At the end of April Noah's school had Creative Arts Week, where parents were invited to come teach/demonstrate to the kids about an art or craft they are involved with. Aaron knew he wanted to do something woodworking-related with Noah's class, and after thinking a bit, he came up with the idea of making chalkboard slates with the kids. They had just finished a big unit on the pioneers, so it was fun for them to make something similar to what a pioneer child might have used in school.
He painted all the panels with chalkboard paint and made all the frame pieces for each slate ahead of time. The kids then painted wood glue into the grooves in the frame pieces, and then fitted all their pieces together like a puzzle, and then hammered them together with a mallet. They loved it!
He also did a little demonstration on a few different types of wood and what they look like, and then planed them and let the kids smell and feel the shavings and compare. A little dusty, but lots of fun!
This display was in the hallway for a while after Creative Arts Week. I love the creative use of wood shavings!
