Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

LifeSmarts is an educational program that develops the consumer and marketplace skills of teenagers in a fun way and rewards them for this knowledge.  The program, run by The National Consumers League, complements any curriculum in grades 6-12 and can be used as an activity for classes, groups, clubs, and community organizations.  Students may compete on the Junior Varsity (grades 6-8) or Varsity (grades 9-12) level.

LifeSmarts can be a small or large group activity.  Online teams may contain any number of students.  To qualify for an in-person competition, a team must contain at least four students, and preferably five.  But some teams have as many as 200 students competing in the online portion of the program.  The majority of LifeSmarts coaches are teachers, and they use the program in these ways:

• Create one large online team that includes all of their students in one type of course or in one semester;

• Create a separate team for each class;

• Use it with one particular class (it fits well within courses such as business, economics, family and consumer science, life skills, vocational education and other related fields);

• Use it as an extracurricular activity in conjunction with FCCLA, FFA, DECA or a similar group;

• Create a LifeSmarts club and give interested students the opportunity to get involved; and/or

• In addition, youth leaders use LifeSmarts with 4-H, home school associations, and other community organizations. Interested parents have also coached their children.

Students compete online in the areas of Consumer Rights and Responsibilities, Health and Safety, Personal Finance, Environment, and Technology.  In Missouri, online competition ends on September 2008.  The nine top-scoring Junior Varsity and tweleve top-scoring Varsity teams will be invited to compete in an in-person competition.  An    in-person team consists of an adult coach and four students with the option of having one alternate.  Coaches and/or schools are limited to two teams at a state event.  State competitions will be held in Jefferson City for Junior Varsity teams on February 24, 2009, and for Varsity teams on February 25, 2009.

A variety of prizes will be given to the state winners, including t-shirts, medals, and plaques.  The Varsity state winner will be invited to compete at the LifeSmarts National Competition to be held in St. Louis in April, 2009.  The competition is free, and most expenses for the state and national competitions will be paid through the generosity of financial sponsor American Century Investments of Kansas City.  The Missouri Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) coordinates the program.

Free Flashcards

A National Consumers League LifeSmarts Flashcard Set (valued at $7) will be sent when an adult signs up as a 2008-2009 Junior Varsity (grades 6-8) or Varsity (grades 9-12) coach. While supplies last.

Helpful Links

JUNIOR VARSITY

Student Competition Site:  http://middle.lifesmarts.org

Coach’s Corner:  http://middle.lifesmarts.org/coaches

VARSITY

Student Competition Site:  http://start.lifesmarts.org

Coach’s Corner:  http://start.lifesmarts.org/coaches

Contact Information

Merilee Thoenen, Missouri LifeSmarts Coordinator

Supervisor, Family and Consumer Sciences Education
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
P.O. Box 480, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0480
Telephone:  573-751-6878      Fax:  573-526-4261
E-mail:  Merilee.Thoenen@dese.mo.gov

• 2008 Missouri LifeSmarts - Story and photos
• LifeSmarts Fact Sheet (PDF)
• LifeSmarts Sample Questions (PDF)
• LifeSmarts flyer (PDF)
• National LifeSmarts
• Tech Lab Workshop (PPT, 80 Slides)

Everything you need to know about getting started.

• Registration

• Practice Quiz

• Online competition

• State and national competition

• Daily online updates for national competition

JUNIOR VARSITY (Grades 6-8)

• Student Competition Deadline - January 23, 2009
  The top six teams will compete at the state competition.

• State Competition - February 24, 2009
  Ballroom, Governor Office Building,
  Jefferson City, MO

VARSITY (Grades 9-12)

• Student Competition Deadline - January 23, 2008
  The top nine teams will be invited to compete at the state competition.

• State Competition - February 25, 2009
  Ballroom, Governor Office Building,
  Jefferson City, MO

The top varsity Missouri team will then advance to the national competition.  The 2009 LifeSmarts National Event will be held in St. Louis, Missouri.

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