I recently had a few extra minutes to stroll the aisles of Staples and came across THIS! For about $5.00, I grabbed a roll of the chalkboard tape and dry erase tape to use in all sorts of places with my students. I LOVE IT! There
is now a strip of chalkboard
tape on the table in my OT room at school and my kiddos "sign in" when they arrive as yet another way to practice letters without them realizing that they're working on IEP goals. Of course the only chalk they can use are from the little container on the table that holds several pieces of tiny pieces of chalk. Remember my trick about using small crayons to help kiddos develop an efficient grasp for holding a pencil? Well the same trick can be used with tiny pieces of chalk! There aren't any chalkboards left in our school building so this is a great way to bring back some good '
ol chalk activities in an easy and inexpensive way. I also added a piece of chalkboard tape to the desk easel that some of my students use to add the benefit of writing on a raised surface. The tape can be cut to any length that works for you, goes on easily like a sticker, and peels off just as easily if you don't want it to be permanent. The good news is that I've had it on the table for over a month now and unless one of my fidgety friends picks it off the table on purpose, it stays right where it's supposed to!
The dry erase tape is just as much fun and easy to use as the chalkboard tape! I have a 3 inch binder that I carry to class with me if I'm working in the classroom with a student, so I added a strip of dry erase tape on the binder for my kiddos to practice letters and numbers or to provide a model of a letter or word as an added visual. All of my students love when there's something new to try and I'm loving this find too! This tape can be used just about anywhere, so get creative! It could go on the wall for vertical
surface writing. It could go on the floor for some weight bearing while writing. It could even go on the underside of the desk/ table while the kiddos lay on the floor and do a little "DaVinci" writing! Get creative and have fun!
Jen Dermody, OTR/L
