January 25, 2016

Bring Your Dry Erase Markers Back to life

I love and hate dry erase markers. They make it so easy for kids to write something down and quickly fix and retry. Whenever we’re composing or writing out rhythms the dry erase markers make the process so much simpler than if I had to hand out pencils, sharpen pencils, hand out paper, fix eraser problems, give out a hard surface to write on, etc.

However, dry erase markers are not without some problems. Inevitably a student will come up to you in the middle of the lesson with a marker that “doesn’t work.” Maybe the tip is dried out, the tip is pushed up into the maker, the cap has been stepped on, or it’s running out of ink. Here are a couple standard dry erase issues and some quick and easy solutions to get you up and running again.

Problem: Dried out Marker Tip

I really didn’t believe it was possible until I tried it myself. For years I have lamented over those “dead” and dried out Expo markers. Last week I had HAD it! Another dried out marker because someone forgot to put the cap on all the way. Certainly there had to be a way to fix this problem!So, I searched the internet and found a solution. There are countless websites with the headline “Don’t Throw Away Your Dried Out Markers” and below you can find the tale of how my marker came back to life! Click to enlarge images. You can also read the article that I found about reviving markers when you follow this link.

It really is a miraculous way to save dying and dried out markers. You simply pull the chisel tip out of the marker, flip it around, and then put it back into the marker. Who knew that the other end of the marker tip was also a chisel tip. It’s easy to fix.Now, I will say that this is not a universal forever and ever fix. However, it did significantly extend the life of markers that I thought were total goners.

Problem: Broken Cap

Save extra dry erase caps in case another one breaks.

Any time a marker is truly dead and past repair I take off the cap and then throw the marker itself away. I keep the cap in a little ziplock baggie or another place where I can find it quickly. That way I’ve got a backup. Often when kids are working on a dry erase board they will get up to show me something and accidentally step on the marker cap. That’s why I keep the old caps just in case… You never know what might happen.

Problem: Marker Tip Pushed in too far

This happens all too often. Kids don’t realize that a dry erase marker isn’t like a pencil. You don’t want to push down on the very tip. When kids do this they don’t get very much ink and then think they need to push harder and harder. Often the tip gets pushed in so far they can’t use the marker anymore. Fix number one is to tell students to use the flat side of the marker to write and color with, not the very tip.

Fix number two is pretty fun for YOU. Take the marker with the cap on, aim it cap first at the floor, and throw it as hard as you can. Do this a couple times (and say abra-cadabra for good measure) and the force of the marker slamming into the ground will send the tip back into it’s original place. Also, it’s so much fun. Do this process in front of kids and a) they will constantly throw perfectly fine markers at the floor even when you tell them not to and b) they will think you are a genie. Use this knowledge wisely.

Problem: No Erasers

Use cheap facial cleanser pads from Dollar Tree as erasers.

This was a problem that I posed to many of you earlier this year! My new school had a variety of dry erase boards and markers but no erasers! I posted this question on the Make Moments Matter Facebook page: “Dry erase boards and NO erasers! Help! What do you all use?” Many of you answered with great ideas from socks to paper towels to puff balls hot glued on the ends of the dry erase markers themselves. My favorite answer was from one of my good friends from college, Dana. She said that she bought facial cleansing pads from the Dollar Tree. They come in a three pack, are easy for kids to use, and are a great size. If the eraser pads get too dirty, just throw them in the washer. If one gets lost or stolen, no worries! They’re cheap to replace! So, I went to the Dollar Tree/”Teacher Hack Heaven,” bought a class set, and was golden!

Do any of you have a dry erase marker magic tip to share? I would especially love to learn about dry erase board cleaning hacks and what you do to keep your big dry erase board squeaky clean and white. I use the special cleaning spray that comes with some of the Expo marker sets, but it doesn’t keep things clean for too long and all too often I have a smudge-fest on the board. Thoughts?

If you enjoyed this blog post and would like to receive updates when I add new content and resources then fill out the form below to subscribe!