Salt Box

I have seen these in shops for $20 or more but decided I could make one inexpensively at home. The theory is to give the child a sensory activity to go along with writing a word. I know that the more activities that I do with my son, the more he retains the information.

I went to Hobby Lobby and bought a cheap little wooden box with a sliding top for just a couple of dollars. Once I got home, I painted the inside of the box with a flat black craft paint and the outside of the box was painted in an apple green color. Once it all dried, I just poured in a layer of salt. You do not want too much salt or it is too difficult to clear a path and see the black contrast on the bottom of the box.

Now ask your child to use their finger to draw letters or shapes in the salt layer. This is a great resource for teaching but trust me when I say you want to watch your child using this. Trust me on this, salt is hard to clean up and gets everywhere if you do not watch them. Also trust me that just because it has a lid, it is not spill proof! If your child is not proficient with letters yet, you can write the letters on index cards for them to look at as they "write".

I was able to make this activity, even purchasing the paint for less than $5.00.

Have fun learning!