homeschooling

One side of this chalkboard is made of a very high quality sprayed lacquer coating of true black schoolboard lacquer.  This ensures that it retains its lacquer and guarantees a longevity of the blackboard.  This chalkboard can be erased endlessly, brushed or be cleaned with water, without the risk that chalk, colour or even drawings will remain visible.  Just like our “regular” wooden painting boards, our chalkboards are waterproof with lacquered plywood and have rounded corners. 

The sizes are the same as our most sold painting boards (which also fits in our painting board drying rack), 30 x 40 cm and 40 x 55 cm.

Waterproof glued and lacquered plywood.  Coated on 1 side with black schoolboard lacquer.  Rounded corners.

Seasoning before 1st Use:  Please note that before using a chalkboard for the first time, one should take a piece of chalk on its side and brush the chalk across the board from top to bottom, bottom to top back again, covering the entire surface.  Next, repeat this, but going from side to side.  Then erase the chalk, using a dry chalkboard eraser or dry soft cleaning cloth.  Your chalkboard is now ready for use. 

Made in the Netherlands.

~~~~~~~~

Nest tips:  The joy of working with a chalkboard is well known shared by those who employ them in their schooling.  Also for children, it can be a wonderful medium.  And if habits are well established, children can also be part of the wiping down and chalkboard clean up at the end of the lesson. 

For homeschooling, in our home, our children both like having their own small size chalkboards to do some math practice at their desks, and then we have one large size chalkboard that we use for doing math practice together at times.  To decide which size to go with, we could suggest to think about the tabletop surface where the board will be used, and then as well where it will be stored when not in use.  The chalkdust can be a tad messy, although the chalk from Mercurius is our favourite in terms of minimal dust, and dust that is easy to clean.  However, it's still nice to reduce worries and mess by keeping it away from carpeting or cloth furniture.  Once the location the board will be worked with and stored is established, then one might think about the intimacy and cozyness of working with the smaller size, vs the room to write more at a time or to collaborate on writings on the larger size.

We then have another extra board for chalkboard drawings that is propped up as a scene for daily viewing.  These chalkboard drawings are pictures, images, usually linked to a story that create an impression.  Here is a lovely relating from a Waldorf teacher on her experience with chalkboard drawings found on Chalkboarddrawing.org. In their words: "After a few years of doing these drawings with and for my students, I began to have a deeper understanding of why we do these chalkboard drawings.  The stories and accompanying artwork settle so deeply in the students that the pulse in the classroom is palpable.  The students can’t help but glance toward the front of the room upon entering to see if anything has changed on the board."  Likewise, in a homeschooling environment, it can help establish and be a part of a wonderful energy and rhythm.

We then *also* have yet 2 more small size boards (yes, I know, I hear myself, I know how I sound, but there is just something about these boards that is functional, keeps us on track, and is very nice to work with and on the eyes), and I use these myself before our children are awake in the morning to draw a simple image with letter for my younger child, and phrase for my older child, to copy into their notebooks during their literacy worktime later in the morning.

For our chalk, we find keeping them in the 'bowled' stainless steel plates we sell at Nest works well to contain the mess, and washes up well.  We also have found to our surprise that we do like to use a cotton chalkboard cleaning cloth sometimes as opposed to a block style eraser, although sometimes the block eraser is nice in the hand to swipe the whole board clean too.  Every now and then we'll wipe down the board with a cloth with warm water, but normally just a dry cloth cleaning suffices.  

At last, no more dirty and unsightly blackboard cloths.  This small felt block is perfect for cleaning quickly or correcting during lessons - without water or chalk dust.  The simple felt block has deep ribs, which absorb the dust.  The slightly rough surface gives the necessary resistance to remove chalk easily from the blackboard.

Cleaning the felt block is easy: just beat out the chalk.  Never clean the felt block with water.

The block is made from felt, and then the actual handle part itself is made from a denser stiffer felt.

Please note that the colours sometimes vary just slightly with these felt blocks in between production batches and shipments.  Please contact us for a photo of current stock if you'd like the chance to see what we have currently at any point.

Made in the E.U. for Mercurius.

This book has alternating pages of dark blue and white drawing paper.  Why dark blue? For using white, yellow, or metallic pencils to draw the constellations.  These colours show up beautifully against the blue pages.

A main lesson book particularly for the astronomy epochs in 6th, 7th, or 8th Class of Waldorf education.  The dark blue pages are 150 g drawing cardboard and the white pages are 120 g drawing paper.  On the cardboard can be drawn with the colours silver, yellow, white and gold.  Our roller ball pens in gold and silver have special luminosity against the dark blue pages of these notebooks.

32 pages, portrait format, staplebound. 32 x 24 cm (12.6 x 9.45 inches), alternating with 1 page blank dark blue and 1 page blank white. No onion skin between pages.

Available with blue cover.  Landscape format available upon special request.

Made in the European Union.

A personal favourite at Nest!

The cuddle journal is wonderful for families to read aloud, listen to the answers without comment if you like.  A great oral journalling experience for little ones and people of all ages.  To think, to feel, and to discover together.  Judgement does not feel present in the questions.  All of the emotions are given sunlight and air in this way.

Purchase just the journal, just the cards, or both together.  In our home, our littlest one liked to play with the cards, while we read the questions aloud.  Whomever liked could comment aloud, with little good, good pauses in between.  Rare moments of calm and quiet overtook our household with this thoughtful and special journal.

This woodless, loose-leaf paper can easily be used as an interleaf in A4 main lesson books.

Available in 5 different line types (college ruled lines, 3 kinds of graph paper, or 6-3-6 lines). Both types of lined paper have a margin.

500 sheets per pack.

Printed in the Netherlands.

PE-bottle, 1000 ml, with dispenser.  Large refill size bottle.

Ukkie children's glue is a water-based, odourless glue and therefore perfectly suitable for crafting with small children.  The glue sticks to paper, cardboard, cork, felt, polystyrene and other light materials.

Ukkie children's glue is non-toxic, biodegradable and can be washed off.

The bottles have the unique spatula cap that enables you to apply glue easily on points as well as surfaces.

Made in the Netherlands for Mercurius.

PE-bottle, 100 ml ( each 3.52 fl. oz.), with dispenser.

Ukkie children's glue is a water-based, odourless glue and therefore perfectly suitable for crafting with small children.  The glue sticks to paper, cardboard, cork, felt, polystyrene and other light materials.

Ukkie children's glue is non-toxic, biodegradable and can be washed off.

The bottles have the unique spatula cap that enables you to apply glue easily on points as well as surfaces.

Made in the Netherlands for Mercurius.