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Thank you to Ellison for partnering with me on today’s blog post. I received an All-Star Cutter and a few dies in exchange for writing this review. All opinions are my own and I only support brands and products that I use and absolutely love.
Every once in a while a company reaches out to me to host a giveaway and I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming. This is one of those moments! I have such a fabulous giveaway for you today, courtesy of Ellison Education. In true Kinder-Craze style, I have some ADORABLE project inspiration for you as well. More on that later. First, let me tell you about the amazing AllStar SuperStar Machine!
Ooops! I already got a tiny bit ahead of myself. Allow me to back up a bit. You are probably already familiar with Ellison Education. They are a standard name in schools across the country because of the die-cutting machines they manufacture. Teachers would be lost without all of those adorable cutouts of animals, flowers, and alphabets and snowflakes we use all year long. They instantly make any paper craft a breeze. We have two Ellison cutters at my school and dozens of dies, which are used every single day in my building.
I thought I knew everything there was to know about Ellison dies and cutters, but I was WRONG. I had no idea about their secret little UBER-amazing personal cutter: the AllStar SuperStar cutting machine. What makes this machine so amazing? Well, it’s lightweight (yes, I said lightweight), portable, durable, and the perfect size for your home office or classroom. Did I mention that it’s lightweight??!
The AllStar SuperStar Machine is compatible with AllStar dies. I selected a set of Skeleton Part set of 3 dies for my project.
The dies themselves are not very tall. They are fed though the machine foam-side-up and sandwiched between two clear acrylic sheets.
The die-cut sandwich (as I call it) is placed on the machine and a few turns of the hand crank draws the die through the cutter.
When the die emerges from the back, you can see that it has cut a distinct shape into the paper. This is the ribcage for my skeleton project.
This isn’t exactly a feature of the machine that they advertise, but I thought it was really cool that the cutter left an impression in the sheet of acrylic as well.
After several cuts, the plastic looked like this.
Once I had cut enough materials, I was ready to begin my project.
Just to clarify: this was NOT a scary skeleton project.
It was an ALPHABET project.
A letter Xx project.
Actually, it was an X-RAY project.
Two of my favorite little friends came to visit me and help me out with this project. One is in Kindergarten, the other girl is a First Grader so we did two variations of this activity to double your inspiration and see how it could work for multiple grade levels.
I began by assembling the skeleton parts as a model for my kindergarten helper. The arm and leg bones can be a bit confusing so I showed her exactly how they went together.
Once a model was created, my kindergarten helper was ready to create! She glued each skeleton piece onto a 12×18″ sheet of black construction paper.
We gave the skeleton a heart to add a little pop of color.
This was a fun way to reinforce the sound of Xx and is a perfect, inexpensive project for a preschool or kindergarten classroom.
To extend the skeleton craft, I used the same skeleton die cuts to create authentic looking x-rays with clear contact paper. (If you’re new to the world of Kinder-Craze, you should know that I am obsessed with clear contact paper and I use it ALL the time for craft projects).
To complete this project, I cut a sheet of contact paper that was approximately 9×18″ long, peeled the glossy paper, and placed it sticky-side-up on the table.
My first grade friend assembled the skeleton directly onto the contact paper (no glue required!)
The bones alone would be enough to complete the project but I wanted it to be used as a literacy extension activity. We got a little silly and used our x-ray in conjunction with the book There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. In this case, we decided to connect it with the moment she swallowed a dog (you know… to catch the cat). I used my school equipment to cut a black dog silhouette, which we added to the stomach of the skeleton.
I printed a line of text front the story and my helper cut the words out.
This was added to the sticky bottom of our x-ray craft.
A fresh sheet of contact paper was placed sticky-side-down onto the project to seal all of the pieces and keep the sticky stuff contained.
Then we held the x-ray up to the window to examine the evidence.
Looks like she swallowed a dog!
My Ellison All Star Super Star cutting machine and Skeleton Parts dies made these classroom projects a breeze!
