Magnetic Travelers’ Tray

WHAT YOU NEED

  • Caps from Juicy Juice® plastic bottles
  • Wooden breakfast tray (available at house ware section of home store)
  • 1 quart of magnetic paint
  • 1 inch flat paint brush
  • Blue painter’s tape (available in paint section of home stores)
  • Acrylic paints
  • 1 can of clear glaze (available at craft stores)
  • 1 package of business size magnets (available at craft stores)
  • Safety scissors

HOW TO DO ITMagnetic_Travelers_Tray

For the Tray:

  • Paint a wooden breakfast tray with two coats of magnetic paint. Let the paint dry completely between coats.
  • Apply acrylic paint over the tray.
  • You can create a design by placing strips of painter’s tape in a pattern on the tray. Paint the tray again (paint over the tape) with a contrasting color.
  • When the paint is dry, gently remove the tape and the pattern will be revealed.
  • To seal the tray, spray on a coat of clear glaze and let it dry.

For the Magnets:

  • Wash and dry several Juicy Juice caps.
  • Draw circles on the magnet sheets using a juice cap as a pattern.
  • Glue a magnet to the top of each cap. Let dry.
  • These magnets secure drawing paper or activity sheets to the tray.
  • The magnets also make great checkers or tic-tac-toe game pieces.

TIPS

  • Paint one side of your child’s marker or crayon box with magnetic paint. The box will now stay in place on the tray, even when the car is moving.