Getting Started with Kidspiration

Picture View

Create a diagram in Picture view:

Open Kidspiration from the Start menu
To start a new diagram, click the Picture button
The First Idea provides a starting point for your work.

Add symbols to your diagram:

· Click a symbol to select it (you will see red squares appear at the corners)

· Click the Add Symbol button.

Adding text to symbols:

Click a symbol to select it, begin typing.

Using the symbol palette:

On the symbol palette, click the Pick Library button and select a category.
Choose the symbol you want and drag it onto your diagram.

Connect symbols using links:

Click a symbol to select it.
Click the Link Symbols button to turn it on
Click a second symbol to create a link to it from the first symbol selected.
Click the Link Symbols button to turn it off.

Listen to the ideas in your diagram:

To turn on the Listen tool, click the Listen button.
To hear the computer read an idea in your diagram, click a symbol.
To turn off the Listen tool, click the Listen button again.

Record your own words or sounds:

Click a symbol to select it.
On the Sound menu, click Record
A “tape player” screen will appear; to begin recording, click the Record button.
When you are finished recording the sound, click Save.
To play the recording, click the speaker in the upper right corner of the selected symbol.

Clear part of your diagram:

To erase a symbol, click the Clear button (the eraser).

Fix a mistake (undo):

To undo what you just did, click the Undo button (the shocked person).

Change the look of symbols using color:

You can change the colors of two-color symbols and multicolor symbols.
Click a symbol to select it – the Symbol Colors tool appears on the Formatting toolbar at the bottom of your screen.
On the Symbol colors tool, click the color that you want to change, and then click a new color on the color menu.

Writing View

Work with ideas in Writing view:

To view your diagram in Writing view, click the Go to Writing button (the pencil and paper button).

Add an idea:

Click an idea to select it.
To add the new idea, click the Add Idea button (the piece of paper button).
Type an idea in the new idea line.

Move an idea:

To move an idea, click the left side of the idea. When the grabber hand appears, drag the idea to the new location.

Add details to an idea:

Click below the top line of an idea to type details.

Change the look of ideas using the Formatting tools

Select the text you want to change.
To change text color, click the Text Color button (the A with little diagonal lines at the top right) and then click on a color you like.
Click the arrows on the Font box until you see a font you like.
To increase text size, click the up arrow, to decrease size, click the down arrow.

Change the prefix style

There are several prefix styles. You can choose letters ,numbers, Roman Numerals, bullets or none of these.

SuperGrouper Tool

Categorize ideas using the SuperGrouper tool:

Click the SuperGrouper button (the jar with round objects), and then click the SuperGrouper shape you want.

Add a title to a SuperGrouper category:

Select the SuperGrouper category, and then type.

Add symbols to a SuperGrouper category:

Drag a symbol to the SuperGrouper category, or drag the SuperGrouper category over a symbol, or select the SuperGrouper category, and then click the Add Symbol button.

Remove symbols from a SuperGrouper category:

Drag the symbol to another location, or select the symbol and click the Clear button (the eraser).

Create an Activity

Create an Activity:

Create the assignment or project in Writing or Picture view.
Enable the Teacher menu.
On the Teacher menu, click Save As Activity.
Select the default settings you want for the activity.
Click the category under which you want the activity to appear.
In the Activity Name box, type a name for the activity.
In the Description of Activity box, type a description for the activity.
When you are finished modifying the activity, click Finish.

Modify an Activity:

Open the activity.
Make any changes.
Enable the Teacher menu.
On the Teacher menu, click Save As Activity.
Select the default settings you want for the activity.
Click the category under which you want the activity to appear.
In the Activity Name box, type a name for the activity.
In the Description of Activity box, type a description for the activity.
When you are finished modifying the activity, click Finish.

How to Create New Symbol Libraries

To Create New Symbol Libraries

Enable the Teacher menu.
On the Teacher menu, click New Symbol Library
In the Category list, click the category that you want the new library to appear under on the Symbol toolbar.
In the Library box, type a name for the new library.

Insert Custom Symbols and Graphics into the Symbol Libraries
You can also insert custom symbols and graphics into the symbol libraries so they are available for use on a regular basis. There are several ways to insert graphics into the symbol libraries. You can:

Insert a symbol or graphic on your picture into a symbol library.
Insert a graphics file into a symbol library.
Copy and paste a graphic into a symbol library.

More Tips

To turn the Teacher menu on or off, click Enable Teacher Menu on the Teacher menu.
You can add hyperlinks to ideas, notes, symbols, and links. Before you add a hyperlink, make sure URL Hyperlink Auto-detection is turned on in Application Options. You can add a hyperlink by just typing the hyperlink itself or selecting text and clicking URL Hyperlink on the Teacher menu. Then you will type the Internet address that you want to assign to the text in the Hyperlink Address box.
Talking Interface can be turned on or off by going to the Teacher menu and clicking Application Options. Then select or clear the Talking Interface check box. The same can be done for the Listen took, the sound recording, animation.
In Picture view, you can export a diagram to the following file formats: BMP(Windows), PICT(Macintosh), GIF, JPEG, HTML.
In Writing view, you can export a project to the following file formats: plain text, AppleWorks (RTF), Microsoft Word (RTF), HTML
You can add your name and other information such as your teacher and subject area to your project. When you print your work, the name appears at the top of the page.
Page numbers appear only when you print a project in Writing view. When you print, the page numbers appear at the bottom of the page.