Beeswax Crayons | Unicorn Scarf Kit | Fluffy Paint | Similar Sequin Set | Rainbow Popsicle Sticks
I still can’t believe that the school year is almost over and my little girl is finishing the first grade! I am excited to have her home for the summer but now that I work from home I know we are going to run into those “I have nothing to do” times which DRIVES ME CRAZY. Keep in mind the girl has tons of toys but she LOVES arts and crafts.
If it was up to her she would draw, paint, glue, slime and sew pretty much the entire day. So when I peeked back in the closet that I organized (around this time last year) I realized it had become a dumping ground for any and all projects and just random stuff.
Not only did I need to clean this up before summer started I realized that many of her interests had changed over the past year (um hello slime addiction) so I needed to change what was easy to grab for her.
Step 1- Clean It Out
Yes, Marie Kondo is right you need to pull it all out, no I don’t expect that construction paper is going to spark joy for you and FOR SURE do not ask your child, it all sparks joy for them (again how we got here). I first start off by making piles of like items or things that will be used together. For example my daughter had been gifted about 4 bead sets that were all in their own packaging but had similar shapes so those all got one bin.
Then I started to see what can we get rid of, for us it was lower reading level books (that my son would have little interest in) sticker books, beads for sensory bins. When I started to look through what we were throwing/ giving away I realized that much of it my kids had grown out of awhile back and we were just keeping for no good reason.
Step 2- Organize by Activity
Square Colorwave Smart Store Tote | Square Insert | Label Holders
Next step I did was to group by activity, this way when my daughter wants to make slime (all moms are thinking UGH right now) all her supplies are in one container that she can put away when her craft is done. This year sewing, beads and slime all got new boxes. Now this part of the process I do get my kids involved, they need to tell me what is highest priority and what can we get rid of. I trust my 7 year old with this process a bit more than the 4 year old but he is coming along.
Step 3- Easy to Reach Bins
I use a couple different types of bins throughout our house to organize but the ones from The Container Store are by far my favorite. I have looked ALL OVER for alternatives and when it comes down to quality, price and usefulness I keep coming back to these styles. Right now they have these all 25% off so grab them now!
Medium Bin w/ handles | Tall Smart Store Inserts
The first type of bin we use hold what I consider “everyday supplies”. These white handled bins $4.99 fit the tall inserts that help separate colored popsicle sticks, felt, washable markers, glue and notebooks. These sit on our lowest shelf and are easy for both kids to pull out to throw together a project. This is also a great option if you don’t have a ton of space but want to keep some crafting supplies handy.
Large Smart Store Tote | Handled Tray | Small Insert
The other style of bins we use are these large bins with the tray insert. These hold the items that we have a lot of, or need the space for bulky items like paint, beads and play doh. In several of them we add in the small inserts to separate small items like sponges. This large bin can also use 3 medium inserts like you see with the beads.
Step 4- Add New Age Appropriate Items
Now that I can FINALLY see the floor in our closet once again it was time to really figure out what was going to help with that summer boredom. I realized that although we had a good amount of supplies we were lacking in kits and things for my daughter TO DO. Luckily my friends at Kid Source Products reached out and said WE CAN HELP!
Buttonbag Kitten Sewing Kit | Beeswax Crayons |Unicorn Purse | Rainbow Fluffy Paint
They knew that I loved Faber-Castell products because we have used their coloring pencils and Beeswax Crayons for years but I had no idea that they were behind the line Creativity for Kids (we have had their Fairy Garden and Glow in the Dark Terrarium). So when they sent us the Rainbow Sandland and Unicorn Purse I thought YES!!!
Rainbow Sandland | Unicorn Purse | Rainbow Fluffy Paint
Now that I’ve gathered great items for my daughter I’m headed back to find some more activities for my 4 year old son, although lately all he does is take apart legos (UGH) although I have a feeling he will love the Clay Dinosaur kit. We are all excited for summer and let’s just say this mama feels prepared, well at least on the “things to do” page.
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Some products in this post were gifted by Kid Source Products huge thanks to them for keeping this mama sane this summer. I only work with brands and share products that I love and that add value to my busy mom life. All opinions are my own.
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