Helpful Hints are great because we talk about stranger danger, safety on the platform and other considerations while out traveling.
I’m grateful for the work that went into the Smart Choices cards. They take a lot of the work out of making the world safer for my boy and introduce topics and focus areas that I may not have thought of on my own. Thank you, Chris Weinrebe Pilot and Parent
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 I have 5-10 "go to" cards in the Smart Choices Image Card deck. As of late, most of my students have been between the ages of 4 and 10. I like to think ahead so I usually pull a secondary set of images to prepare for conversations they may be come in handy to think outside of what my original plans are.
The process in which I teach, plus the images, are approved by the parents/grandparents. I like to ask the parents before our meeting where THEY see a concern and they almost all say "firearms". It’s not until I show them my pre selected stack of cards that ”light bulb” goes off, and the realization that they are not guiding their children through as many opportunities as they thought. CROSSING THE STREET: For most of my students we focus on crossing the street properly, looking Left-Right-Left and continuing to look while crossing. I save this card for when everyone gets fidgety so we can get up and practice. Looking aware and continuing to look all around. Activity: Someone we love is on the other-side. We talk through and role play that something or someone is on the other-side. This is the one activity where I am always surprised. They almost all “run” across the street. We go back and practice good street crossing and parking lot walking. In my parental follow up we talk a lot about the child’s level to comprehend and ability to follow this rule. Lots of homework is usually issued. Christa Forrester  The Candy Necklace:
This card reminds me of a candy necklace, so that’s where I always start my conversation. We talk about our favorite colors and flavors. Depending on then child’s answers, I will decide what Smart Choices Image Card to show them. It may be pill bottles, just the pills or BOTH on the entire card. I would like to share some Helpful Hints: - Household medications-We chat about medicines, when have taken them, and that it is mom and/or dad and/or their guardians job to give medicines to them . We discuss childhood illnesses if necessary. -Parent/Guardian-I usually ask if their child is allowed to get their own snacks and juice. I then advise that they should never allow their child to get their own medicine and that they always need an adult. -DO NOT SWALLOW- I have worked this conversation in depending on the previous with the message. Plan B is that if they DO put medications in their mouth without their parents consent that they should NEVER swallow. -Sick, Death, Hospital, etc- this is a natural conversation with all of the previous conversations. Christa Forrester ***I have 5-10 "go to" cards in the Smart Choices Image Card deck. As of late, most of my students have been between the ages of 4 and 10. I like to think ahead so I usually pull a secondary set of images to prepare for conversations they may be come in handy to think outside of what my original plans are. The process in which I teach, plus the images, are approved by the parents/grandparents. I like to ask the parents before our meeting where THEY see a concern and they almost all say "firearms". It’s not until I show them my pre selected stack of cards that ”light bulb” goes off, and the realization that they are not guiding their children through as many opportunities as they thought.  The Snake:
This is great card for Spring! When Spring has sprung, all living things come out to enjoy the sunshine. Our children are not the only ones that need to think about snakes, parents do as well! There is probably more play time outside with mom or dad. Sometimes our children are right next to us, and sometimes we see them from afar. We discuss if anyone has ever seen a snake, this helps me know their interpretation of snakes and if they have a pet snake or if they know someone with a pet snake. Anytime a pet (snake or dog) is involved, I add to the discussion that there is a difference between a pet that is yours and an animal that is not. My questions are always, would you touch it? Would you pick it up? Is it real or fake (a play toy) and are your sure? Is it poisonous or a good snake. Their answers, along with helpful hints, guide us along the journey of the ultimate right answer....get away and get an adult. Personally, I am a believer that all creatures have a place on this earth and you do not kill snakes unless they are poisonous and can get to my dogs or family. I don’t share this bit of info with the kids because I don’t want to cause confusion. So my "go to" is to always get an adult. Points to discuss: -Be cautious of holes in the ground. -I talk about Bees here too. Using a personal family experience from when my 4 year old brother covered a yellow jacket joke with a board and then took it off. EKKKKK! -Respect nature/wild animals. This kind of covers my "don’t kill snakes rule", but I use it as a general conversation. -Poisonous/bite. For the younger kids that I work with, I usually go with that "snakes are poisonous until our parents/adult deem them safe". Some of the 9-10 year olds already have some knowledge on identifying snakes, and based off of what they say, we discuss further. Christa Forrester ***I have 5-10 "go to" cards in the Smart Choices Image Card deck. As of late, most of my students have been between the ages of 4 and 10. I like to think ahead so I usually pull a secondary set of images to prepare for conversations they may be come in handy to think outside of what my original plans are. The process in which I teach, plus the images, are approved by the parents/grandparents. I like to ask the parents before our meeting where THEY see a concern and they almost all say "firearms". It’s not until I show them my pre selected stack of cards that ”light bulb” goes off, and the realization that they are not guiding their children through as many opportunities as they thought.  Hi guys!
