Kindergarten Prepping - {DIY School Wall}

You all know by now I’m a slight freak when it comes to organization. Kindergarten and ALL that comes with BIG kids going to school has me in major prepping mode. Last year Brody, Baxlyn, Kylee & Korbin all attended pre-k five days a week. We had a pretty good routine when we came home (shoes in closets, show mommy folders, put away backpacks…) but one thing that drove me crazy was that our hooks that we hung backpacks on were too high for the quads to reach, leaving me to gather the bags and hang them myself among dealing with the excited and hungry quads, the baby eating their papers…etc. I knew that had to change before kinder and it became my must-fix-problem #1. I started searching for wall storage units online and wowza… the ones I adored were WAY too expensive. I then turned to good ole pinterest for some inspiration ;) After seeing multiple ideas that I thought would work best for our house/family, I came up with this…

 

Two hooks per kid at the perfect height so that THEY can retrieve and return their OWN belongings! Not only do they hold their bags and lunch bags, they’ll also very easily hold coats as well for cooler weather!

Here is the wall I chose and how it looked before. I told Bret what I had envisioned and, if you look closely, you can see my row of (ahem…very crooked) thumbtacks showing him about where I wanted everything to fall in the end.

With the never-ending projects these men have going on around here we have plenty of 2x4s laying around. Bret took one, cut it to fit the length of our wall and “spray painted” it with this nifty Rust-Oleum stuff he found at Home Depot. The finished board was perfect!

After hanging our board, he mounted all 10 hooks… can’t leave our little Blade out ;)

 

I used vinyl and a cricut machine to cut out the kids’ names (Thanks Jenn!!!!!) If you haven’t heard of cricut crafting supplies, for sure check them out. This was my first project using my cricut and I’m in LOVE!

A close up of the finished letters (font name: better with chocolate).

Originally I wanted to do this past DIY to go above each name. I envisioned a large, square picture of each child above their hooks, but I’ve had a heck of a time getting the first ones I made to stay on the wall (grrr.) While browsing the aisles of Hobby Lobby with my fab five I discovered some dark brown cork board squares that came 4 to a package. They were the exact size I was wanting (12x12) and I liked the idea of pinning notes to them down the road if ever needed. A pack of four came to just $7.19 (with tax!) after my 40% off coupon I found online – whoop whoop! The package came with some MEGA-adhesive squares to hang them and believe me, they’re going to STAY where you put them. 

Despite going to pre-k for just 3 hours each morning, my little quadlings managed to come home with lots of papers stashed into their little folders. Which brings me to my must-fix-problem #2. Combined, they could easily bring home 12-20 papers on any given day. I enjoyed seeing and reading it all… notes from their teachers, school announcements, all of their little artwork masterpieces…etc., but it didn’t take long before I found myself drowning in a pile of “stuff” and having no place to put it all. I remembered my fellow quad mom and blogger, Suz Steece, and how she solved the same problem. Following her advice, I went online to The Container Store and placed my order for four of these black file bins. The individual bins are stackable so I have a variety of ways to store them, for now it’s two and two, slid under one side of our computer desk. I labeled each kiddos’ bin with their name in “their” color and found matching folders to put inside each drawer.

You can imagine how shocked I was when my mom, who knew I was on the hunt for folders in their colors, found this pack at Office Max. They’re durable and expandable which made them a bit more costly than your average file folders but I think they’ll hold up well to what we need them for.

 

Each bin will hold 13 folders starting with pre-k and ending with 12th grade. I sorted through their pre-k stuff a week or so ago and kept everything I wanted and put them in their pre-k folder. Their Kindergarten folder is ready and waiting…

 

The first keepsake added to each of their Kindergarten file folders are their own copies of this week’s local newspaper where the quads were featured! The paper did updates regularly during my pregnancy and their NICU stay. It was fun for them to see themselves on the front cover and read the latest update about them entering Kindergarten!

Each of their files also hold one of these “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” books written by Dr. Seuss. The book talks about the ups and downs of life and encourages everyone to find the success that lies within them. At the end of their pre-k year, I sent the books to school and had their teachers, principal, therapists and others write a special note in each child’s book just for them. I also wrote a note to each one myself. My plan is to hold on to the books, sending them back to the school at the end of each year, and eventually give them their book when they graduate. Let’s just hope I can keep track of them for the next 12 years ;)

 

I’d love to hear any school tips you may have. Whether it be tips to packing school lunches, how you manage homework between multiples kids…etc., I’m always open ears/eyes and looking for ways to make things a little easier! Stay tuned for more Kindergarten Fun!

**UPDATE**

I went back and added a verse above their boards, also using the vinyl letters and cricut. The final product…