How do you integrate technology in Kindergarten? It’s actually pretty easy.

When the fall season rolled around, scarecrows became a fun theme in Kindergarten. We began by talking about scarecrows and why they are created. Then we looked at pictures of actual scarecrows and imagined what it would be like to be a scarecrow ourselves.

This was a great time to transition to a writing project. Using the classic children’s book, “Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See” as a spin-off, we asked the students to complete the sentence, “Scarecrow, Scarecrow what do you see…”. They wrote down their own unique answers and then illustrated them. The ideas were really neat! Some children saw farmers, cats, corn, a blue sky and even a butterfly.

During art time, the children were able to create their own scarecrow. Then we thought of adding technology to our project. One of the patches on the scarecrow is actually a QR code. When the QR code is scanned, you can hear that child’s voice saying their own idea of what their scarecrow sees.

Recording and creating the QR code was one of the easiest parts of project. We used a website call SpeakPipe to record the children’s voices and then used a program called QR Code Generator to create the code. It was then printed and added to the scarecrows as a “patch” on the pants. Then we posted all the scarecrows on our bulletin board so that other people could be a part of it.

The best part is seeing the kids light up when they hear their own voice after scanning the QR code, and others have enjoyed scanning our board with their phones to hear all the scarecrows “talking” as well.

This was a great project that combined writing, art, technology and imagination, all in one fun activity!

Shauna Finch, Kindergarten teacher