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Oh no! The teacher trap! I fell in. Years of implementing S.M.A.R.T. and I started feeling too confident about pushing the reading level of my students in the Slap Track.
I love to laminate the handprints and then write words with a dry erase marker on them. It is so much easier than making a ton of new cards!
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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] 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 |
AuthorSCheryl Smythe Archives
May 2025
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