We love our lightbox! Yesterday, I shared a tutorial on how to make your own lightbox for about $20. Today I’m going to share some fun things that we’ve found or bought inexpensively to play with on our lightbox.
I like really open-ended play, so I basically put some materials out on the box and let the kids go. Of course I have to watch Mr. Man pretty carefully- he likes to grab things off the table and put them right in his mouth.
On the left is a magnet exploration set that we already had. It’s some colorful discs that have metal around the rim. You can find them at Amazon. Then there are a couple magnets so that the kids can play with them. On the right is a bunch of found things- flat marbles that we already had and other random things that we collect when we find them. Mostly things for aquariums or flower arrangements. You can find these things from the Dollar Tree or Walmart, or even on Amazon.
These are things that I bought online. A google search for “overhead projector materials” will bring up some options for you. On the right is a base 10 set– there are a couple hundred blocks, some tens blocks and some ones. On the right is a set of see through pattern blocks.
Fingerpainting: I covered the top with plastic wrap so that they box itself didn’t get covered in paint, then I dropped on some dollops of fingerpaint and let the kids go to town. One kiddo didn’t want to use her hands, so I got out some brushes too.
Here, an outline was given to Lil’ Miss and she used the flat marbles to fill it in and then make a story with the pieces.
These are some silicone muffin cups that were given to me that I have never got around to using for baking. They are a lot of fun, especially for the baby! The thinner (off brand) ones let the light glow through really nicely, while the thicker (Wilton brand) ones are a little darker, but still a lot of fun to play with.
Color-mixing! Some clear jars, spoons, eye droppers or pipettes and food colored water make for lots of fun.
Here Are Some More Resources and Inspiration:
- Play At Home Mom – look at her main photo- I love the water beads on the light table!
- More from Play At Home Mom -playing with sand and water on the light table.
- Even more Play At Home Mom some basic skills that kids can experiment with on the light table
- Teach Preschool – make some colorful discs for your light table
- Kreative Activities – play with colorful plexiglas on the light table
This post was published on Muse of the Morning.com
