Three Easy Web Tools and Ideas!

Well, hey everyone! I'm Sarah from Miss A's Kindergarten. I'm thrilled to be sharing some of my ideas with you, and I'm so thankful to Kinder-Craze for this opportunity! I hope that this blog post helps you and gives you some new ideas as well. So here we go!

All three boys I babysit had video games!
Ages 1, 3, and 6! They love their electronics.

I have always been a bit obsessed with technology. When I was 14, I was writing HTML script to make my Xanga page pretty. I know that, for many of you wonderful teachers, there have been students in your classrooms just like I was. Those students need you. They want you to understand tech as much as they do and be willing to allow them to use it in the classroom. Even kindergarten students need to be allowed to use technology. It's what surrounds them every day! The three year old that I babysit can operate an iPad with no difficulties.


Here's my question though:

How can we reach these sweet, techie children?

I am a strong believer in the positive uses of Web 2.0 tools! If you aren't sure what those are, here's a quick description. Usually, they are website platforms where people can design, create, explore, and collaborate. Many are useful for educators because they allow us to create fun presentations for our sweet kiddos. It helps students practice their collaboration skills. Mainly, it allows the students to branch out and try new things with the computer, which is what they L-O-V-E!

Here are my top three favorite web 2.0 tools to use (that are easy as pie!) along with some teaching ideas:

1. Beeclip
 

I believe that Beeclip is SO versatile and easy to use that your students will have no problem with it. If you've ever made a scrapbook before, you will be able to use this program. It's great for your visual, spatial, and creative learners. If you want to learn to use this tool, click to watch this video!

Ways to Integrate This Tool!

• Have the students create a digital poster
• Write a class mini-book based on content (metamorphosis, life cycles of a plant, etc!)
• Collage a concept. (I did my example of this on color words.)
• Make an end of the school year scrapbook of all your fabulous memories!
• SO MUCH MORE! Use your imagination. :)

2. Prezi

I love making presentations on Prezi! It's easy to use once you get the gist of it, and it allows you to ZOOM in and out. Kids love to watch the presentations in action. It's a new way of presenting information in place of PowerPoint, and it's so easy to do. If you want to learn how to use Prezi, click this link!

Ways to Integrate This Tool!

• Use it as a hook for new content matter (math lesson, ELA lesson, just a new unit of study!)
• Have the students help you create a Prezi by brainstorming good pictures and words to use. (SIDENOTE: You would have to be the one that makes it, as children under 18 aren't allowed to have their own account.)
• Create a fun Prezi that tells your parents of your expectations for the new school year at Open House. They will think you're amazing because you were so creative!

3. Wordle

Wordle is a tool that allows you to gather all sorts of words together in one big word cloud! It allows you to show the children that multiple words can fit into one category with tons of subcategories. For example: If the United States is the main topic, you can have the names of all the states as the subtopics. Then you can add the symbols of the country, memorials, or...whatever you want!

Ways to Integrate This Tool!

• For younger grades, create a whole class Wordle to summarize/begin your new unit of study!
• For your writers/GT students, allow them to create their own Wordle of their background knowledge.
• Have each student make a personal Wordle that includes words that describe his own life.
• Introduce yourself to your new class with all the words about YOU!

Since you made it all the way down to here, I thought I'd throw in a FREEBIE! :) This is my colors Beeclip that I made for my kindergarten unit in an educational technology graduate course. I hope that it helps you introduce all the color words and sparks some fun discussions about what color objects are! Just click the purple picture below for the download.

Of course, I picked the purple slide! It's my favorite color of all!

What are some ways you integrate technology in your class?

I especially want to thank Maria for allowing me to guest blog here! I'm truly honored and blessed by her! My blog, Miss A's Kindergarten, was started just this May. I love to post about all types of technology, including video tutorials on web tools. I hope that you stop by and see all the fun posts I already have on technology, life, and my first year of teaching!

