Easy Busy Board

I'm sure you've seen "busy boards" all over Pinterest, especially if you like doing crafts for/with your kids. They tend to have lots of engaging things on them, especially for fine and gross motor skills.

After (probably) a whole year of thinking about it, I finally made one for my youngest. I included a few things that most busy boards don't have, such as a big plastic zipper, a set of beads on an eye hook and command hook, and a piece of PVC that leads to a jar for small balls. I made sure to sand down all the sides, and I rounded out the edges so they wouldn't get splinters. The purple paint was leftover from another project, and I'm pretty sure it's some sort of latex paint made for interiors or something. I don't know. I'm not a paint pro.

The PVC was simply glued on with some SUPER super glue. On the other side of the jar is some heavy-duty Velcro so the kids could take it off and get the balls (or whatever) back. The zipper came from the craft store, and I'm pretty sure it's the kind for sports bags. It's definitely not for clothes, I know that. It was hot glued on, but I'd suggest a staple gun instead.

Everything else was drilled onto the board using screws that were (obviously) shorter than the wood was thick. The screws that came with the hardware would've been too long.

I also wanted my girls to have some sort of art easel or chalkboard to draw on. Buying new baby gear isn't my thing since they don't use it long, but I couldn't find one that I liked.
The plywood came from the hardware store, and I technically paid for the whole big piece, so they cut it down for two equally-sized pieces. Finally, I decided to use the extra piece for a chalkboard. I sanded it, painted it, then taped off a big rectangle for the chalkboard paint. It required 4-5 coats rather than 2 because of how shiny and "slippery" the purple paint was. I bought a couple really basic hinges to attach the two boards together, lined them up, and drilled them into place.

Now my girls have something to draw on and a busy board to fiddle with. Overall I'm really happy with how it turned out, though I wish I could've grabbed a cheap doorknob or something else for the open spot, and I plan on adding a chalk holder below the chalkboard so there's not chalk all over the place.

Good luck with yours, and feel free to post any questions you may have! :)