Badges - Ideas for wearing them and alternatives

[homebychoice]

Thanks! That helps a lot! I bet my dd would enjoy wearing them. and it would be a good way to make sure she's paying attention and getting what she's supposed to be getting.

In Mission Friends this week, she made a monkey puppet. I asked her why she made the monkey puppet. Her reply? "because my teacher told me to" I asked her what they were learning about in Mission friends (correct answer - missionaries in Uganda) her answer to that one, "monkeys." - don't think she quite got it!

[baileymom]

We did not do our badges as necklaces.We don't go a whole lot of places during the week to show them off.Crystal is right, I think they are mostly a "visual reminder". We either print a template for dltk-teachdotcom or draw our own and then glue them to the front of our simple lapbooks (file folders with their crafts from the week pasted into them) with the bible truth for that week written under it.There are some pictures on my blog if you want to check there.

I also have some clipart style ones that mamanamadee sent me. I don't have them on my computer anymore...but maybe you could ask her to send them to you. We made a SimplyCharlotteMason scripture memory box, and I want to put our K bible truths in there. Now I'm thinking I'll print her badges out on cardstock and file them in the box like that.

Postby baileymom » Mon Sep 28, 2009 1:09 pm
We amade our's out of construction paper and glued them on the front of file folders and made VERY simple lapbooks for each unit. We would write what we called the "bible truth" on the front with the "badge". We hole punched the lapbooks and all his other papers from K and put them in a notebook/binder. I posted a few pics last Fall on my blog of a few, here is the link.

http://6arrows.blogspot.com/2008/10/con ... arten.html

[mamanamadee]

If you would like to see/use the clip art badges I made, you can email me, and I'll send them to you. nmdeen@hotmail.com
I tried to attach a sample to this reply, but I couldn't figure out how!

ETA--If you do not have a manual, I'm pretty sure that I would be violating copyright laws to give out the entire list of K lessons as they appear on the badges. Thanks!

[tiffany]

We did not do them as necklaces either. We hung them from our kitchen chandelier. When we do MFWK again, I might try to do them as a work ID badge as a clip instead of around the neck. We have 5 boys, and anything with a long rope or string just makes me nervous safety-wise.

I think possibly the original intent of wearing them was so the child could share with others what he was learning about spiritual matters. Early evangelism?

I'll guess out loud for fun. I think it is a combination of giving early opportunities for learning to share, mixed with the fact that the program was originally for classroom and the kids could wear them home

[HSmommi2mine]

We won't do K until next year but I don't plan to make them necklaces. I am going to "laminate each one with clear shelf paper and then use those sticky backed circles of velcro to attach them to a piece of poster board. This way little bit will be able to take them down to show people or play with them easily but they will still have a nice place to be displayed.

[Buttercup78]

We got actual "badges" with pin backs at the craft store that open to insert about a 2" round circle. I personally made them on the computer with clipart and the verse and used a craft punch to make them the perfect size to fit in the badges.

[beaglemamma2008]

Nikki, we did almost the same thing! I used to be a high school technology teacher, so I'm always looking for an opportunity to incorporate technology into our curriculum!

We went to google images and searched for whatever the topic was + clipart (e.g., "apple clipart"), saved DD's favorite picture, then added our words and put a circle border around the whole thing. After we printed it out, we cut it out in the shape of a circle and laminated it. Then we just stapled a small loop of ribbon to the top so she could safety pin it to her shirt.

The part she loves the best, though, is that we have made a "Kindergarten Caterpillar" that goes all along our dry erase board. Since our badges are circles, every week we add a little bit to our caterpillar's body. Like others have mentioned, it's great to have them all displayed in one place because it makes reviewing our past units easy, easy, easy.

I love reading everyone's ideas. Thanks for taking the time to post!
Jennifer

Posted Tue Aug 31, 2010 11:00 pm by beaglemamma2008
My idea is included in the link, but we had circle badges and put them together to make a Kindergarten caterpillar. It was great because they were displayed all year long for quick review. I still have them saved on my computer and would love to share them with you or anyone else. If you'd like to see what they look like, you can visit my blog (link in signature) and click on MFW K on the right side. Enjoy your year in K--it was our favorite!! (Although we are really liking Adventures this year!)

