Our Dry-Erase Helper

We have a new homeschool helper at our house.  I was helping Laura with her math one day when I realized we had gone through four sheets of scrap paper, front and back.  I thought about it and realized that we go through a lot of paper during the day when I am trying to show Laura a concept, whether in math or grammar.  Pretty much anytime I have to write out something to explain a concept, I'm grabbing another sheet of paper.  Luckily, we recycle.  However, it still seems wasteful.

Last week I decided to grab a small, cheap dry erase board and some colorful markers.  It makes things much simpler.  The board is close by when we need it. We use it daily.

When not in use for school, it has become a doodle board.  In fact, I may have to invest in more markers and another board or two.  The kids all want to draw on it... usually at the same time.  I have to watch the 3 year old closely though so she doesn't leave caps off markers or use the wrong markers on the board.  She once used a permanent marker on an old, dry erase board.  Sadly, it had to be pitched.