Practical Mom: Chalk Art on Sandpaper

I recently got my son a chalk board slate, for the purpose of doing something non-messy in the living room. He had been doing some writing with dry erase markers on glass and plastic surfaces. So he began writing alphabets with chalks too. I soon realised writing at his age (3.5) is best practiced with chalk since his grip is much better. Dry erase markers tend to be a tad too smooth / slippery and his pencil grip is still incorrect!

Anyways, he was done writing letters, short words on the chalk board he bugged and bugged me - what else mama? What do I do? So I told him to draw a smiley face. "Draw a circle, then two dots, one standing line, one U..". (Maria Montessori firmly advocated "showing" rather than "instructing with words", but somehow instructing works for us many times! So I do what feels natural!)

I realised my son could draw! Smiley face, bus, train hills, the sun... A little here and there! Suddenly out of nowhere! After all the open-ended artwork all these months!

I gave him some black fine grit sandpaper too (left over from my sandpaper letter project) so I could preserve some of his chalk art!

The first few days

We were hanging out at our neighbourhood bookstore (Crossword) which has a huge Train Engine for kids to sit on etc. So I made him stand next to it and look at it- "see ? can u draw this train? Its got one rectangle for engine and one for the carriage. Then a rectangle for the chimney...."

When we got back home I reminded him. Can you draw the train? rectangles and chimneys? And this is what he made! (He is obsessed with super sized wheels though!)

Then I brought out his wooden toy train which was gifted to him when he was little. "Look at this and draw!" Gave him chalks for this too- since I discovered writing at his age is better off with chalks! and also since he has been a little obsessed with chalks lately.