one s.m.a.r.t. teacherI’ve always loved the hidden pictures feature in magazines—it’s like a playful treasure hunt where every ‘find’ feels like a small victory! Can we capture that sense of discovery using this photo of the Alligator Crawl in this kindergarten classroom? A new year usually leaves us teachers with a bit of a renewed sense of energy. Now might be the perfect time to add in some fun to core activities.
4. Just after the Alligator Crawl is another station that promotes proprioception using the whiteboard. But you will have to head over to Time Saving Tips to read about that 😁 Let’s make a 2025 pact to share ideas in our S.M.A.R.T. community that promote fun and exciting variations of S.M.A.R.T. Core Activities! Share your creative ideas by tagging us on Facebook or Instagram OR email us photos with a quick description at [email protected]
0 Comments
At your S.M.A.R.T. workshop, you received insta-Balance Beams. Those yardsticks can still be used effectively but likely need a refresh.
This space allowed the Balance Beam to incorporate stepping stones. Students moved slowly in a heel-toe walk but had to step up with one foot on the stone before stepping down with the other foot and continuing a slow heel-toe walk.
Do you have older students who can handle more of a balance challenge? Add a few bean bags in between that they have to walk on tippy toes across before getting to the next yardstick. S.M.A.R.T. activity guides and your notes from the workshop section "Start S.M.A.R.T. - Getting Started Keeping It Fun" has some other fun ideas to incorporate into the Balance Beam. References: I am too embarrassed to share how many years of incorporating S.M.A.R.T. into my class it took me to discover that I can just use my whiteboard as my Learning Ladder area... Let’s just say YEARS!
Instead of always writing content on strips of paper and fussing around with how to keep them hung up, a whiteboard is something that can be prepped each day in just a few seconds.
This class of early readers is practicing a fluency pyramid based on phonics patterns and heart words they are learning. They read each growing sentence while bouncing on a rebounder. If you don’t have a rebounder, add in some sort of movement like Cross Patterning, tossing a bean bag, squats, jumping jacks, or anything else your class is finding fun. Don’t wait years to cut down your material prep time…use this time saving tip this week! Reference: 
We appreciate the work the American Academy of Pediatrics is doing to promote an active lifestyle for our children. The following article provides some helpful information to start building activity into our daily lives.
Please share with families in a way you feel is the most supportive and impactful: 11 Ways to Encourage Your Child to Be Physically Active time saving tips 🎶 Busy teachers on the go, No time to read, the pace is so! Here’s a time saving tip, it’s free for you, A resource packed with things to do! 🎶 🎵 No stress, no cost, just grab and see, A helping hand—it’s hassle-free! For a fresh Slap Track quick, we’ll save your day, Download now and shout, "Hooray!" 🎵
Download these seasonal Slap/Creep Track cards!
 Winter break will be here soon! Looking for some fun non-screen ideas of things to do during break? Check this resource out on MyKidsTime.com
Bonding, engagement, movement, developmentally appropriate, and fun! Tactile Trackers can sneakily become a sloppy activity. Want an easy tip from one SMART teacher? You don’t have to just do dots of glue!
Katie, an educator and trainer in St. Paul, adds different line and dot patterns. Think morse code :)
She shared that the change in texture alone was enough to get her students re-engaged. They loved discovering what line and dot pattern she used. Katie made these Tactile Trackers from printed mindfulness mats that were shared in an older edition of the SMART newsletter (find them here under One SMART Teacher!) Print, dot, dry, and now you have some fresh activity sheets to use this week! Do you need a little spark to keep SMART lively before winter break? December is a busy month so here are three easy winter variations to SMART activities. Alligator Crawl Let jingle bells build excitement for crawling! String some jingle bells from a yardstick and place it on top of two cones. Watch how low those little Alligator Crawlers can really get!  Balance Beam Lay down some blue painter’s tape in the shape of a mitten to practice heel-toe walking around a curve. Remember: Slow it good!  Learning Ladders Do you already have some candy cane decor? If not, use tag board and construction paper strips to make a large candy cane for a thematic Learning Ladder. We recommend laminating it first and then writing content with either a dry erase or wet erase marker on the stripes of the candy cane. Be creative with the content you use!
ONE S.M.A.R.T. TEACHERA few months ago, we invited you to follow along with Jess as she set up a small rotation of S.M.A.R.T. activities in her classroom. Let’s check in and see what has been added into her rotation now that her class has been doing the activities for 8 weeks. Just after a quick morning meeting, the class spends 10 minutes moving around the course. A fun timer on the S.M.A.R.T. board that has music adds to the excitement and keeps students motivated to move the whole time. Set up and take down take no more than a couple of minutes and serves as a nice transition into the next part of the day.
We hope you find some inspiration seeing how one S.M.A.R.T. teacher uses her space! Here in Minnesota, we are having the most glorious fall! My kindergarten class had a really fun week studying the season and wrapped it up with a day we happily called “Leaf Mania”. As we explored layering different colors on our leaves, one student suggested we save our leaf colorings and roll in them during the Pencil Roll. Great idea!
Everyone was so excited to make more leaves to roll over at our group time rug space. That one little addition of student made work caused the Pencil Roll, the activity they have been doing daily for nearly 8 weeks, exciting to do again. My students happily rolled in the leaves during our S.M.A.R.T. time with laughter, cheering for each other, and of course, some hand-raking to make a fun pile.
Do you recall? In the S.M.A.R.T. workshop, we learn about how the brain learns best with frequency, intensity, and duration. Adding leaves in the fall, snowflakes in the winter, or flowers in the spring to the Pencil Roll brings the intensity that these developing brains crave for learning. What ideas are coming up in your mind? Share them with us in order to share with the S.M.A.R.T. community of educators. In the meantime, happy rolling in the leaves! Reference: |
AuthorSCheryl Smythe Archives
January 2025
|
RSS Feed