Storm Zone
High Energy, Unpleasant
Big, loud feelings — thunder inside. When I feel furious, panicked, stressed, annoyed, or shaky. The storm is real, and storms always pass.
- Furious
- Panicked
- Stressed
- Annoyed
- Jealous
- Tense
- Shocked
The daily routine
A.I.M. for the S.T.A.R.s.
The three-step self-regulation process every child learns in EY1, practises every morning, and carries through life.
The three lights
Acknowledge · Identify · Make a choice.
How A.I.M. works
A.I.M. is the three traffic lights.
The routine works the way crossing the road does — Stop, Slow, Go. Every child knows what each light means before they ever start school. We borrow the same instinct for the learning life.
Red light · Stop
Acknowledge what I feel.
Pause. Name what’s actually happening inside. Don’t race past the feeling — bring it into the open. No feeling is wrong; every state has a name.
Amber light · Slow
Identify where I am on the meter.
Pick the colour and the word that fit. Mood Meter for feelings. Meta Meter for the learning brain. S.T.A.R. Meter for the choice in front of me. Owning the spot is half the work.
Green light · Go
Make a choice — pick a strategy.
Choose a strategy that matches my zone. Run it. Check whether my colour shifted. Real agency, every single time. The light goes green only when I’ve named the zone first.
Heart
Mood Meter
What's the weather like inside me right now? Two axes — energy (high ↔ low) and pleasantness (unpleasant ↔ pleasant) — give us four kinds of weather. Every zone is okay; the meter helps a child name the storm, the sunshine, the cloud, or the calm so they know what they need next. Adapted from the RULER framework (Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence).
High energy· Big body, fast heart
UnpleasantFeels rough
Sunshine Zone
High Energy, Pleasant
Bright, warm, full of fizz. When I feel thrilled, cheerful, eager, hopeful, confident, or lively. The day is good and I am shining.
- Thrilled
- Cheerful
- Eager
- Hopeful
- Confident
- Lively
- Amused
Cloud Zone
Low Energy, Unpleasant
Grey, heavy, hard to see clearly. When I feel disappointed, gloomy, down, left out, drained, or confused. Clouds are real, and they drift away.
- Disappointed
- Gloomy
- Down
- Left Out
- Drained
- Confused
- Embarrassed
Calm Zone
Low Energy, Pleasant
Still air, gentle, settled. When I feel content, tranquil, at ease, gentle, satisfied, or steady. The sky is clear and I am quiet inside.
- Content
- Tranquil
- At Ease
- Still
- Gentle
- Satisfied
- Steady
PleasantFeels good
Low energy· Quiet body, slow
Character
S.T.A.R. Meter
The four S.T.A.R. expectations as a 2-axis matrix. Y: Me (on my own) ↔ We (with others). X: Do (what I do) ↔ Be (how I am). Children use the meter to see what kind of choice is in front of them.
Me· On my own
DoWhat I do
Strive to do your best
On my own, What I do
I push myself. I keep going when it’s hard. Effort matters more than outcome.
- Set a simple goal
- Learn from mistakes
- Stay focused
- Be a good sport
- Practice makes progress
- Ask for help when stuck
- Do more than the minimum
Take Responsibility
On my own, How I am
I own my actions and my belongings. Every choice has a consequence.
- Be prepared for class
- Admit when I'm wrong
- Be reliable
- Return things I borrow
- Own my actions
- Complete homework on time
- Think before I act
Always Work Together
With others, What I do
I collaborate. I share. I help. Community is a skill — it is taught, not assumed.
- Cooperate with others
- Encourage my group
- Solve problems together
- Compromise
- Welcome new friends
- Celebrate others
- Offer to help
Respect
With others, How I am
I treat people, places, and things with care. Respect is the foundation of every relationship.
- Listen to understand
- Respect opinions
- Ask before borrowing
- Be polite online
- Use an inside voice
- Wait my turn to speak
- Accept differences
BeHow I am
We· With others
Mind
Meta Meter
Your brain is a muscle — and like any muscle, it grows when you use it. Two axes: engagement (passive ↔ active) and mindset (fixed ↔ growth). The Workout Zone is where the brain actually gets stronger — the zone we aim for.