[Ellechim]

Posted Sat Aug 30, 2008 2:43 am by Ellechim

We haven't been doing the badges (since we don't go anywhere really) and just made it into a one-page thing, with the sun, letter and motto on the bottom. And then I put that as the first page for each section in their binders.

[Amy C.]

Give me some ideas for the badges that are scheduled to be made each lesson on day 3 (I think). I made mine out of simple construction paper with the words for the week on it. I put yarn through a hole. But my kids didn't really want to wear them, and I don't really want them to because they would tear up. I have three kids working together on the "Activity" part of K this year (a pre-k, a Kindergartner and my 1st grader).

I'd like to have these displayed somewhere nice and neatly so that we could refer back to them throughout the year. I think I'd like to continue to make all three of them their own to help them all feel a part. I am thinking of some sort of mobile or a display on poster paper that I can put near their beds? Something that could easily be added to throughout the year. Or stringing them all on a long piece of yarn?

Thanks!
Laura working in MFW with DS11 in ECC, DS7 in 1st, DS5 in K and DD4 tagging along!

I am making mine out of construction paper and printing the words for the unit on them with markers. Then I am using double-sided tape to tape them to popsicle sticks so they are really signs that we hold up when saying the words. My son was not interested in wearing the first one we made and instead of fighting him to wear it, I decided to make these signs on popsicle sticks. I have a little school tote with a handle that we keep his school supplies in and our signs go in there each week so they are easy to find and pull out and go over each week.

That's what we are doing. I don't know what we will do with all of them at the end of the year. I have not thought that far ahead, but one thought just came to mind that I can put all his work in a notebook with page protectors and place his signs in the notebook for each unit.

Amy C.

[cbollin]

make a wall caterpillar out of them
or a wall train
I decorated the back of a door with ours.....


make them into gift cards to give to elderly people in your church and ask them if your children can come visit for a few minutes.......

decorate a room in a crisis pregnancy center office with them or even preschool room at church....

-crystal

[nagada]

Our classroom is our dining room. We did the wall train. I found a cute engine picture, colored it, taped it up. Then I made a bunch of copies of the engine's wheels. For each unit, I have DS draw a pic on an index card, I write the words on it, we glue the wheels on and then tape it up to our train. It looks neat going across our wall.


Another idea - make copies of the drawing on index size paper and mail as postcards! I'm sure grandparents would love it.
(I just haven't taken them time to do this yet!)

[sojen]

We did something totally different for this, and my daughter loved it. We used buttons and craft items and sewed or glued them on an inexpensive canvas purse. I would ask her about what each button means whenever she used her purse on trips to the store, etc. You could do a backpack for a boy in a similar way. we tried to be creative in finding charms and such, many of our buttons we got off clothes we were going to donate to Goodwill anyway. Sometimes we found things at the dollar store, or an appliqué at the craft store. It can get expensive if your not careful, but we will treasure this bag for years to come.

[NJCheryl]

I made mine out of construction paper and used sticky laminate. My son had no interest in wearing them, so we posted them around our white board. By the end of the year we had a great border around our board and we used them every week to review.

Cheryl

[Poohbee]

I made ours out of those craft foam sheets. I am a scrapbooker, and I have a Sizzix die cutting machine. I used a large tag die and cut the tags out of different colors of foam. I used either a die cut or stickers of the object for each tag, and I wrote the words with Sharpie marker. We hung them up on the wall in our school room.

[luvrcamj]

My dd is making her own "flash cards". We are using index cards and then plan on making a book when we are all done. She likes to write the letter and then draws a picture of something that starts with that letter.

Blessings-
Joni in MO

[kanderson]

We are making them out of construction paper,with a hole punch and yarn tied around for an "official" badge. At the end of the day we hang it on one of our bulletin boards so that we can review each one throughout the year. (He also likes to show them off when visitors are over )

[mepastorswife]

I have my daughter make the badge herself using construction paper, then I write in the phrase that goes with it. I just keep them in her portfolio.

