Hi! It's
Scott from Brick by Brick. I love to repurpose materials—use materials in ways different from their intended purpose.
My kids love to use dry erase markers for writing and drawing. We have a large board in our room, a board on our easel, and small boards to use at the table. So we can have lots of different experiences with our dry erase markers. But what if you don't have a board? Or if you need more boards for kids to use? Here are some things you can repurpose to use as dry erase boards.
Plastic Plates - A quick and easy alternative that may already be in your resource room or classroom. You may be able to find large ones, small ones, and ones of different shapes to use.
Binders or Notebooks - Choose binders that have a plastic cover into which you can slide paper. If the binder is white or a light color, use as is. If it is a darker color, slide a piece of paper inside so you can see the marks. You can also slide in a picture or activity...or words to trace. (Thanks,
Ms. Jessi, for this idea!)
Page Protectors - Slide a piece of paper inside or use on a light-colored table or clipboard. You can also slide activity pages or words to trace inside, too.
Stove Burner Covers - Find ones that are plain, with no designs. I love the ones I found - we use magnets on them, too. And flip them over to use as holders for art supplies or other resources. (Good repurposing, multi-tasking items!)
Laminating Film - Don't discard the remnants from your laminating but write on it instead. Tape pieces to a table or a tray. Or laminate heavy paper and place on a clipboard.
Window - If you have a low window in your classroom, you already have a great dry erase board!
Have you found a good substitute for dry erase boards? I'm always on the lookout for more ideas.
If you want actual white boards - but can't afford them - use tile board. Tile board can be found in the floor and wall section of your local home improvement store. It is intended for use as a wall in the shower! it comes in a 4' X 8' sheet, but can be cut to any size. I bought one recently for about $12 and had it cut into 1' squares right there at the store. So ... each white board cost less than 50 cents. (Normally they charge you per cut, but the manager at my local Home Depot waived that charge because I'm a teacher)
ReplyDeleteWow these are really smart and clever ideas! I think children would find it interesting to use different things to write on as well and it might inspire them to experiment. Thanks for sharing!! -Melissa
ReplyDeleteI had some printed poster boards laminated and use those for dry erase boards. We've used many of your ideas, too, but not the plates. We'll have to try that sometime.
ReplyDeleteKids are clever & they soon pick up the faults with our great ideas. Don't get me wrong I'm not knocking you but the kids will be quick to notice the difference.
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