Microsoft and Homework

Microsoft Word helps children with Homework. Not only does Microsoft's Encarta help with homework, so can their other programs.

Use Microsoft Word to create a document to help your children with their spelling words. This is an easy document to create using a table.

How-to:

Open Microsoft Word, use a larger font size, about 50 pts., and click on center, type the words "Spelling Words" then hit ENTER. Insert a table by clicking on "TABLE, Insert, Table, 2 columns and 10 rows, click on OK. Select the table, click on TABLE, Table Properties, and center the table. Click on OK.

Click in the first box, click on FORMAT, Font, change the font to Stencil, change the color to Teal, add italics and change the size to 36 then click on OK. Type a spelling word then hit the Tab key. Change the font to Regular, change the color to orange, change the size to 36, and then click on OK. Type the second word then hit the Tab key.

Continue changing the font in each table cell using any combination of these: shadow, outline, emboss, engrave, regular, bold, italics, underline, underline style and color and font color. You can also click on Text Effects, the last tab on the Font menu for other fun stuff.

Add a background image. Click on INSERT, Picture, AutoShapes, click on the smiley face or other shape, click and drag the mouse to draw the picture. Add color to the smiley face by double clicking on it, click on Colors and Lines, click on fill effects, two colors, click on yellow and white. At the bottom of that box, click on any of the shading styles, click on OK when finished.

Learning how to spell has never been so much fun. Be sure to save your finished document. Save it as "Spelling Words". The next time there are new words to learn, open the Spelling Words document, select the words and hit delete. Click in the first cell and type the word, hit the Tab key, type the word, hit the Tab key, type the word. It's as easy at that!

There is an abundance of free fonts on the internet that you can easily download and install that will make this project even more enjoyable. I hope you and your children have fun with this document.

Watch for more fun homework helpers next week.