MacFormat 1995 April/macformat-023.iso/Shareware City/Info/technology-within-curriculum/integrating tech/integrating tech.rsrc/TEXT_157.txt

Text File | 1994-11-25 | 19.3 KB | 359 lines

The following activities were gathered by Janet Sisson @ tenet.edu.

Read More About It

Kid Pix Around the World:  A Multi-cultural Computer Activity Book  by BJ Chan
ISBN 0-20-1-62226-2.   $12.95

Official Kid Pix Activity Book: 350 Easy Educational and Entertaining Projects
for You and Your Child ISBN 0-67-9-74685-4 $14.95

Kid Pix Activities

1.  What Could it Be? - Try out all the Kid Pix tools.  What kinds of sounds do
the tools make?  What do these sounds remind you of?  What kinds of lines, brush
strokes, and images do the tools produce?  If you were giving these things names,
what would you call them?

2.  Shapes - How many shapes can you make with Kid Pix?  Find out which tools
make shapes.  Make a picture using these shapes.

3.  Symmetry - What is symmetry?  Find out which Kid Pix tools produce
symmetrical images or effects.  Make a picture using symmetry.

4.  Randomness - What is randomness?  Find out which Kid Pix tools produce random
images or effects.

5.  Big, bigger, biggest - How many ways can you find to illustrate this concept
using Kid Pix?  How about other concepts such as thick/thin, light/dark,
inside/outside, over/under, opaque/ transparent?

6.  Silly sentences - Some letters and numbers sound like words,  For example,
ICU = I see you.  Listen to the letters and numbers in Kid Pix. What words do
they sound like?  Make silly sentences using letters and numbers as words.  Make
a vanity license plate using letters and numbers as words.

7.  Rebus sentences - In a rebus sentence pictures take the place of some of the
words.  Use Kid Pix stamps to create rebus sentences.  See how many sentences you
can make.

8.  Drawing with letters and numbers - Letters and numbers produced with the
Alphabet tool can be used to make pictures.  For example, sevens arranged in a V
look like a flock of birds in flight, eight can be used to make a snowman, etc.
See how many pictures you can make out of letters, numbers, and other symbols.

9.  Picture Dictionary - Choose your favorite rubber stamp pictures and stamp
them on the screen.  What letter of the alphabet does each picture begin with?
Use the Alphabet tool to stamp the letter beside the picture. Then use the moving
van tool to arrange the pictures and letters in alphabetical order.

10.  Alphabet flowers - Draw a circle  using the Oval tool.  Use the Alphabet
tool to place a letter inside the circle.  Stamp rubber stamp pictures that begin
with that letter around the circle to make an alphabet flower.

11.  Telling time - Make a clock face, using the Oval tool with the Shift key
held down to draw a perfect circle.  Use the Wacky Brush dot to dot options to
place numbers around the clock face.  Use the straight line tool to make the
clock hands.  Set the clock for a special time.  Use the Alphabet tool to write a
message such as "Time to Wake up!" beside the clock.

12.  Sets - Sets are groups of similar things.  Use the Wacky Brush tool to draw
a line of shapes on the screen.  Use the moving van tool to move similar shapes,
grouping them together to form sets.  Count the number of shapes in each set.
Place the number beside the set, using the Alphabet tool.

13.  Subtraction means taking away - Draw a house on the screen.  Stamp a group
of rubber stamp pictures on the screen  - five dogs, for example. Use the moving
Van tool to move some of the stamp pictures - three dogs, for instance -- into
the house.  Use the Alphabet tool to write an equation explaining what you have
done (5-3=2).

14.  Bar graphs and pie charts - Bar graphs and pie charts give visual pictures
of relationships between numbers.  To create a pictorial bar graph, use the Wacky
Brush tool to place several dice across the bottom of the screen.  Use the rubber
stamp tool to stamp pictures reflecting the numbers on the dice in a column above
each one.  Use the Rectangle tool and various fill patterns to create a plain bar
graph.  Use the Oval tool and the Straight Line tool to create a pie chart.

15.  Autobiographies - Creating autobiographies helps students become aware of
who they are and enhances self esteem.  By sharing autobiographies with class
members, students give others an opportunity to know them better.  If the system
you are using has a microphone, have students record autobiographical messages to
accompany their drawings as part of a multimedia presentation.  The recorded
message could be in the form of a favorite piece of music, a song, or rap poem.

