by Melissa Pickering of iCreate to Educate

In the world of education technology, it’s rare that a learning tool can be effective from Kindergarten all the way through high school… in subjects ranging from biology to foreign language to math.  However, SAM Animation, a simple stop-motion software owned by iCreate and now an exclusively distributed product here at Kaplan, does indeed fit the bill for the breadth and depth we all look for in technology because why wouldn’t we want to maximize our investment in edtech?

There’s no better way to illustrate SAM’s versatility than to highlight projects students have created in the classroom.  Typically working in groups of 2-3, students have the opportunity to use SAM to take sequential pictures of any materials and SAM does the heavy lifting to play back the images in movie form that kids can then edit, adjust the speed, and share with their friends and family.

From around the world, we’ve been inspired by the creations students have made and the level that teachers have integrated SAM into their classroom to increase engagement in the curriculum they already have to teach.

Where is this product particularly effective to enrich the learning experience for all students?  With the help of our core researchers and other teachers, we’ve broken out the key areas that lend themselves well to animating.  These are not the only applications, but hopefully provide a snapshot of the level of breadth and depth SAM Animation can enrich any classroom.

Animate things that change. 

Because stop-motion animation requires to students to break down and recreate processes step-by-step (picture-by-picture), SAM becomes a powerful tool for increasing understandings of changing processes, particularly in science.  Check out this animation that 5^th grade students created to show the changing seasons.

Seasons from iCreate to Educate on Vimeo.

Visualize the unseen.

Content such as chemical reactions, molecular movement, body systems, celestial motion, and other concepts that humans cannot typically interact with are well-suited for animating.  Asking students to make the “invisible visible” challenges them to think about what is happening on a deeper level than obvious to the common eye.  For example, high school students were challenged to show molecular movement as water heats up over time.

Changing the Speed of Atoms from iCreate to Educate on Vimeo.

Share a story related to math or science.

Incorporate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) topics through the use of narratives, providing students with relevance, creative outlets, and a chance to express what they know of a complex concept through the context of a story. This particular example we’ve highlighted here is an 8th grader illustrating what would happen if there was no gravity. After she completed the video, the teacher was able to engage in conversation to question the idea of ‘falling off the building’ in the first place if there truly was no gravity, providing a wonderful opportunity to initiate a meaningful content-focused discussion.  

What if there was no gravity? from iCreate to Educate on Vimeo.

Interpret poetry or other literature.

We often see SAM Animation being used as the 21st century style book report. Teachers ask students to create characters and backgrounds to illustrate their comprehension of a reading assignment. The example below highlights first graders retelling the story of “Where the Wild Things Are” – it’s fabulously narrated by every student in the class, so turn up your speakers!  

Where the Wild Things Are from iCreate to Educate on Vimeo.

The list goes on around the applications of SAM Animation and how it can be used to further enhance any content area. Check out more examples, testimonials, and case studies on iCreate to Educate's website. And as always, happy creating! 

The first Friday of May is International Space Day! This holiday of sorts began as a way to get young children interested in astronomy, as well as math and science, and it has spread to include almost everything related to outer space and our universe. We've come up with a few fun activities that you can do with your classes as a way to celebrate! And don't worry--there are no rocket ships or TARDISes needed for these activities. (Unless you want to include them, of course!)

Star Gazing

from Another Encyclopedia of Theme Activities for Young Children, submitted by Mary Murray

Materials

• black construction paper, one per child; black mural paper, one sheet
• colored paper stars in red, orange, yellow, blue, and white; colored paper sun shape (same size as the stars)
• flashlight
• shallow paint trays; star-shaped sponges, one per child; tempera paint in red, orange, yellow, blue, and white
• tape

What to Do

1. Before you start the activity, cut out stars and the sun from the colored paper and place them on the black mural paper. In the art center, set out the sponges along with paint trays that are filled with star colors.
2. Gather the children around and display the stars on the black sky as you introduce the topic. Read a book about stars and our solar system to the children (for example, Our Solar System by Seymour Simon or What's Out There? A Book about Space by Lynn Wilson).
3. Explain some basic facts about stars!
• Stars are very far away, and our sun is actually a star, too! It is the closest star to Earth. The sun appears to be the biggest star, but it actually isn't; it's just closer to us so it seems big.
• Stars are very large balls of burning hot gases.
• Stars are different colors depending on how hot they are. They can be red, orange, yellow, blue, or white. The blue stars are the hottest, and the red stars are the coolest.
4. Turn the lights down in the room. Teach the children this chant: Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight / go ahead and shine your light. Shine your flashlight on a specific star and invite the children to name the color of the star. Repeat the chant and continue the activity as you shine your light on a variety of colors of stars.
5. Invite the children to move to the art center, where they can create their own star paintings. Encourage them to dip the star-shaped sponges into shallow trays of paint to make stars on their black paper galaxies.

