For many teachers, the Cricut Expression die-cutting machine tops their wish list for back-to-school classroom tools. Often used by scrapbookers and other crafters, this die-cutting machine from Provo Craft has many additional features and accessories, including the Classmate line of educational cartridges, that will not only make teaching work easier, but will time, also save money for school.

The most obvious example is the classroom bulletin board. In the past, teachers had to buy expensive dies to decorate their classroom bulletin board or painstakingly cut out letters and images by hand to create a display that would capture the attention and interest of their students. The Cricut Expression has the ability to cut letters and other shapes in a variety of sizes, ranging from a quarter inch to almost twenty-four inches in size. With this tool, educators can create an attractive bulletin board out of nothing more than a small stack of cardstock or other colored paper.

While Expression is great for cutting basic letters and shapes, Provo Craft specifically targets the education field with its Classmate line of cartridges, which are designed for use in the classroom. This line of Cricut cartridges for early childhood educators and elementary school teachers can be used to teach various subjects including language arts, phonics, social studies, and even cursive.

With the 50-state cartridge, for example, teachers can create a cutout of each state. In addition to being used for displays, students can assemble these dies into a United States puzzle, making it a useful tool for geography and social studies lessons.

Also part of the Classmate line, the Word Builders cartridge series is designed to help elementary school students with their language, phonics, and spelling skills. Using the Word Builders cartridges, educators can make puzzle cutouts of letters and groups of letters. These dies, when students put them together in the correct combinations, form words.

These are just a few of the many ways that these types of dies can be directly used to instruct students. Whether it’s making puzzles, or creating their own educational version of popular kids’ games like “Go Fish,” or even making markers and stickers to reward students for their work, teachers can use Cricut Expression in countless ways in the classroom. classroom.