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Crate Seats and Cheap White Erase Boards

I saw this super cute idea on ProTeacher and just had to create some myself. You can click {here} to the original post and pictures. I set out today to make my own set. Here's the what the final set looks like (please excuse the picture quality from my Iphone).  P.S. I know the spacing is a little funky but Blogger is not cooperating with me at all tonight. :/  
                                                      
Now onto how we (my hubby and I) made these today.

I headed out to get all the supplies I needed. Let me start by saying that dragging 5-year-old triplets along to shop
for cutesy stuff for your classroom does NOT make for the best shopping experience for yourself or the other customers. I found my crates at Target for less than $4. They had black, lime green, aqua, and pink ones. You're also going to need cute coordinating ribbon, some board, something to cover the seat, adhesive glue, and some little tacks.



To cover the seats, I used bath mats that I found at Target. I found these at Target for about $4 a piece. My husband found a nice piece of board at Lowe's that was already sanded on both sides and big enough to make 3 seats for about $13. He was kind enough to cut each piece to fit right inside the crates and rest on the inside lip. I used these pieces to trace the correct size onto the mat and cut the pieces out.







We used this adhesive spray to attach the mats to the boards. Be warned that this stuff is SUPER strong spelling and should be used outside.








To be extra sure that the mats stayed put we used these little fabric u-shaped nails to secure them to the board.






We used those same u-hook fasteners to attach the ribbon to the bottom side of the boards.




And that's all there was to it! I plan on my students using these for independent reading time throughout the room. I haven't decided what I will use the storage area for yet.

On another note, did you know that Lowe's sells marker board that they will cut into pieces for you? I had heard other teachers mention this but hadn't gotten any myself until today. The marker board was less than $12, and it was big enough to be cut into 8 pieces that are about 16 x 12 inches in size.


12 comments:

  1. Now, have the boards cut smaller (keeps the kids focused) and drill a hole in the corner. Then, attach an old sock with a ring through the hole. Put a dry erase marker in the sock. Voila! Now you have an easier way to pass them out.

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  2. Is it actually called "marker board"? I went looking for "showerboard" which is what many were posting it as, but didn't find anything. I have been thinking about covering at least one of my chalk boards to use with my LCD projector. hmmmm.
    Adorable seats by the way! Love your colour choices!


    Jenn

    Back Hall Collaborators

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  3. The board is actually called 'Mark-R-Board'. My Lowes in town wouldn't cut them for me since they are "vanity" woods and the marker side could chip easily so I'm going to have my dad cut them for me this week. Just use painter's tape to mark where you want to cut the board and then actually cut down the middle of the tape. This will help the white marker board from chipping and peeling.

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  4. If you go to lowes or home depot type stores- they should know what you mean by showerboard but I don't think it is officially called shower board. They will cut it into different sizes for you- I used duck tape to cover the edges. I have a post about other uses as well if you are interested.

    http://primaryconnections-beth.blogspot.com/2011/05/student-whiteboards.html

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  5. Love the crates! I will try to make them this weekend! Thanks for sharing!

    Maria
    charmedinthirdgrade.blogspot.com

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  6. Agree with Beth, Lowes cut mine but did mention about the white/showerboard side chipping so I put cute colored duct tape around the edges! They lasted....I am using the same boards for my class this year as well. :)

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  7. My husband made a class set of white boards for me (about 30) a few years ago. We got it at Home Depot and I believe it was called "laminate" but don't quote me on that. I'm pretty sure it wasn't more than $20 for the sheet for my entire class and they're still strong as ever today. He sanded all of the edges as well. Love Mrs. Shaefer's tip!

    Pamela
    Rayos de Kinder

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  8. Mrs. Schafer - Great idea!!

    I first looked at the shower board at Lowe's. I told one of the workers that I was looking for and he took me to an aisle right before all the lumber. I could have bought a large sheet of shower board for about $12. Then I saw the mark-r-board on an end cap. It is only about half the size and about the same size. I figured that since I don't have as many students and didn't need a full class set that I would just get the mark-r-board. If I had a full gen ed class, I would have gotten the shower board piece.

    They did cut it there for me no problem. The guy was super nice and didn't charge me for the cuts. He didn't mention chipping and the cuts look ok. It didn't splinter or anything. But I'm glad you guys mentioned the duct tape. I'll do that to mine just in case.

    Good luck getting your own boards made! Last year, I bought a few dry erase boards at Target that I found after the back-to-school stuff went on sale. But I never had enough for everyone and they didn't all match (I know.....I have a problem). I hope these work much better!

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