This autumn, embrace the back-to-school spirit by getting your child organized for the upcoming school year. Here’s a fun and easy activity to help: create a magnetic spice tin pencil holder! It will be easy for your teen to transform beautifully decorated spice tins and loose-leaf tea canisters into durable magnetic organizers that keep pens and pencils right where he needs them. These crafty tins are simple and convenient. Best of all, they’ll benefit all members of the family-from kindergarteners who need a special place for their crayons to adults who can use them for handy note-taking. Post your spice tin magnets on the side of the fridge or file cabinet and never have to search for a pen again!
What You Need:
❑ Empty spice tins vertical enough to hold pencils or markers.
❑ Rubber cement or silicone glue, available at the hardware store
❑ Round, 1/2″ magnets, available in packs at craft stores
What You Do:
- Make sure your spice tins are clean and dry.
- Remove the top of your spice tin. Most spice tins come with a plastic lid that pops right off. Some have metal tops that you can remove with a can opener.
- Glue at least two magnets to the back of each tin. If the height and the width of the tin are larger than a playing card, glue on four magnets, one close to each corner.
- Wait for the glue to dry thoroughly. Now you can stick your pencil container on the fridge or other metal surface, and pencils will be right where you need them. Use these to keep your writing implements close at hand for grocery lists and art projects.
Use your imagination, and keep an eye out for interesting package designs next time you shop. You’ll find that plastic bandages, old-fashioned candies, and loose tea also come in tins that’ll make more chic-looking magnetic holders.