16.  Comic Strips - Creating comic strips is an excellent way for students to
learn techniques of story telling and to understand sequential organization of
material.  Have students design their own comic strips using Kid Pix.  The
content of the strips can be humorous or serious. They can reflect subjects the
class is studying or focus on school or community issues.

17.  Story Maps - Introduce students to the concept of story mapping, using a
familiar story such as little Red Riding Hood as an example.  You may want to
point out that stories are often about journeys in which the main character
leaves a safe place - home --then travels a difficult path filled with obstacles
in order to reach another safe place -- which is the end or resolution of the
story.

18.  Picture Poems - Discuss the way various poets have used the arrangement of
words on the page to heighten the impact of their poetry. The American poet e.e.
cummings is a good example.  Have students compose original poems or choose
favorite poems or nursery rhymes to make into pictures.

19.  What's Beyond the Wall? - Discuss imagination with the class.  Share
literature in which characters enter other worlds, such as C.S. Lewis's The Lion,
the Witch, and the Wardrobe, or Ezra Jack Keats's Trip to the Moon.   Brainstorm
possible other worlds helping students to think about what elements, animals,
plants, buildings, etc. they might find there. Using Kid Pix have students draw a
window for viewing this strange place and draw what they might see there.

20.  In the Style of - Truly "seeing" a painting takes time and concentration.
By studying and then imitating the styles of various artists, students learn to
give paintings more than just a fleeting glance and gain inspiration for their
own creative efforts.  Have students choose their favorite artist from among
those discussed and use Kid Pix to create a painting in his or her style.  Once
students have absorbed the work of other artists, have them create abstract art
of their own.

21.  Theme Quilts - Bring in books on quilts to share with the class. Find
historical examples of theme quilts.  Discuss the current AIDS quilt project as
an example of how a theme quilt has helped heighten public awareness of a
problem.  discuss the theme of the quilt the class will make.  You may want to
have the entire class work on one quilt or divide students into groups to make
several quilts.  Quilts could relate to subject matter being studies --such as
science, history, myths and legends--or to social or ecological concerns.  When
the squares are finished, students assemble them in quilt form, by gluing them to
construction paper backing.

22.  Totem Poles - Introduce students to totem pole carvings of northwest Indian
tribes, the Maori of New Zealand, and others.  Discuss how, in these cultures,
totem poles are carved and painted with a series of symbols that represent family
lineage and mythical or historical incidents.  Talk about how art can have
meaning for societies beyond mere decoration or beauty.  Divide the class into
groups or clans.  Each clan invents an identity for itself, including such things
as animals, people, and events important to the clan.  The group then creates a
totem pole, with each student designing one element of the pole.  Oral
presentations can be given explaining the significance of each element in the
totem pole.

23.  Who Am I Necklaces - Students can use stamps to depict objects typically
associated with a famous individual or group of individuals. Cut the objects out
and attach them using string or yarn.  Have class members try to guess the
identity from the clues given.

24.  Wish You Were Here - Discuss what kinds of things stamps and postcards tell
about a country.  Ask students with stamp collections to bring in stamps showing
things such as national heroes, animals, and monuments.  Divide the class into
groups.  Each group will make stamps and postcards for a real or imaginary
country.  Have students create postcards using the full Kid Pix screen to draw a
scene from the real or imaginary country.  Print out and glue to stiff
construction paper.  Students then write "Wish you were here..."  messages on the
postcards.  They paste the stamps on the cards, and "Mail" them to other members
of the class.

25.  Alphabet Books - Have students use the letter stamps to choose a letter,
then browse through the rubber stamps to find objects that begin with that
letter.

26.  Number books - Have students create sets of items equal to the number they
are studying.

27.  Slide Show  - Have groups research their topic and brainstorm ideas about
how to present the information they gather.  They might decide to draw pictures,
make pie charts or bar graphs.  Group  members divide up the work and proceed to
produce a series of visuals with accompanying recorded messages or sound effects.
 Each picture should be numbered consecutively (the number can be incorporated in
the name) and saved. Students from other groups view the "Slide" show by opening
the files in numerical order, or if Kid Pix Companion is present by viewing the
actual slide show..  At the end of the year, students could put together an audio
visual class year book, documenting important events and things that happened
during the year.  These on-disk yearbooks could be saved as part of a permanent
school history.

