DIY Montessori Checkerboard

I really wanted to have the Montessori checkerboard in our collection but could not swallow the 50 dollar price tag on it!  So I set out to make it myself.  I bought everything from Michaels for under ten dollars.  It is a plywood board and balsa wood square dowels.  I first measured and drew on the checkerboard and then painted it.  After it dried I glued down the dowels to form a frame.  Then I sprayed the whole thing with modge podge glossy sealer for a nice finish.  Finally I wrote on the numbers in extra fine sharpie marker on the white boarder.

Here is our finished checkerboard!