Learning to use the Do you have the Paint program on your computer in the classroom or at home? Look in the Start Menu, Programs, Accessories. program.
Locate the Paint program in the Start Menu, Programs, and Accessories.

Become familiar with the buttons & tools by following these steps. 
Then try the Dot to Dot Lesson , the Dot Game Lesson , or
the Who Am I Lesson below.

 

When you open the Paint program you'll see buttons like these.
Move your cursor over them in Paint without clicking
to see what each button is for.

Find these buttons:
Open the Paint program. (Click Start, move over Programs, Accessories)
Locate the toolbar along the left side. Rest your mouse over the buttons on the toolbar to see a pop-up clue appear telling what each tool is.
Line Tool. Use it to draw straight lines. Rest your mouse over this button. What does it say that tool is?
In Paint you can use this tool to draw a line. Click once to select the tool. Then drag & drop with your mouse to make the line.

 Thickness options. Use it to select how thick you want the line to be when drawing lines or shapes.

Notice these options appear below the toolbar after selecting the Line Tool.
Here you choose how thick you want your line to be.


Click once on a color for your line. Color box. A right-click selects the color shown behind the overlapping squares shown.
Drag with the left mouse button to draw with the color on the top left.
Drag with the right mouse button to use the color on the lower right.

Repeat, using the Rectangle Tool and the Ellipse Tool. Try each of the options that appear below the toolbar, and compare the differences.

 

 Can you locate the title bar, menu bar, Paint tool bar, and color box? What tools were used to create this picture?

Paint Lesson - Dot to Dot
  • Open the Paint program
  • Draw a picture outline using simple shapes.
    Be sure to use the medium size line thickness and make all the lines the same color.

Begin by drawing a simple outline shape using straight lines.
  • Select the circle button and a different color.
  • Make a small dot at each corner of your drawing.
  • Select the text button
  • Number each of the dots in order around your picture.
  • Trace around the dots with your finger to make sure you haven't missed any spots.

Place dots at each corner point using the ellipse tool or round brush tool. Add numbers with the text tool and transparent option.
  • Add interesting details to your picture.

Add some razzle dazzle.
  • Select the fill button and the same color as your background.
  • Fill each line of your outline so that it disappears.

Woah! Where did the lines go? When filled with the background color they disappear.
  • Save your picture and it's ready for someone to try.

  This is another example you can try. Use your noggin. What can you create?

You can make a few changes and have a birdhouse, church, or school.
Use your imagination, but remember to keep the outline shape simple.

 

  Printing tip:  Click Image then Attributes in the menu bar. Set the attributes to 438 width and 600 height to print on one sheet.

Paint Lesson - Dot Game
  • Open the Paint program.
  • Click the Line Button.  Then select one of the thicker lines.
  • Click on the blue color.
  • Draw lines across and up & down to make squares.  Try to keep your lines straight.

Try to be as straight and even as you can.
  • Click the Circle Button.
  • Click the circle at the bottom so it will be filled with color.
  • Click on the red color.
  • Put a circle at each corner of every square.  (click & hold the mouse button down to drag out a small circle shape)

I'm seeing dots! Use the ellipse tool or round brush tool.

 TIP: If you make a mistake click Edit then Undo.
Edit is found in the Menu Bar.
  • Click the Fill Button.
    (looks like a spilling paint bucket)
  • Click on the white color because that is our background color.
  • Point your mouse so the tip of the spilling paint is on each blue line and click to make all of the blue disappear.
  • Leave only the red dots.

I love that disappearing trick! Fill with the background color. Be sure to place the tip of the fill tool right on the line.

Teachers:
You can save at this point if you want to play the game again
without the creation steps.
  • Now you're ready to play.
  • Choose a partner. This is a 2 player game.
  • Click the Line Button.
  • Click on the black color.
  • Take turns drawing a line from one dot another anywhere on the game.  You're trying to be the one to draw the last side to create a square.  Your lines have to touch the dots.
  • Each time you finish a square fill it with your color.  Click the Fill Button, click a color you choose to be your color, and point anywhere in your square to click.   
  • See who has more squares in their color at the end of the game.
 Strategy!

 

Paint Lesson - Who Am I?
  • Begin with a picture of yourself you've saved to a disk. Use a digital camera or scan a photo.
  • Open Paint.
  • Click File and Open and locate the file containing your picture and Open it into the Paint program.
  • Use the drawing tools in Paint to disguise your face.
    Some suggestions are: mustache, glasses, goofy teeth, big mouth, wild hair, freckles, hats.
    Use your imagination! But, leave enough of the real you so you can eventually be recognized.
  • Save your new picture using a new filename. Otherwise you will replace the original picture.
  • Print or trade disks and see anyone can guess who it is.
 My oh my, you look lovely!

 

Other lab activity ideas using the Paint program

Learn to draw shapes: squares, rectangles, circles. Stack, add & take away.

Explore Subtraction by drawing a specific number of circles then erasing the number of circles you are subtracting.
Explore fractions by dividing a pizza you've drawn into halves, fourths, etc.

Open a U.S. map in Paint and locate specific points of interest, type names of capitals and states, etc. A good state map can be saved from http://www.geog.nau.edu/~alew/maps/uslndfrm.jpg

Open an outline map of a state. locate and label the capital, points of interest, and draw additional items such as rivers, agriculture products, etc.

Open a world map in Paint and draw Christopher Columbus' route to the New World.

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