Watch Your P's and Q's - Montessori Sandpaper Letters

Well, for my next trick . . .

How to make your own Montessori-recommended Sandpaper Letters! Over the past few years, my daughter and I have been working on reading. One of the challenges for many younger kids is being able to tell the difference between the lowercase letters b & d, and p & q. Lots of early readers get confused by these, and I've been told that it doesn't mean dyslexia but is often grown out of eventually. Still, I've been advised that giving the little reader some tactile opportunities can help.

As usual, I didn't feel like spending $30 on a ready-made set. And, on the morning I decided to make my own sets, I couldn't find any fresh sandpaper around the house (When presented with some free time, sometimes I cannot wait till I have all the pieces, or I'll never get around to a project). But, I did have tons of those little paint sample cards that you get from the hardware store (I just cannot bring myself to throw those things away).

Rustic Touches: Sihouettes

Now that I've found a little spare time, thought I'd share my little technique for inexpensively customizing our mountain condo's decor: adding animal silhouettes to just about anything that needs a bit of pizazz. I have enjoyed painting detailed pictures of animals, flowers, etc., on things in years past; but sitting down and painting a portrait of a songbird on fencepost takes more time than I have these days. So I've found a quicker, easier and almost-as-satisfying technique for getting those realistic images from nature onto the various items I wish to decorate. And I don't spend money on expensive stencils or rubber stamps to do it either.

I guess I'll start by listing the basic materials you'll need - although, I hardly ever am successful in assembling everything before I dive right in (but if you do, you can avoid those between-steps interruptions as you go looking upstairs for where you last put your paint brushes). So, the major items you will need are: