S.M.A.R.T. Newsletter - A Chance To Grow - Brain-Centered Therapy Services

S.M.A.R.T. Newsletter - March '22

2/21/2022

That's One S.M.A.R.T. Teacher!

One S.M.A.R.T. Teacher, Steph from Kasson, wisely uses her time by giving her students a double dose of brain stimulation! She found that her students would often move around a little during the still time in Helicopter Spins. She tried adding Auditory Activities to the 15 seconds of “stop” time looking for a solution, and she is pleased with the results.

Steph has her students find a spot in the room, spin for 15 seconds, and then tells them to stand still for 15 seconds. During their still time, she uses the Auditory Activities they’ve been working on (Rhyme Time, Same or Different, Stretch a Word, or Something’s Missing). She found by doing this, her students are more capable of standing still in their spot until it’s time to start spinning again. When they do additional Helicopter Spins later, she uses a different Auditory Activity.

Helicopter Spins and Auditory Activities are excellent to combine because they both stimulate the Vestibulocochlear Nerve, so by doing both, Steph is providing double the stimulation for her students!

S.M.A.R.T. at Home - March '22

2/18/2022

Helicopter Spins are a type of Topsy Turvy Activity that helps develop the sense of where we are in the world. Check out the other skills Topsy Turvy Activities help to develop.

Time Saving Tips - March '22

2/18/2022

Does it feel like you are continuously teaching adults how to monitor Helicopter Spins and the rest of your S.M.A.R.T. Course? S.M.A.R.T. Posters to the rescue!

Teachers, volunteers, and substitutes have found having the S.M.A.R.T. posters on display in the classroom or in a S.M.A.R.T. Room is helpful because then everyone knows what to look for and how to do each activity. An added bonus? They know what to encourage as the students are doing the activities!

S.M.A.R.T. Pre-K Posters

S.M.A.R.T. Elementary Posters

Your students will find these posters helpful too! As you rearrange your course, placing the posters by the new spot will give the students a visual reminder of what to do at each location. Then you don’t have to continually answer the question, “What do we do here?”!

S.M.A.R.T. Spaces - March '22

2/18/2022

“When is the best time to do Helicopter Spins? Because Helicopter Spins seem to give my students more energy instead of calming them down!”

The playground is an excellent place to do Helicopter Spins because there is a space for everyone to spread out. If they have more energy after doing Helicopter Spins, they have the remainder of the recess to expend some energy! Spinning during recess, give it a try!

Over time, Helicopter Spins can be calming, so do Helicopter Spins before you line up to go inside to have a class ready to learn when you get back inside.

S.M.A.R.T. Newsletter - Feb. '22

2/1/2022

SMART February Newsletter

Time Saving Tips

Do your students need a new challenge with the Hopscotch? We suggest that you give Stick Scotch a try! It's a fun twist to jumping that challenges a child's motor planning and coordination skills, like hopscotch. We've included a free download with all of the directions so you can add it to your SMART Course or as a transition in a hallway or your classroom. With the Winter Olympics around the corner, your students can practice their "snowboard" skills across the course doing 360 twists and turns! Even more fun? Score their routine! To see Stick Scotch in action, check out the video below (previously known as Symbol Scotch).

Download:

Stick Scotch (PDF)

S.M.A.R.T. Spaces - Feb. '22

2/1/2022

Many educators share that storage space is at a premium, so it's not feasible to have a variety of hopscotch mats with the same jumping and hopping pattern. And students get bored with the same old mat or two, so we began hunting for affordable and practical solutions. While scrolling Pinterest, we found a great solution, YOGA MATS!

Yoga mats roll up for easy storage, and you can create different jumping and hopping patterns and even add additional academic content.

Check out our Time Saving Tips for another alternative to the Hopscotch!

One S.M.A.R.T. Teacher - Feb. '22

2/1/2022

One S.M.A.R.T. Teacher, Alisha from Lake Crystal, uses simple and inexpensive ways to change up hopping in her S.M.A.R.T. Course! Once Alisha's students have mastered the Hopscotch mat, she uses different items, like paper plates, to make new and fun patterns!

She changes out the paper plates to match the theme of the room. During the winter, she uses white or blue plates to match her ice fishing dramatic play theme.

By changing up the Hopscotch pattern, Alisha is challenging her students motor planning and coordination skills. In the beginning when the pattern changes, her students have to pause to coordinate the movements of their legs. Which leg comes off the ground?!? Do you land on the same leg?

As her students become more coordinated, she adds in new elements, like letters, and has them hop from letter to letter!

Do you have One S.M.A.R.T. Teacher at your school? Tell us about them and their S.M.A.R.T. ideas! Email us or let us know in the comment section.

S.M.A.R.T. at Home - Feb. '22

2/1/2022

Does it ever seem like your child(ren) is bouncing off the walls? Do they seem to jump or hop from one place to another constantly? That's OK, it's actually great! Jumping and hopping support many skills children need to develop a strong foundation for learning. We think you may be surprised at some as you check them out below!

Our Mission is to promote the maximum development of the whole child and adult through innovative, individualized and comprehensive brain-centered programs and services.

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