We Have a Winner!

Thank you to everyone who participated in my 300 Fabulous Follower Giveaway. You are ALL fabulous and I wish I had more to give away!


Thanks to the trusty random number generator (and a very handy HTML code), I am proud to announce that Jennifer from Keys 4 Education is the winner of the $25 Target card.
Congrats Jennifer! 


I don't have anymore gift card giveaways lined up at the moment, but I have plenty more great ideas and computer tips coming your way very soon. Keep your eye on the blog.

Have a wonderful evening and
THANK YOU for all of your support!

Use PicMonkey to Easily Blur Faces in Photos (for PC and Mac)

PC users rejoice!
Earlier this week I posted a video tutorial for Mac users on how to remove details from images (such as faces or student names) before posting photos online. After a little experimentation, I have a great solution for all of you PC users (or Mac users that would like another option) using the site PicMonkey.

If you are not already familiar with PicMonkey, prepare to have your socks knocked off. PicMonkey is a wonderful web-based photo editing application. It has many fun and powerful tools and is very user-friendly. You are not required to register, login, download, or install anything - just hop on the site and start editing. Oh, and did I mention PicMonkey is FREE?

Now that you know how fabulous PicMonkey is, want to see it in action? 

I made a video tutorial to show you exactly what to do. And because I know you teachers are super busy (even on summer vacation) so I kept it short and sweet.

How will YOU use this retouching feature of PicMonkey?

PS-Calling All Bloggers!

Bloggers: Have you considered joining Teaching Blog Traffic School?  I have only been a member for a few months and the knowledge I have gained has had a HUGE impact on my blog's traffic and my online presence. Even sellers on Teachers Pay Teachers can also benefit a LOT from the tips and networking opportunities that Charity Preston has to offer. Click the button to learn more!

Facebook Post Party!

Just because it's Sunday night, doesn't mean we can't have a party!

You are invited to join me on my Facebook page TONIGHT from 9:00-11:00 EST to see posts from some of my favorite bloggers! Many will be offering free items on their blogs, but you gotta attend the party to be in the know!  I will be offering my newest product, Ducks (and Truck) in Muck Craftivity for FREE...Beware the party ends at 11p.m. EST and the FREEBIE will change back into a paid item!

Video Tutorial: Blur Out Faces and Other Details from a Photo (for Mac)

This child's face has been retouched
so the photo can safely be published online.

Hi everyone! If you read my blog often, you probably noticed that I often blur sections of my photos to remove the faces and names of my students. A follower recently inquired about the process and I am thrilled to share my secret with you. I use the "retouch" editing feature in the iPhoto program for Mac. To demonstrate, I created a short YouTube video just for you lovelies. I know how busy you are so I kept it short and sweet - about 6 minutes long.

Please note: This tutorial is only for Mac users. If you are a PC user, I am sorry that this video will not be helpful to you, but Ms. Jessica from A Turn to Learn has a great tutorial for PC users.

I hope you found this helpful!

Email kindercraze@gmail.com to submit your requests for future video tutorial.

-Uck Word Family Reading, Response, and Craftivity

Summer is finally here, but the teaching continues! I am spending part of my summer vacation teaching a First Grade enrichment program at my school. We will do LOTS of fun activities this summer and I am thrilled to share our first project with you!

Ducks in Muck Intro

This week we worked with the digraph -ck and made a fun craftivity to apply the skill.  I began with a read-aloud of Ducks in Muck. I love this book because it uses repetition of about 15 words and strong picture support to tell a very detailed story of ducks being captured, then escaping happily into a muddy pond.

After the story, I taught a mini-lesson on digraph -ck and we practiced using the digraphs to record words from the story.

The Craftivity

Then the real fun began. We did a craftivity in response to the story of Ducks in Muck. For this project, all students received a background page with the project title and recorded their name at the top. Next, each child added some muck by painting a large spot of brown paint in the center of their paper.

