Editing your Planner with Canva
 
Editing in Canva!
Welcome!If you're not already familiar with Canva, this is going to be fun! Canva is very user friendly and easy to learn, so I hope you'll take the time to do it. The editable PDF version is still available with purchase, so feel free to use that option if you prefer, but I am happy to have this new option available as well.

What can you do in Canva?There are a lot of options in Canva that aren't available with the editable PDF. 

  • Add heading and other text in another language
  • Add graphics and elements anywhere you'd like
  • Use different fonts and colors
  • Add new headings to turn a page you don't need into a page you can use
  • Duplicate a page if you need more than one page (like a class list or an activity planner)
and much more...

Play around and experiment in Canva to see what you can do, and remember that everything you need to do can be done with the FREE version--no reason to upgrade unless you want to!
If, after watching the videos, you have other questions, please feel free to reach out.

Introduction
In this video, I will show you how to access the templates and begin your editing. A couple of important things to remember:

  1. You will need to have a FREE Canva account to edit the planner. There are fun features in the Pro edition, but they are not necessary for this editing work.
  2. You cannot EDIT any of the text--you can cover the text with new text boxes, add elements, duplicate pages, etc. But the background images are part of the template and cannot be changed.
  3. Please do not share or give the templates to others. Having another person in your Presidency edit them is ok, but please don't share a copy with anyone else.
  4. You can add headers and text in another language if desired. You would do this by adding new text boxes in the desired language over the text in the template.
  5. ALL FONTS used in the planner were purchased by me with a commercial use license so I am unable to share them. If you'd like to look at options to purchase them, please reach out to me. Canva has fabulous font options that are similar for free.

Changing Headings
In this video, I will show you how to change headings and titles on pages, including how to change fonts and colors by adding new text boxes. You will also see how to select font colors to match the pages and make your new text match. The next video will also address creating new text boxes for smaller text. I love this option because it really gives you the power to personalize and customize the planner! This is an option you may not need--if the headers are what you need, you can skip over this step and go straight to adding your information.

If you are wanting to add text in another language, this is one of the videos that will show how to do that.

Changing Text
You can add new text boxes to cover any of the existing text, even if it's written horizontally!  This video will walk you through adjusting, moving and sizing your text boxes to fit and cover the spaces you need to cover.

Adding Text
If you have no need to change headings or subheadings, this is the video where you can begin to learn how to add information. You will be able to customize fonts and colors as well, and change sizes, which is something an editable PDF does not allow.

Adding Text and Graphics to Newsletters
In this video, I will walk you through adding information to your newsletters before you download them. Be sure to take some time looking through all the elements and fun things you can do with Canva because there is more than I can cover in just five minutes! 

Canva is very user friendly, and easy to undo anything you don't like, so experiment.

Downloading Your Newsletters
Once you've added the information you need, choose how to download your newsletters based on how you intend to distribute them. 

Remember that as you add elements, you can add GIFs if you intend to email your newsletters to people. Be sure to watch for the suggested format to download. A PNG is also a good option if you intend to email them--then it's a picture to send rather than a PDF that people have to download to read.

Primary Teacher Kits
These are the class lists and other pages you plan to distribute to your Primary teachers. Remember, if you have more than one class of any age group, duplicate the page before adding information so you have a page for each class.

Creating Door Signs for Primary
This is by far one of my favorite things to work on! Play around and make your door signs unique and fun--kids love to see their pictures or names on the signs. (Hint: if you can get pictures of all the kids in your primary, you can make the signs extra special!)

Download your Planner!
And last but not least, it's time to download the finished planner so you can print it! Downloading isn't difficult, but I give you some options in case you want to print covers on cardstock, etc.