Computer Capers
September 2007
www.buddyproject.org
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1 Day Photo Frame
The “first day of school” photo is always one to keep for
the memory books, so why not make it extra special this
year? Use your computer to add some designs as well as
text that tell about you on that special day. Begin with a
drawing program, drawing a large rectangle on the page,
at least 5 x 7 so that a 4 x 6 photo will have a border
surrounding it. Now fill the rectangle with a favorite
color or pattern. Next import a “first day
of school” photo and place it in the
middle of your rectangle so that there
is at least a 1 inch border around it.
(If you don’t have a digital photo, you
can scan one in or just draw a 4 x 6
rectangle in position so that you can
paste one there after you print out
your page.) Next, use the text tool to add
information around the border. On the top, put your full
name and then beneath that, the title: “1st Day of
School.” At the bottom, place the school year and grade.
On the left side you can put your height and weight. On
the right side, put your school name, and teacher’s
name. Be sure to capitalize the proper nouns. Hint: for
the right and left sides, rotate the text box 90 degrees so
the text prints bottom to top or top to bottom. You can
also add more information, such as favorite subjects,
sports, or interests. What about your goals for the year?
Decorate with appropriate clip art around the border to
fill empty space. When your frame is completed, print
out a color copy and enjoy this special keepsake for
years to come.
Indiana Language Arts Standard 2.4.5 Use a computer to draft,
revise, and publish writing. 2.6.7 Capitalize all proper nouns.
Diagram Your Denim
Everyone has a favorite pair of jeans that
they love to wear. Do your old ones still
fit? What do your new jeans look like?
Create a Venn diagram that you will
use to compare and contrast your new
jeans to your old jeans. How are they alike?
How are they different? Compare things such
as: length (actually measure them!), width,
color, size, brand, cost, special markings (such
as holes in the knee) or designs and anything
else that you observe. Use a word processor or
drawing program to record your findings.
Begin by drawing 2 overlapping circles. At the
top place the headings: “Old Jeans” on top of
the left circle, and “New Jeans” on top of the
right circle. Within each side, write how they
are each contrasting or have their own unique
qualities. Within the center space, write their
similarities. Did you enjoy diagramming your
denim? If so, why not
New Jeans
Old Jeans
gather up your family
along with each of their
favorite pair jeans and do
the same activity?
Create as many circles
on your Venn Diagram
as there are family members and have fun
comparing and contrasting with each other.
Indiana Science Standard 3.1.3 Keep and report records of
investigations and observations using tools, such as journals,
charts, graphs, and computers. 3.5.1 Select and use
appropriate measuring units, such as centimeters (cm) and
meters (m), grams (g) and kilograms (kg), and degrees Celsius
(°C).
Tasty Travels
How far do your favorite foods travel to get to your table? From where do they come? Track the travels of
a few of your family’s favorite food items by using a spreadsheet. Begin by listing five produce items that
your family regularly enjoys, going down column A in a spreadsheet. In column B, place the location or
origin of the item. This may be local from a local farm, from another state, or even from another country.
(Hint: look for stickers on most items that identify the place grown.) Finally, use a map or
atlas to estimate how far the item traveled to get to your home and place that distance in
miles for each in column C. What item was found closest to home? Farthest? Any
surprises? What did you learn? Challenge: Can you compute the total distance all items
traveled? The average distance traveled?
Indiana Mathematics Standard 4.3.2 Estimate distances between two places on a map, using a scale
of miles, and use cardinal and intermediate directions when referring to relative location.