A Thanksgiving celebration often takes us back to the classics – turkey, mashed potatoes, and apple pie! In honor of the traditional holiday feast, let's review some classic tips used in Boardmaker Software Family. Like turkey and mashed potatoes, these tips have endured over the years to become traditions and a Boardmaker toolkit that doesn't include them would be like Thanksgiving without turkey! So feast on these timesaving tips today; if you aren't already using them, you may find out that they are even be better than apple pie!

1. Placing symbols from thumbnail view. When looking at thumbnails, right click on the symbol you want to keep the thumbnail view open while placing symbols!
2. Using paint tools
   1. While a symbol is selected you can do many things to customize it, including rotate it, flip it, erase part of it or paint it. The Paint tools make it easy to customize a symbol to make it more meaningful. To use the paint tool, just: Select the symbol to convert it to a bitmap (.bmp) file.
   2. Choose the left paint can (fill tool) to paint to the black line in any given area.
   3. Select the right paint can (fill all tool) to find and change the color of every part of a symbol that is another specific color (e.g., change all dark blue areas to red).

   Hint: When using the paint tools, remember to click on the paint can and then click on the desired color.

3. Adding a name/label to an existing symbol
   1. Search for the symbol in the Symbol Finder.
   2. Select the picture frame.
   3. Type in the desired name and click Add Name.
4. Assigning as many actions as you can before copying and pasting a button is a great timesaver. Make one button and assign as many actions as you would like to incorporate into other buttons on the page prior to placing a symbol on it. Then copy and paste or spray that button. For example:
   1. Draw one button.
   2. Assign the actions: Speak Message and Use Button Text.
   3. Spray that button.
   4. Place symbols on all buttons.
   5. Go into Use Mode (CTRL-U) to try it out! All buttons on that page should speak the message that is the associated with the button text on each specific button.
5. Copying an action from one cell to another or multiple other cells:
   1. Right-click on the cell, select Copy Button.
   2. Right-click on the cell(s) you want to copy the action to and select Paste Action.
   3. Decide if you want to paste that action first, last or replace the current actions currently assigned to that cell.

Try these tips if you aren't already. They're guaranteed to be come traditions in your Boardmaker toolkit as you create lessons and activities for your students!