DIY: Window easel for preschool

by Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed. on July 22, 2011

As I have mentioned before, I have been setting up my outdoor classroom and so far my husband has made the biggest difference by making me the sensory table and the tinker table. With the left over wood, he also made me this wonderful window easel…

The window easel may also be called a sensory window. The window easel is 4 feet tall from floor to top and 4 feet wide. The actual window part is 3 feet tall by 4 feet wide. The legs are just 2×4′s and the two trays on either side of the easel were made from the left-over squares of plywood that were cut out of the sensory tables.

I didn’t get a chance to take very many pictures of the window as my husband built it because he kicked me out of the garage! The windows are Plexiglass from Home Depot. My husband said buying one large sheet of plexiglass was far more expensive then buying two smaller pieces so this is why the window easel has two panes. I didn’t care either way….

When we were planning the window easel, I asked my husband if he could add a cup holder so I could keep paint and water and other supplies with the window easel…

After the window easel was completed, we painted it yellow which seemed very sunny to me…

Later, my husband added hooks just under each cup holder for paint smocks or rags or whatever else I might think of hanging there…

I pushed those little rings like you use to make books through the corners of wash cloths and hung the wash cloths up on the hooks for now. I think they will be good for wiping off the windows as the children play with things like window markers. dry erase markers, water, and other items on the windows…

If you have any questions about building this window easel, you can leave a comment below and I will ask my husband for some more information…

See this post for a list of links to window activities…

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Tagged as: classroom set-up, Creative Art, easel, Sensory Play, windows

{ 26 comments }

1 Kierna July 22, 2011 at 7:59 am

I want a husband like that too!! It’s brilliant – can’t wait to see what your children do with it.
Kierna would like you to read..Settling-in time – part 2

2 Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed. July 22, 2011 at 9:50 am: I am looking forward to putting it into action too!

3 Stacie July 22, 2011 at 8:05 am

This is so cool! What a creative husband and wife team! I love it….hmmm, not so sure I can convince my hubby to give it a try!
Stacie would like you to read..Planes, Trains, Automobiles (and Boats): Twinkle, Twinkle, Traffic Light

4 Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed. July 22, 2011 at 9:50 am: I didn’t think I could either but he did! Yay!

5 Sherry and Donna July 22, 2011 at 8:29 am

NICE … Like you I have a very handy husband Deborah … what a shame I don’t have my very own preschool!
Donna
Sherry and Donna would like you to read..education directory – jell’s park revisited

6 Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed. July 22, 2011 at 9:49 am: Haha – you could make one to play with at home anyway!!

7 Kristah July 22, 2011 at 9:55 am

I love this. I wish I had a handy husband.
Kristah would like you to read..Hands on alphabet

8 Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed. July 22, 2011 at 10:50 am: Find a handy parent or friend:)

9 Laura Major July 22, 2011 at 3:07 pm

Oh My Gosh! That is SO Awesome Deborah! What a great carpenter your hubby is! I’ve got a “fixer” too and I’m so glad because I need a lot of fixing done!
And what makes this even More Awesome….You made it into a PDF! You Rock My Friend!!

10 Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed. July 22, 2011 at 7:52 pm: The PDF helps folks print a nice article rather than a messy one:)

11 Natty ed Elisa July 22, 2011 at 5:03 pm

wow is a beatifull and great creation. Your husband have an artist’s hands. ciao ciao
Natty ed Elisa would like you to read..I trucioli delle matite

12 Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed. July 22, 2011 at 7:52 pm: Thank you Natty:)

13 KM July 23, 2011 at 6:52 pm

Can I come and play????? Your out door wonderland is going to be better than any amusement park!!!!

14 Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed. July 24, 2011 at 1:46 am: I hope you will come and play sometime – I know it is not too terribly far for you:)

15 Holly July 23, 2011 at 10:42 pm

Hey there! Just wanted to let you know that I sent you a little shout out in my blog post today. Come check it out if you have time.

Thanks!

Twins Plus One, Three Times the Fun

16 Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed. July 24, 2011 at 1:46 am: Of course I have the time! I will hop right over:)

17 Cheri July 25, 2011 at 10:27 pm

Love it! Make sure you let your husband know that we all think this is a great gift to you AND the kids and looks beautiful! I love the 2 panes concept because I would guess it makes it a bit sturdier and defines 2 distinct spaces to be used (or is that 4 if they use BOTH sides!?!) I’d love to see some color exploration/mixing with different colors on opposite sides and see what the kids come up with. : ) Enjoy and keep us posted. Blessings to you and yours. . .

18 Trish July 29, 2011 at 2:30 pm

I would love to know the exact sizes of the plexiglass and thickness. I am getting my husband and his friend to make me this next week. I went to a store today to check out the cost of the plexiglass and it was wayyyy to thin. 1/10″ ….can you ask your husband the thickness he used please and sizes?
Thanks,
Trish

19 Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed. July 29, 2011 at 11:33 pm: Yes – I will send you an email tomorrow. I have to ask my husband for the details so I will get him to help me provide you the answers. He is already in bed tonight or I wouldn’t make you wait til tomorrow! Look for my email!

20 Mama Pea Pod July 30, 2011 at 4:22 pm

Wow, truly inspired! And how wonderful to have such a handy husband….feeling a bit envious actually! Mine can’t hang a picture frame. ;-p
Mama Pea Pod would like you to read..{Outdoor Play Linky: Wildlife Park}

21 Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed. July 30, 2011 at 5:56 pm: I am the one around here that can’t hang a picture frame:)

22 Karen @ PreKinders July 31, 2011 at 9:21 am

You are SO fortunate to have someone to build things for you!
Karen @ PreKinders would like you to read..Literacy Beginnings, Chapter 16

23 Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed. July 31, 2011 at 11:28 am: I feel very fortunate:)

24 Trish August 1, 2011 at 5:37 am

Deborah….help….I don’t know if I accidently deleted your email or not. I hope not. They are going to start construction of my “stuff” today and I need the thickness of the plexiglass, measurements, etc. Thanks.Sorry to be a pain.

25 Angie Gould September 11, 2011 at 7:46 am