While we waited for the "muck" to dry, students cut out a truck and 3 ducks to add to the scene.

As a final step, the children cut out 4 word cards featuring -uck words from the story and completed the words by adding -ck to the end.

All pictures were then glued on to the green paper and were labeled by the word cards. The children loved this project and it was a fun way to use their new skill in response to the story.

Practicing Skills with a Prezi

To wrap up the lesson, the I shared the -uck Word Family Prezi developed by Ms Jessica at A Turn to Learn. It's a very simple, attractive Prezi with just enough animation to keep my kiddos engaged without being a distraction. Jessica makes great Prezis - you should check them out.

If you love Prezis but aren't quite sure how to create your own, check our Miss A's Kindergarten. Sarah has created a very helpful Prezi tutorial She is generating buzz among edu-tech bloggers and is working to create additional tutorials to share with you.

Purchase Ducks (and Truck) in Muck Craftivity

The Ducks (and Truck) in Muck Craftivity is available in Teachers Pay Teachers and Teachers Notebook for $1.50. It includes master copies for all papers used in the project as well as an instruction sheet for teacher reference.

300 Followers! Time for a Giveaway!

Oh. My. Goodness.

It feels as though my beloved blog has reached a new milestone each day. Your love, interest, and lovely comments have filled my heart with so much joy. I am thrilled to announce that the Kinder-Craze blog now has 300 followers, the Kinder-Craze Facebook Fan Page is quickly approaching 1,000 Fans, and dozens of people have already signed up for my inaugural newsletter. With so much love flying around, I am excited to give a little back to one of YOU lovelies.

By now (hopefully) you are all kicking your feet up and enjoying your summer vacation. After working so hard all year, you deserve a little treat for YOURSELF. So, how does a trip to Target sound?

For this celebration, I will be giving away 

a $25 Target Gift Card, as well as my Solid Figures Unit. 

The Target card is for you. 

The Solid Figures Unit is so you can tell yourself you did something productive today :)

Ready to play? 

There are 7 ways to enter. You will need to leave a separate comment for each entry. Be sure to include your email in every comment that you make. If you already do any of these items, go ahead and comment separately for each item to let me know! 

1. Follow the Kinder-Craze blog
2. Like Kinder-Craze on Facebook
3. Follow Kinder-Craze on Teachers Pay Teachers
4. Follow Kinder-Craze on Teachers Notebook
5. Follow me (Maria Manore) on Pinterest
6. Sign up for the Kinder-Craze Newsletter
7. Blog about the Giveaway (leave a link to your blog post in your comment)

The contest will close on Monday, June 25 at 5:00pm (Eastern Time). 

At that point, I will use a random number generator to select a winner from the comment list.

All entries MUST be received by 5:00 pm (Eastern Time) on Monday, June 25. 

May the odds be ever in your favor! (I still love that tagline)

Stickers Organized!

One of the things I love most about summer vacation is that it finally gives me a chance to tinker around with some of my smaller, less-demanding projects that my busy schedule won't accommodate  during the school year.

I have a HUGE sticker collection that I inherited from another teacher. The collection was already organized when I received it, but all of the stickers were stored in a gigantic binder that was bursting at the seams. It was a mess. After a few years, I ditched the binder and kept all of the sticker-filled page protectors in a box. That worked, but continued to be a mess. I wish I had captured a "before" picture, but I'm also kind of relieved that I don't have to share the sticker-filled clutter with you.

But anyway. . . back to the organization! To get started, I went through the entire collection and cleaned house a bit. I sorted through all of my stickers and I donated the really uncool, outdated stickers to someone that had a use for them. I also trimmed some of the larger sticker sheets to create a more uniform feel to the collection. I have a TON of stickers that I have earned from Highlights Magazine. You guys know what I'm talking about. I used the highlights sticker sheets as my reference-the pages all measure to be 5x8". All sticker sheets larger than the highlights pages were trimmed to a smaller size.

