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If I were ever to suggest a new song to Jay Z, the title might go something like this: “I Got 99 Crayons But I Can’t Find One.”
Catchy tunes aside, why do my kids own so many crayons, yet we can’t seem to find any when we need them? They seem to disappear at about the same rate as ballpoint pens and socks around this house.
When we recently found a new storage solution for our arts and crafts supplies (it’s shockingly simple — you can read about it right here), I also vowed to keep all our crayons in one place and stop spending my life savings on Crayolas.
So, how did I do it, you ask?
It was the easiest $10 hack, and I am thrilled (and even a tad bit surprised) to tell you that IT REALLY WORKS.
I ordered my kids metal lunch boxes that I found on Amazon, and these became our new go-to holders for crayons, markers and colored pencils.
If you do a quick search on Amazon, you’ll see that you can get a metal lunch tin with just about any character on it, ranging from Curious George to Pete the Cat (my favorite!) to Poppy and the gang from the movie Trolls. Naturally, my daughter needed a Star Wars lunch box:
We store the metal lunch boxes full of crayons in the storage cabinets in our family room, and the kids love them — and prefer them over traditional pencil boxes or fabric zipper pouches — because they:
- Each have their own special boxes featuring the character of their choice; and
- Can carry the boxes easily from room to room and in and out of the car because they have a handle.
I had no idea that a box with a handle (as opposed to a box without a handle) could make or break our success in terms of storing and keeping crayons, markers and colored pencils organized. It makes it SO much easier for my kids to carry their crayon boxes from room to room, and even take them in the car, to grandparents’ houses, on vacation, etc.
I don’t know about you, but I love discovering simple, inexpensive ways to fix annoying problems around my house, and this is totally going in the “win” column! And all for $10, combined with pressing a couple buttons on my computer to place an order?! Don’t mind me — I’ll be over here high-fiving myself.
What other kind of kids’ stuff do you feel is challenging to organize? Tell me what category of stuff drives you nuts, and let’s chat trade simple storage solutions!
P.S. Want more ideas for storing those tough-to-store toys? I’ve got you covered right here.
P.P.S Wanna see what storage solutions we used in our playroom, and the shelving unit that changed everything? Read all about our play space and see the shopping sources right here.
