Magic Words
A secret ingredient makes letter play colorfully fun.
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• Two cups of salt
• Shallow pan
• Watercolor paints, paintbrushes
• Cardboard
Your child can use glue as a writing instrument by squeezing it to draw a letter, word, or name on the cardboard. Encourage her to go slowly, making very thick lines of glue. Together, lay cardboard in pan and pour enough salt over it to completely cover glue.  Invite your child to heavily fill a paintbrush with water and paint, and guide her to gently touch the tip to the glue and salt creation. By lightly touching the tip to the glue, the salt will absorb the paint.  Watch the paint zoom into the glue, making rainbow patterns that travel rapidly through the salt. When finished, let the salty design dry overnight.
• provides practice with letter recognition
• supports observation skills
• develops fine-motor skills