Next, I found a box that was the right size for holding all of my newly-tidied stickers. The best thing I could find was a men's shoebox. It was gray and boring, but that was ok-I had a plan! I wanted my sticker box to match my classroom decor so I decoupaged the box with the scraps from when I Fancied Up my Sterlite Drawers.

As you can see, I cut the scrapbook paper into strips, then glued them to the shoebox with Mod Podge. The next day, I sprayed the newly-decorated box with clear acrylic spray to ensure a good seal.

Once the box was ready to go, I filled it with my organized stickers. I created my own dividers with poster board cut into 8.5x5" sections. The top 1/2 inch of the poster board pieces was designated for creating tabs. My wonderful friend Nicki labeled all of the tabs for me. I placed seasons of the year in front (ordered chronologically from Fall to Summer), followed by an alphabetical arrangement of non-seasonal themes (animals, reading, smiley faces, etc.)

This shoebox had a few inches to spare after I filled it with my sticker collection, so I added a some fun flair to the back of the box. I'm so thrilled with the final product!

Do you have a system for organizing your stickers?

PS- Debbie at Rainbows within Reach is having a Classroom Organization linky with TONS of ideas. You may want to check it out! 

Recyle Wax Paper Waste into Beautiful Window Decorations

Hello everyone! If you recall, I recently posted a tutorial for creating pretty flowers out of decorated coffee filters. (If you missed that tutorial, you may want to check it out!)


One of the waste products generated by the coffee filter flower project is a set of colored wax paper. I sometimes think the wax paper is even more stunning than the flowers. I couldn't throw this very cool looking paper away- I just had to do something with it!


Since the wax paper is somewhat transparent, I decided to use this "waste" to create window decorations! This is another super-easy project (because easy is the ONLY way to do things in Kindergarten!) I would recruit a parent volunteer to cut the frames. All other work is done by my kinders.

Take your beautiful wax paper and just set it aside for a bit. You'll need it later.
 
Begin by making frames for your window decorations. You can do any simple shape. I chose to do butterflies, flowers, and hearts. For a whole class activity, I like to keep it simple and just do 1 basic shape.

Apply a thin line of white glue all the way around the frame.


Place the frame onto the most colorful section of the wax paper. Figuring out the best location for the frame is a great thinking exercise!

Use scissors to gently cut around the frame and remove excess wax paper (yup-my kids do this part too).


Hang completed decorations in the window.

I know how much you like templates, so I created some to share. They are a little rough, but should help you to create some frames of your own. Click the image to the right to download. I recommend printing the templates onto cardstock so you have something sturdy to cut out and trace around. Find construction paper that you like, fold it in half, and trace the desired frame on the fold. Cut the image out that you traced (while keeping the construction paper folded). Open the object after it has been cut out and you will have a frame that is ready for the wax paper!

Happy Crafting!

Coffee Filter Flowers Tutorial

Did you know you can make beautiful, full flowers with your students with coffee filters and pipe cleaners? It's a very simple, CHEAP project that the kids will love!

Supplies

• markers
• coffee filters (1-4 per flower)
• spray water bottle
• wax paper
• pipe cleaner
• table liner 

Step 1: Decorate the Filters

Protect your work surface with a table cloth or some sort of liner (the marker will soak through the paper layers and you won't want to stain your work area with ink. Next, Tear off a sheet of wax paper big enough and place coffee filters on top. I give each students their own sheet of wax paper with coffee filters on top and use a sharpie to write the student's name on the wax paper. This helps me keep track of who decorated the filters.

Now comes the fun part. Use markers to scribble all over the coffee filters. Later on, these colors will get wet and bleed into each other so I try to use colors near each other on the color wheel. Otherwise, you may end up with brown flowers. 

Next, spray the newly-scribbled flowers with your spray bottle. I usually help my kinders do this part. You only need about 5 good sprays.

