. They designed their very own fire truck out of a large cardboard box and painted it using rollers and sponges.We helped with the finishing touches and added a wheel so the children could drive!

     Students engaged in dramatic play in both our indoor and outdoor classroom acting out an emergency fire and demonstrated how to properly and safely handle the situation. They took turns using fire hats, the fire chief costume, hose and other props while being the fire chief, firefighter or person in distress. We were able to witness them acting out their rendition of a real life fire scenario.  Bravo to our SMART START Firefighters!  Knowledge is key!

     During free play at SMART START, the children have been playing with fire trucks and firefighter figurines. This is a wonderful way to make connections to our curriculum on an independent level and with their peers.  Learning is always happening here at SMART START, even when the kids simply think they are just playing!

     Our mission as your child's caregivers and educators is to provide them with the tools and knowledge they need in their daily lives to remain as safe as possible both here at SMART START and at home.  We read several books about "Stop, Drop and Roll" and how to call 911 in a fire emergency.  Firefighter friends practiced using the "Stop, Drop and Roll" method and calling 911. 

"Stop, Drop and Roll"

• Stop where you are
• Drop to the ground and cover eyes and mouth with hands
• Roll over and over and back and forth until flames are out

     Fire drills!  We held practice fire drills from each classroom at SMART START to our safe meeting spot outside.  After several rounds of fire drills, our young learners are fully aware of the fire safety protocol at SMART START. Nice work, firefighter friends!

     To officially celebrate and recognize Fire Prevention and Safety month, the Andover Fire Department came to SMART START for an on-site field trip. A lieutenant and two firefighters taught and reinforced all our safety learning at school. They were impressed at how much our students already knew and commended them for a job well done!  The children were amazed over a real life fire truck at their own school!  The Andover Fire Department welcomed them onto the fire truck to explore, gave each a safety badge and turned on the truck's flashing lights and sirens. 

     We hope that you enjoyed our celebration of Fire Prevention and Safety and continue the learning process at home. Thank you for all of your support for our on site field trip program here at SMART START.

Click below to see highlights from Fire Safety and Prevention Week!

💙 Mary and Francesca 💙

Happy Halloween

    Halloween at SMART START is a time filled with dress up, trick-or-treating, pumpkins, jack-o-lanterns, decorations, arts and crafts, stories,  games, songs and more!  

    
     SMART START's bookshelf  featured an assortment of books about spiders, pumpkins, jack-o-lanterns and bats.  We revisited a favorite titled, Go Away Big Green Monster.  To coincide with the story, SMART START puppeteers put on a show using the green monster puppet. Each put on and removed their Velcro features while quoting lines from the book. 

    

     Our Halloween project corresponded with the book, Go away Big Green Monster.  The students were eager to create a big green monster of their very own! They painted a paper plate green, glued google eyes, used pipe cleaners for purple scraggly hair, placed on teeth stickers and cut and glued felt bluish greenish noses and red mouths. A job well done, SMART START artists!

     

     Halloween friends were delighted to play the "Spider Letter Game"  They passed around a bag containing foam spiders each labeled with a capital letter. We used this activity to focus on letter sounds and words that begin with the corresponding letter. Our young learners sounded out different Halloween themed words such as cat, bat and rat.  Some of the older children noticed that these words rhymed.  Incidental learning at its finest!  

     In the spirit of Halloween, our preschoolers enjoyed dressing up in costumes from our dramatic play area.  SMART START actors engaged in pretend play as a pirate, cowgirl, princess, cat, bumblebee, knight and more.  The classroom was filled with sounds mimicking each of the attire worn..."Yee-haw", "Rawwwr", "Arghhh Matey", "Meow"and "Buzzzzz."  We admired the children's imaginations at work and innocence at play.

     

🎃  HALLOWEEN PARTY FUN  🎃

    SMART START friends were thrilled to celebrate Halloween with a party here at school . Each wore unique and adorable costumes from home. Pilot, our class pet, wore his dinosaur costume along with Barny the Barn Owl dressed as a rabbit! To showcase costumes, we had an official musical parade!  

    
     Our talented artists decorated their own small goody bag for trick-or-treating at school. They used markers, bonkers, stickers, purple glue and Halloween sparkles.  The children were excited to use something they created! 

     Trick-or-treating was a favorite! Our costumed group filled their decorated bags with goodies from each of the classrooms, as well as the outdoor play structure and chicken coop.  Afterwards, they enjoyed some yummy treats!

     Fun and games included: pin the spider on the web, musical chairs to "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and a special Halloween rendition of "Duck, Duck, Goose".... "Pumpkin, Pumpkin, Jack-O-Lantern!" 

Click below to see highlights from our Halloween festivities!

     Thank you for allowing your child(ren) to participate in the Halloween festivities here at SMART START!

     

                                                          

     

🖤 Mary and Francesca 🖤

Community Workers

     Community workers are an integral part of every city and/or town. At SMART START our goal is to instill the importance of local helpers in the minds and hearts of our young learners by providing general information of each profession. Overall we have stressed that community workers are here to keep us safe, healthy, educated, protected and connected in our neighborhoods. Children are always pretending who they want to be when they grow up; therefore this unit of study allows us to embrace the opportunity to shine light on our local community workers and how they enrich the lives of all.

