DIY Literacy Centers

Do you want to make a ridiculously cute and easy literacy center for your classroom?  You only need to gather a few simple materials, set aside a bit of time, and get ready to "get your craft on!"

Items to Gather:

• smooth pebbles (I used river rocks)
• acrylic paint and small paintbrush
• clear lacquer or spray varnish
• small round magnets
• glue gun
• inexpensive cookie sheet or metal sheet
• Optional: tooth picks, ribbon or bow

Instructions:

1.  Gather (or buy) pebbles.  Try to get a variety of sizes.

2.  Paint alphabet letters on the pebbles.  Use a small thin brush for this.  I added a little extra detail by using a toothpick to make small white polka-dots around each pebble.

3.  Give the pebbles a quick spray with lacquer or varnish.  This will keep the paint from scratching off once little fingers begin to play with the pebbles.

4.  Use a glue gun to attach small round magnets to the back of each stone.

5.  Place magnet pebbles on a metal cookie sheet (I added a bow to the top of the cookie sheet), and get ready to have some fun with the kiddos!

Other Tips/Suggestions:

When used as a literacy center, you can let your students have fun and explore words.  They can practice spelling words from the word wall or morning message, or they can explore with word families or rhyming words.

You can also make your students' names with the pebbles to add a little something extra to their displayed work on blackboards or magnetic surfaces.

Hope you enjoy!