Set the whole sheet of wax paper aside while you wait for the decorated coffee filters to dry. The colors will continue to bleed as they sit. 


You can stack the sheets of wax paper on top of each other while they dry. I try to stagger them a bit. Be mindful that the color will bleed a bit through the wax paper as well and complimentary colors (such as orange and purple) will bleed to make brown.

Step 2: Assemble the Flowers

After the coffee filters have dried, you are ready to assemble. I always do this part on my own after school. Older students can probably handle this on their own with instructions from you.

Stack all filters for a single flower together and fold in half.

Now, fold in half again. 

This is where it gets a little tricky to understand. You basically want your folds to zig-zag. Take the top section of your coffee filters and fold it backward onto itself.

Then flip the filters over and repeat for the other quarter section. It will look like this when pressed down. 

If you let go of the filters, they will open a bit. See the zig-zag? 

Use a pipe cleaner to tightly wind around the point of your folded coffee filters. Be sure to cinch it tightly so it holds. 

Gently separate the folded pieces from one another, and then you're done!

Not sure how many coffee filters to use?

This will help give you a sense of the fullness of different numbers of coffee filters.

These flowers are great for all things spring and summer: Plant units, mother's day gifts, May Crowning celebrations, Spring decorations, and more.

How will you use them in your own classroom?

Love Letters

One morning this past year a student walked into class, excitedly ran up to greet me, and handed me an envelope. Unable to contain herself, she exclaimed "It's a love letter!" not knowing what to expect, I opened the letter and it said "Ms Manore. I love you." The best part: the students used sticker letters to write the message.

It truly was a love letter. Not in the traditional, mushy, romantic sense. But those kinders just adore their teachers and love to express it in writing. Last week, while I sat around recovering from my surgery, I had PLENTY of time to admire all of the end-of-year gifts from my students. The flowers and gift cards are so generous and always appreciated, but it was the writing of my students that touched my heart. I wanted to share a few of my "love letters" with you.

"Thank you for helping me learn."

This one melts my heart.

"Your are loved and special and perfect."
Among many other sweet sentiments.

One of my students even wrote me a poem. It was laminated and everything. I'm sure her mom helped to create the finished product, but I can tell that the words are direct sentiments from the 6 year old sweetie.

I love that she called me a "Real Princess"

Summer is here and I will savor every moment I have away from my buzzing, busy, crazy Kindergarten classroom. But I already miss my students.

Freebies at the Kinder-Craze Store

Yours for FREE!

Big news! You can now shop for your favorite classroom items in the Kinder-Craze Store using your PayPal account. A few of my most popular products can be found in the store, as well as a brand new pack of addition pages for sums 0-5 that I just created this week. You can also grab this great FREEBIE just for stopping by! A new freebie will be featured soon, so be sure to check back often.

You'll Never Believe Who I Met!

 Recognize this fabulous lady? It's Melanie from Schoolgirl Style, my all-time favorite teacher blog. I regularly stalk read the Schoolgirl Style blog. Earlier this week, Melanie announced on her blog that she has chosen to step out of the classroom and concentrate full-time on her passion for creating beautiful classroom spaces.

When I read the news, I felt a mix of emotions. Sadness for Melanie (because it's always hard to say goodbye to an important chapter in your life) but thrilled because her inspirational ideas will continue to blossom in new ways.

 Way at the bottom of her announcement were these words that made my heart sing:

I am packing away and hauling everything home for the biggest teacher garage sale you have ever seen!  *I bet you wished you lived by me because you could get some great deals! 

 
It just so happens that I DO live by Melanie.
Well, maybe not right next door.
Not even down the road.
About an hour away.

But I wasn't going to let the opportunity pass me by. So I emailed Melanie, told her I am also a blogger and I live somewhat nearby and asked for a few more details about her amazing garage sale. Melanie being the super-sweetheart that she is gave me all the details. I recruited another teacher from my school that is also a stalker follower of Schoolgirl Style and we made the 52 mile drive. Neither of us could decide what we were more excited about: meeting Melanie (a woman we love and admire) or stocking up on great items for our classroom.

