Space Explorations

     SMART START astronauts were excited for an "out of this world" experience both this and last year! Blast off with us as we journey into outer space!

2018: Space Week!

     SMART START's indoor classrooms transformed into a galaxy learning area. Book displays showcased posters and reading materials featuring asteroids, the solar system, moons and deep space.       

     Star gazers challenged themselves to a riveting game of "place the star of the constellation" (similar to the classis game "pin the tail on the donkey). Each child used their sense of touch and spatial awareness during this activity.

     Crew members landed around the table to decorate magnets.  Each received a wooden star or spaceship magnet to paint, create and design. 

            

    SMART START astronauts were in awe and full of imagination as they dressed up in a space suit. Thank you, Gus for bringing in this themed related costume to share with friends. The children  zoomed around and launched into the universe. Dramatic play and dress up are an important part of preschool development for many reasons:

• engages brain development and memory
• vocabulary building
• problem-solving
• emotional development
• gender exploration
• motor skills
• imitation

            

Students look forward to story time with a teacher, as well as independent and paired reading. Learning in nature is good for the mind and body for many reasons:

• boosts concentration
• develop a love, respect and appreciation for nature
• develop understanding of how we look at our environment
• encourages holistic development of children

   Miss Francesca taught the class fun facts about the big and bright sun star ! Inflatable planets were used to demonstrate orbiting around the sun.  

 

    

 

     

2019: Space Day!    To commence space day, we had a space ship race! Students lined up, waited for the countdown then rolled their spaceships as fast as they could. This activity allowed the children to practice good sportsmanship, enhance hand to eye coordination, develop concentration, engage their imaginations and more! 

    Classmates joined together for a special treat!  Asher brought in space themed cookies that he helped make at home. Snack and meals during the day at SMART START provide peers time to converse with each other about the subject matter at hand. Pupils were naming planets, counting stars and some thought it would be fun to live on the moon!                          SMART START astronomers constructed their own star constellations. They used black foam as the night sky, galactic glue for shine, small blue stars and Q-tips. Preschoolers had a blast creating their own constellations while older prekindergartners attempted to make an imitation of a constellation they could witness in the sky such as, the Aquarius or Orion as they had recently learned about.  

     Miss Francesca gathered the children in a circle for outdoor story time about the solar system. Here are some space facts we learned: 

• There are 8 planets 
• The planets orbit around the sun
• Saturn, Jupitar, Uranus and Neptune have rings
• Mercury is the smallest planet.

     We also taught about how human beings and animals live on planet earth. Each child was handed a paper planet earth for an interactive story. All were instructed to raise their planet earth up high every time they found it as the pages were read.

             

     Art was incorporated into our space agenda to make a personalized spaceship using their own footprint, stars and other media. Students are always exceptionally proud of their projects when made with their own handprints/footprints. Crafts such as these also serve as a great sensory activity. Young learners pretended their spaceships were taking off to the moon... 1, 2, 3 blastoff!

     Early readers enjoyed sitting at a space themed book display. Pupils participated in partnered reading and reviewed all that they learned during the day. There are numerous advantages of partnered reading some being but not limited to: learning how to give and receive feedback, assist in developing reading fluency and allow peers to learn from and help one another. 

                     🌙 We hope you enjoyed learning about our space explorations!☀

                                                                                                              🚀SMART START🚀

Nora's "All About Me" Book and 4th Birthday!

     Our most recent SMART START author to present an “All About Me” Book was Miss Nora! Nora has become quite confident with her public speaking skills and truly excelled during this project. Inside Nora’s Book were a few interesting facts about herself as well as some beautiful drawings. Classmates were very impressed with how effortlessly Nora read off each page. All enjoyed learning more about their friend. Thank you for sharing more about yourself, Nora! 
Here are some details from the chapters in Nora’s book:

• Wants to be a princess when she grows up 👑
• Favorite color is red ❤
• Likes to eat pizza 🍕
• Favorite thing to do is go to Florida ☀
• Enjoys going out to eat 🍝

                              

     Much fun was had by all while celebrating Nora’s 4th Birthday party here at school in our outdoor classroom! Nora thoughtfully brought in goody bags for each of her friends.  Nora was gifted a book from her peers and they sang “Happy Birthday” to her in both English and Spanish.            Nora has been a pleasure to teach at SMART START for over 3 years now! Nora is a warm and kindhearted girl. She is insightful and inquisitive and has blossomed into a lovely prekindergartener. We look forward to helping you flourish this year,  Nora!

💙 SMART START 💙

Butterflies

     Our butterfly unit both this and last year has kept all of our curious learners engaged and amazed! We were busy learning all about butterflies here at school through various activities. We hope you enjoy taking a look at our butterfly journey here at SMART START.

     One of the best ways for preschoolers to learn is to immerse themselves in a good book. Whether in a group, shared with a friend or on their own, books are traditionally a class favorite! We value reading time here at school and surround our students with an abundance of literature. For our butterfly units, we filled each book case ,set up display tables and had accessible materials in each of our classrooms. Young learners learned many interesting facts about butterflies some being:  

• What flowers butterflies like
• drink nectar from the flowers
• proboscis is the name for a butterfly's tongue
• they taste with their feet
• a group of butterflies is called a flutter
• butterflies are insects and have 6 legs
• life cycle stages

                                                                   2018         

2019  

         

  

                                             

     The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle served as the perfect book for our butterfly units. This classic story celebrates this year it's 50th anniversary! 