Passive· Body still, brain quiet
FixedClosed mindset
Snooze Zone
Passive, Fixed Mindset
Brain napping, eyes glazed. Not lifting any weights today — the moment a child needs a warm-up, not a consequence.
- Unmotivated
- Distracted
- Lethargic
- Disengaged
- Zoning out
- Helpless
- Frozen
Stretch Zone
Passive, Growth Mindset
Warming the brain up. Stretching doesn't build muscle, but it gets you ready to. Calm, intentional, primed.
- Considering
- Reflecting
- Organizing
- Questioning
- Mulling over
- Preparing
- Noticing
Flex Zone
Active, Fixed Mindset
Showing off muscles you already have. Lots of activity — but the goal is to look strong, not to get stronger.
- Competitive
- Needing praise
- Interrupting
- Inflexible
- Fear of failing
- Demanding
- Impatient
Workout Zone
Active, Growth Mindset
Real reps, real sweat, real growth. The brain is actually getting stronger — the zone we aim for.
- Engaged
- Persistent
- Collaborating
- Resilient
- Experimenting
- Discovering
- Growing
GrowthOpen mindset
Active· Doing, producing
The strategy library
A strategy for every zone.
Once a child has Identified their zone (the amber light), the strategy library has the right kind of help for that exact zone. Each meter has its own strategy bank — children pick the one that matches the zone they just landed on. These are the Grade-1 entry strategies; older children unlock more sophisticated ones each year.
Heart
Mood Meter strategies
- Storm Zone· Weather the storm
Balloon Belly
Slow belly breathing to calm down when upset or angry.
- Sunshine Zone· Channel the fizz
Bubble Breathing
Slow, gentle breathing to channel excitement into focus.
- Cloud Zone· Lift the cloud
Star Stretch
Finger tracing with deep breaths to gently energise when feeling low.
- Calm Zone· Hold the calm
Feather Breathing
Ultra-gentle breathing to sustain and savour a calm state.
Character
S.T.A.R. Meter strategies
- Strive· Push myself
My Best Work Check
Look at your work and ask "Is this my best?" — then add one more thing.
- Take Responsibility· Own it
Own It Words
Practise saying "I did ___. Next time I will ___." — owning actions simply.
- Always Work Together· Team up
Partner Handshake
Find someone new, complete a task together, celebrate with a handshake.
- Respect· Show care
Freeze Frame
"Show me what Respect looks like RIGHT HERE" — freeze and discuss.
Mind
Meta Meter strategies
- Snooze Zone· Wake the brain up
Brain Dump
Empty your busy head onto paper so your brain has space to focus.
- Stretch Zone· Warm up
Curiosity Spark
Fuel a ready brain with a question to keep the learning momentum going.
- Flex Zone· Redirect
STAR Learner Ready
A quick body-and-brain reset to shift from showing-off to growing.
- Workout Zone· Lock it in
Learning Snapshot
Pause to mentally capture what you just learned before moving on.
The library holds 72 strategies total — 24 per meter, banded across Grades 1–6. Younger children meet a small core set; older children unlock more sophisticated ones each year. After a strategy runs, the green light comes back on: children check their colour again — did the zone shift? — closing the loop.
The three lights and the three meters and the strategy library work together. The Red traffic light says stop and acknowledge. The Amber light says slow down and identify your zone on a meter. The Green light says go — pick a strategy that matches your zone, run it, then check the colour again. The routine is taught explicitly in EY1, practised every morning, and reinforced through the S.T.A.R. Coins recognition system.
Vocabulary grows with the child — four words per zone in Grade 1 (a 2×2 grid), all the way up to forty-nine words per zone in Grade 6 (a 7×7 grid). The traffic lights, the zone names, the axis labels, and the strategy buckets stay constant; only the vocabulary expands.