Now that you know all about the AllStar SuperStar, are you ready for the giveaway? Ellison Education is generously giving one lucky Kinder-Craze winner an AllStar SuperStar cutting machine and a few AllStar dies to get you started. This is a prize package valued over $200! Use the Rafflecopter below for your chance to enter. The giveaway will run now thru Sunday, January 19 at 10:00pm ET.
I’m a former kindergarten teacher turned work-from-home mom. I still love sharing ideas and resources to make teaching easier, so you can focus on what really matters in the classroom. When I’m not working on the blog, you’ll find me chasing kids around the house with a cold cup of coffee in my hand (some things never change even once you’re out of the classroom!)
©2021 Kinder Craze. All Rights Reserved.
78 Responses
I would like the teeth, mouse puppet, and lacing die cuts.
Love the idea with the skeleton on the transparent paper. If I win I would like the school long die, oval frames, and the book, open cover, page & bookmark die cuts.
I love this giveaway! Thank you for the opportunity. =)
What an amazing giveaway! I’d love to win the Calendar-Winter die-cuts, planets, and the tree!
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love that skeleton – what a great idea! I’d love the calendar, tree, and teeth!
~jeannie~
Kindergarten Lifestyle
wowza! I would love to win this. I teach at a very small school and we don’t have a die cut! I would start with patternblock shapes. Cutting them by hand is bonkers! Thanks for the opportunity!
I’m an OT so I’d love the lacing heart, snowflake frame and the 5 senses head and body parts. Our schools don’t have any die cutters and it would be awesome to share it with all my teacher friends. Thanks for providing such awesome activities, you make my job so much easier!
What a great give-away. Our school would LOVE it! I don’t play the lottery, but I’ll try for this 🙂
sounds great, love that its light weight
Wow this is so cool! We don’t have an Ellison machine at my school. :((
I would love the 1 inch side triangles, 1 inch side squares pattern block, and trapezoids. I hate cutting those suckers out by themselves so this would be a God-send! kindercards@gmail.com
I like the heart frame, beans, and duck.
I love the key and keyhole, suitcase and lacing die cuts! What an amazing giveaway!
Thanks for the opportunity!
I would love to win this!
Our PTO helped purchase many of their die cuts and we have two HEAVY “presses”. I would love to have one that is light weight that I could carry around. No more hanging out in our workroom!
I would love this. So many great uses in the classroom.
Love that it is light weight!
I would pick the bookmark and the all start teacher must have set.
I love Ellison machines! I’ve always been fascinated with them…My mother taught religious education at my school and I would always help her cut out letters and shapes. And now that I’m a teacher, I love Ellison even more! It makes making everything so easy! If I won, I think I’d get the skeleton. It’s so cute!
Amazing giveaway!!!! I would love the heart frames and heart weaving 🙂
This would be incredible! We have a die-cut machine in our school but we have to share the die-cuts with the entire district. Let me just say, good luck getting a heart for Valentine’s Day if you forgot to put in a request three months earlier. 😉
The bullseye, The heart, and the bookmark dies!!!
Oh, I could soooooo use this! I love papercrafting & die cuts. Ellison is the BEST! Thanks so much for sharing this give away. Di hers crossed.
I would love the frames heart and the plant life cycles dies. Thanks for the chance!!
Hmm, there are so many that I would really like to have. The three I would pick are the “Key & Keyhole”, “Mitten”, and the “Teeth (Molar, Incisor & Canine)” die cuts.
They are all awesome! The hearts, school supplies, monkeys? (if they have!)
I love the plant life cycle, the fraction strips #1, and the pop-up book #1. And of course the skeleton, too. Thanks for the opportunity 😀
-Brittany
inspirelovelearn.blogspot.com
What an awesome giveaway! I would choose a snowflake, a whale and the frog life cycle set.
Pinch you? Pinch ME!!!! What an awesome giveaway! I would love the plant life cycle and skeleton die cut. I HAVE to do the x-ray craft now! 🙂 kellymchaffie@hotmail.com
Love them all! I would love to get the square frame, 5 senses head and 5 senses body parts.
kellybrown28021@gmail.com
This giveaway is awesome! My school does not have one of these, or any cutting machine. I would love to have this capability! Thanks for the chance.
