Tin Can Organization

We have lots of school  and craft supplies at our house. If we are not careful they end up all over the house. I think this means that I am blessed with creative, project minded kids...but I do get a little concerned when someone needs a pencil and the first place everyone looks for one is the floor! We have used a variety of "storage solutions" over the years, but my favorite is the standard (and free!) tin can. 

First, I make sure I am using a can with a pull-off lid so that there is no chance of someone being injured by a sharp edge on the can. (Progresso canned soups are a luxury saved for coupon-on sale combos, but the cans work great for this project!) Next, I use my computer to print out some simple labels, which I attach by covering with clear packing tape.  I think putting some colorful scrapbook paper behind the labels would be quite cute, if you have some on hand.  Last, I rally the children and we play the sorting game with all the craft supplies. I think the reason the cans work so well lies in the fact that they are portable.  If someone wants to work on a project on the porch or in their bedroom they can just take the appropriate cans with them. We have one place where the cans are stored ( an old wardrobe that is our school cabinet), so everyone knows where things need to be returned. Another idea would be to have a can for each child with their own supplies.Shorter cans work great for little things like paper clips, rubber bands and glue sticks.  Larger cans are good for things like rulers and math manipulatives.   

Of course, as in all of housekeeping, what is neatly ordered will become disordered over time.  My solution?Just turn the cans around in the cabinet so the labels don't show until the time comes when you can fix things up again :).  Some things just aren't worth getting huffy about! Besides, you still have a nice uniform look, much better than random supplies stuffed on shelves.  Organizing experts say that things always look neater if storage containers are the same style and shape, and I love that I can achieve this tidy look for free by using cans!