S.M.A.R.T. Newsletter - Sep. '17

S.M.A.R.T. Spaces
Think back to your S.M.A.R.T. workshop. What is the very first activity we encouraged you to teach your students? The Alligator Crawl!

With this fundamental movement, the brain stem is highly stimulated and sensory systems are called to attention and actively engaged. The foundation of learning readiness is being attended to, both sides of the brain are being integrated, and neural connections are being formed. Therefore, we re-visit this all-important movement to boost your students’ success. And we do this right at the beginning of the school year to allow for frequency, intensity, and duration.

Here is a quick reminder of what you are looking for:

• Stay low (chest and chin down)
• Arms REACH out
• Push with side of foot/to
  

Refer to your guide for specific instructions on the Alligator Crawl.

Want to know more about the importance of crawling? The linked article, Why Babies Should Not Skip the Crawling Phase, contains excellent information on the benefits of crawling.

References: 
S.M.A.R.T. Pre-K CORE guide pages 47-49
S.M.A.R.T. Curriculum Guide pages 66-69

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S.M.A.R.T. at Home
"Why is my child participating in the S.M.A.R.T. program?"

​Learning does not begin in school nor does it start when a child becomes “school age”. Learning starts at birth and occurs in every setting and with every experience a child engages in. 

A recent article published by the American Academy of Pediatrics states, “A child’s day-to-day experiences affect the structural and functional development of his or her brain, including his or her intelligence and personality. Children begin to learn to regulate their emotions, solve problems, express their feelings, and organize their experiences at an early age and then use those skills when they arrive at school.”*

Recognizing that real learning and brain development depends on rich experiences and fundamental movement, S.M.A.R.T. is a program that brings brain stimulating, developmentally rich movement activities into the classroom in fun and active ways. S.M.A.R.T. targets the learning readiness skills necessary for a student’s academic success. Implementing S.M.A.R.T. for 20-30 minutes a day gives your child the “brain boost” they need for continued learning. Ask your child’s teacher to share some of the activities with you and encourage your child to show you some of the movements at home! 

We think you will enjoy this article “Reading Readiness Has To Do With The Body” by mother and author, Laura Grace Weldon.

*Excerpt from Quality Early Education and Childcare from Birth to Kindergarten by Elaine A. Donoghue
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Looking for a S.M.A.R.T. Parent Letter? Find them here:
S.M.A.R.T. Pre-K
S.M.A.R.T. Elementary

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Time Saving Tips
Have you pulled out your Slap Track/Creep Track? Are your cards ready to go?

Don’t fall into the teacher trap and put in material that is too hard for your students! This can be especially challenging at the beginning of the school year because we are not always aware of the level at which our students are individually working. Keep it brain stem by keeping it simple.

Here are some examples:
Early Childhood:

• handprints for giving high fives
• paw prints

Kindergarten:

• handprints or paw prints
• colors or shapes in simple AB patterns

First Grade:

• colors in ABC pattern (red–yellow– blue)
• numerals for skip counting by 5’s or 10’s​

Second Grade:

• vocabulary concepts: pictures of school supplies (desk, pencil, folder, book)
• geometric shapes (pictures of cone, sphere, cube)

Follow our Facebook page to see what educators have on their Slap/Creep Track cards.

References:
S.M.A.R.T. Pre-K CORE guide pages 50-54
S.M.A.R.T. Curriculum Guide pages 69-71

Downloads: 
Duck Feet (PDF)
Paw Prints (PDF)

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That's One S.M.A.R.T. Teacher!
S.M.A.R.T. teachers are always looking for budget friendly items to make and keep the program fun. It’s the beginning of the school year so dollar stores are brimming with back to school items that do the trick!

Jessica, One S.M.A.R.T. Teacher from Minneapolis, found this road tape at the Target dollar spot. It doesn’t leave sticky residue AND can be used in several S.M.A.R.T. ways!
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Jessica uses the road tape with two S.M.A.R.T. activities. Driver’s Ed works on developing smooth eye movements and eye-hand coordination skills. When children are encouraged to drive a vehicle within the road boundaries, their eyes are tracking the smooth movement of the car. Adding road tape to wooden blocks allows for some creative road mapping by the child! This little guy was completely captivated with his cars and road blocks!

With road tape on wooden blocks, she created an instant Balance Beam. A big challenge with the Balance Beam is getting children to move slowly with a heel-to-toe walk. The road tape acts as a guide for the “cars”, their feet, to slowly maneuver along the track without falling off. Children can set up the blocks to be straight or add a turn here and there for an added challenge. Older children can try it backwards!

For carpeted surfaces, adding Velcro to the wooden blocks helps secure them to the floor. Wooden blocks can be awfully slippery when placed on hard flooring, moving around and causing a bit of a safety issue. We love using the non-adhesive grip shelf liner found at Walmart or Target or you can even try your favorite dollar store for this item.

References: 
S.M.A.R.T. Pre-K CORE guide page 70
S.M.A.R.T.Curriculum Guide page 211
S.M.A.R.T. Pre-K CORE guide page 40
S.M.A.R.T. Curriculum Guide page 51