Budding Entomologists listened intently and could hardly wait to recite the next part of the story each time we flipped a page. While this childhood favorite offers an insight into the life of a caterpillar and butterfly, there are other basic concepts that we focused on as well.  Classmates counted the food items that the caterpillar ate each day and practiced the order of days in a week.  Having the Spanish version of this book was a fun way to fit in some Spanish to enhance their vocabulary and comprehension of the language. 

     Pupils played "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" board game. This is a creative rendition of the classic game "Chutes and Ladders". SMART START friends had lots of fun playing this challenging activity together as a team and did an excellent job taking turns, encouraging one another and even learned some facts, too! 
                                                                   2018

                                                                      2019
            

  
     Last year, Kinsley, one of our students, was so kind and shared her Monarch Butterfly costume with the class. Peers were delighted as they pretended to fly around like a beautiful butterfly. We offered additional butterfly costumes for our animated bunch as dress-up and dramatic play is always a sought out activity. Pretend play offers endless benefits for this age group! Social and emotional development, imitation, motor skills, problem solving, empathy and vocabulary building to name a few. Thank you for sharing your costume, Kinsley!

     This year, we viewed the "Very Hungry Caterpillar" animated narration on our white board. The children loved seeing one of their favorite stories come to life on a large screen. Viewing this provided students with a visual representation of metamorphosis. In addition, classical music played throughout the narration which enhances memory, promotes creativity, reduces stress and more. 

                                                              2018

 
                                                                             2019

  As part of our science-based lesson, our class witnessed the butterfly lifecycle here at school. Students watched as tiny baby caterpillars grew into large adult caterpillars,  that transformed into chrysalises and then finally emerged into painted lady butterflies! This project allowed the subject matter to be studied up close with magnifying glasses and binoculars. All were fascinated as the caterpillars changed each day until they fulfilled metamorphosis. 

                                                               2018

                                                                  2019

    Arts and Crafts as well were incorporated into this unit of study. Last year, the children decorated plastic jars which served as a home for our school butterflies. Handy Helpers had the opportunity to work alongside Miss Francesca and drill a hole in the jar by using a power drill. This year, artists  constructed their very own caterpillar using recyclable materials. Each used an assortment of art media for their insect creation. 

                                                                     2018
                                                           

                                                                    2019 

     Our SMART START  group assisted in releasing the butterflies into their natural habitat. Last year, each child received a butterfly that they brought home and released into their yard. This year, as a class we decided to release them into our outdoor classroom. All took turns holding and saying goodbye to their beautiful insects! Earlier this Spring, we planted milkweed and other plants that attract butterflies. We are looking forward to having a visit here at school from our newly fluttering friends!

                                                                     2018

2019

                                       

🐛 SMART START 🐛

All About Lou Lou!

     Our first "All About Me" poster presenter at our new school was Lou Lou! She had eagerly awaited this assignment and did a remarkable job! All were thrilled to listen as Lou Lou shared some fun facts about herself. We loved learning all about Lou Lou!

Here are some details from Lou Lou's poster: 

• Favorite color is purple 💜
• Wants to be a doctor or Elsa when she grows up 💉👸
• Favorite food is pasta 🍝
• Favorite animal is a horse 🐎
• Favorite thing to do is play going to college and Mexico 📚🌞

     Lou Lou's 3rd birthday was a fun celebration at school! She brought in delicious ice cream sandwiches to share with her classmates. SMART START friends gifted Lou Lou with a book and sang happy birthday to her in both English and Spanish. 

     Lou Lou is a bright, kind and enthusiastic preschooler. It is a pleasure having you at school, Lou Lou and we are excited to continue watching you learn and grow!

💙 SMART START 💙

Theo's "All About Me" Book and 5th Birthday!

     Theo was the next author to present his "All About Me" book! He detailed each page with numerous facts about himself. The class was amazed by how eloquently Theo spoke and responded to questions. His public speaking skills are continually improving. Excellent job, Theo!

Here are some details from the chapters in Theo's book 📕

• Favorite color is orange 💛
• Favorite food is waffles 🍴
• Wants to be a doctor when he grows up💉
• Favorite thing to do is dance 🙆
• Favorite thing to do is go to Florida 🌞

     Theo's 5th birthday was highly anticipated at school! He brought in fun goody bags to share with each of his friends. All enjoyed cupcakes and playing games such as, musical chairs and freeze dance. Classmates gifted Theo with a book and sang "Happy Birthday" in both English and Spanish. 

     Theo has been a student at SMART START for 3 years! Theo is a smart, caring and curious prekindergartner that is admired by all his peers. We have had a wonderful time teaching you and watching you grow, Theo!

💙 SMART START 💙

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all our amazing SMART START fathers! 

We hope you enjoyed your special day!

Click below to see how your child(ren) prepared for Father's Day at school. 

💙 SMART START 💙

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all our wonderful SMART START mothers!

We hope your day is filled with love and joy! 

Click below to see how your child(ren) prepared for Mother's Day at school!

🌷Mary and Francesca🌷