alphabet glass gems

With a $2 investment, modge podge and a bit of time, I have a set of upper and lower case glass gems that look amazing.

Glass gems and an alphabet sticker pack from the dollar store.

Luckily there was an alphabet with a kindergarten friendly "a", that was fun, but not too distracting.  The animal letter pack was too distracting.


Step 1  Modge podge the letters to the back of the glass gems.  (Since I was sticking the letters to the back of the gems, I had to glue the front of the letter to the gem - and add a dap of modge podge to the sticky side on the back to seal it.)

The modge podge took a while to dry

 - but when it did, those gems looked pretty good.

My co-picketer (and grade one colleague and friend) decided to leave her gems like this.  Her plan is to use them on a cookie sheet covered in black paper for word work.

I want to use my alphabet gems as loose parts (because I know that loose parts stimulates so many facets of learning).  I decided to put a paper backing on my gems.

Since all the gems are slightly different, I traced around the  gem, cut it a wee bit smaller, modge podged the gem, and then another layer of modge podge on the top of the paper to seal it.

It was a bit space constrained making them on a small plastic table.  But that is a #picketlineproblem.

Repeat the same processor the capital letters.  (I thought that they might be too big to fit on the gems - but woot woot, they weren't!)

This time, I borrowed an idea from another co-picketer, and backed them in blue.  Differentiating the capitals is a good thing.  

When I got home, I started playing with letters and words.  I pulled out an ancient overhead projector that was rescued from a dumpster because I need more school stuff in my basement.

I know that the kids will come up with so many creative ideas for these gems.  I love the way they use their brains. 

This is another of my

ps.

This is why I am on strike.  The latest update is that teachers have said that we are willing to accept binding arbitration; the government seems to think that is too much of a risk for them.  

Last week's picket line project was painted rocks.