2025-26 Smart Start Week 27

This week, our explorations took us into the world of X—a letter that inspired creativity, curiosity, and a sense of adventure in so many unexpected ways.

Our classroom quickly transformed through the power of imagination. With simple cardboard boxes, friends designed and constructed homes, castles, and even vehicles to travel to faraway places. These open-ended materials invited collaboration, storytelling, and problem-solving as ideas came to life in meaningful ways.

Friends also stepped into the role of caregivers in our animal care clinic, tending to exotic animals with thoughtfulness and care. This play allowed them to explore empathy, responsibility, and imaginative storytelling all at once.

Sensory experiences provided rich opportunities for investigation. Friends excavated sand using excavators, trucks, and a variety of tools, while others carefully uncovered dinosaur fossils—working like true paleontologists. At the light table, black sand became a canvas for writing and drawing, inspired by X-rays we explored together. This unique experience blended science with early literacy and artistic expression.

One of our invitations focused on color mixing, where friends worked together to create a specific color for a collaborative activity. Through this process, they explored how colors change and combine, while also practicing communication and teamwork.

Our scientists were busy this week! Through hands-on experiments with milk, oil, and food coloring, friends observed how some liquids mix while others do not. These moments sparked wonder and thoughtful questions about the properties of materials. Texture exploration continued as friends created slime, noticing how ingredients change when combined. These experiences supported sensory awareness while encouraging prediction, observation, and reflection.

Music filled our space in a new and exciting way this week. Jars of water arranged in rainbow order became a water xylophone, where friends explored high and low pitch. They listened closely, experimented with sound, and even worked together to identify familiar songs.

We were also delighted to welcome a special guest, Lindsay Lyon, who led a beautiful music lesson. Through singing, movement, and rhythm activities, friends explored beat in a way that was engaging and joyful. It was a wonderful blend of imaginative play and musical discovery, and we look forward to welcoming her back again.

In Tasty Science, friends worked together to create Chex Mix—measuring, mixing, and, of course, taste-testing. The final result received an overwhelming number of thumbs up, making it a favorite experience of the week.

Letter X week was filled with exploration, creativity, and meaningful connections across all areas of learning. From imaginative play to scientific discovery and musical expression, friends engaged deeply with the world around them—reminding us that even a tricky letter like X can lead to extraordinary experiences.This week, our explorations took us into the world of X—a letter that inspired creativity, curiosity, and a sense of adventure in so many unexpected ways.

Our classroom quickly transformed through the power of imagination. With simple cardboard boxes, friends designed and constructed homes, castles, and even vehicles to travel to faraway places. These open-ended materials invited collaboration, storytelling, and problem-solving as ideas came to life in meaningful ways.

Friends also stepped into the role of caregivers in our animal care clinic, tending to exotic animals with thoughtfulness and care. This play allowed them to explore empathy, responsibility, and imaginative storytelling all at once.

Sensory experiences provided rich opportunities for investigation. Friends excavated sand using excavators, trucks, and a variety of tools, while others carefully uncovered dinosaur fossils—working like true paleontologists. At the light table, black sand became a canvas for writing and drawing, inspired by X-rays, which some friends explored together. This unique experience blended science with early literacy and artistic expression.

One of our invitations focused on color mixing, where friends worked together to create a specific color for a collaborative activity. Through this process, they explored how colors change and combine, while also practicing communication and teamwork.

Our scientists were busy this week! Through hands-on experiments with milk, oil, and food coloring, friends observed how some liquids mix while others do not. These moments sparked wonder and thoughtful questions about the properties of materials. Texture exploration continued as friends created slime, noticing how ingredients change when combined. These experiences supported sensory awareness while encouraging prediction, observation, and reflection.

Music filled our space in a new and exciting way this week. Jars of water arranged in rainbow order became a water xylophone, where friends explored high and low pitch. They listened closely, experimented with sound, and even worked together to identify familiar songs.

We were also delighted to welcome a special guest, Ms. Lindsay Lyon, who led a beautiful music lesson. Through singing, movement, and rhythm activities, friends explored beat in a way that was engaging and joyful. It was a wonderful blend of imaginative play and musical discovery, and we look forward to welcoming her back again.

In Tasty Science, friends worked together to create Chex Mix—measuring, mixing, and, of course, taste-testing. The final result received an overwhelming number of thumbs up, making it a favorite experience of the week.

Letter X week was filled with exploration, creativity, and meaningful connections across all areas of learning. From imaginative play to scientific discovery and musical expression, friends engaged deeply with the world around them—reminding us that even a tricky letter like X can lead to extraordinary experiences.

See you soon,

The Smart Start team