     Our students are thoroughly enjoying the community workers unit of study.  Our plan is to continue with this added curriculum throughout the 2017-2018 academic year. During this time, our on-site field trips will coincide with these teachings. Andover firefighters, Glen the Andover Handyman and D.J the mail carrier have all come to our school this past month for on-site field trips! It has been a privilege to learn from them and witness their kind interactions with our group. Upcoming on-site field trips will be listed in our monthly newsletters. 

     SMART START friends have been busy learning, playing and making connections here at school.  We focus on many of the same types of activities and structured learning times and simply diversify the curriculum- routine and consistency are key for our students! Below are featured highlights from our community workers unit. 

   

     SMART START Professionals spent time looking at a wide variety of community worker books from our school and local public library.  They loved dressing up as and reading about the various careers while playing along with corresponding figurines. A few other highlight activities include: playing a matching card game that entailed matching the correct object to the career,  using magnet pieces to put the correct uniform on the worker along with other puzzles and games. Here are two songs and lyrics we learned during circle time that you can sing along with your child at home - "People in Your Neighborhood" from Sesame Street and "What I Want to Be " and "Looking Around My Neighborhood" from Barney. They loved learning these new tunes and singing with friends!

     Community vehicles bring excitement both on and off the streets. Students learned about the different sounds and lights they have and why. While some such as, fire engines, police cars and ambulances are fun to hear and see, we informed that these vehicles utilize flashing sirens to arrive and depart from emergency situations. Our goal is to have our young learners recognize and be comfortable with community workers and their purpose. 

     SMART START's community workers love learning and playing together in our outdoor classroom. Each dressed up in chosen attire and brought a profession to life in their own neighborhood (outdoor structure)! SMART START veterinarians gave Pilot, Charlotte and Caroline their routine physicals, mail carriers delivered packages, fires in the structure's kitchen were put out by firefighters and police officers ensured SMART START citizens were safe. Dress up is always a class favorite!  We love to witness the dramatic play between friends as it confirms they are retaining the material taught. SMART START community workers at your service!

Click on the following videos below to see SMART START Community Worker Fun!

     Thank you for sharing your children and allowing us to continue to care for and educate them.  We take pride in what we do here at SMART START and strive to provide our young learners with the utmost quality of, care, education and enriching experiences.

🍂 Mary and Francesca 🍂

Fall

    Fall is in the air!  We are fully embracing New England's quintessential season here at SMART START. We are so fortunate to be able to  teach the children about Autumn while they are witnessing it through a variety of festive activities. Hands on learning at its finest!   

    SMART START friends have been busy learning about all things fall!  We have been using an assortment of teaching tools such as books, felt board, puzzles, songs and circle time discussion. We introduced our young learners to the changes in both scenery and temperature. Our favorite song during music time is "I Like Autumn."  You can click the following link to sing this song at home with your child  - I Like Autumn.  Our discussions also included seasonal happenings such as, apple and pumpkin picking, hay rides, hiking, leaf peeping, raking and more! The children loved sharing stories individually and as a group about activities they have done with their families.

    At SMART START we have a hay bale, scarecrow, pumpkins, leaves and flowers.  Fall friends are thoroughly enjoying these Autumn essentials both in our outdoor and indoor classroom. There is something refreshing about learning and playing in nature especially during this beautiful time of year. Simply picture perfect!

   Our students, as well as our classroom pets, have been enjoying the cooler temperatures. Each morning during circle time, we adjust our thermometer and decide what attire is needed for outdoor learning and play. Hay rides in our wagon, collecting acorns and leaves for nature boxes and games has been a delight! 

    Apple picking is a traditional outing here in New England. Miss Francesca has read the children many books about apples. She has taught them the different parts of an apple: stem, leaf, skin, flesh, seeds and core, as well as the many types. A variety of apples have been incorporated into our snacks and meals- Golden Delicious and Granny Smith are the preferred here at school. Our Harvest Mix (pumpkin and original cheerios, raisins, cinnamon apple chips and wheat thins) with apple slices has  been a repeated breakfast request!

      Fall's classic foliage has been a fun way for our students to enhance their color recognition. We have studied the leaf life cycle throughout the four seasons in addition to the different types of leaves. SMART START Clean Up Crew has been working hard raking and collecting leaves in our outdoor classroom. One exciting activity for their hard work has been jumping into a big pile of leaves!

        We have been using our SMART START felt board to work on counting, sorting, number identification and patterns through storytelling and dramatic play. In honor of fall we used felt apples,  pumpkins, squirrels in addition to numbers. 

    Autumn Artists decorated pumpkins using paint,  paintbrushes, glue, tissue paper, sparkles, markers, yarn and leaves to create their festive masterpiece. They were so proud of their finished product and excited to bring home their fall décor. 

