Outside and Online
Family Centered Innovative Education
January 2021
SMART Family Literacy engages children (ages birth through eight), their parents and teachers, with innovative outdoor and online educational activities.
SMART = Science, Math, Art, Reading, and Technology
For more information, email SMARTFamilyLiteracy@gmail.com or text (409) 771-4155.
Sugar Snap Peas
A high protein crunchy favorite is edible pods. Legumes, like peas and beans, are nutritious for kids and also enrich the soil with nitrogen, which is good for next season's crop.
Leafy Harvest
Kale, collard greens, and cabbage were harvested by kindergarten gardeners in Dickinson last month. Kids who grow and harvest their own veggies are far more likely to eat them!
Portable Cauliflower
Cauliflower planted in a portable grow bag has been adopted by a family who will water it and watch it grow in the next few weeks before enjoying the freshest food possible right outside their door! Plant cauliflower by March 1st in Galveston County to enjoy before the weather turns too hot.
SMART Art is Drawing with Friends!
A snowman swimming in hot chocolate? A circle transforming from a pig to a bear! It seems easy to draw the details with Catherine Stroud, SMART's Artist in Residence. Kids (K to 4th) have sketched and shared their creations with Catherine and each other in entertaining and interactive classes since June 2020. Most of the online lessons require no more than a sheet of paper and a pencil, but markers and crayons can add to the fun. This class is unique because kids are encouraged to tell the stories that go with the images. They connect to each other and gain perspective. The next six week course begins Wednesday, February 3rd. Parents can register their budding artists at https://www.smartfamilyliteracy.org/home.
Happy to Be Nappy
We are happy to say we discovered "Happy to Be Nappy" by Bell Hooks and Chris Naschka. This celebration of hair features upbeat words and lots of emotion! We go with the hair through wind, through brushing, through smelling nice, and all of life. Ask us for a copy the next time you see us. By the way...SMART gave 32,537 children's books in 2020 in Galveston County.
32,537 Books to Kids!
Just before 2021, SMART Family Literacy made certain that GISD's online students had the chance to have a new book to read while school was out. Distribution was a collaborative effort between SMART and GISD teachers. Meanwhile, our friends at Moore Memorial Library donated gently used books, so the giving and reading will continue in 2021!
Mardi Garden Family Time
Every Tuesday, families can "pick and take" the produce at our Outdoor Education Resource Center in Galveston. Red potatoes and sugar snap peas were the focus of fun this week. Every week, changes happen. Space is limited to 10 people. Save your spot at smartfamilyliteracy@gmail.com. Masks and distance are required. Special February art projects will include painting your own Fat Tuesday flower pot.