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37. Magnetic Board Accessories
Fridge Magnets
Many large grocery stores and craft stores sell magnetic pieces in the shape of numbers, letters, butterflies, flowers, and animals to hold notes and menus on the side of a fridge. There are also magnetic hooks to hand pictures or other items. A whiteboard caddy can be hung on magnets to hold markers, an eraser, and other things. Magnets come in various shapes, including arrows, buttons of different sizes in bright colors, and stars. Two giant ladybirds initially intended for this purpose served me very well as scorekeepers for children's quizzes for several years. A large music staff magnet preprinted with the musical score lines can be attached for a music classroom's magnetic board. There is even a satin steel magnetic coat hook to connect to the side of the board. Two strips of magnetic board tapes or magnetic strips marked with half-inch diameter stickers every four inches and inclined at about forty-five degrees like the sides of a mountain with a picture at the summit act as a scoreboard for the children. The ladybirds (red for the girls and blue for the boys) move two spaces forward for a correct answer and one back for a wrong one. The winning team is the one that reaches the top first. ✞
Magnetic Board Equipment
Teachers may use magnetic board equipment and marker boards effectively for visual aids in presentations with children or adults. In recent years, magnetic board equipment in conjunction with dry-erase or ordinary marker boards has found widespread acceptance in schools, conference centers, churches, and meeting places of all sorts. There are so many new opportunities for effective communication. The significant advantage of the magnetic board equipment is the excellent adhesion given to the magnetic visuals. The magnetic surface is also often prepared with a dry wipe surface to easily wipe off dry wipe markers. Magnetized rubber tape is available with a self-adhesive backing to adapt any picture quickly by adding a couple of small pieces of magnetic tape. The magnetic surface may double as a bulletin board. Boards now come made from tempered safety glass that will not stain, ghost, or dent. Aluminum frames come in a variety of colors. Some boards have one corkboard side and the other of magnetic dry-erase surfacing. Other boards come with a frame and four casters for added mobility. There are also colorful magnetic rubber tiles and small button magnets used on refrigerator doors available for other uses. ✞
Magnetic Boards
Making magnetic boards can save you a lot of time and money and be just as effective in presentations or as display boards as the shop-bought ones. Apart from quizzes, magnetic boards are also excellent for stories, family service talks displaying the significant points at planning meetings, and many other presentations such as display boards at home. They are as good outdoors as indoors but can have the one disadvantage of being rather heavy. There are several companies that market magnetic boards, but they do tend to be expensive. I would recommend that you consider making your own. I went down to a local large hardware store, told him what I needed, and he cut me a piece of galvanized sheet metal, the kind used on heating and ventilating ducts. Using a pair of tin snips, I rounded off the corners then painted the whole thing in white gloss paint. A finishing touch might be a double layer of two-inch-wide cloth tape around the edge as a border and cover the sharp edges. Hey, presto! You have made a magnetic board at a fraction of the shop price! If you decide to make a magnetic board, I would recommend that you fabricate it a little larger than your other boards for use as a projection screen for videos for small groups of people or children's groups. ✞
Dry-Erase Marker
The dry-erase marker, plasti graph, and magnetic board make attractive display systems for to adults or children's presentations. I find the dry-erase marker system to be easy to use, clean, and very attractive. You can either buy a board already finished with an exceptional porcelain finish or purchase the same finish in roll form on a self-adhesive backing. It is sometimes called a "Dry-erase" or "Dry-wipe" finish. The dry-erase surface is tough and resistant to the color dyes found in the markers to leave no stain. These dry-erase markers are moist when applied but dry to powder immediately without losing any of their colors. They are available in many bright colors and shades and will work on proprietary boards and on glass, mirrors, or even on unpainted metal. Because the markers dry to a powder, an ordinary chalkboard eraser will quickly remove the lettering remnant. The dry-erase marker leaves no dust on the floor, unlike chalkboard, and is much brighter and more attractive to use. The dry-erase system and a magnetic board combine as one sometimes. If you have difficulty forming letters for your magnetic board or other equipment, then you may want to try another preformed plastic lettering system called "Plasti-graph." ✞
"Magnetic Board Accessories"
by Ron Meacock © 1982-2021
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