DIY with mama saigh: Back-to-school organization.

I was back on the Jason Show this week, with some back-to-school organization ideas to get the entire family ready for the school year ahead!

DIY PALLET BOOKSHELVES 

One of our neighbors was getting rid of a couple wooden pallets, which we luckily got our hands on. Papa Saigh
used a reciprocating saw to cut the pallets, and we were able to turn them into a couple bookshelves for the kids' bedrooms.
Reading is vital in the development of a child's brain and vocabulary, so giving your children a special place to read and
do their homework at home can encourage this positive after-school activity.

We had to pry a couple boards off of a piece of the pallet that we weren't using, and secure those pieces of wood to the
base of the shelves. I then sanded and stained/painted the shelves. Papa Saigh secured the shelves to the
kids' bedroom walls using drywall anchors.

Here is one of the shelves on the wall - At the kids' eye-level, for easy accessibility.

AFTER SCHOOL SNACK-CART

We found this 3-tier mobile cart at IKEA for under $30, and loaded it with healthy snacks, for an eye-level, easily accessible snack cart for kids to utilize before and/or after school. We pop our own popcorn and put it it sandwich bags, and buy freeze-dried fruit in bulk and place it in snack-size bags, as a sugary fruit-snack alternative. Target also has a lot of
great, inexpensive, prepackaged snacks to add to the cart, along with fresh fruits.

DIY KIDS' CLOTHES ORGANIZER

We used this kids'-space organizer from IKEA, and painted the front section of each bin with chalkboard paint to label each bin with the day of the school week (M-F). This is a great way for parents and kids to stay on the same page with day-to-day fashion selections, while letting school-age children "dress themselves". You can label the excess bin however you choose (i.e. gym clothes, etc.). The best part is that you can reuse this piece as a toy, arts & crafts, or other household organizer.

DIY BENTO-STYLE LUNCH BOXES

Bento-boxes have become a popular lunchbox for school kids, as they offer spaces for a variety of snacks/food. But you
can also make a bento-box style lunch yourself, using a plastic container and muffin sleeves/wrappers.