DYNAMIC TRACER PAGES

This version will NOT work if you use Netscape or WebTV as your browser.  Netscape users should use a new version available at our sister site Kidzone.

It will work for Microsoft Internet Explorer.  

BACKGROUND

My husband is, without a doubt, the nicest guy in the world!  

This week I walked up to my computer and there were red roses for absolutely no reason AND (more importantly from your perspective) he had taken the time to build me (all of us) some DYNAMIC tracer pages for the website!!

That's right!!  You get to pick the word the tracers spell out!  I'm so exited about this.

Whether you want your child to practice his name, the days of the week, months of the year or who knows what else, you can build customized tracers with this "program".

He's just learning how to do all of this (I have NO idea how it's done... I tried it once and it was very hard), so we'll all have to try not to swamp him with demands.  I realize there may better ways from the user perspective to do these pages, but this is the only way he knows how right now.

INSTRUCTIONS

When you click the link below, you'll be taken to a "frames page".  He can only do it with frames so those of you with browsers that don't support frames will have to wait until he's gone further in his course before you'll be able to share in this new section.

There are 4 rows to practice with.   Each of the 4 rows must say the same thing:  

For example, you can have a page that says:

wednesday
wednesday
wednesday
wednesday

But not a page that says:

sunday
monday
tuesday
wednesday

The top frame has ARROWS.  Each one corresponds to one of the columns of letters.  

Push the UP arrow to go forward through the alphabet (a,b,c,d,e,... )

Push the DOWN arrow to go backward through the alphabet (z,y,x,w,... )

There is a BLANK (it comes after Z/before A) so if you want 2 short words, you can have them.  You can only get the BLANK with the UP arrow.  For some reason the DOWN arrow makes the blank come back as a broken image (we're working on figuring this out too!)

Under the arrows in a grey box are the titles of some images.  These images will be placed at the bottom of the tracer page for the child to color in.  You can chose one of the four available images or leave it blank and let your child practice more spelling or draw their own picture.

TO PRINT:

When you've created a tracer page you're happy with, click once on the tracer page

Click FILE, PAGE SETUP (or FILE, PRINTER SETUP) depending on which browser you use.

• Set your page margins (top, bottom, left, right) to ZERO or to the lowest default your printer allows.

• DELETE everything in the HEADER and FOOTER boxes (or click off the checkmark beside them) depending on which browser you use.

• Click OK

Click FILE, PRINT FRAME  (or FILE, PRINT and make sure the Print Frames box towards the bottom has the option "ONLY THE SELECTED FRAME" chosen) again this depend on which browser you are using.

THE TEMPLATES

The program will open up in a separate window (that way you can jump back to this window to re-read instructions if you need to without losing your template).  

PROBLEMS?

If you have any difficulties, please send an extremely polite note to my husband.  In the note, please let him know what browser you are using and what sort of error messages or other difficulties you had.  I'm trying to convince him this website stuff is FUN, so that he'll work on making us some customizable birthday invitations too *grin*.  

PLEASE!  Let's all be extra careful when emailing him.  Take a second read of the note before clicking SEND... I know how it feels to be in a frazzled rush with screaming children at your side, but sometimes the emails and feedback come across a bit more curt than I'm sure they were intended to.  

I know it's frustrating for you when things don't work properly for your web browser / printer / computer combination, but I'll attest to the fact that it's equally frustrating for us when we can't figure out HOW to make it work for you!

Anyways, my hubby is new to this, so be gentle -- contrary to popular belief, we are not a rich corporation making billions providing free, mediocre-quality templates for the masses.    We're just a regular family with a bizarre hobby (er... providing free, mediocre-quality templates for the masses *wink*).