Idea 1)  Two hour open lab, software preview, primary school computer lab
Idea 2) Two hour college planning; financial aid choices software, high school computer lab

The following are the instructions to use American Greetings Crafts! Deluxe software. You may need to modify the directions to suit your particular software program.  Choose BRAND NEW, STICKER, then press NEXT.
Choose the size of labels (bookmarks) you prefer.  We chose 5160 Address (1"x2 5/8"), then press FINISH.  Choose ADD, then PICTURE FROM DISK, then navigate to where you saved your graphics.  Click on the graphic you want to use, then press OPEN.  Move your graphic to position it to the left side of a label.  Rotate your graphic until the bottom of the graphic is in the left side of the label. (see picture)
Choose EDIT, then COPY.  Choose EDIT, then PASTE.  There is now a copy of the picture on top of the original one.  Choose ARRANGE, then MIRROR LEFT to RIGHT.   Drag the graphic to the right side of the label until the graphic is in the right side of the label.  (see picture)  Repeat these steps until you have made as many bookmarks as you wish.  Keep in mind, these make nice gifts for your friends, classmates (hand out on first day of school!), teachers, or parents!  It is just as easy to make 3 as it is 20!  Print out your bookmarks on cardstock paper.  Cut out the bookmarks using scissors or paper cutter.  Fold bookmark in half, meeting small ends together.  Cut 2 pieces of magnet to fit inside lower short edge of bookmark.  Make sure that you have the 2 pieces so that they attract and not repel!  Remove one piece of paper from the back of one magnet and stick to the inside end of the bookmark.  Leaving the magnets stuck (attracted) together, peel the back off the other magnet and then press all layers (bookmark, magnet, magnet, bookmark) together.  This will assure that the magnets are placed in the correct place.
Enjoy your bookmarks!
Tips  You can also use rubber stamps to stamp out an image on cardstock paper cut to size.  Use markers to color in the image as color pencils and crayons may smudge your book!

This is a neat activity that I use with my students once they have learned how to change the font face, size, bold, underline, and use italics. I then use a modification of this activity once  we have covered adding graphics, borders and text art.

Activity: Students are to create a "Top 10 List" of anything that interests them. They should be sure to include their own name in the title for their list. Examples of student ideas have included "Lyndsey's Top Ten Computer Games", "Chris' Top Ten Places in the World to Visit" and "Sarah's Top Ten CD's". All students begin by typing their list, numbering each item as they go. Detail is encouraged (ex. instead of "Toronto" for a place to visit, students could type "Toronto to tour the CN Tower and SkyDome."). Using the skills of changing the font size and face along with those of bolding, underlining and italicizing, the students "decorate" each entry in their list. The final list should be centered and fill the page. The results are exciting and look impressive. My students are always pleased with their lists and enjoy sharing them with their friends.  This is also a good activity to repeat once other skills have been taught such as adding graphics, borders and text art. For a Hallowe'en activity I had the students create slightly different version of the "Top Ten List". They created "What I Will See on Hallowe'en Night!". They listed ten things that they thought they might see, following the above directions. Once the list was "decorated", the students added graphics, a border and a fancy text art title. The results were so excellent, that we printed these off using our school colour printer!

Use the drawing program within Claris Works to help your students create maps. I have my students create their own town (they often name it
after themselves). Roads are created using the rectangle tool. We use the library (under File) to add graphics. The 'community' section within the
library has everything from banks to schools, to homes. Students must create a legend using the text tool that shows their symbols and what each
represents. A compass must be added and directions are written for a friend to follow using N, E, S, W. Once your students get used to using the
program, teach them how to use the 'free rotate' tool to rotate their cars to go on vertical roads etc. Road signs and interesting areas outside of their
town (eg. lakes, campgrounds, mountains) are also added. This is a really fun way to use this simple program. The kids love it!

                                                                                                    - Shayni Tokarczyk

 Literature Day took a great deal of planning -- and shopping!
 

 Activities were organized to appeal to students in K-2 or 3-5. Each activity session was planned to run from 45-60 minutes. Teachers filled out an activity planning sheet that included the grade level for the activity; the book to be used (title, author, illustrator, publisher, and copyright); a list of needed supplies; and a brief description of the plan. Each plan included an intro discussion, an activity, and a conclusion. Among the activities teachers planned were cooking, movement, arts and crafts, music, drama, game playing, and writing. The teachers' plan sheets were compiled and are on file in the media center for future use.

 Signup for evening activities took place before the PTA meeting that preceded the literature  activities. Each session was limited to 15 children and 15 parents.

 A READING FEAST!

 Westwood teachers have consented to share a handful of their activity ideas so that teachers in other schools might use or adapt them -- or use them to spark new ideas -- for their own Literature Days/Literacy Nights. Among the Westwood activities were these:

  Casey at the Bat by Ernest L. Thayer. The session started with a brief discussion of team   playing and giving one's best. Then the teacher read the book while the audience ate peanuts and Cracker Jacks. When the story was finished, everybody sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." Then participants played a computer baseball game on the Internet. They also had time to make a pennant for their favorite team. The teacher (grade 3) wore her  son's baseball team shirt and a ball cap.

Trees. The opening discussion centered on the importance of trees in our lives. Then the
 teacher read two poems about trees ("Trees" by Joyce Kilmer and "Trees" by Harry Behn).
 Participants then took an Internet field trip through some of our National Parks and, for an art activity, made trees with leaves of tissue paper. The group enjoyed a taste-testing party of foods that come from trees -- including orange juice, apple slices, bananas, and Almond Joys. The teacher (grade 3) dressed in brown from head to toe.

The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister. Participants paired up and shared three positive
 characteristics of a friend. After reading the story about a lonely fish who figures out how to make friends, participants created ocean scenes and covered them with blue cellophane. They ate a snack of rainbow cookies. The teacher (grade 1) dressed in rainbow colors.

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka. Participants shared what they
 recalled of the original "three pigs" story. Then they hissed and booed in all the appropriate places as they listened to Alexander tell his side of the story. Listeners chomped on pork rinds as the teacher read! Then they split into small groups and created their own versions of "The Three Little Somethings" and presented their interpretations for the rest of the group. The teacher (reading specialist) dressed up as the big bad wolf.

"Bugs, Bugs" by Jack Prelutsky and The 512 Ants on Sullivan Street by Carol A.
 Losi. Participants discussed what they knew about ants' homes and habits. They also talked  about making good choices and about consequences. After the book was read, participants  sang "The Ants Go Marching One by One…" and made fingerprint ants. For a snack, they ate "ants on a log" (celery filled with peanut butter, with raisins on top). The teacher (grade 2) dressed in all black and wore antennae.

Look for a Bird by Edith Thacher Hurd. Participants went outside looking for birds to identify. Then the teacher (grade 4) read the book. As a follow-up, participants made birdhouses. For a snack, they made bird nests out of chocolate almond bars, Chinese noodles, and jellybeans.

Clumsy Clown Willie by Morrell Gipson.
 Participants shared their experiences with clowns at the start of the session. After the teacher read the book, everybody made animals out of long balloons. For a snack, they made clown ice cream cones. The teacher (grade 5) made and wore her own clown outfit.