Colored Gems on the Light Table

Several years ago we got a light table for free by posting through a local email list group. Our light table is an old, homemade, wooden photographer's box, and it's perfect for the type of play we do. I'm always on the lookout for cheap or free objects we can use on the light table, so I was excited last month when I spotted these colored gems.

I found these gems by chance in the pet section of Walmart. These colorful gems are actually made of plastic and they are a great size and weight. There are some specific color sets, or you can buy one set with several mixed colors. For our play I bought two multi-colored bags. 

Mostly to this point the boys have just explored with the gems on the light table. Their favorite thing to do with them is to sort them by color. I added some clear plastic cups for sorting. They often sort, dump, and begin sorting again.

A few times after sorting them Big Brother has created a rainbow inside a taller plastic cup. 

Another day we tried playing a little math game with the gems. 

We took turns rolling the dice and counting out that many gems. 

This was especially great for Little Brother, who is still learning a lot about counting. 

I'm excited to see what other types of projects and activities we can come up with for these new gems. 

Don't forget to pin this idea if you feel like you might want to try it in the future! 

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