Submitted by Peter Osborne, Resident Assistant, University of Maine at Farmington
I took some recycled cardboard (I just so happened to save all of our waste cardboard from my summer job) and cut them into individual pieces of about 4 1/2″ x 5″. I then took some blackboard paint and gave the cardboard two coats (follow the directions on the can and plan in advance to wait for it to dry, etc.; blackboard paint is available at most craft stores). After that, I hot-glued four popsicle sticks to the outer edges and glued a piece of yarn to it. Then, break pieces of colored chalk in half and attach it (you can hot-glue the chalk to the yarn, it works!) My residents loved them and use them to leave messages for each other. Also, our hall is themed housing, and I have education students, so it was perfect for them!