Happy Easter

     Happy Easter to all of our SMART START families and friends.  We are overjoyed having had the privilege of celebrating the holiday here at school. We hope you enjoy reading about and seeing what your little Easter bunnies have been up to.  Let's hop to it!

 
     Festivities began as we gathered in our outdoor classroom to collect eggs from Charlotte and Caroline-a sought-after chore! Knowing that these eggs would be used during arts and crafts made this task all the more appealing. Decorating Easter eggs is a traditional activity that both children and adults love to participate in.

 
     Our dress-up area was filled with Easter dresses, bonnets, bunny ears and other accessories. Additional props for dramatic play included Easter baskets, bunnies, ducks and our classroom rabbits. Our animated group was delighted fashioning Easter attire while posing for the most adorable snapshots and engaging in pretend play. 

     Concentrating pupils gathered around the table to play Easter Egg Memory Match. The object of the game is to correctly form pairs. Our young learners challenged their reasoning and problem solving skills as they distinguished between color, shape, similarities and differences. All are winners here at SMART START!

    
     Easter books lined our bookshelves as students learned about this holiday independently and with friends. Books portrayed the meaning of Easter, traditions and fun tales about the famous, Easter Bunny. During circle time with Miss Francesca, peers shared memories from home and what they hope the Easter Bunny might bring!

 
     Although a bit challenging, all embraced our Easter inspired language arts lesson. Each had their own chalkboard and different colored egg shaped chalk. Young learners practiced writing, particularly the letters in their name and seasonal words such as, egg and hop. They are making great strides with letter formation and sounding out site words. We are very proud of our pre-readers!

    
     The Easter Bunny made an early visit and delivered a special gift. Harriet, a sweet black bunny is now a part of our SMART START family! Friends were ecstatic as they took turns holding and welcoming her. We hope Harriet loves her new home here at school and role as classroom pet!

    
     Tea time friends gathered together for a special Easter tea party. The table looked beautiful decorated with Easter lilies and stuffed animals. Pinkies were held high holding tea cups, while imaginations and conversations took place over pretend tea, cookies and lumps of sugar.

    
     Easter celebrations continued as SMART START dancers performed the Bunny Hop. They wore bunny ears, formed a line, tapped their feet and hopped along as Easter music filled the classroom. In addition, friends played two classic games, "Bunny, bunny, hop", a twist on, "Duck, duck, goose" and "Easter Bunny Says, a rendition of "Simon Says."  "Hippity, Hoppity, Easter's on it's way."

    
     Our budding artists were eager for the anticipated egg decorating! Each had a container filled with paint and a brush to paint eggs and a carton. Once this process was complete, the eggs were placed in the plastic egg shaped holder to dry. Other decorations added to both the eggs and cartons included: gem stickers, glitter, flower tape and tissue paper. All were proud to bring their hard work home.

    
     Preschoolers worked diligently during mathematics by counting bunnies and chicks on our felt board. Students excelled at this basic addition and subtraction lesson- festive fun!

 
     The Easter Bunny hid many eggs throughout the school for our annual Easter egg hunt. Dressed up in holiday apparel and a basket in hand, the children searched. Once all the eggs were found, friends gathered to open their eggs. They ate the Jellybeans inside while reminiscing about this egg-citing experience!

Click below for more SMART START Easter Fun!

💙 Mary and Francesca 💙

Welcome Spring!

     We are ecstatic that Spring is finally here! All at SMART START are ready to embrace all this beautiful season has to offer.  Our students are anxiously awaiting extended time in our outdoor classroom, as well as fun filled curriculum and activities galore! We hope you enjoy our introduction to Spring here at SMART START!

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     With temperatures on the rise and the smell of Spring in the air, the children are eager for sunnier days ahead. Young meteorologists have been using the thermometer to track the warmer weather. As educators, it is so refreshing to instill in our pupils a love for learning through nature and discovery while they reap endless educational, physical, social, emotional, health and wellness benefits in the great outdoors. The first five years of development are crucial!

     We commenced Spring with an outdoor picnic! SMART START friends gathered on a blanket, along with Pilot, for a healthy and delicious snack as they soaked up some fresh air and sun.

     It's officially bubble season!  Peers were thrilled to bring out the bubble containers and blow and pop together.  Even Pilot joined in the fun! Happy faces were on our pupils as they engaged in this staple activity. 

    Dramatic play is a class favorite here at school!  Students dressed up as beautiful butterflies.  They demonstrated a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis and flew around the classroom with delight.  The butterfly lifecycle as well as other insects will be a large component of our Spring curriculum. 

     Our school library is now showcasing Spring books! Circle time has been active with new questions and conversations about all things Spring.  Young learners have also been reading independently and with partners. Their letter identification, picture and word association, as well as recall and recognition skills are all vastly improving. 

     Blooming flowers are a sign of a new beginning!  Our budding botanists have been learning all about flowers, the parts of a plant and how the change in season affects them. Students studied three flowers in particular - the carnation, daisy and daffodil. We also learned a flower song and finger play that is sang to the tune of "Are You Sleeping."  Here are the lyrics so you can sing and play along at home:

Planting flowers, planting flowers,

(pretend to plant flowers into the ground)

In the ground, in the ground,

Water them and they will grow,

(pretend to water plants with a watering can)

Water them and they will grow
All around, all around.

     Preschoolers worked on fine motor skills while playing with Spring magnets. They strategically placed magnets around the board and created a beautiful scene. These types of activities always strike up conversation based on the subject at hand.  We heard lots of chatter about flowers, colors and being outside.  

     Pilot is overjoyed with the return of Spring and is looking forward to a fun-filled and adventurous season!  Classroom helpers spent time introducing him to some fun new songs, stories and activities going on at SMART START.  

