A New Writing Tray

Thrift find

Being a thrift store junkie  I do so enjoy looking at ordinary objects and transforming them into extraordinary uses.  And so as a thrifter as I spotted this on a shelf for only $2 I could not pass it up for it looked like the beginnings of an activity for Michael.

Wood is so beautiful to look at.  This tray is smooth and is great to touch.  I knew I wanted it to be something sensorial for Michael so he could explore an area of study with his senses.

With my purchase and of course some more books for under $1, I headed out of the store and went across the way to the craft store.  (Jim if you are reading this I didn't spend too much.)

I walked along and went through the sticker aisle and looked at the different alphabets but none appealed to me so I walked over to the craft wood and spotted these:

Alphabet Tiles

Now they were on sale for $3 so I scooped them up.  I thought they would be great in the little glass cup and then he could have a writing tray.  Now all I had to think of was what to fill the tray with for him to practice writing his letters.  I wanted him to be able to use his fingers and really have a tactile experience so I decided to get out the salt and see how that would work.

Here is the result:

Salt Writing Tray

So all Michael has to do is select an alphabet tile and place it on the top of the tray and then use his pointer finger to practice writing the capital letter.  I chose all capital letters so he could work on one size formation at a time.  If he wants to do both he can.

Here is a look at the activity:

 

 

M is for Michael

In a montessori catalog this would be a very expensive tray work to buy.  The salt was $.50 for a whole box so our grand total was $5.50 plus tax.  We can also change out the salt and try writing in rice, beans, seasonal inspirations, sand, nature finds, and even popcorn seeds.  I like for him to have experience using all of his senses and this would focus on his sense of touch.  It might make it easier for him to retain the formation of  the letters.  We could also work on number formations too. 

 Now don't you feel like writing some letters?