S.M.A.R.T. Newsletter - Feb. '19

S.M.A.R.T. Spaces
​Your students are sure to adore this sweet twist on Hopscotch! We call it Stick Scotch because we typically use paint sticks to make them. Here we have used a bag of Valentine’s rulers (party favors) as our sticks.

​We just love how the holiday rulers put the FUN in functional! We apply Velcro dots (hook) to one side of the ruler before adhering it to a carpeted surface.

Once assembled, create a jumping pattern of slanted lines and “u” shaped open boxes using the sticks.

​Have your students jump from one spot to the next. When they land their feet should straddle the slanted lines and when they reach a “u” shape they land with their toes pointing to the base of the “u”.

You could also try this version using duct tape if you’re unable to find the holiday rulers.

Your students will think you totally rule when you add this variation to your S.M.A.R.T. Space!

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S.M.A.R.T. at Home
​Ever wonder how to get your children to sit in their chairs for the full duration of a meal? Remaining seated can be a real challenge for young children, and here is why: stillness is the highest form of movement. Our bodies do not understand how to remain still automatically, rather, the must experience a lot of movement to gain that understanding. Essentially, our bodies NEED to move in order to learn HOW to be still.

The S.M.A.R.T. Program uses purposeful movement to help build the endurance needed to be still. One specific activity that helps is the Balance Beam. Knowing most teachers (and homes) don’t have a Balance Beam we recommend using low tack tape to create a line for children to walk on with a heel to toe method.
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This month, we suggest adding some charm by setting out some Valentine’s for children to “deliver” while they make their way down the beam.

Encourage your child to walk slowly to the basket (or Valentine’s box), stop to deliver the Valentine, and then proceed on without stepping off the line.

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Time Saving Tips
​Learning Ladders are S.M.A.R.T. Activities cherished by teachers and students alike! Teachers appreciate folding their curriculum into the program and ladders are a great way to teach new material. The activity provides a fun way for students to get the extra “inputs” needed to master a skill or concept and they love moving while learning.

We recommend changing the content on Learning Ladders often, even every week. But WHO has time for that? Well…here is a Time Saving Tip that can help make this goal something every teacher can accomplish. Rather than making our ladders out of strips of construction paper or poster board we adhered magnets to the backside of the content, this month it is fun to use hearts.

We placed the hearts on a magnetic surface (think whiteboard, door frame, lockers) near the Rebounder.

Changing the ladder took only moments! We simply moved just a few of the hearts to new create a new order. Later in the month, we can write letters using an erasable marker on the hearts to keep the learning happening.

This Time Saving Tip can be used with any content you want to use on your Learning Ladders!

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References:
​S.M.A.R.T. Pre-K MORE Guide pages 108-109
S.M.A.R.T. Curriculum Guide pages 246-247 (note: you can use content beyond numbers)

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That's One S.M.A.R.T. Teacher!
​Those of you who are doing the S.M.A.R.T. Program in your classrooms will be tickled pink by this idea from an innovative educator! One S.M.A.R.T. Teacher, Courtney Theis, found her second graders were getting a bit bored with the S.M.A.R.T. Course around the perimeter of her classroom. 

While changing the course she found a simple, smart solution within her small space! Using bright pink duct tape, she marked off some fun new areas for her students do the Alligator Crawl.
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As you can tell, she wasn’t afraid to move beyond using just the perimeter for her latest course!  ​Here are the top 5 reasons we are enchanted by Courtney’s clever idea:

5) she changed the course when her students were getting bored
4) the taped lines tell her students where to crawl
3) she found more space to do the S.M.A.R.T. Program within her classroom
2) her students are developing their sense of midline when they slap the pink line while crawling 
​1) her students really enjoy crawling under the desks!
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References:
S.M.A.R.T. Pre-K CORE Guide pages 47-49
S.M.A.R.T. Curriculum Guide pages 66-68