     Fall friends helped to stuff our own SMART START scarecrow! They stuffed the scarecrow with hay from top to bottom just like they do in the song, "I Like Autumn."  While most of the hay was stuffed in the scarecrow, some flew through the air and friends shared giggles together! This sensory activity was very entertaining and fun was had by all.

      We hope you and your family are enjoying Autumn.  Please make sure to check out our side bar  on our blog homepage for seasonal activities, both at home and locally.  We are looking forward to  many more fun filled fall days here at SMART START with your wonderful children!                                                  Click below to see some more pictures featured in the Fall video!

                                             

                                             🍁   Mary and Francesca   🍁

Aquarium Field Trip

     As part of our extended ocean curriculum and providing our young learners with the utmost hands on experience, we invited the New England Aquarium to SMART START for an on-site field trip!  We are extremely fortunate to live so close to the New England Aquarium in Boston MA, as well as having had the opportunity to bring their experts and ocean life right to our school!  SMART START friends eagerly put on their field trip t-shirts for this highly anticipated field trip!
     Our field trip took place in our outdoor classroom as the weather was perfect for the occasion.  The outreach educator from the NEA came equipped with a variety of ocean life, educational tools and fun activities. Our SMART START Oceanographers were curious and enthusiastic to acquire more knowledge about and physically touch some of the sea creatures! 

           The NEA outreach educator assembled the class into a large circle.  She taught about sea creatures by using large picture cards that displayed information about each. Showcased were a snail, sea star, hermit crab and clam.  SMART START friends were engaged and participated with ease.  They raised their hands, shouted out answers when appropriate and asked intelligent questions.

     Our young performers were delighted by the sea star costume.  All took turns wearing it while the educator continued to use this form of dramatic play to shed additional light on sea stars.  SMART START friends looked adorable! While some may view dress up as a fun and silly activity, we educators see so much more: building confidence, development of social skills and imaginations at work!  
Click below to see SMART START friends enjoying the sea creatures!

     While the children enjoyed learning about different ocean life and playing dress up, the tide pool tanks were by far the best part of the field trip! The outreach educator set up four tide pool tanks with the following: sea stars, snails, hermit crabs and clams. Our young learners gathered around the tanks looking in awe. We loved witnessing our student's expressions as they handled the sea creatures. It was an amazing experience for them to physically encounter the subject matter we studied. 
Click below to see highlights from our field trip!

     We thank you for supporting our on-site field trips here at SMART START. These programs allow us to provide your children with exceptional educational experiences that make real life connections.  We hope your child has shared some of the excitement with you and maybe even taught you something new about ocean life or a sea creature!
💙 Mary and Francesca 💙

Ocean Fun

     Last month we incorporated all things ocean into our curriculum here at SMART START.  Our young learners fully embraced this exciting topic and are now little Oceanographers!  Our focus here at SMART START is to provide your children with the knowledge, skills and tools they will need to become successful learners, creative thinkers and confident in whatever they put their minds to.

                                                    Language arts is a strong focus here at SMART START!  Our bookshelf was filled with ocean literature for this unit of study.  The children thoroughly enjoy circle time, reading books as a group and embracing the opportunity to be active participants and ask questions. SMART START friends are particularly fond of story time in our outdoor classroom. While outside, we introduced our ocean bag of plastic sea creatures. Each child had a turn to reach in the bag and pull out a sea creature to show their peers and learn more about.

Learning and playing in nature has endless benefits such as:

• Further develop memory, concentration and comprehension
• Enhances critical thinking and practical problem solving 
• Improves physical and mental health- reduces stress and anxiety
• Increases motivation, desire to learn and other social and emotional skills

           Our young learners worked independently and together building many ocean puzzles. Puzzles offer much more than simply finding where each piece goes! They are a fun way to improve problem solving, memory, concentration, hand and eye coordination and fine motor skills. Although puzzles require patience and cooperation, self esteem increases upon completion.  

     SMART START puppeteers used their imaginations, puppets, dress up props and music to invent ocean inspired stories and songs with one another. The children love both performing and spectating. Witnessing our students engaging in dramatic play and the confidence it gives them as they perform is entertaining and rewarding for all. 

   Games at SMART START are a perfect way to facilitate group effort, cooperation, sharing and turn taking.  The children play together beautifully and are always willing to help a friend. We introduced three different sensory ocean games all focusing on counting, sorting and color recognition skills. Sensory games are a fun, hands on way to learn! 

     Arts and crafts is a favorite time for our students to put their creative minds to work! We recently started using art caddies filled with different art media for each of the children. This has allowed them to be more independent with product choice, inventive with their project and responsible for their products. They love having their own special art caddy as well as this new addition to our arts and crafts routine. SMART START artists created two ocean masterpieces. Ocean scenes and a cardboard sea creature. Our designers used colored tissue paper, drizzled colored glue, crayons, markers, bonkers, glitter, paint and paint brushes and ocean stamps. All were proud of their vibrant creations and excited to bring them home to show their families!

Click below to see our SMART START Artists!

Click below to see our Ocean Fun video!

SMART START friends thoroughly enjoyed our ocean unit! As always, thank you for your continued support and the opportunity to teach and care for your children.  

💙 Mary and Francesca 💙