MaryEllen Beattie, Mom and LOE user
Feb 19, 2013
I am not sure why it took me so long to realize that I was literally tripping over the solution. Right in the middle of the living room floor (where my kids seem to think it belongs) was a magnetic drawing board. At first, I tried drawing the lines on it with the magnetic pencil before she wrote a word, but every time she erased the word, sigh, I had to draw the lines again.She was struggling to hover over the whiteboard in an attempt to not smear the marker with her hand. I could feel her frustration at not being able to form her letters neatly from that position. As a left-handed mom, it was bringing back bad memories of my school days as I watched my left-handed daughter write.
Finally it occurred to me to try making the lines with a wet-erase marker. As long as hands are dry and no one is spitting, it works like a charm. Wet-erase markers allow me to move the guidelines closer together as her writing improves or remove them altogether. We also like to draw lines for a music staff on the board and let the kids practice placing their notes. If you want the lines on the board forever, permanent markers would be an option. I have been told that on plastic surfaces, alcohol will remove permanent marker, but I didn't have the nerve to try it.