DIY Clipboards

I don't know about you but I love having a clipboard for every child in my class but holy moly that can get expensive!

Well, I ran into someone  (Stacy)  who came up with a DIY version and I couldn't wait to share the goodness!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

• bulldog clips or binder clips (the binder clips are cheaper)
• 9 x 12 hardboard panel (Nasco carries one for 75 cents :: Click here)
• You could have boards cut at your local hardware store - but I like having the board's edges already sanded and smooth

Super simple - just attach the clip!  Done!

You are ready to go!

I use clipboards for guided drawings, group work, writing. . . . the list goes on!

TIP:   

A subscriber, Danielle, wrote me and said she was taking this idea and using it with her white boards.  Every student has a white board in their chair pocket.  (Check HERE for my DIY White boards)  She is going to add a bulldog clip to their white boards - and voila!  It doubles as a clipboard!   Brilliant!  Thank you Danielle! 

DIY White Boards - so CHEAP!

I was so surprised this week when I asked my colleagues if they knew about how to make super easy and cheap white boards out of white panelboards. They did not know! So I thought some of you may not know! Here's the scoop:

Go to Lowe's or Home Depot (lumber store) and locate the White Panelboards (in the paneling section of the store). 

It is 4 ft by 8ft which cuts into 24 pieces of white board (12 inches by 16 inches).

Did you know that they will cut it for you?  It is just a couple bucks extra and bam!  You have 24 white boards ready to go for under $15.  Can't beat it!

 Just use kleenex or paper towels as easers!

The Bakery is Open!

During the Gingerbread Man unit, we open a bakery where the children buy and sell bake goods they have made.  I use an old recipe from my childhood that my mother used to make bread dough ornaments.  It is really like a clay.  It is great fun and the children feel such ownership of the center!

Here's how.

Bread Dough Recipe

1 cup of flour
1/4 cup of salt
1/3 to 1/2 cup of hot tap water

Mix all the ingredients together in bowl.  Knead until smooth.  Add more flour if dough sticks to your fingers.  It should be smooth not too sticky.  This recipe will be enough for 3 to 5 children depending on how many things you would like them to make!

Bake for one hour in a 300 degree oven.  Let cool.


Special Paint Frosting Recipe
Acrylic paint (cheap variety in squeeze bottles)
Glue

Mix one part paint to one part glue.  Stir.  Use cheap paintbrushes like those found in watercolor boxes.

Special Sprinkles
Small seed beads
Different kinds of glitter

 

Some stores carry special edition glitters and sprinkles for art during the holidays.  Shhh - don't tell - they sell for 75% off after the holidays - and I stock up!

Paint frosting on baked bread dough.

Sprinkle goodies with glitters and such.  To preserve your baked goods for years of play - spray with clear acrylic sealer.   My family has bread dough ornaments that have lasted decades!  This recipe is great for making your own vegetables, fruit, pie . . . . for housekeeping play.  It has so much more warmth than plastic or wooden pretend food items - especially if the children help make them.

Gingerbread Playdough

Gingerbread Play-Dough

This is my favorite recipe for gingerbread play-dough.  It smells wonderful and provides the perfect play during our Gingerbread Boy unit.

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 Tb. cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 tsp. vegetable oil
Spices--Cinnamon, Allspice, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cloves
Use Green and Red food coloring to make the dough brown (I like Wilton's Brown Food Dye)

Directions:
1.  Mix the dry ingredients adding the spices until you get a good level of scent.
2.  Mix water and oil together and add them to the dry ingredients. Stir.
3.  In a pan, cook the mixture for three to five minutes on lowheat, stirring constantly.
4.  The dough will start to pull away from the sides of the pot and stick together in a large ball.  I like to push the dough out and flat and let it cook.  It will look like it is too sticky.  Let it cook a bit.  
5.  Take the dough out of the pan and knead the dough until it becomes smooth. (I like to mix it in my     Kitchen Aid with the bread hook.  I drop it in while it is still warm.  It makes it perfect!!!)
6.  Allow the dough to cool before using.  Store in an airtight container.