28.  Shelters - How many different shelters (a teepee, a barn, etc.) are there in
the sets of stamps?   Have students pick out each shelter.  Using the keyboard or
the Alphabet Tool, enter the name of the shelter next to the stamp, and then use
the Moving Van to place the stamps on the screen in alphabetical order.

29. The Rest of the Story - Choose DrawMe.  Listen to the DrawMe, then have the
students read the instructions that appear on the screen.  Write a sentence or
two to make a little story.

30. Noun Sense - Choose DrawMe.  Have students circle all the nouns in the
instructions that appear on the screen, then use the Moving Van to place the
nouns in alphabetical order.

31. Art Gallery - Choose ColorMe.  Have each student select and color a ColorMe
picture.  Print out the finished pictures and display them in an "Art Gallery" on
the walls around the classroom.

32. Monster Movie - Have the class help you make a slide show using the monsters
in the new set of Companion stamps.  If possible, display the program on a large
screen in front of the class.  Let the students select a monster stamp, then use
shift or shift-option to make the stamp larger. Place the enlarged stamp on the
Kid Pix drawing screen.  Mix or match the different parts.  Ask the class to
select a name for the monster and save it under that name.   Choose and name
several more monsters, and create a slide show for the class with them.

33. Story Mapping - Make available a selection of folk and fairy tales. Students
select a familiar folk or fairy tale, retell it orally in their own words, and
create a slide show illustrating their story.  Use the slide show to illustrate
the story as it is told by the students.

34. Sing Along - Gather a collection of songs appropriate to the age group of the
class that lend themselves to illustration and community singing. Create drawings
and enter the lyrics that go with the picture using the Alphabet Tool or
keyboard.  Assemble the completed pictures into a slide show, and have the
students sing through the presentation.  Extension: Use the microphone to allow
students to sing the lyrics and record them in the slide show frames.

35. School Day Diary - On a rotating basis, a student is chosen to create a
drawing that illustrates favorite subjects covered in a school day using Kid Pix
drawing tools, stamps, or ColorMe pictures.  Place the pictures in a slide show,
and at the end of each week/month/six weeks, play the slide show for the entire
class.  Extension: Play the slide show in a continuous loop during Open House.

36. Critter Catalog - Assign a category of animals (insects, birds, etc.) to
groups in the class. Have them use the original and Kid Pix Companion stamp sets
to prepare pictures.  Have the groups label each animal and list some of its
characteristics.  Have the group design a Critter Catalog title screen to be
placed at the beginning of a slide show , and a credit screen at the end, listing
the names of those in the group.

37.  Once Upon a Time - Discuss the elements of good stories (plot, structure,
suspense, and characterization) with the class.  Then, have individuals or groups
in the class make up a short story and illustrate it with Kid Pix Companion
stamps, ColorMe pictures, or original Kid Pix art. Then, place the pictures in a
slide show, which is presented to the class while the story is recited.

38. Compliments All Around - Select a DrawMe description.  Give students a set
amount of time to complete the picture, using his/her own interpretations of the
same DrawMe instructions.  Print out the pictures and display them around the
room.  Have the class hold a secret ballot to select the best picture, or have
the class compliment each picture.

39. Shaping Up - Using Kid Pix tools, have the children draw a shape on the Kid
Pix screen.  Have them explore the Kid Pix and Companion stamp sets to find
things that match or have the same shape.

40. Numbermania - Assign a number to each child.  Using Kid Pix with Kid Pix
Companion have each student draw their assigned number and decorate it with Kid
Pix tools, Rubber Stamps, Electric Mixer effects, and sound effects.

41. Primate Parade - Have students draw or scan pictures of common traits between
anthropods (gibbons, apes, orangutans, etc.) and humans and list one one or two
characteristics that they share with humans.

42. Where No Human Has Gone Before...   Have students research and prepare a
report on a planet  in the solar system and illustrate the report with a drawing
of the planet, including its name and most important features in the picture.
Assemble the pictures into a slide show and present it to the class.

