Alphabet Spoon Puzzle

My daughter, Hazel, has had her uppercase letters mastered for a while now, but the lowercase ones were giving her some trouble.  We practiced writing them in a plate covered in homemade whipped cream, we drew them in sand in the yard, and she played some pre-K iPad games geared towards letter-learning...all to no avail.

And so, I started to brainstorm some other ideas.  I had seen this spoon trick used for a different memorization project on Pinterest last year and thought I'd give it a shot with letters...voila!  It appears the combination of a challenge to complete, tactile movable parts, and picking out her favorite color of spoons was the perfect storm she needed to master her lowercase letters. 

This project is inexpensive and super simple to make...and if you have older siblings in the house, this is something they'll love to get involved with.  The spoons are also easy to tuck in a bag or keep in the car to be used during an older sibling's soccer practice or dance recital.  Follow the three steps below to make your own Alphabet Spoon Puzzle (or a puzzle for anything else your child is struggling to learn):

1. Purchase 26* colored spoons and 26 clear spoons.
2. Using a Sharpie, write an uppercase letter towards the top of each spoon.
3. Lay a clear spoon over the colored one and write the corresponding lowercase letter towards the bottom of the spoon.

* - Unfortunately, there are no packs of 26 spoons to purchase.  Fortunately, the extras can be used to eat ice cream.  I highly suggest eating ice cream for dinner with your family at least once a year, maybe even two or three times annually.  Try this trick tonight and enjoy all of the extra hugs and kisses you are sure to garner.  You're welcome!

DIY Light Box

Winters in Wisconsin are long (especially this year) and the days are short.  In my search to find some fun activities that take advantage of our early sunsets, I happened upon light boxes and tables.  But the price tags ranging from $50 to $400 were a bit more than I wanted to pay for something I knew my children would use a few months out of the year, but it gave me an idea.  And so I present to you my $5 DIY Light Box. 

To make this you'll need the following items:

• 1 plastic "frosted" storage tub/bin (or with a "frosted" bottom)
• 1 can of black spray paint
• Strands of white Christmas lights or tap lights

To make this light box I first covered the bottom of my bin (the one I found in my basement had clear sides and a frosted bottom) with paper and taped it neatly.  Next, I spray painted the sides of the bin black and removed the paper and tape.   If you can't find a frosted bin, I've discovered some plastic frosted sheets you could apply to the inside of your plastic box. 

We first tried tap lights inside the box which worked just fine, but I couldn't help but wonder if a strand or two of white Christmas lights would disperse the light a bit better...and so I ventured to our basement yet again and dug two strands out of a box.  I can't say if the Christmas lights provide better light or not, but I do know we stuck with them.  One corner of my bin had a crack which actually works perfectly for this project, allowing the light cord an exit from the bin.

And voilà, my light box was complete. 

The only money I spent on this light box was on some inexpensive toys from a local educational store, but even they probably weren't necessary.  My kids have enjoyed using the light box to trace pictures, they've laid out parquetry blocks to create silhouettes, and they love playing with their water beads on the box which roll around and feel squishy (it's a sensory explosion!).