Download the Montessori script font file from the Mac Rhino Fonts website. Using a large font size, print the letters onto the back of fine-grit sandpaper. Make sure you print the mirror image of each letter so they will face the right direction when you glue them onto the cardboard. Set your printer to only print the outline. This will save ink.
Cut out the letters and numbers.
Glue the consonants onto the pink cardstock squares, the vowels onto the blue squares and the numbers onto the green squares. If your child is right-handed, the letters and numbers should be glued closer to the left side of the cardboard square. Glue them closer to the right side of the cardboard square if your child is left-handed. This leaves a space on the card next to the letter where the child can put his hand to hold the paper.
Combine the flour, salt and cream of tartar. Blend well.
Add the oil to 4 cups of boiling water. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix well. You may have to knead the dough to get all of the flour mixed in. Be careful not to get burned. If the dough is sticky, add a bit more flour.
Separate the dough into balls equal to the number of scents you want to make.
Knead a few drops of extract and food coloring into each of the dough balls. The texture of this dough is very similar to the popular brand sold in stores.
Store in plastic zip-top bags or storage containers with lids. Keep in refrigerator or at room temperature.
Sand the piece of pine until it is smooth.
Sand the insides of each bead and the dowels.
Mark the center point of the pine block. Mark the locations of the dowels at evenly-spaced intervals.
Drill dowel-sized holes into the block of pine.
Insert dowels into the holes. Do not cut them to size yet.
Place the beads on the dowels. The stack of beads with the greatest number should be taller than all of the others. The height of each successive stack of beads should be shorter than the one before it. This should not be an issue if your beads are all the same size.
Mark the height of the beads on each dowel. Remove the beads and cut the dowels to size. Glue the dowels in place with non-toxic glue.