Kid’s lockers can be pretty disorganized over the course of a school year. Part of the reason for this disorganization is that lockers have no system for organization. They generally include a couple of hooks for hanging things and maybe, a small shelf on top. Other than that, there is no place to put small things like pencils and pens and office supplies. There isn’t even a place to put things like important papers.
To help correct this problem you can help your student make a locker pocket. There are kits available at craft stores, but you can also make an awesome locker pocket from things that you have lying around your home.
Things that you will need include
• An old jacket or pair of pants. Any piece of old clothing that has a large pocket or pockets.
• Needle and thread.
• Scraps of cloth
• A wire clothes hanger
To make the locker pocket you should start by cutting the old piece of clothing to include as many of the pockets as possible. Don’t worry if you only get one pocket. You can sew other pockets on if you need to. Cut the cloth only as wide as a standard piece of paper is tall, this way your locker pocket will fit inside the locker.
Once the cloth is cut, you will want to fold the top of it over the clothes hanger and stitch it into place. This will make the pocket easy to hang; it will also keep it straightened out so it doesn’t roll up inside the locker.
Now go to work decorating the pocket with more pockets. Cut different colored pieces of cloth out and sew them on as different sized pockets. You will want to make some loose enough to place bulkier items like a hairbrush in. You can make the locker pocket as long as you want, and add as many pockets as your kid thinks he will need. Just remember that kid’s lockers are usually not more than three feet tall.
Your child might also want to beautify the locker pocket by adding other ribbons, buttons, or beads. Let your child take control of the project creatively. Let them do as much as possible, including the sewing if they are ready for that. The more they do, the more skills they will get to practice, and the more pride they will take in their locker pocket once it is finished.
The final thing is getting the locker pocket attached to the locker. This is no small task since the little air vents are so small. Bend the hanger part of the wire hanger over until it forms a loop. You can then use ribbon as you would use on a Christmas package to attach the hanger to the locker. Explain to your child that they will need to thread the ribbon through the air vents on the locker. Once the ribbon is threaded through with both ends on the inside of the locker, they can run one of the ends through the loop made from the hanger. Then they just need to tie the two ends of the ribbon together. Another more sturdy idea is to use pipe cleaners to attach the pocket the same way.
The locker pocket will hang perfectly, and the child can use it to organize pens and pencils, combs and brushes, and supplies.
The one thing that this locker pocket lacks is a safe place to put important papers. Suggest to your child that he tape a folder on the bottom of the locker, behind the locker pocket. They can tape the folder down on three sides leaving the top open to slide papers into. Of course, this pocket can be decorated as well.
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