One thing I have done is make a poster for each topic with the phrase on it (i.e. I drew a sun and wrote Jesus is the light of the world on it) and I have put it on the wall above where my daughter does her school work. Even though she does not read she can look at the picture and tell me the phrase she knows goes with it. It has been great in helping her to remember the phrases

[JoyfulDancer]

When I did K the first time we were blessed to live near a Teachers' Learning Resource Center where they had hundreds of die-cuts and all sorts of things for teachers to use, also the really big sheets of construction paper and laminating machines. I was able to laminate several different colored pieces of paper and then die-cut out almost all the animals/shapes that were needed. Later we punched holes and put the yarn through, and I wrote the memory phrase on with a sharpie. I made 4 of each so we could all have one. It was very funny when we got to Us. I had cut out 3 girl shapes and 1 boy shape and my dds decorated them to look like each of us.

My ds didn't want to wear his badges, so we put up a posterboard and glued each badge (left over from his sister's year) on as we did it.

I still have one of each left to use for my newest little guy when he finally gets to K, but now I'll have those new badges too. It's good to have options.

Laurie

[jasntas]

We are currently on B-b-Butterfly and I would have loved to have had pre-made badges but the following is what we have been doing.

For most of our badges I used foam kits or cut them out myself out of foam sheets. Starting in the summer I carried a list of all the units for the year in my purse and as I would browse Michaels, JoAnne's, Wal Mart craft area, etc. I would look for little foam kits or shapes. As I would purchase them I would check that unit off my list. I even ordered some from Oriental Trading (when I was making other purchases with them). Although I didn't need 12 suns for instance. But I am always getting more craft stuff than I need and for the extras I always find a family or two that I share with. For the ones I couldn't find I cut them out myself. Then when it was time for that unit my dc would glue them together (usually with glue dots for instant satisfaction). On the ones that I couldn't find a pre-made kit for, I would usually look for an online paper cut out craft on DTLK kids, etc. then use it as a pattern for the foam sheets. If I only did a simple shape I would include google eyes and a mouth so the dc would still have something to put together. It has been a bit of extra work for me but because we are also doing Adv it was sometimes the only K craft we might have done for that unit.

I really like the die cut ideas, too.

Btw, most of my ideas would have worked well with construction paper, too.

[Amy in NC]

The best part of each unit for us is making the badges. My 5yo LOVES to make them. Presently we are finishing Cc-Cow and she has traced the cow on the flashcard too many times to count and made a whole 'herd' of cows. She did the same thing with Gg-Goat. Some units she paints a picture or makes a handprint animal. Some are elaborate and some are simple. They are displayed in a line across the top of the wall, under her sisters' timeline.

Now don't get me wrong, I totally understand why MFW made the premade badges. If most people prefer to have them premade, then by all means, go for it. I just know for us it has been a lot of fun, twice.

[gratitude]

I was looking through the archives, but couldn't find much to give me ideas on what to do with the newer pre-made badges(feel free to post a link that I couldn't find:). Do you all still have your kids wear them like it talks about in the teacher's guide? Hang them somewhere? I would love some ideas as I don't know that my little guy will want to wear his.

Blessings!
Jennifer

I think you could easily hole punch them and put yarn through so your little guy could wear them.

My little guy wanted to cut them out and tape them to the wall. So that is what we did. Either way would work.

In the TM it says to make a badge on Day 3 of each unit (I don't think they were pre-made before). I have my ds cut them out on Day 1, but Day 3 would work too.

Blessings!

[MuzzaBunny]

I found one of my husbands old magnetic name badges from work and we're going to sticky-tack the badge to the plastic name badge. DD is very excited to feel all professional like Daddy.

[lyntley]

I laminated them and put a piece of magnet strip on the back. I have a canvas pocket name badge holder from Staples. It fits in perfectly. I figured she could wear it and when it's time for the next one she can put it on the fridge. If she decides not to wear it, it can still go on the fridge and be visable for review.

[Erin Gates]

I am using "Shrinky Dinks" to make pendants for a necklace instead of badges.

[fdjoyce]

How is everyone using the new badges that come with the kindergarden program? I can decide how to use them. Thanks for your ideas

we really LOVED those! the first time i did MFWK i made my own & enjoyed it but tried to make them too complicated & didn't make it through the year. last year when we did K again i saved my name tag from the homeschool convention (one of those with the nylon cord & the clear pocket to put a paper tag in & each week I would put in the badge & ds would wear it. after he finished wearing them we taped them around the door to his room. oh, & before i gave it to him for the week i kept it tacked up on our bulletin board so i could easily see the words to remember & topic for the week.