Well the year has ended and a new one is here. It is hard to decide where to start. Immediately we have Martin Luther King Day. To use clip art in the classroom try the following:

Use an overhead projector to create an outline for of each child’s head, several different silhouettes are available at www.graphicsfactory.com. Using construction paper stapled to lined paper cut out the silhouette and depending upon the age of the children have them write about Dr. King’s dream or his life on the back. The older the child the more information the will be able to share. An excellent theme is what Dr. King wanted for children.

There are great essay opportunities for older children as well. If you are teaching middle or high school here are some quotes on which children can base their essays.

Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.

Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle, the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.

I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

So you have a project that requires art, and you barely have enough artistic skill to complete a game of Hangman. Well, you’re in luck, because there’s a plethora of ready-made clip art and graphics just waiting for you on the web at graphicsfactory.com. These clip art images are copyright-safe and created by professional artists and can be downloaded and embedded in any project.

What kind of projects?

Family newsletters, homemade greeting cards, community bulletins – you name it. They’re categorized in a variety of ways, such as by “keyword” or “holiday.” These databases are easily searchable so you can quickly locate just the right piece of clip art you need.

Usually a thumbnail version of the clip art you want will pop up first. Then you can click on it and it will expand to a larger preview. This way you’ll get a better idea of how it will look on the page. The enlarged images will probably have a “watermark” on them, which will disappear after they’re purchased.

Holidays Keyword Ideas

Looking to dress something up for the holidays? There’s already a host of clip art and graphics available, and more is being created all the time. Here are just a few ways to illustrate your holiday-themed projects:

• New Year’s : Party hats and streamer clip art


• Valentine’s Day : Candy, hearts, “XOXO” images


• St. Patrick’s Day : Mugs of green beer, leprechauns, four-leaf clover clip art


• Easter : The Christian cross, decorated eggs clip art


• Fourth of July : Flags, fireworks clip art


• Halloween : Ghosts, pumpkins, witches, black cats, candy clip art


• Thanksgiving : Turkey (live), turkey (cooked), pilgrims, Indians, table laden with food clip art


• Christmas : Baby in a manger, angels, three wise men, Christmas tree, holly, carolers

Other Ideas

You can also use clip art and graphics to enhance your PowerPoint presentations, business cards and personal letterhead. There’s a variety of styles available, ranging from classic to contemporary to the truly comical.

For example, if you own a bakery, you should search graphicsfactory.com for bakery-themed images, such as a chef, baker, cook, rolling pin, baked bread, oven, etc. It’s important that the clip art you choose conveys who you are and what you do at once. So a person flicking through his Rolodex will be able to identify you immediately.

When searching for clip art it’s important to use common search terms like “kitten,” not “feline” or to be more specific “kitten and ball of string.” Once a list of potential clip art is pulled up, you should consider if the image fits your needs. Is it scalable? That is, if you need to enlarge it, will it become blurry and grainy? If you have to make it smaller, will you still be able to see all the detail?
Once you locate and purchase the clip art you want, it’s yours to use however and wherever you want, for as many times as you want, unless otherwise specified in the usage rights.

Thanks to the abundance of quality clip art and graphics available at graphicsfactory.com, even the most artistically-challenged person can now produce a stellar-looking project.

With Halloween right around the corner, here is a tip that will have trick or treaters howling for more.

Mystery Bags are a great way to ensure that everyone receives a treat and they still have a choice. Each bag will be sealed and put in a basket by the door. In the event that you are not home or have to step away from the door you can label the basket “Take One” this will increase the excitement since there will be several different bag “styles” available.

You will need:

• A set number of brown paper lunch sacks – based on the number of visitors you expect
• Glue sticks
• A stapler
• Clip Art
• Internet connection
• Computer printer
• Candy

Graphicsfactory.com is full of fun clip art downloads for all occassions. We have selected several fun halloween clip art images for this activity.

Directions:

• Go to www.graphicsfactory.com
• Go to the search bar and enter the word halloween
• Select your clip art pictures
• Once you have downloaded your clip art pictures print them out and make sure you have one picture for each bag
• Once you have printed the clip art pictures, cut them out and use the glue stick to glue one to each bag
• Fill the bags with candy and staple shut
• The bags are ready for your visitors!

Happy Haunting