| Kids gather so many coloring books, magazines, | | | | more! |
| activity books, and so on. Why not make a project for | | | | For all those small matchbox cars, toy soldiers, little |
| yourself and the kids by making holders for them as a | | | | animals, or toy jewelry, take stackable plastic |
| family project? Save a couple of cereal boxes (one | | | | containers, spray paint them to match the children's |
| for each kid), and cut off the top flaps. Then cut the | | | | rooms, and make cute labels in big print for each box, |
| boxes down about halfway at one edge of the wide | | | | with a small picture of what the printing says. Now the |
| part of the box. Go to the other side of it and cut from | | | | kids have a great place to store things, and they also |
| the top corner on the angle down to where you | | | | are learning to recognize words! While you're at it, |
| stopped cutting. This leaves a triangular opening in the | | | | have them count the toys as the toss them into the |
| box, which makes it easy to reach in and pull out your | | | | containers. |
| books. | | | | If you have storage shelves in the room for the kids |
| Now turn the kids loose with construction paper, water | | | | that are always to full to neatly put things away, |
| colors, crayons, marking pens, stickers, rubber stamps, | | | | extend the storage area by making pouches out of |
| or even glue and buttons. You know, anything that kids | | | | heavy fabric and nailing them onto the sides of the |
| would play with in the crafts area. When the storage | | | | shelves. They can store all kinds of things in them! |
| boxes get ragged or torn, have them make a few | | | | |