When my kids were in Montessori school, one of the things that I loved most was the thoughtfully arranged classroom. All of the materials were placed on child-sized shelves and each project had its own tray. The students carefully carried their trays over to a spot on the rug or to a place at the table or to wherever it was they wished to work. There was much respect given to the children, to the teachers (guides), and to their environment. I tried, and failed, to maintain the same sense of mindfulness and order in our home. The other day, though, I acted on a tiny bit of Montessori inspiration.
I was about to pitch my old cookie sheets (they were no longer fit for food use) when I got the idea to make trays out of them. I like working in my bed (and the couch) and I thought it would be nice to have a sweet little tray to carry all of my materials.
Cookies, anyone? Feel free to look away if you must. I'm showing you this so you can truly appreciate its transformation.
First, I sanded off the rust and the non-stick coating from the pan and wiped it down with a damp cloth. I spray painted it a bluish green color and spent way too much time (and paint) on the center of the pan which was going to be covered with paper anyway. I wouldn't bother spraying the center. I would also not spray paint the pan on your porch in the wind or rain because your pan will get wet and you will get sprayed in the face. I didn't listen to myself and my pan got wet and I got sprayed in the face.
After the paint was finally dry, I went to my stash of scrapbook paper and pulled out all of my old scraps that were left over from other projects. I've had some of these pieces for years so I don't know who made them or where to get them (sorry!). I cut 1" strips with my paper cutter and started laying them out in a very basic pattern that I liked.
I started with the outside edges first and then slathered on the Mod Podge. I had to trim the corners of the paper to fit inside the rounded corners of the pan but that was no biggie. I applied more strips of paper to the inside and kept trimming and Mod Podging until I made it all the way around.
While I was doing this, I got all kinds of ideas for other things that I could have glued on here — like kids' artwork or photographs or letters — and then I got overwhelmed by the possibilities so I decided to just stick to my original scrapbook paper plan. When those pieces were dry, I applied two more thick coats of Mod Podge over the whole thing to seal it.
And there you have it! A nice little tray to carry my book and my tea and whatever else I feel like carrying around that day. It's strange how the simple act of putting something on a tray makes it more important somehow. But I'm sure Maria Montessori knew that already.
