My Homemade Easel

My goodness, I can’t believe how crazy the last several weeks have been. I always seem to forget just how frazzled I feel during the first weeks of school until things settle down a bit. I crave routine, so I’m feeling much better now that I am slowly getting into a regular schedule. 

When I first moved into my new classroom, the one thing I missed the most was an easel. I knew that I couldn’t teach without an one, so I took matters into my own hands and made my own! I wanted to share this just in case there is anyone else out there who doesn’t have an easel but may want one!

Here is my homemade easel!

I started with a piece of MDF from Lowe’s and had it cut down to the size I wanted. I then bought a sheet of shower board and had it cut to the same size. The shower board can be used as a dry erase surface, so it was the perfect choice to cover the MDF.  I used a tub of vinyl floor adhesive to adhere the shower board to the MDF and painted the other side white. I made a giant mess on the driveway and had a mini panic attack when I couldn't get the adhesive off of my fingers, but I managed to get it on!! 

 

When it dried, I stuck two large Command hooks on the top to hold my chart paper and two smaller hooks to hold my pocket chart.

  

The MDF is pretty heavy, so it’s very stable. I was able to simply lean the board against the wall and it created an instant easel! The shower board creates a dry erase surface and the hooks hold the paper and pocket chart which makes it multi-functional.

 

I also stuck two smaller hooks at the bottom to hang a basket so I had a place to store my markers and other materials.

  

I am in love with my easel! It doesn’t take up much space at all and it’s versatile. The shower board is not magnetic, so I do miss having that ability, but other than that it has worked beautifully!

This was a relatively cheap project. I spent about $100 on all of the materials including the Command hooks (and those babies aren't cheap). It was worth it!! 

I have had a truly amazing first few weeks of school and I love my new group of students! I hope you are having a great beginning of the year! 

I’ll be back soon!