Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Easy Writer


I try my darndest to incorporate "educational fun" into whatever activities the kids might be doing. It doesn't always work out that way, but I try.

Here's something super-simple that'll keep kids occupied for hours on end while providing an opportunity for learning: chalkboard paint. I'm always surprised by how few people actually use the stuff--it's great! We had a door off our kitchen that was just awful--however, when painted with chalkboard paint (go Home Depot!) and accompanied by some dust-free chalk, it became a veritable magnet for the kids and our kitchen was transformed into "Schoolhouse Rock" (in a good way).

So now, no matter what I might be doing in the kitchen, I can usually count on my kids playing school or drawing holiday-themed decorations or simply scribbling away. It's also been great to help teach our kids Dutch, Spanish and some French--and we sometimes play "what's that sign?" to practice ASL. All in all, you can't beat it. If you can find even a 3' x 4' area or so, that's all it takes. And in close to 5 years, I've only touched the paint up once. Oh, and the chalk wipes off easily with a damp cloth.

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