3F. Magnetic board for Instant Appeal

During recent years, magnetic board equipment in conjunction with dry erase or ordinary marker board has found widespread acceptance in schools, conference centers and meeting places. Sadly, despite the fact that the magnetic equipment is there, few use it. This is unfortunate as it presents us with so many new opportunities for effective communication. The big advantage of magnetic board is the excellent adhesion that the visuals arc given. Magnetized rubber tape is available with a self-adhesive backing, so that any picture can be quickly adapted by the addition of a couple of small pieces of tape. There are also colourful magnetic rubber tiles, and small button magnets available for other uses.

Magnetic Fridge Pieces

Many of the large grocery stores sell magnetic pieces in the shape of butterflies. flowers and animals to hold notes and menus on the side of a fridge. Two large ladybirds originally intended for this purpose serve very well as score keepers for children quizzes. Two strips of magnetic tape marked with half inch diameter stickers every four inches are inclined at about forty five degrees like the sides of a mountain with a picture at the summit. The ladybirds (red for the girls and green for the boys) move two spaces forward for a correct answer and one back for a wrong one. The winning team is the one that reaches the top first. Apart from quizzes a magnetic board is also excellent for stories, family service talks, for displaying the major points at planning meetings and a multitude of other uses. It is as good outdoors as it is indoors, but has the disadvantage of being rather heavy.

Home Made Magnetic Board

There are a number of companies that market magnetic boards but they do tend to be expensive. I would recommend that you consider making your own. I went down to a local sheet metal worker, told him what I needed and he cut me a piece of galvanized sheet metal, the kind used on heating and ventilating ducts. Manipulating a pair of tin snips, I rounded off the corners then painted the whole thing in white gloss paint. The finishing touch was the two inch wide cloth tape around the edge as a border. Hey presto! A magnetic board at a fraction of the shop price! If you decide to make a magnetic board, I would recommend that you fabricate it a little larger than your other boards so that it can also be used as a projection screen. If you have difficulty forming letters for your magnetic board or other equipment, then you may want to consider a preformed plastic lettering system called "Plasti-graph."

"Practical Christian Outreach in the Local Church"

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