With the dog days of summer winding down, I’m beginning to get bombarded with not so subtle hints of the next shopping season – the back to school event.  Whether your kids are in grade school or going off to college, you’re reminded of all the many things you have to buy to set them up for success.  There are pencils, pens, notebooks, binders, backpacks, new clothing, laptop, new shoes, not to mention a whole set of furniture for the dorm room.  If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the shopping activities, why not take a break and make something fun & practical with your children?  I will show you a few free craft ideas for kids.  I call this the back to school crafts edition because every school kid could appreciate having personalized versions of the most useful school items.  Savor the last days of summer by crafting with your kids – let’s get started!

We’ll begin this series of posts with the versatile bulletin board.  There are many versions of bulletin boards out there and just as many ways to make them.  The version we’re going to make is a classic one.  You’ve seen them in lifestyle magazines and home furnishing catalogs.  They often sell for $40-60 a piece.  But they’re so easy to make!  If you’ve never made a bulletin board before, now is the perfect time to give it a try!

Ribbon Bulletin Board supplies:

1. A plain bulletin board in whatever size and type.
2. Enough fabric to cover and go over the edges of the bulletin board.  Linen or heavy cotton works well.
3. Some ribbons – you’ll need at least a few yards, depending on the size of the board.  Better to err on the side of having more ribbons than you need.
4. Thumbtacks, lots of them
5. A staple gun and plenty of staples
6. Additional things you may want to decorate the bulletin board with – decorative pins, buttons that you can sew or glue to the fabric, etc.

Ribbon Bulletin Board how-to:

1. Cover the bulletin board with fabric.  You may need to remove the frame first if your bulltin board comes with it.
2. Turn the board around and staple the fabric to the back of the bulletin board to secure.  Make sure to stretch it really tight or else you’ll have air pockets in the front.
3. Arrange pieces of the ribbon diagonally across the front of the bulletin board.  Create criss cross pattern with the ribbon.  Let the ribbons drape over the edge of the board a little.
4. Secure the ribbons with thumbtacks.
5. Turn to the back of the board and staple the ribbon ends to board with the staple gun.
6. Trim fabric and ribbon ends
7. Decorate the bulletin board with additional pins, buttons or stickers as you wish.

Kid craft tip: Since sharp objects are used in this project, be sure to supervise your kids and show them the correct way of using the staple gun.

Here are some photos of bulletin boards for your inspiration!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post.  In the next few days, I’ll continue to share more art and craft for kids.  There are more back to school crafts to choose from: diy bookmarks, decorative lunch bags, customized notebooks and more.  Happy crafting!