I would love the clock face and hands and fraction strip #1!!
I would love the school bus, the puzzle, and the birthday cake!
I would love to add one of these top collection! If I won, I would love the ladybug and the heart.
Wow! What an amazing giveaway! I would love the bare tree, lacing apple, and the clock face and hands.
Oh, what a wonderful giveaway! I would love the trapezoid. Hexagon, and parallelogram, and rhombus. deccles@joink.com
I have so enjoyed your blog as a “new” older kindergarten teacher! I stayed home and raised my 4 children in Catholic schools and now am returning to the classroom 20 years later! Wish I was in a Catholic school! I’d love to win the machine.
I will take anything related to Kindergarten and CCSS…
I love the heart frame, and I love the shape frames! (hexagon, rhombus)! and I love the lacing heart! Oh and the pentominoes are cool! I love the stars! There are just too many to choose!
I love the lacing heart, solar system and all the dies! I love ellison and all the dies! Would use it in my school, classroom all the time!
So hard to choose, maybe Frame, heart; Frame, oval: pot of gold.
Great giveaway. This would be wonderful to win!
Great product….love all the cool things this die cut machine can do!
Love the plant life and the ABC fun giveaway
Love the plant life
I would like: Christian Fish, Nativity Stable, Ellison AllStar Die Set – Frog Life Cycle (4 Die Set)!
Wow…this looks like an AMAZING product!!! I really love the x-ray project <3. It is sooo cool!!! Thank you for considering me.
This is soooo coool! I would love to win this neat machine!!!
Believe it or not my school does not have an Ellison machine!!! I really need one of these! I could share it with my teaching buddies!
I would like Ellison AllStar Die – Frames, Heart, Weaving Heart, Hat, Cowboy #2. Great product….love all the cool things this die cut machine can do!
I love creating the x-rays with contact paper! There are so many great dis to choose from! Calendar, Frames, 5 senses, borders!
I love this! I could really use the teepee and the five senses head and body parts! Love the projects you made as we’ll!
Love this, would be great for all the crafts that I do.
I love this giveaway! I would want the teeth, five senses head and body parts, and the shapes!
I would want the continents and any of the x-ray/skeleton dies.
I would love to win this. I have so many ideas that I can do with this machine.
So many! I would probably start with the bear claw, and the rectangle envelope. 🙂
I would start with some seasonal favorites, like a snowflake, a flower and a leaf. Perfect to use inside your stained glass window-type projects!
This is an awesome product! Would love any Halloween ones-there were two that were there including a cool retro one. Snowflakes looked great too!
I would love seasonal sets! Leaves, snowflakes, flowers, and weather ones!
I could use the calendar and life cycle set but I would love them all. 🙂
you love this!!
This is the cutest thing! I never knew that you could get a die cut machine that small and fun to use!
Such a great thing to have in the room…love it!!
This is a fantastic giveaway! You are the best!!
Thanks for the opportunity to win!!!!!
I would like the paw print, mitten and xmas ornament!
That is such a brilliant idea with with the contact paper. I see a class book in our future!
I like the star because I use stars with stickers for a behavior incentive. I also like the snowflake, bow, handprint, heart, etc. hahaha love them all!
Caitlin
I just love the X-ray idea! So cute. You must go through a ton of clear contact paper each year! I’d love to have the lace up heart and apple dies, the pattern block and tangram dies, either envelope die (for our class post office), and dies of the children and the skeleton (both parts). Oh what I could teach with all of that!
What a perfect gift for the classroom! Yes please.
What a perfect gift for the classroom! Yes please.
Who wouldn’t want this for their class/school?
I love the idea of it being light weight and portable.
Who wouldn’t want this for their class/school?
I love the idea of it being light weight and portable.
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Wow! Looks like an awesome machine! I like the birthday cake, mitten, and large cross dies. So many good choices, though! Thanks for the chance to win!