Repurposed Lap Desks

  I've been getting really crafty on my days at home - lots of the things I want to buy for my classroom, I'm realizing that I can just make instead or at least do something different for way less money.  Besides the laminating cutting, bookmark making, and TPT projects today, I got to work on some cute little lap desks.

  Thanks to my mother in law last weekend - and my nieces that didn't like them - she brought me three pretty girly lap desk that she was willing to let me have for my classroom if I wanted.  I really don't like turning stuff away if it's practical so I hopped on board and took them.  At first I was going to just leave them as is, but let's be honest, they're quite girly and I think the boys in my room would panic if they were asked to use them. With the purple and the hearts, I could just see most of my boys saying "no way" to these lap desks.

  So, a drive in the car on the way home last weekend from dinner with the husband and mother in law, brought me a brilliant (and really random) idea to repurpose them with some simple materials so that they boys would want to use them too!  Last year with my Daily 5 - I always drew sticks for kids to sit in "special spots" in our library - which is covered with pillows and lounge places and the kids really liked that area.  As I was playing around with my classroom this year I decided to make a similar "special spot" area for writing - and when we were at IKEA a few weekends ago, I snagged this table that I thought I'd be able to use.  My idea was to have some special gel pens at the table that they could use if they got drawn to sit at the special writing spot - and also, use these lap tables if they wanted.  I usually only draw 2 people for special spots with Daily 5, but figure I could probably do 4 with this little writing table and the lap desks.

I went to hobby lobby and looked for some theme matching wrapping paper that wouldn't be too girly.  I knew I couldn't change the color of the bottom of the lap desks - they are bright purple - but the tops I knew it could.  I got some black and white chevron wrapping paper for the tops.  I was going to modge podge them onto the top of the desks but as I was looking for a paintbrush in my house - and dreading the messiness that would occur - I came across some clear contact paper in our closet that I thought might work even better and be WAY less messy.

I outlined the tables upside down on the wrapping paper - a little bigger than I needed - and then cut it out. I sprayed a little spray adhesive onto the lap table and very carefully placed the wrapping paper down onto the table.  And lets me honest - if you aren't careful and mess up, spray adhesive is TERRIBLE to redo because it's so sticky.  If I were to mess up, it'd be really hard to get it back to where I wanted it. I then measured out the contact paper, cut it out, and placed it very carefully on the top as well.  I was going to just use a scissors to cut around it but realized pretty quickly that wasn't going to work so I went and dug in the husbands toolbox to find an Xacto knife or something similar, and found one that worked perfect.  I just cut around the outside of the desks to get rid of the excess paper and contact paper. After the first one got finished I did a little happy dance because I loved them, and everything in my mind worked out.  Don't you just love when you create something in your brain, execute it without instructions (or Pinterest) and it comes out perfectly?  I felt like I deserved a big thing of ice cream afterwards.  Now I have three cute little lap desks that my writers can use during writing workshop - and they're not too girly and will be super durable to withstand some first grader hands.

What have you been crafting for your classroom this summer?  What have you done yourself that your super proud of?  Share and let me know! I'm off to drink some lemonade and relax - and pretend I'm eating ice cream. ;)

Until next time.