    Spring time is notorious for planting. SMART START gardeners got an early start and planted green beans.  Each child had their own Styrofoam cup that they added dirt, seeds and water into. They loved this hands-on experience and having an active role in their food preparation. Here's a song we sang while planting our green beans:

First (child) made the hole

Then he/she put the seed inside

Covered it up with dirt

(Child) planted green beans!

     In addition to green beans, our vegetable lovers also planted zucchini, peas and peppers. Each had their own half of an egg carton.  Using shovels, they filled the egg cartons with dirt, made a hole, added different seeds and covered the hole with dirt.  Lastly, pupils watered the plants using small watering cans. As with their green beans, our gardeners are anticipating initial harvest.  

     Young learners have been exhibiting green thumbs while tending to their vegetable plants. The added responsibilities of nourishing them with water and monitoring proper sunlight has provided a sense of pride and accomplishment. Questions and discussions are taking place during this time as all are in awe of this process.  Confidence levels have soared as plants have been growing!  SMART START scientists used binoculars and magnifying glasses to get a closer look. 

     "Let's Grow" is an educational game that teaches about four different life cycles: plant, chicken, frog and butterfly. The object of the game is to collect all stages such as, egg, tadpole, froglet and frog.  All, including Barny the Barn Owl, participated in moving pieces around the board, cheering each other on and spinning the spinner. Although this game is for ages 5+, our class has mastered many skills such as, turn taking, basic math, letter and color recognition and more. 

Click below to check out more Spring time fun at SMART START!

💙 Mary and Francesca 💙

Winter Friends and Animal Adventures Field Trip

     SMART START friends have been enjoying all things Winter throughout this snowy and cold season.  To further enhance their knowledge and expand upon our curriculum, forest animals were introduced into our repertoire.  Here is a closer look at what our preschoolers have been learning about during this intriguing unit of study.

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     The children absolutely love dramatic play! No matter the subject at hand, dressing up is always a class favorite. During our forest animal unit, pupils occupied the role of coyotes and played alongside other animals in the cozy and warm den that they created. All showcased sounds and mannerisms studied. While coyotes in the wild are not friendly, our SMART START coyotes were kind to all!  

     Busy readers and active listeners were engrossed through a variety of forest animal books.  Circle time became animated as puppets and props were included. They read independently while looking at pictures to assist their own rendition of a story with a puppet in hand.  Engaging in dramatic and pretend play illuminates the creative and imaginative talents of our young learners.  SMART START puppeteers looked adorable as raccoons while improvising their own show.  Bravo!   

     Our geography lesson included the use of forest animal scenes and stickers. After learning about the behavior and environment of each animal, students used their acquired knowledge to place the stickers appropriately. All had fun participating in this collaborative fine motor activity. Nice work, friends!

     Engineers diligently set out to create forest winter habitats. Sporting their nature hats and smocks, they used a variety of materials to design the perfect home for each animal. Materials included:  green and gray felt, brown paint, white model magic, green play dough, egg cartons, toilet paper tubes and cellophane for ice.  Each chose two animals to reside in the habitat. All did a marvelous job constructing and encouraging one another while challenging their artistic minds. 

     Enthusiastic preschoolers took part in two animal matching card games. As always, our group listened intently to the rules. Games are so beneficial for deep concentration, mastering skills through repetition, demonstration of knowledge, making connections, opportunity to think and reason, problem solve and more.  

     Nature and discovery lends itself to many hands-on experiments. Our little Einsteins wore their lab aprons and safety goggles as they set up Artic and forest friends on and near ice structures. Various tools such as, ice picks, hammers and magnifying glasses were used for exploration. All were enthralled with this experiment while chipping away and observing both the ice and creatures. Science is exciting! 

     Peers free played with small animal figurines in toy dens including the one they created. This activity provided classmates with the perfect opportunity to utilize the knowledge they attained during this unit through conversation and pretend play. Imagination at work!

     Forest rangers gathered around the table to paint either a mountain lion or porcupine paw. They used gray and brown paint and their artistic ability to decorate their paw print. Once dry, modge podge was used to add a shiny layer. All were very excited to bring home and display.  

A big task for our preschool team...paint and decorate a habitat to house our large toy figurines as well as our stuffed animals, Barny the barn owl and Pilot.  To build this natural like environment, we used cardboard boxes, white foam for snow, green and gray felt, brown paint, white model magic, green play dough, egg cartons, toilet paper tubes and cellophane for ice. In addition, a large branch was placed aside the den. Classmates worked together with ease on this group effort project. Taking turns while encouraging one another demonstrated patience and excellent communication skills. The realistically crafted domain served as a gathering place to participate in parallel and peer play. 

     Animal Adventure's outreach program came to visit SMART START for an on-site field trip! Ed is the owner of Animal Adventures, an animal rescue zoo located  in Bolton, MA. Ed is passionate about his career and sharing his message and knowledge of animals and rescue. Our students were excited to learn about and interact with the subject matter we have been studying.  All eyes and ears were on Ed as he spoke and introduced various animals.

     A rabbit, turtle, rat, guinea pig, hedge hog, dove, ferret, fennec fox, skunk and alligator were  visitors at our school. Ed taught about each animal and also gave the opportunity to pet and ask questions. Our pupils behaved extremely well while remembering to respect the animals. While this field trip provided a fulfilling hands-on experience, it boosted confidence levels as the children acted courageously during their positive encounters with the animals.  We were most proud of our students!

Click below to see more Winter Friends and Field Trip Fun!

     What a fun Winter it has been here at SMART START!  We are sad to say goodbye, but we are looking forward to all the fun things Spring has to offer.  Once again, thank you for continuing to support our on-site field trip program.  We truly believe that it enhances the education and development of our preschoolers.

💙 Mary and Francesca 💙