Homemade Dry Erase Clipboards

This week's money saving trick is one of my favorites! I love using individual whiteboards in my classroom. They are great to use for assessment, centers, and games. The only problem with individual whiteboards is that a class set of 30 boards costs $100 if you buy them from a teacher supply store! If you make them yourself you will only spend $13.00 on a set of 32 boards!

To make the boards, go to your local Lowes or Home Depot. In the lumber section, they have sheets of white panel board. The white panel board is just like a dry erase board. I went to Lowes and found a sheet that was 4 feet by 8 feet for $12.98. I then found a friendly sales person who cut the sheet into 12 inch by 12 inch boards.  This gave me a set of 32 boards to use in my classroom.

I have used these boards for years, and they work great. At the beginning of the school year, I have my students bring in a clean old sock. I know it sounds gross, but they make the best erasers when using these boards. I have my students keep their socks in their desks. When we use the boards, I have the students take out their socks and put them on their hands to use as erasers. This is great when you need to quickly assess the students.

While I was shopping the other day, I came up with another use for these whiteboards.  If you spend an extra $4.00 on binder clips, you can make these whiteboards into whiteboard clipboards. Just fasten the binder clip to the top of the board and your students will have a whiteboard and a clipboard! Just think of all of the space this will save!

The grand total for this project was just $17.00. If I was to buy whiteboards from a supply company I would have spent $100, and the clipboards would have been another $30. By making my own, I was able to save $113! I hope this tip helps you in the classroom.

Happy Teaching!

Sarah