DIY Abacus With Melty Beads

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We have been playing a lot with Melty Beads this week, finding all sorts of ways to play with them- and we haven't even melted them yet! This project gave my 3 year old a lot of opportunities for learning and development as well as a project that she and I could do together.

Here is what you will need:

1 box (ours is from a Kiwi Crate shipment and it was handy to have the ability to open the lid)
5 Fuzzy Sticks
10 Melty Beads in each of 5 different colors.
1 Box cutter and hole poking device

Here is how to do it:

1. Prep your box. Cut a rectangular window from the top about 3 inches shorter than the fuzzy sticks (I used a box cutter, so this would clearly be an adults only step!). Mark holes on each side of the window. Carefully poke holes, making sure not to push too hard and rip the lid. I had a poking tool from a set of poster board LED lights…random! But if you don't HAPPEN to have one of those, I would try a sturdy chopstick or a small pointed tip of a pair of scissors.

The rest you can do together:

2. Count out 10 beads of the colors you want to use and lace them onto fuzzy sticks.

3. Feed the ends of the fuzzy sticks down through the holes and wrap each end back around itself through the window to secure. Done!

I also took a couple pictures of the beads in various patterns for ladybug to match but she had enough of working with them for the day, so we will try another time! You could also use flashcards to practice counting, addition and subtraction…and any other abacus activities of course!

For some great ideas on ways to use an abacus, head over to this great post on Craftulate!

We received a generous complimentary box of Melty Beads in the mail from www.craftprojectideas.com last month with a note that they will be the Material of the Month for August.

We subscribe to Kiwi Crate and did not get our shipment for free, we just like it. So much in fact that we are now an Affiliate! If you are interested in receiving carefully selected kids crafts by mail, Kiwi Crate is holding a Back to School Sale right now:

That's it! If you enjoyed this project please share it or pin it for later! I'd love to see you again, please follow along on the Lalymom Facebook Page! 

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