As it turns out, both were pretty fantastic. Melanie was kind, sweet, and not at all freaked out when we told her how much we love the blog. We also got some great classroom items. Most of which are the basic essentials (manipulatives, books, art supplies, etc.) but we both also bought a set of these fabulous lanterns (which you can buy online.) I have had my eye on them for months!

Photo from www.schoolgirlstyle.com

What an awesome start to the weekend. Three months into blogging and I've already met one of my heroes. I wonder who I will get to meet next!

I Survived Graduation (and Surgery!)

Friday was a huge day. Not just big, but HUGE. My wonderful students graduated from Kindergarten, and I went under the knife. I'll fill you in on some of the fun (and craziness) of my graduation day.

First off, our graduation ceremony went off without a hitch. The students perform several times during ceremony and the big hit of the event is a fun rendition of the song New York, New York by Frank Sinatra. The children sing this fabulous song for their parents about moving on to First Grade, First Grade. We play the song produced by Instrumental Memories. It is a slower instrumental version and the notes are soft enough for the student's voices to shine. You can download an mp3 of this version from Amazon for only 89 cents.

 I do not know who wrote the new lyrics to this delightful song, but it is all over the internet. My students each received a copy of the lyrics to place in their poetry binder and I created this copy to share with you. The adorable diploma graphic is from Kristen at KPM Doodles. Download the FREE printable from Teachers Pay Teachers.

Our ceremony always concludes with a video presentation featuring photos from our year together in Kindergarten. PC users can use Windows Movie Maker or even Microsoft Powerpoint.I have a Mac, so I create the video in iMovie. It has a super-cute scrapbook template built into the program.

Graduation videos typically incorporate music. If you're a regular blog follower, you'll know I'm a music addict, so I carefully select songs to incorporate in the video. I avoid the Rod Stewart, Carole King, and Celine Dion variety of songs.  Instead, I use Jack Johnson's cover of We're Going to Be Friends followed by Upside Down (also by Johnson). Both can be found on the soundtrack from the film Curious George, which the kids enjoy, plus I just love Jack Johnson.


I have another little project to share with you as well. A few weeks before graduation, I used the light from my projector to cast  a shadow of each child's silhouette onto a 11x17" sheet of white paper. I traced the shadows, cut them out, and mounted each one onto a 12x18" sheet of dark blue construction paper (our school color). Later, I labeled each profile with the student name and graduation year. These were then laminated and displayed with other artifacts from the school year for parents to take home after the ceremony. I edited the names out of the picture, but you can see a few of the finished products. They turned out so adorable.

I love using technology just as much as the next blogger and there are a lot of great tutorials online (like this one!) to create silhouettes digitally on a computer, but the ink expense for an entire class of silhouettes is a little too much to for me to justify.

 All of these pieces worked out perfectly for a wonderful graduation ceremony. I was so proud of my graduates and have already received many compliments from so many parents. 

As soon as the ceremony was over, I raced out the door to get a quick blessing from the Pastor, and went straight to the hospital for surgery. That's right- after graduation I went under the knife. If you can believe it, I actually PLANNED my surgery to immediately follow graduation. It was not an emergency, but needed to be done relatively soon. I intend to teach part time this summer and the control freak in me wanted every bit of recovery time that I could get before I had to be back in the classroom. Needless to say: between graduation, surgery, and a very rough start to my recovery; the weekend has been quite a whirlwind and this was certainly a kindergarten graduation that I will never forget.

Miraculously, I SURVIVED all of it!

I'm proud to link up and share the song lyrics (and more great stuff) on Manic Monday at Classroom Freebies. Click the button to the right to hop on over and grab more great freebies (and discover other fabulous blogs.)