By Aby Garvey
I hope you’re enjoying all the pleasures of fall…changing leaves, cooler temperatures, and the chance to get back outdoors and enjoy it all. The kids are back in school, which means it’s time to do some organizing! And if your kids are anything like mine…organizing all their gear is a necessary project this time of year. “Where did all this stuff come from?” I often wonder as I gaze into their rooms.
From the very first time I stepped foot in a baby super center until now, I’m still amazed at how much stuff little people come with. From the bibs, bouncy seats, bottles and binkies of babyhood, to the tchotchkes of childhood and the treasures of the teen years, raising a kid these days means you’re dealing with stuff…and lots of it! If you’re just about at your wits end with all your kids’ stuff, then you’ve come to the right place. At simplify 101 this week, it’s all about the kids and all their stuff. Here are some great things to add to your to-do list to make getting your little people and all their stuff organized…so you can get back to the fall festivities.
If you love to create and make things, it stands to reason you’d like to share the joy of creative pursuits with your children. Sometimes, though, dealing with all the Play-Doh, crayons, markers, paper, glitter, glue and all the glue-able stuff, can leave even the most creative of souls feeling nothing short of stifled. But with a few simple organizing and storage strategies up your sleeve, organizing your child’s craft gear will be as fun as child’s play.
Tip #1: Establish a spot (or spots) for creative play. The basement, garage, or even the kitchen table can all work well. The ideal location will allow your child to create with near-reckless abandon without you being worried that something will get, well, wrecked. If you’re investing in a new table for crafting, look for a cleanable surface. Or make an existing table wipe-able with an inexpensive vinyl table cloth.
Setting up craft central in a centralized area of your home, such as the kitchen, will encourage more creative play. Keeping craft supplies close to the hub of creativity makes it a much more natural part of your life. In my home, for example, messy crafts take place in the basement (or even the driveway or patio on a warm and sunny day); and the less-messy crafts (from coloring to gluing) take place at the kitchen table. By keeping a core set of supplies in the kitchen, the kids can pull out craft supplies while I’m cooking dinner.
Tip #2: Respect the boundaries. While crafting feels as if it should be a boundless activity, it’s easier to use and enjoy your items when your collection fits comfortably into it’s allocated space. Craft supplies are no different. But here’s the upside: craft supplies get used up! So if you don’t have room for googley eyes and pipe cleaners today, add those items as soon as your child uses up some feathers and foam shapes.
Tip #3. Employ strategic solutions. Store items as near to where you’ll be creating as possible. Or use portable storage to easily move items to a secondary crafting location like the driveway or patio. Our paint supplies are corralled into a handled basket making it simple to spend the afternoon painting on the patio.
Divide your child’s craft items into two categories: “help yourself” and “let’s play together.” The “help yourself” items are craft supplies you’d be perfectly happy having your child use on his or her own. This category is age-and child-dependent. For example, it may not be a good idea to give a two-year old free access to paint and glitter…but an eight-year old could be a completely different story.
Keep the “help yourself” items at your child’s eye level and in-his reach. “Let’s play together” items are stowed in out of reach locations like on top of the refrigerator, or on a high shelf in a closet, cabinet or pantry.
Tip #4. Employ creative storage solutions.
Creative pursuits deserve creative containers. Here’s a list of some of my favorites…
Plastic drawers. Dress up basic plastic drawers with cardstock or rub-on letters. Add a ribbon to the drawer handle to add a splash of color.
Clipboards or lap-desks. A portable creation station like a lap desk or clip board makes it easy to take creative pursuits anywhere your little one wants to go.
Office supply paper stacking trays. Keep paper tidy and put vertical space to good use.
Magazine file boxes. Great for storing old magazines your child can cut up, as well as coloring books, notebooks or even extra paper.
Over the door storage pockets. A standard over the door shoe organizer is great for corralling basic craft supplies like paintbrushes, makers, crayons and tape. Label the shoe holder, so you know what’s where, using laminated cards, safety pins and ribbon.
Tip #5. Celebrate creative endeavors. Display your child’s finished works of art throughout your home. Use acrylic box frames for an easily changeable display. Or hang a simple bulletin board or magnetic board to display the latest masterpiece. Once a new work of art is created, change out your display and store favorite art pieces permanently in a three-ring binder or artwork box.
Aby Garvey is a professional organizer and the owner of simplify 101, inc. Her mission is to help you create time and space for what matters most in your home and life. Aby is the author of the e-book “the happy scrapper – simple solutions to get organized and get scrapping!” Visit the simplify 101 website for organizing ideas and to subscribe to Aby’s organizing email newsletter.
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