 Creative Constellations

from The GIANT Encyclopedia of Science Activities for Children 3-6, submitted by Carla Scholl

Materials

• black construction paper
• rulers or anything with a straight edge
• self-adhesive foil stars
• white crayons

What to Do

1. Introduce the word "constellation," and show some examples in a book or on the drawing board.
2. Tell the children that they will make their own constellation.
3. Give each child a piece of construction paper, several star stickers, a ruler, and a white crayon. The children arrange their stars on the paper.
4. Demonstrate how to use the ruler to connect the stars with white lines, and let the children connect the stars of their constellation.
5. Write the name of the child's constellation on the top of the paper, and hang all of the children's constellations against a dark blue bulletin board to display.
6. Sing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."

Telescope Tubes

from The GIANT Encyclopedia of Preschool Activities for Three-Year-Olds, submitted by Tina R. Durham-Woehler

Materials

• glitter paint
• trays or paint containers
• empty toilet tissue tubes
• easel paintbrushes
• permanent marker

What to Do

1. Pour glitter paint into trays or paint containers.
2. Give each child a large paintbrush and a toilet paper tube.
3. Encourage the children to paint the outside of their tubes as desired, using as many paint colors as desired.
4. Use a permanent marker to write each child's name inside his tube.
5. Place the tubes upright on a tray or other drying surface. Make sure it is not a papered surface because the tube will stick to it in the drying process.

More fun!

• Science: Hang paper stars on the walls and ceiling of the room. Encourage the children to use their tubes to locate the stars.
• MORE Science! Place glow-in-the-dark cosmic shapes under a tabletop and put a dark colored blanket or sheet over the table. Encourage the child to take his tube under the table to spot the glowing stars and shapes. If the shapes stop glowing, use a bright flashlight to start the glowing again!

Happy Space Day!

Get the kids in your classroom up and moving--and promote nutrition at the same time--with this fun activity from Deborah Kayton Michals' new book, Up, Down, Move Around--Nutrition and Motor Skills: Active Learning for Preschoolers. And the best part is that you don't need any materials for this activity!

Pasta Wiggle

Good nutrition gives us energy, and the shapes are fun to make!

How to Do It

1. Ask the children to form a big circle. Ask them to raise their hands if they have ever eaten pasta, such as spaghetti. Tell them that pasta--especially whole-wheat pasta--is good for them!
2. Ask them if they know that pasta comes in lots of shapes. Let them describe some of the shapes that pasta can be found in. If possible, have some examples of uncooked pasta in a variety of shapes for the children to examine. Tell them that pasta changes as it cooks: it becomes softer!
3. Begin the exercise by asking the children to stand and make a stiff shape like an uncooked piece of spaghetti:

Show me how straight and stiff spaghetti looks (stand stiffly like uncooked pasta) before it is cooked!

Move around like you are uncooked! (Move around, walking stiffly)

Now we drop the pasta into boiling water.

Let's jump in! (Pretend to jump into hot water)

As we soften, we make a wiggly shape. (Slowly form a wiggly shape)

Now the pasta is fully cooked!

Let's all do a wiggly dance! (Dance around like  wiggly, squiggly cooked pasta!)

Move around the room like a squiggly piece of cooked spaghetti! (Move around the room)

Now come back to the circle. (Make a circle.)

Expand It!

• Repeat the exercise using different pasta shapes: ziti (tube), bowtie, short, long, lasagna (wide), wagon wheel, and so on. Go around the circle, and encourage the children to show you different shapes of pasta with their bodies.
• If your center allows, have some delicious whole-wheat pasta for lunch.

For more nutrition and motor skills fun, check out Up, Down, Move Around--Nutrition and Motor Skills: Active Learning for Preschoolers, available now from Kaplan in paperback--and coming soon as an eBook. It is part of a series, too, so make sure you look into Up, Down, Move Around--Math and Literacy: Active Learning for Preschoolers, as well! Both are written by Deborah Kayton Michals. 

Next Monday, April 22, is Earth Day! There are so many ways to celebrate the earth--recycling, planting new flowers, trees, and vegetables, going outside to play--and more! Here is one way that you can celebrate the earth with your children.

A Bunny Rabbit's Garden

In this activity, your child will learn to develop imaginative thinking and descriptive language, to increase small and large motor skills, and to learn about the cycle of plant growth.

Materials

• 9" x 12" craft foam sheets
• any of the tales by Beatrix Potter, especially The Tale of Peter Rabbit
• clear packing tape
• garden plot, or planters and soil
• permanent colored markers
• rakes, shovels, small garden stakes
• scissors
• vegetable seeds (as described below)
• water

Preparation

• Select some of the following vegetable seed packets that correspond with the plants mentioned in the story of Peter Rabbit: lettuces, beans, radishes, parsley, cucumbers, cabbages, potatoes, peas, and onions.
• Gather the necessary garden tools.
• Select a spot for your garden. If a spot is not available, use large planters that you can place in a sunny spot.

