Hey! That’s not a lunch box!?!?!

 

In light of the new school year getting ready to start, I thought I would stray away from the usual lunch box posting for a moment. Don’t worry, this post will still contain a box…. it just won’t have any food in it. ♥
Do I have you wondering yet?

I’m not sure how many of you know that before Tiny Princess Lunch Box, I had a different blog…. In Place Of Her Crown. Would you believe that there was no lunch on there? At. All. Crazy right? I won’t go too much in to detail about “the other” blog. It’s been abandoned. (don’t worry, I won’t do that here for a looooooong time) Anyway, there is still a few interesting things on there. I was thinking that from time to time I may share some of the good stuff here. This post for instance……

Enter: “The Homework Box”

Practical yet super fun!

Three years ago, when tiny princess A was in second grade, her teacher sent a note home right before winter break.  It was all about how busy family life has gotten and how important it is to keep organized with homework. It stated that it really doesn’t matter where you do your homework, only that if you were organized and had the right supplies it could get done. Whether at home or while waiting for your next dance class to start…. (and you all know that my tiny princesses dance A LOT!) all you need is a homework box to get the job done!  I tucked the paper away thinking that I would make each of the girls a “homework box” for Christmas. This would be a super CUTE back to school gift but since I just got the idea Christmas it is! (this is obviously copied and pasted from the “other blog”. Bear with me on the timeline here.) ;)
Here’s what you need to make your own homework box…..
Containers big enough to hold the essentials but still small enough to be taken on the go
I found mine at Walmart and they work perfectly

 

You can label your box or leave it plain.  I chose to label ours since I have to make two and labeling=no fighting around here! I used Vinyl cut with my cricut, but any permanent marker or paint marker or sticker label would work great.

 

You will also need some age appropriate school supplies. In this case I used the list that the teacher suggested. (Tiny princess A was in second grade at the time, but her list has mostly stayed the same through the years.) I was going to put some coloring books and more age appropriate things in the little sister’s box but I knew that if they didn’t have the “same” supplies in their boxes that would just be a headache for me! “Why didn’t I get a stapler? or why don’t I get fun coloring books in my box?” Just like the labels, same items=no fighting. Here is what we used….. Feel free to change up your list as needed.

• Markers
• Lined Paper
• Crayons
• Colored Pencils
• Pencils
• Erasers
• Pocket Folder
• Highlighters
• Scissors
• Glue Sticks
• Pencil Bag
• Pencil Sharpener
• Ruler
• Stapler/Staples
• Clipboard

 

 

Now, my favorite part! I have always wanted to try to make a fancy clipboard but to be honest with you, I never really had a reason for one until now. I LOVE the way they turned out and my tiny princesses loved them too! They were so simple. There are a ton of tutorials on how to make these cuties, out there in blog land, but I just went with basic knowledge.

 

 

I don’t have pictures of the process but here is what I did….

• Make a template of your “naked” clipboard so that you know where to cut your paper to go around the clip part of the board.
• trace your template out onto the paper of your choice. (the possibilities are literally endless here)
• spread mod podge with a brush onto your clipboard and adhere your paper. I used a small rolling pin to smooth out any bubbles. Let dry
• Add an additional coat of mod podge to the top of your paper to finish.
• when it’s all dry you can add ribbon for added cuteness to the clip. I have seen them done with ribbon tied to cover the whole clip which is adorable but, I thought that it may get in the way and frustrate my girls, so I just added a few to each side. Still cute, right?

The whole point of this box is to always have everything you need on hand. No more searching for sharpened pencils or a pair of scissors. No more using school crayons for coloring crayons. No more stealing the kids scissors cause you can’t find your own. (guilty)  right????? Hmph! In my house I would be lucky if this box stayed complete for 5 minutes. That’s why I decided to add the homework box checklist. I drew up some school supplies and turned them into graphics on my computer, added them to sheet I created in photoshop, threw  some stickers in the box so the sisters could keep track of what they had and wala! Hopefully a way to keep these boxes organized and well stocked! It will be the girl’s responsibility to inform me when they need to be restocked and (I think) it will make them feel like they are an important part of keeping things together.

Here is the supply checklists I created.  The layout is a bit different for these since I ended up losing all of my original saved templates. :( Feel free to grab it and use it as you wish. Please just tell others where you got it. Don’t think our supply list is right for you? This chart should be generally easy to edit in photoshop or other photo programs. Just white out our list and add your own! ♥♥ You should be able to just right click on these and save them to your computer to print out later. The are meant to print on an 8.5”x11” sheet of paper.

 

 

Last but not least add all of your homework items to your box. I laminated our sheets so that they can be used more than once. The stickers should peel off of the laminate with ease and the sheets can be used over and over. (we have been using ours for 3 years)  It would also be fun to make a craft or art box for fun things like coloring and painting. I haven’t done this yet, but plan to soon. ♥♥

 

 

See that? It’s like a Bento box for school supplies! ;)