2025-26 Smart Start Week 3

This week, we explored the endless possibilities of the letter E. Each day offered new opportunities to engage, express, and experiment — embodying the essence of creativity and curiosity. Through hands-on experiments, collaborative play, and open-ended invitations, friends discovered how one simple letter can spark excitement and inspire meaningful learning experiences.

Our building invitations this week invited friends to think like little engineers. Using tools and toys that required weight to be equally balanced, they experimented with symmetry, stability, and cause-and-effect. They stacked, connected, and adjusted pieces with careful attention, noticing how a small shift in weight could change the whole structure. These hands-on challenges encouraged problem-solving, collaboration, and the development of early math and science concepts.

The children were thrilled to dive into our sensory bin filled with dirt, where toy heavy equipment became tools for real-world excavation play. They scooped, dug, and hauled, developing fine motor skills while acting out the roles of builders and engineers. At the art table, our friends explored watercolors to create their own elephant. They chose whether it could be colorful or have the color of a realistic elephant. Inspired by the beloved story Elmer, they also worked together to recreate the colorful patchwork elephant using magnetic cubes, bringing literature to life through hands-on construction and imaginative design.

We were excited to welcome our local EMS team this week! They talked with the children about what an emergency is, then invited everyone to step inside and explore the ambulance, sparking curiosity and building trust with these community helpers.

One of the most popular invitations this week was our dramatic play emergency room. Whether serving as the receptionist answering calls and seating patients in the waiting area, the doctor treating those in need, the patients waiting for care, or the nurse offering much-needed assistance, the children fully embraced their roles. They worked together beautifully, showing empathy, patience, and teamwork as they took turns so everyone had a chance to play and experience each part of the emergency room.

Our explorations with eggs were a huge hit this week! The children practiced early literacy skills by matching letters on colorful eggs, then put on their scientist hats to carefully dissect real eggs and observe their parts up close. We even created our own “shaky eggs,” filling them with different materials to explore sound and rhythm. These homemade instruments became the highlight of our Wiggle Room time!

We wrapped up our week with a wonderful mix of activities that blended creativity and skill-building. Children practiced writing their names with dry erase markers, strengthened their addition skills through playful math games, and explored new art techniques by painting and flicking elastic bands. In our building area, they constructed intricate train tracks, while at the fine motor station they used elastic bands to form lines and letters. Our literacy invitation inspired everyone to help fill a giant envelope with words beginning with the letter E, showing just how many connections they had made. And of course, celebrating birthdays together was the perfect way to end an eventful week!

We can’t wait to see what the next letter inspires as our friends continue to create, explore, and grow together!

See you soon,

The Smart Start team

We can’t wait to see what the next letter inspires as our young learners continue to create, explore, and g

next letter inspires as our young learners continue to create, explore, and grow together!