Here are some examples of cheap, easy to make writing boards to put in your activity box.
My dear, sweet husband had a scrap piece of thin plywood, and time on his hands (haha), so I put him to work cutting it into as many 8x10-ish inch pieces as he could. I mixed up some un-sanded grout and black paint (also found in his barn- I don't even ask why anymore) and painted one side of each piece. On the other I did one of two things: one some, I stuck on a piece of dry erase paper (found at Dollar General), and on the others, I filled a Ziploc freezer baggie with non-toxic clear hair gel and food coloring. Use just enough so that it lines the area of the bag, and make sure to get all of the air out. Then, I put duct tape around the edges to secure everything. Each board has two surfaces- chalk and gel, or chalk and dry erase.
Tip- I spray painted the gel side white first, so that the label on the baggie was not visible.
Note- all baggies are NOT created equal- "name brand" and "freezer" are very important for this project!
If you don't have a barn full of useful objects of your own, here are some other great things to save from the trash to make these:
Puzzle backs- just because pieces are missing doesn't mean that the ones that are left can't be re-purposed!
Broken/unused clip boards
Broken board books- the pages are sturdy enough to make a new writing surface
Another great DIY dry erase board source: VHS clamshell cases and DVD cases.
If your cases are not colored, like the orange one above, simply cut a piece of colored construction paper and put it in the sleeve for a background. Inside, you can place a marker, eraser, and even some writing prompts, like friends' names, letter/number flash cards, vocabulary words, etc. Clamshell cases are great if you have the wide markers, DVD cases can only accommodate the thin ones.
Eraser ideas- you can glue a pom-pom on the end of a marker, use markers that have their own erasers, or use small squares of felt or fleece material, or even use outgrown or unmatched socks!
Tip- I spray painted the gel side white first, so that the label on the baggie was not visible.
Note- all baggies are NOT created equal- "name brand" and "freezer" are very important for this project!
If you don't have a barn full of useful objects of your own, here are some other great things to save from the trash to make these:
Puzzle backs- just because pieces are missing doesn't mean that the ones that are left can't be re-purposed!
Broken/unused clip boards
Broken board books- the pages are sturdy enough to make a new writing surface
Another great DIY dry erase board source: VHS clamshell cases and DVD cases.
If your cases are not colored, like the orange one above, simply cut a piece of colored construction paper and put it in the sleeve for a background. Inside, you can place a marker, eraser, and even some writing prompts, like friends' names, letter/number flash cards, vocabulary words, etc. Clamshell cases are great if you have the wide markers, DVD cases can only accommodate the thin ones.
Eraser ideas- you can glue a pom-pom on the end of a marker, use markers that have their own erasers, or use small squares of felt or fleece material, or even use outgrown or unmatched socks!