Pinterest-Inspired Projects - Calendar Board

I hinted around last week about a project I was working on using this oil pan.

What am I using this oil pan for?

I recently found this idea by Nic and Kate from a pin on Pinterest and was inspired or pinspired to make something similar.  I've wanted to make Bean a calendar board for awhile and with recent behavior problems we've had with the kid, I thought it would be a good place for a behavior chart, too.

This oil pan was found at Auto Zone for $9.99.  It is made by Blitz.  You can find these at any auto parts store and Wal-Mart also carries them.  I could not find one that did not have the manufacturer's name stamped into it though.  This one is 25 x 36 inches.  You will have to clean the pan thoroughly front and back with something like Simple Green or similar to get the coating off of it.

To attach it to the wall, I used 3M Command velcro strips.  After you clean the coating off the back of the pan, wipe it down with some alcohol and let it dry.  Then you can attach your strips.  I personally realized I didn't like this method only because once the tabs are in place, it was really hard for me to line everything back up and get it back on the wall.  If you're not as challenged with those types of things as I am, I'm sure you won't have any frustration using these strips.

So here is the pan/board up on the wall.

I hung ours in our living room which is a central location for all of us to be able to access and Bean can change the date daily.  I found these calendar pieces on markdown at Target for $1.12.  I realized that these are for teachers to use and there are no Saturday or Sunday name plates so I will have to make those myself.  We've put the month label at the very top of our board.  Next to it we keep track of the calendar day.  Bean gets to put up the number date each day.  Then I made a day tracker from a felt flower I had on hand from an old hairbow project.  I attached a magnet to the back of the flower and Bean moves it to the corresponding day.

I want to print out some activity picture labels that we can put to the side of each day so Bean will know what is coming up in her week like a birthday party or "tim-tastics".    I also have a pack of weather labels but they are kinda big and I've run out of room on the board to use them.  Maybe I should have hung it sideways instead.  I will toy around with printing out some smaller pictures of weather symbols to use.

At the bottom of the board is where we have Bean's new behavior chart.  I found this one free to print out online at freeprintablebehaviorcharts.com.  They have a ton of different charts you can use.  It is labeled for each day of the week.  The things she has to work on in order to earn magnets for her chart are

• Not taking things that belong to other's.
• No fibbing or lying.
• Using a pleasant voice.
• Listening the first time.

Each day Bean follows these rules, she is allowed to put a magnet on that day's corresponding box.  If she can go the entire week, she will be rewarded with a trip for ice cream or something like that.  We haven't made it that far so I haven't really hammered out the rewards yet.  I will need to make some more magnets for her and I have a few bottlecaps that I plan on using for those.  Stickers could also be used but I plan on using the same chart over and over so I went with magnets instead.

So there is my first Pinterest inspired project.  I hope to do more projects from ideas found on my new addiction, Pinterest, and I'll share them here with you.

If you'd like to follow my boards on Pinterest, here is my link.