It all began with the idea to have Addie’s first birthday party with a Chicka-Chicka Boom-Boom! theme. Letters were everywhere (you can check it out HERE). Initially we had looked to have a magnet board all set up, but what we ended up with was too heavy to hang where we’d liked- so we passed up on it for the party and we put it in the basement until we could figure it out.
One afternoon, while I was cleaning, I pulled the board up the stairs and started to play with all the letters- clearing off the fridge of Addie-toys, and moving it to her own magnet space. The board is amazing and perfect as an afternoon distraction, for teaching everything from colors and the alphabet, to spelling and reading. Keeping the board right outside of the kitchen is great because it gives me a safe space to cook and keep Addie still close by.
The rule: Measure twice cut once, is inaccurate. Measure (at least) 4 times because you can only cut once!
So how did we do it?
With some flashing, plywood and plastic moulding and an adhesive caulk. So for about $40, we made an awesome board, that we are sure to use for a very long time.
1. Measuring our flashing, we cut three even strips. Because it is rolled, we laid our sheets out to flatten a bit before proceeding.
2. To put the strips together, we built a frame using plastic moulding that we slid the strips into and held in place with caulk- though time consuming, try to hold your pieces together with the moulding, one-at-a-time to avoid pieces slipping out of place.
3. Let your frame work dry- completely.
4. To strengthen your board, make a plywood backing and attach the framing- placing a heavy object over the board as it dries to make sure all edges adhere.
5. ENJOY! We use our board just propped up against a wall and let Addie play with magnets- making games with letters, colors, capital/lowercase letters, and organizing in numbers and sequence.
This board is perfect for giving you your fridge back, a safe place for the kids to play and a unique learning experience!
What DIY projects do you have to make your adult things less kid-centric?
What a good idea!!
Thank you!
A great DIY project! The fridge in our house is opened/closed on-and-on when cooking…frustrating place for a toddler to work on letters! This would have been a project for us!
Mima, your fridge is still cluttered to this day!
Chelley @ A is for Adelaide recently posted…I’m dressing Bananas!
I absolutely love this. It’s so unique, creative and a fun way to learn! The look on her face says it all.
@JackieHennesse1 recently posted…Too old to play house?
🙂
martinkadelux recently posted…Stick to me!
super cute!!!! I went with the oversized oil drip pan from Walmart – $12!! I put some cute ribbon trip on it and voila!
Michele C. recently posted…Foggy Day Foto
Love that idea!!!!!
martinkadelux recently posted…Stick to me!
Such a creative way to make a magnetic board! And the judging cat is awesome 🙂
Ashley recently posted…Can you really clean a cookie sheet like Pinterest claims?
Chelley @ A is for Adelaide recently posted…I’m dressing Bananas!
I LOVE this–what a great DIY! 🙂
Melissa Hillas recently posted…Bead B*tches ~ Eye Popping Arm Candy
Thank you!
martinkadelux recently posted…Stick to me!
My kids are 11 and 7 and I haven’t seen my fridge in 11 years. At least! It was once letters, numbers and animals and now it’s pictures and chore charts, report cards and appointments. This is awesome!
Kirsten recently posted…TBT LTYM Edition (aka Alphabet Soup)
That’s my fear… I hope our board serves us for years to come.
Chelley @ A is for Adelaide recently posted…I’m dressing Bananas!