Learning Library


Upcycled Pencil Boxes for Back-to-School

Why buy pencil cases every school year? Here's how you can make your own!

Learning area: Art/Creativity
Time commitment: Quick (30 minutes or less)
Best for: Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5

There’s no need to purchase new pencil cases for back-to-school time. Repurpose baby wipe containers and let your students create their own trendy and stylish pencil boxes! Any container that fits a pencil will work for this project. Create an assortment of holders to organize pens, pencils, and coloring supplies.

Materials:

  • sturdy containers such as empty baby wipes bins
  • ruler
  • Fiskars blunt-tip kids scissors
  • Fiskars 3-in-1 corner squeeze punch (well-rounded)
  • scrapbook paper
  • adhesive
  • extra embellishments such as stickers, rhinestones, washi tape, etc. (optional)

Instructions:

  1. With a ruler, measure the space on the containers that you want to cover.
  2. With the blunt-tip kids scissors, cut out the scrapbook paper to match the measurements. Kids love these scissors because they’re comfortable for their smaller hands and they come in trendy cool colors.
  3. Use the 3-in-1 corner squeeze punch to round the corners of the rectangle. This punch has three sizes to choose from in just one punch. Plus the squeeze design makes it easy to use for all users. Pick whichever rounded size you prefer for your container.
  4. Apply adhesive to the paper and cover your containers.

  5. That’s it! After you get the paper onto the box, your students can add extra embellishments if they want. Stickers, rhinestones, or washi tape would be perfect extras to create even more unique designs.

Thanks to DIY Inspired for this cute idea! To find the perfect scissors, visit our Kids Scissors Selection Guide.


Originally posted 2023




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