| For many teachers, the Cricut Expression die cut | | | | for early childhood educators and elementary |
| machine tops their back-to-school wish list of | | | | school teachers can be used for teaching several |
| classroom tools. This die cut machine by | | | | subjects, including language, phonics, social studies, |
| manufacturer Provo Craft, typically used by | | | | and even cursive. |
| scrapbookers and other crafters, has many | | | | Using the 50 States cartridge, for example, |
| features and add-on accessories, including the | | | | teachers can create a cutout of each state. In |
| Classmate line of educational cartridges, which will | | | | addition to being used for displays, these die cuts |
| not only make the job of teaching easier, but | | | | can be pieced together by students to form a |
| over time, will also save schools money. | | | | puzzle of the United States, making it a useful |
| The most obvious example is the classroom | | | | tool for social studies and geography lessons. |
| bulletin board. In the past, teachers either had to | | | | Also part of the Classmate line, the Word Builders |
| purchase expensive die cuts to decorate their | | | | cartridge series is designed to help elementary |
| classroom bulletin board, or would have to | | | | students with their language, phonetic, and spelling |
| painstakingly cut out letters and pictures by hand, | | | | skills. Using the Word Builders cartridges, |
| in order to create a display that caught the | | | | educators can make puzzle-type cutouts of |
| attention and interest of their students. The Cricut | | | | letters and groups of letters. These die cuts, |
| Expression has the capability of cutting letters and | | | | when pieced together in the correct combinations |
| other shapes in a variety of sizes, spanning from | | | | by students, form words. |
| a quarter of an inch to almost twenty-four inches | | | | This is just a couple of the many ways that |
| in size. Using this tool, educators are able to | | | | these types of die cuts can be used directly for |
| create an appealing bulletin board with nothing | | | | instructing students. Whether it's making puzzles, |
| more than a small stack of card stock or other | | | | or creating their own educational version of |
| colored paper. | | | | popular children's games, such as "Go Fish", or |
| Although the Expression is great for cutting basic | | | | even making bookmarks and stickers to reward |
| lettering and shapes, Provo Craft is specifically | | | | students for their work, teachers can use the |
| targeting those in the education field with its line | | | | Cricut Expression countless ways in the |
| of Classmate cartridges, which are designed for | | | | classroom. |
| use in the classroom. This line of Cricut cartridges | | | | |