What to Do

1. Read the story aloud. Explain that Peter will be able to stay out of trouble with his neighbor, Mr. McGregor, if we plant a garden for him to call his own.
2. Cut the craft foam sheets in half to make markers for the seed rows. Help the children print vegetable names and illustrate the markers.
3. Trim the markers around the edges of the designs. Fasten the marker to stakes with tape.
4. Start the planting process according tot he directions provided on the seed packets. When each seed packet is empty, attach it to the appropriate marker.
5. Place the markers to identify each row of seeds.
6. Observe, tend, and water the seeds and young plants.
7. When the produce is ready, pick and enjoy the vegetables that grow in your Bunny Garden.

Tip: Keep a garden log, and record your observations and the children's comments about the planting and growth processes.

For more teacher-created, classroom-tested outdoor activities that engage children's minds and bodies while also building key skills in areas such as math, literacy and language, science, art, and music, check out Let's Take It Outside! Perfect for ages 3 to 6, the activities in Let's Take It Outside! take kids on an outdoor adventure as they make mud-dough letters, go on a rainbow scavenger hunt, and play animal charades!

How do children with Autism communicate differently than typically developing preschool children?

Language disorders are often widely accepted as typical of children with autism. In fact, it may be the most noticed characteristic. A language disorder is defined as a deficit in using words or vocabulary. It can also involve how a child understands language and uses it in social settings. For children with autism, a pragmatic language delay is often seen. Pragmatic language involves using language in a social setting. For example, knowing what is appropriate to say, when to say it, and the general give-and-take nature of a friendly conversation. Because autism is a spectrum ranging from severe to very mild, children with autism will have communication abilities that range from not talking at all (nonverbal) to being able to communicate very well. Often, children with autism who talk will appear to use words and speech in a way that is not meaningful or non-functional.

What do you mean by "communication that is not meaningful"?

Non-functional communication is speech that is understood and spoken clearly, but has no relevance to the interaction that is taking place. For example, four-year-old Evan knows how to talk and does so frequently, but when you ask him to go outside, he simply says, "Bottom of the ninth and the bases are loaded." Evan is communicating. In fact, he is answering the question. Unfortunately, he is answering it in a non-functional manner. However, sometimes what sounds like non-functional communication can, with careful observation, be the child's way of answering in a way that makes sense to him. In other words, there are times when non-functional communication from a teacher's perspective is functional for the child. What Evan really means is, "Going outside is very stressful."

How can non-functional communication be functional for the child?

To answer this question, let's examine how Larry answers questions. He is five, knows about colors, and can name and describe each of them. However, when asked, "Larry, what is your favorite color?" he replies, "Lemon yellow." On the other hand, when asked, "Would you like to go to the block center?" he replies "Crimson red." It appears that he is answering the first question appropriately or functionally, while his answer to the second question is non-functional and not appropriate. 

Larry's teacher has been observing his communication for some time, and has observed that every time Larry responds with "crimson red," it is his way of saying "No!" He has also observed that when Larry means "yes," he answers with "sunset orange." His teacher, through observation and experience, has learned to interpret the meaning behind Larry's non-functional communication. But it doesn't mean that Larry's teacher needs to stop encouraging him to answer "yes" or "no." It means that, while he is learning to answer "yes" and "no," his teacher at least knows how to interpret the way in which Larry is currently expressing his wishes.

Why do children with Autism have so much trouble communicating?

Effective communication is more than just sending and receiving messages. It requires that one person, either the sender or the receiver of the message, interact with the other person. Actually, for the interaction to be successful, the other person must reciprocate in some way. In initiating an exchange of a message or information, the sender must be willing to approach the person with which she will be communicating. Although the child with autism may be able to answer a direct question or make a statement about what she wants, starting a conversation is especially difficult. In fact, a child with autism will more likely initiate a communication when she wants or needs something. It is less likely that she will initiate communication simply for the sake of a social interaction.

Contributed by Clarissa Willis, Ph.D. Dr. Willis has worked for the past 20 years on behalf of children with autism spectrum disorder and their families. She is the author of five books, including the award-winning titles Teaching Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Inclusive Literacy Lessons for Early Childhood. Her articles on child development and early childhood special education have been published both nationally and internationally. Formerly an Associate Professor of Special Education and the Associate Director of the Center of Excellence in Early Childhood Learning and Development at East Tennessee State University, she currently works as an early childhood consultant and frequent speaker at national and international conferences. Dr. Willis lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.