My last few projects have been custom designed learning puzzles for my kids.
First one is a Books of Bible bookshelf to help my children understand the structure and order of the Bible. Books are grouped by sections and separated by Old/New Testament. I made each book proportionally sized (in height and width) to the approximate amount of scripture it contains. And the puzzle cut-outs help put all the books back in the right order. I pre-painted my wood for the Bible books before cutting with acrylic craft paint.
Next up is an Earth Timeline history puzzle. The puzzle pieces are the eons and major eras of Earth. Underneath on the puzzle backer, I added graphics to show the coming of life for different groups. Major Earth formation events are noted around the outside rim of the puzzle frame. I’m hoping all this correlated information will help inspire a broader view of Earth History and their own place in the world. I painted these puzzle pieces after cutting since they’re all different colors. They are colored with Derwent Inktense watercolor pencils and then washed out with q-tips and rubbing alcohol. I like this method for small projects because I can be more precise with the color, I didn’t want to glob up the scored text I had just made with liquid paint.
Once I designed everything, both projects went together pretty fast, it was all simple cuts and scoring for the text. My oldest has loved working with them so far