Classroom Chalkboard Inspiration Board

**DIY Classroom Chalkboard Inspiration Board**

We are just about a month into our first year of homeschooling our pre-schooler. I debated all summer whether or not I would start Pre-K this fall with her not turning 4 until November, or if we should wait another year. We tried starting last year and failed miserably. I’m happy to say that it’s been going so well. Once we decided 100% that we would be homeschooling, I spent so much time making a weekly do to-list, getting checklists printed to make sure I cover the right topics, going shopping for school materials and necessities, and more. I had the most amazing time setting up our homeschool room to create a space for optimal learning. I’m happy to report, it’s paying off!

Skibbles, our little learner, has been picking up so much information, so quickly. I am blown away by her ability to grasp the concepts I’m teaching her. While she’s learning so well, I can’t say it’s been 100% easy. Did I really expect it to be? While she’s doing fantastic, I’m still her mom.  There’s still moments where she wants me to be mommy and not a teacher. However, the most difficult part of our transition has been what to do with the baby while schooling. No matter what, as soon as I give attention to Skibbles, the baby freaks out. Over the past four weeks, things have gotten better, but it’s still not perfect by any means. The great thing about homeschooling is that we have plenty of time and we just keep trying.

I wanted to create something that she could read everyday to remember that she can be and do anything she wants to with this life of hers.

I got the idea to create an oversized chalkboard with self-affirmations that we would set up in our learning space. Here’s the steps on how we did it:

1. Head to your local home improvement store and purchase a sheet of particle board and chalkboard paint.
2. Ask the employee to cut it for you to your desired length or you can cut it yourself.
3. Paint the edges and one side of the board with two applications of chalkboard paint (follow instructions for drying times on the can of paint)
4. On a piece of paper, write out how you want your design to look like.
5. Using regular sidewalk chalk or chalkboard markers, draw the design on the board that you wish to create.
6. If using regular sidewalk chalk, spray aerosol hairspray across entire board to seal if you want it to be permanent.
7. Hang or lean in desired location