Classroom props are ridiculously expensive, particularly if they’re therapeutic in some way. Due to the astronomical price of everything from wooden blocks to chewable necklaces, the following sequence of events has become a daily occurrence:
- Find some really cool educational prop online.
- Get excited about putting a post about said prop on The Mailbox® Facebook page.
- Note the price of said prop and imagine teacher comments regarding my sanity.
- Look for something else to post.
The most recent experience with this daily ritual involved weighted lap blankets. What a wonderful item! It can improve focus, provide calm, and increase body awareness. After checking out the prices on weighted lap blankets, I decided that they must be stuffed with gold. So I decided to do a little investigation on how to make a simple weighted lap blanket. Here are some much cheaper options:
- Sew bean bags together to create a square. If you don’t sew, hot glue them together.
- Fill a supersize resealable plastic bag with rice or beans. Slip the bag into an inexpensive throw pillow cover.
- Fill four quart-size resealable bags with rice or beans. Arrange the bags in a 2 x 2 grid so they’re all touching each other. Use colorful duct tape to cover the edges of the grid. Then completely cover the front and back of the grid with colorful duct tape.
What expensive educational prop have you made yourself?
Pinterest is a great source for ideas and information/ directions for creating your own weighted blanket. BTW, the link to this blog in your emails isn’t active anymore; it has to be copied and pasted. This may affect the number of people who read your great blog.
I love this blog but have also noticed that the links no longer work.
Games
Ball drop wall
Gsmes. Sensory bottles and boxes