Animated Step-by-Steps®: Animated Step-by-Steps

Showing posts with label Animated Step-by-Steps. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 21, 2022

Kool Cool Treats

Four step-by-step kool, cool treats are available from TpT in 3 formats: Regular, PCS, SymbolStix.

https://teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Bloom/Search:cookies_'n_cream

#AACSLPs #AAC #SLPeeps #AidedLanguageStimulation #SPED #nonverbal #augcomm @PrAACticalAAC @n2yinc #VisualSupports #SLPeeps #SLPs #SLP2B #SpedChat #teachers #disability #SpecialNeeds #autism #cerebralpalsy #Blendedlearning #ATchat #udlchat #edtech #earlyeducation #earlylearning #Assistive Technology #sped @aaccessibleorg @comunicacion.aumentativa @praacticalaac

Monday, June 20, 2016

Making Text More Legible

Animated Step-by-Steps™ are designed to address literacy, language and AAC (if you've purchased a symbol-supported version). When the Animated Step-by-Steps™ were originally designed I chose the AbcPrint font as I felt it emulated printed text, making it appropriate for early literacy training. Although I loved the simplicity of this ‘print’ font, I must admit I’ve always been a bit disappointed that bold AbcPrint is just not as bold as I’d like.

It’s funny how you can think you know an application such as PowerPoint (given the fact that you use it almost every day), then ‘trip across’ a valuable feature that you didn’t realize existed. Recently, that is exactly what happened to me.

My first discovery was the ability to add a shadow to text to make it appear bolder. Although I was aware of the fact that I could add a shadow to text, I had never thought of using it to emulate bolder text. As you can see, it did make the text look bolder … but it also made the text look a bit fuzzy …. not exactly what I wanted for early literacy.

I then discovered, quite by accident, another feature that did turn out to be a productive path. PowerPoint allows you to outline text with lines of varying weights. As you can see below, this option produces text that is in fact bolder, without the detriment of being fuzzy.

Caution: You have to be careful using this feature.

Too thick an outline (determined by assigned line weight) can make the individual letters less distinct.

Although you are unable to make the text of existing Animated Step-by-Steps bolder (the page text is not editable since it's a graphic), moving forward I will be adding a 1pt outline to the page text hoping the text will be more legible for 'beginning readers’ and more appropriate for children with mild visual challenges.

Hopefully this information will be valuable for authors wishing to create content using a bolder version of the AbcFont!

…’til the next post … (new posts every Monday)

Visit my website http://www.animatedstep-by-steps.com
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Augmentative Communication Consultant

Speech-Language Pathologist

Special Educator

Monday, December 28, 2015

Working in a Theme

In Early Childhood Classrooms I’ve always loved working within a theme format. For students with Special Needs and especially children with Complex Communication Needs a theme-based format ensures that vocabulary/symbols will be revisited numerous times over the course of that theme.

As I gradually add titles to the library of Animated Step-by-Steps™, I’m always looking for content that will pair well with existing content. So you can imagine my glee when I discovered a recipe for making Play Snow ... the perfect sensory companion for the Snowman Bundle!

The Snowman Bundle includes an ASbyS

poem (5 Little Snowmen),

story (Let’s Make a Snowman),

craft (Bottle Snowmen), and

recipe (Play Snow).

The Snowman Bundle (4 titles for the price of 3) is available on the Teachers Pay Teachers site in your choice of three versions: Regular, SymbolStix or PCS http://bit.ly/1U8izvY

In colder climates, children can go outside and make a snowman, then return to the classroom to make a Bottle Snowman. The next day, during morning meeting, they can view the 5 Little Snowmen Poem on the interactive whiteboard then use their bottle snowmen to act out the poem during playtime using the ASbyS on the classroom’s iPad. On yet another day, they can use the Play Snow in a rectangular pan or plastic bin to make a snow scene and use miniature props or make Lego creations to populate their winter scene.

Surprisingly, Play Snow actually looks and feels like snow. You can store it in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator and … wow ... now it even feels cold like snow!

Play Snow is made with baking soda and white hair conditioner. As a cautionary note, choose your hair conditioner wisely, as your Play Snow will take on the strong scent of whatever conditioner you choose. Most hair conditioners have a floral scent. I don’t know if one exists … but I’d love to find a white hair conditioner that has a ‘forest/evergreen’ scent. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Depending upon the consistency of your chosen hair conditioner, you may need to increase or decrease the amounts of baking soda vs. conditioner, slightly. Personally, I like the consistency to be amenable to making a stacked snowman. Cleanup is relatively easy, but I would still recommend that you put down a plastic drop cloth to expedite the cleanup process.

As mentioned earlier, the Play Snow can be stored in a ziplock bag … so the fun can continue for the duration of your Snowman/Winter Theme. "Let it snow ... let it snow ... let it snow!"