September's Mash of the Month: Mini Mash

Mini Mash, our online space for little learners, has been redeveloped and refreshed to provide a more intuitive, engaging and user-friendly experience for both pupils and teachers. You'll find new areas to explore, and more personalisation features to tailor it perfectly to your class.

That's why Mini Mash is September's Mash of the Month!

Each month we will be highlighting a #MashoftheMonth, this will focus on a tool or application within Purple Mash and how it can be used within the classroom to support learning across the curriculum. During the month, if you share how you have used #MashoftheMonth, you will then be entered into a draw to win a 2Simple Goody Bag!

Read on for more information on the changes...

Classroom and Outdoor Area

Scrollable classroom

The first thing teachers and pupils will notice is the changes made to the classroom and outdoor area. You can now scroll between the two areas, instead of needing to click in between them.

Make sure you explore and click lots, as there are some fun 'Easter Eggs' which the children will really enjoy.

Seasonality

Seasons in the outdoor area will change automatically, where the trees and vegetable patch will change, and so will the children's outfits!

The Top Bar

The Mini Mash top bar has been created to mirror the Purple Mash tool bar, creating consistency and ease of use for teachers and pupils.

Here we break down each part of the top bar and what's been updated within each section:

Trays

As well as opening trays from the classroom area, trays can now be accessed from the top bar, using the orange tab.

When in the trays area, teachers can switch to the work folders view, which may make it easier to organise and find pieces of work.

Trays are now more customisable, with children able to choose a label, colour, icon and tray design to really make their tray their own!

Topics

Pins are now called 'Topics', and can be accessed either through the notice board in the classroom area, or through the topic tab in the top bar.

In the topics area, teachers can see the current topics, assign topics to classes for specific dates, and create topics - including adding files from the My Work area, or by adding applications to a topic.

Teachers

The Teachers Area includes all teacher resources, including the Computing Scheme of Work for EYFS and Teacher Tools. From here, teachers can create their own resources.

Search Bar

The top bar of Mini Mash now includes a search bar, and teachers (or pupils) can search for content using this, without needing to know where resources are in Mini Mash. Results can then be filtered by curriculum area or subject area.

Profile Drop Down Menu

Clicking on the profile avatar shows the drop down menu, giving access to a range of features including the ability to log a child in, switching class, or sound and admin settings. From here, teachers and pupils can also edit their avatar, which is a great activity to get children started.