I just wanted to update you on my latest opportunity to use the Smart Choices Cards with my students that I tutor after school. I shared the Smart Choices card of the rolling rapids/rough water river today with my 4th grader because its finally spring here in Minnesota and the frozen lakes are thawing. I wanted to convey the dangers of thinner ice in the spring as the ice melts. But even as important, I wanted to expose him to the dangers of rushing water in our rivers and that swimming alone is a danger with the strong current. My student immediately engaged with the Smart Choices card and shared with times he and his cousin had tried to walk the tops of the rocks at a creek on his property. These cards are excellent for exposing kids to situations that they may come upon in their young lives, but I believe the doors that open in conversation between child and adult to be the real gold nugget. I recommend these Smart Choices cards to any parent or educator! Steph Schrope  The swimming pool:
I love this card for the obvious. It’s a swimming pool, and for many young ones this symbolizes fun, even if they have never played in one. Media presents pools in video, cartoons and imagery as a place where groups of children play, laugh and have a great time. So far I have had no surprises with this card.
This card is really for the parents as well. They often feel like having this conversation once is enough. It is not enough. It can also leads us to have conversations on the importance of swimming lessons and not giving false trust to their children by putting on a flotation device and feeling like they have warded off a future situation. We discuss the helpful hints: -Do not swim alone , if you needed help no one would be there, it is not safe -Get a parent or guardian, you must have a trusted adult with you at the pool. -Drown=Death, we discuss this hard subject in several different ways, depends on their ages. In these discussions, I have learned about the drowning death of family pets and relatives than I care to admit. I try and use their stories, my stories to help them understand the seriousness of Drown=Death. Chirsta Forrester ***I have 5-10 "go to" cards in the Smart Choices Image Card deck. As of late, most of my students have been between the ages of 4 and 10. I like to think ahead so I usually pull a secondary set of images to prepare for conversations they may be come in handy to think outside of what my original plans are. The process in which I teach, plus the images, are approved by the parents/grandparents. I like to ask the parents before our meeting where THEY see a concern and they almost all say "firearms". It’s not until I show them my pre selected stack of cards that ”light bulb” goes off, and the realization that they are not guiding their children through as many opportunities as they thought.  Recent tragic events brought out this article by Robyn Sandoval of A Girl & A Gun. Robyn dives into topics to Initiate the Conversation, Make It Age Appropriate, Calm Their Fears, Invite Them to Help, Help Them Make Good Decisions, Give Them Equipment and Training, and then Revisit the Conversation. It is a MUST read, she did an excellent job communicating helpful points to discuss w your kids. Thank you Robyn for choosing Smart Choices as an avenue to help parents communicate and help children make smart choices.
When a tragic shooting takes place at a school, many parents struggle with how to address it with their children. It is a challenge to reassure your child that school is a safe place, and at the same time review emergency protocols so that they feel safe that they have a plan in place if something happens.“For the majority of students, school is a safe and supporting environment,” Dr. Robin Gurwitch, a licensed clinical psychologist and professor at Duke University Medical Center, told ABC News in 2018, after the Parkland tragedy. In this article, parents learn how to discuss the news with your children and some ideas for age-appropriate training that can help them stay safe.  I just finished working with one of my students using the Smart Choices Image Cards. I use them as a jumping off place that creates space to talk about hard things.
I’m a tutor in Minnesota and like to incorporate Smart Choices in my writing exercises with my students. I give them time to look at the card, formulate what is happening in the picture on the card and then ask them open ending questions about what the card means to them. I use the Five W approach with my questions….Who, What, Where, When and Why to explore the possibilities of each scenario on the card. Then I ask them to write paragraph describing their response to the card. Today my 7th grade student shared about how hard it is on social media at his school. “we see things that just aren’t meant to be seen”, he told me today as we talked about sending or receiving inappropriate photos on our phones.
