Sometimes projects with kids take a bit of patience. I must have known.Īnd maybe the light table is most successful in the dark of night, which is long after bed time in the middle of summer? So I poured the salt back into the bag, disassembled the whole thing in about five minutes, and we’ll try again one day soon. I hoped that N would get into this cool, open-ended textural play, but her lack of interest made me all the happier that I only spent about $2 on the project. So I placed a few clay tools with various textures next to the table for her to experiment with, but that didn’t come on like gangbusters either. She was curious, but not intrigued enough to play. Pressing different materials into the salt was oddly cathartic, like raking in a zen garden or working with clay, and I couldn’t wait to see how my daughter would investigate the materials the next day.Īs an invitation to play, I initially made some loopy marks in the salt with my finger and then turned the glowing salt table on.
Initially there was too much salt in the frame, making it difficult for the light pass through, and I tinkered with the salt until I liked the results. We built this while the kids were asleep, so I got to play with it first. It’s not as deep as our example, but it might work in a pinch.
Then pour sand into the groove of the box bottom. If you only have one container, if it has a deep groove on the bottom, you could try using JUST the storage container flipped upside down on top of the lights. (In case you were wondering, don’t waste your time with flour - I did, and it doesn’t work.) And that’s it. My friend Aude gave me about five pounds of salt that I’ve been saving for the perfect project, so I pulled it out and poured a healthy amount into the frame. I found that 1/4″ is a good place to start. Make it as shallow or as deep as you like. Then, to keep the frame from wiggling, tape the wax paper in place with clear packing tape. To diffuse the light, cover the bottom of the box frame or top container with wax paper.ģ. When not in use as a light table, we use our containers all the time for messy sensory projects like the Dry Ice Experiment and Vinegar and Baking Soda.Ģ. Place the box fame on top of a large under-the-bed plastic container Option #3: You might also try flipping your bottom container upside down, and then placing the second container on top of it, right side up. We’ve set this up both ways with different containers. Option #2: You could try setting this up with the bottom container’s lid on and off. Just be sure that you use something bright enough for light to pass through the salt, but not too hot for the box. If these didn’t work I would have used Christmas lights. My husband has a thing for lights so I raided his stash and we came up with these interesting bookcase light strips from IKEA that worked really well. Granted, these lights aren’t cheap, but we already had them so it didn’t really cost me anything. Run your string of lights into the bottom container
So when I spotted a large, gently used acrylic box frame - like this - at SCRAP (San Francisco’s reuse center for artists and teachers), I knew I had my answer. It also had to be simple to assemble and economical. I had a few rules: No paint, no saw, and no nails. *Note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links for your convenience.Īfter seeing the beautiful glow that illuminated from the easy light table at Teach Preschool and the pop-out pictures created in salt over at Child Central Station, I’ve been on the hunt for some DIY materials to make my own easy light table. For a flat-top light table, see this tutorial: Homemade Easy Low-cost Light Table Note: This light table is designed to hold salt or sand in the top layer.
Have you ever wanted a light table, and wondered if there was an easy way to build a DIY light table yourself? Well, this easy DIY light table could be your answer! Once I figured out which materials to use, the whole thing took about 10 minutes to assemble.
0 kommentar(er)
