My handy carpenter husband Darrell, made a homemade light table for our infant and toddler room. Someone donated a train table that was the perfect height and a nice size for the little ones to use. We also had some plexiglass that was donated.
Darrell fastened a strip of wood around the inside of the table near the top, for the plexiglass to rest on. The plexiglass is in two sheets but that doesn't really impact the finished product at all.
We had a colorful light cord at the center already and decided, for now, to use it inside. We could still install a light bulb with a switch and might choose to do that in the future but for now, we are using the light rope as it is doing the job!
Darrell drilled a hole for the cord in the corner of the table.
We plugged it in and easy peasy, we have a really nice light table with very little cost involved. The children wasted no time playing and exploring with loose part materials on the light table.
We are experimenting with using tissue paper, parchment paper or cellophane paper to obscure the light somewhat as it is quite bright. If you scroll back to the top you can see in the first picture that shows half of the light table has parchment paper and the other half does not.
Then I tried taping some paper hearts on the underside of the plexiglass and that works to diffuse the light.
For additional reflection, I added a mirror to the wall behind the light table.
We are quite pleased with the results and the littles are playing with it daily. I think it's quite magical with the light rope shining on loose parts and the height is perfect for this age group allowing them to reach what they need.
We are trying to follow the children's lead in our classroom through observation and interactions. I wonder what changes will happen next on the light table?
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