Budget Alphabet Stamps

Pintrest provides so much inspiration, but I sometimes struggle to find equipment in NZ that is featured in some classroom makes. It seems that the USA etc have access to some cheaper resources in many respects, and trying to replicate some things is a bit expensive.

I have been on the hunt for some affordable alphabet stamps in NZ for a while now. I have scoped auction sites, emporiums, dollar shops, but most places seem to expect more $$$ than I am willing to pay. Particularly as I predict that stamps will go missing/ get lost very quickly.

I recently found some foam letters in a local emporium for $1.50 a set. Of course I snaffled them up- I would be silly not to! So off home I went, and my husband sighed in dismay as out came the milk bottle top collection! A spot of hot glue and some milk bottle tops, and I quickly had two sets of alphabet stamps!

Some tips/ points I thought of as I made them:

I used red tops for the vowels and blue for the consonants. I figure that the vowels will be used the most frequently.
I used a permanent marker to write each letter on the inside of the milk bottle top. This will help with searching through the pile, and for positioning the letters.
Make sure you glue the letters on back to front. This way the stamp will come out the right way round.
A large, shallow tray is better than a deep container for storage. This makes it easier to find the letters you want quickly. I used the lid from a box of photocopier paper.

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