43.  What's in a Name?  Have the children use the Alphabet Tool or keyboard to
enter their name across the screen.  Then have the children go through the stamp
sets and place stamps that begin with the same letter as a letter in their name
under that letter.  Have the students total the number of stamps in each column
and use the alphabet tool to stamp the number at the bottom of the column.

44. Spelling Bee - Have students go through the stamp sets and pick out stamps
that they can spell.  Then, have them go through and, using the keyboard or
Alphabet Tool, place the name of the stamp beside it.  Go through and check the
spelling of the words.  If a word is misspelled, or the student does not know how
to spell a word, have them look it up in a dictionary.  Then, have the students
arrange their stamps and words in alphabetical order using the Moving Van.

45. Dimension Doodles - Discuss dimensions with the children.  One way would be
to start with a dot, then a square, then a cube, then a cube with sound.  Have
students draw pictures in different dimensions, one per screen, and have them
label each example.  Then, create a slide show with the drawings.

46.  Well Parse Me!  Have each student open a DrawMe screen   Using the text tool
or the keyboard, have them make a list of the various parts of a sentence below
the DrawMe instructions.  Using the Kid Pix Copy and Paste functions, have the
students select the various parts of speech from the DrawMe sentence and move it
down and place it next to the sentence part that describes it.  Check each
student's work, and help them correct any errors.

47.  The Days of My Life - Starting with the year of their birth, have each
student make a list of the years of their lives.  Direct them to research
materials, have them pick out one event of importance for each year on the list,
and write down a short description of the event and its date.  Using Kid Pix,
have each student draw a single screen picture that illustrates the event chosen
for each year.  Then, have the student create a slide show, placing the pictures
in chronological order.

48. Teacher's Helper - Language Arts:

*Use a slide show as a set of high-tech flash cards. Set up a slide show where
students can practice learning letters or words.

*Have students pick out a ColorMe picture and write a story about it.

*Prepare a slide show of different words, illustrated by drawings, graphics, or
stamps.  Have students identify the words as nouns, verbs, etc.

Math:

*Prepare a slide show as a set of math problems.  Just enter the problem, and
leave the answer blank.  You can use this as a class exercise, having students
raise their hands to provide the answers, or have them work independently and
write the answers down.

*Using Kid Pix stamps, prepare a slide show of illustrated multiplication tables.
 Use as a class exercise, or have students work independently to memorize the
tables.

History:

*Prepare a slide show that illustrates the highlights of an event being studied,
using original drawings, graphics, or scanned images.  Play the slide show for
students, asking them to identify the event and when it occurred.

*Prepare a slide show, placing a date in each frame.  Have students research the
date and edit the frames, drawing a picture illustrating an event on that date.

Social Studies:

*Select a current social or environmental issue and prepare a slide show
illustrating how the problem developed.  Have the students view the slide show,
then write a report on what the problem is and how they feel society can solve
it.

*Prepare a slide show  illustrating the evolution of communication anywhere from
display behavior in apes to virtual reality. Have students view the slide show,
identify the method of communication, and then write a report on how it evolved.

*Prepare a slide show with a map of a different country from a given continent in
each frame.  Have students view the slide show and identify the country.

Science:

*Prepare a slide show that demonstrates cycles, growth, weather changes, geologic
processes, habitats, etc., for presentation to the class.  Use the slide show to
prompt class discussion of a given area or use as a jumping off point for the
students to prepare more detailed slide shows of their own, or do a written
report.

*Prepare a slide show, that shows a variety of plant leaves, flowers, insects,
etc. Have students identify the contents of each slide, either as an oral class
exercise, or in a written list.

Arts:

*Create a slide show with examples of different kinds of painting: primitive
impressionist, cartoons, etc.  Have students identify the type of art, and select
one style to research, identifying noted artists in the field and the period in
which it developed.

*Prepare a slide show about the different kinds of music: classical, folk, jazz,
rock, etc., using Kid Pix stamps, graphics, or scanned images to display
instruments that are indicative of the musical style.  Have students identify the
music, and name prominent composers or artists in that area.


49.  Acrostic Poems - Use the alphabet stamps to create and illustrate acrostic
poems.