Thank you to Smart Choices for giving my students exposure to real-life scenarios that prepare them, just enough, that when the time comes, they may think, “Hey, I’ve seen this before and already know what I am going to do!” Steph Schrope Minnesota Tutor Attention parents, grandparents, or anyone who has a relationship with a child, I ask you to look at this post and really “think” about what I’m expressing to you. There was a shooting last week that was only 3 doors down from our home, mid-morning, in our well established neighborhood. Thankfully, my teen-aged son has been well versed in “what if’s.” But after that day's event it brought some additional serious questions FROM HIM and which provoked serious answers FROM US, his parents. #1. What do I do if I see a stranger in our house? #2. What do I do with our dog? #3. Many more questions..... First, my husband and I discussed, and decided, on a "game plan" for this specific incident. Second, we talked with our son. Now we have a family game plan. I highly suggest YOU have a game plan for your family. How can you get started? SMART CHOICES! How does Smart Choices work? You pick the cards that you want to use as a "conversation starter". When you seriously just listen to what your child tells you, then the deep and honest conversations will follow. I still use Smart Choices, was honored to be apart of a review many months ago, and I am happy to write this short BLOG for you now. We don’t want to make our children afraid to leave the house, we just need to teach them how to be more AWARE and how to "read" a situation. If you don't teach them, I can promise you...the world will. Bobbi Duck PS. I liked these images so I chose these pictures from my previous Smart Choices BLOG.
 I am so excited to announce that Smart Choices was in USCCA's magazine called Concealed Carry. We made it into their BIG January 2022 edition called THE PREDATOR PROJECT that launched in VEGAS at SHOT SHOW this year! SHOT SHOW is the largest trade show of its kind. The Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade ShowSM (SHOT Show®) is the largest and most comprehensive trade show for all professionals involved with the shooting sports, hunting and law enforcement industries. It is the world’s premier exposition of combined firearms, ammunition, law enforcement, cutlery, outdoor apparel, optics and related products and services. The SHOT Show attracts buyers from all 50 states and more than 100 countries. SHOT Show is the only event for retailers, wholesalers and distributors that brings the industry’s most innovative technology, products, manufacturers, education and regulatory leadership together to create one comprehensive and fully loaded experience. You’ll find the people, the passion and the answers you need to stay successful, competitive and knowledgeable. The SHOT Show is restricted to members of the shooting, hunting, military and outdoor trade industry including commercial buyers and sellers of military, law enforcement and tactical products. It is a trade show not open to the general public. The USCCA helps responsible Americans prepare for what happens before, during and after an act of lawful self-defense. In addition to offering education and training, the USCCA has purchased an insurance policy that provides the association and its members with self-defense liability insurance. Whether you’re looking for concealed carry training, facts about firearms, gun laws, shooting ranges or self-defense information, the USCCA has compiled everything you need to know to legally and effectively protect the ones you love. Browse the selections in their website to access their most popular and comprehensive concealed carry resources to help you become a safe, knowledgeable and confident first line of defense.  Smart Choices is a well thought out deck of 84 Image Cards that focuses on IMAGES that will help parents/teachers/educators teach children to recognize danger and to make smart choices ahead of time. Smart Choices will aid in having a plan for the whole family so you AND your child will know what to do when presented with some difficult decisions. Smart Choices Image Cards was designed to focus on your child processing primarily in pictures rather than words, so ideas are interconnected, and your child can see the relationship between elements (verbal discussion plus visual learning) in the whole. Here are just a few advantages of this style of IMAGE BASED learning:
 Smart Choices is not about dumping knowledge into your child’s brain; it is about carrying on a conversation with them. WE SUPPLY THE IMAGE AND YOU SUPPLY THE SUBJECT MATTER, with plenty of "helpful hints" from us. The powerful images on the front of these cards plus the "helpful hints" on the back provoke incredibly important two-way conversations with our children, our grandchildren, our students, and our small groups around potentially dangerous situations and how to maneuver around them. Having already talked though the dangers that each card elicits puts our kids in a position of preparedness, where they can draw on knowledge from a past experience, or in this case, a past card conversation. They know what to do! We recommend picking one age appropriate card to discuss with your child about every 2-4 weeks. That could breakdown to 48 - 84 months of deep and meaningful conversations. Smart Choices Image Cards are meant to be revisited as your child grows so you can test what they remember and continue to instill your parenting lessons throughout the years. Smart Choices supply 84 two-sided Image Cards:
 ANYONE can get involved!
Parents/guardians know their children best and "how to speak their child's language". Each parent has their own rules and teaching style so we are focusing on setting you up for success to help your child learn while you supply the "meat and potatoes" for each image. I don't know about you guys but it sounds like a match made in heaven. Thank you USCCA for including Smart Choices Image Cards and finding value in our learning system. Shelley Luehder Hill *Some information was copied directly from UCSSA and SHOT SHOW's website |
Shelley HillShelley is the creator of Smart Choices, a public speaker, and a supporter of THINKING AHEAD. Smart Choices BLOG is a mixture of stories, Q & A interaction, new thought provoking ideas, guest BLOGS/videos, and MORE! Archives
December 2022
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