DIY Life

So by now you're officially in the swing of things, right? Wrong. Chances are, you and your family are still struggling at the idea of 6am wake-up calls, mounds of paperwork and the ever-so-present extra-curricular activity schedule. There never seem to be enough hours in the day, and definitely not enough cash in the bank. Perhaps our list of top back-to-school tutorials will make your adjustment process a tiny bit smoother... and a whole lot more stylish!:

For the cafeteria:

1. DIY Reusable Lunch Set
   
2. Martha Stewart Lunch Labels
3. Magnetic Cafeteria Chart

Your kid will be the cat's meow in the lunchroom with these easy (and super cute!) tutorials for a lunch set and labels. Of course, you can always score brownie points with your child's teacher by creating a magnetic cafeteria chart for classroom use! You know... in case your kid isn't already brown-nosing enough for the both of you.

In the classroom:

1. Apple Print Backpack
2. Martha Stewart Book Covers
3. Handmade Owl Backpack
4. Quick Pocket Organizer

Send your kid to school prepared with DIY book covers, backpacks and pocket organizers. Who knows? Maybe they'll be the future DIY Founding Father of their class! They'll certainly be one of the more stylish munchkins...

In the craft room:

1. Egg Carton School Bus
2. Roll-Up Pencil Kit
3. Tree Bark Pencil Holder
4. Binder Pencil Case

With crafts for all ages, back-to-school can be a bit more fun. Tackle a school bus created out of egg cartons with your pre-schooler, or create a nature-inspired pencil holder for your tween. The key is, have some fun with your child before they're swamped with homework and they start locking you out of your bedroom forever!

For the teachers:

1. Leather Day Planner
2. Marbleized Pencils
3. Kate Spade Downloadable Book Cover
4. Old Pants Laptop Sleeve

Teachers deserve a bit of back-to-school love, too... right? Surprise your favorite teacher with a handmade, well-crafted gift, or even send a few of these fun ideas with your kid. Remember --- you can never be too nice to your child's teacher. After all, as far as education is concerned, the teacher is boss.

Inspired yet? Incorporate a few of these fun tutorials into your weekend and welcome school season with a bang. Enjoy, and happy crafting, school bees!

Multiplication and division were major parts of my son's 4th grade curriculum this past year. My son struggled with both concepts, which was problematic: the class didn't stop at multiplying and dividing. They brought the concepts right into simple algebra!

Over the summer, I'm doing everything I can to help him strengthen the skills he learned in 4th grade. He's more than happy to read with me, he loved going to a museum that reinforced what he learned in social studies, and he's always thrilled to work on backyard science projects with me.

When it comes to math, however, he really resists practicing his skills. So I was thrilled to find these fun Multiplication Thinkin' Logs. All of the templates for the "logs" are provided. Simply print out the times tables you want to practice, and make a game out of stacking the towers.

(Do you need a little helping hand with math yourself? If so, why not check out Francesca's post on Math made easy?)

My son will be starting preschool in September. We're both very excited about this. Me, because I feel confident I have chosen the perfect preschool for Owen to continue to grow into an amazing young man. He's jumping out of his skin because he had so much fun when we went to visit a few weeks ago. Can you believe he's still talking about the songs we sang, and the different rocks in the science center?

There are many ways to go about choosing a preschool for your child. You could focus on accreditation, academics, atmosphere, and philosophy, all of which are important to some extent. As a former teacher and a conscientious mom, I'm going to tell you how I did it.

About this time last year, I stopped over at my sister's house. She informed me that my niece, the president of her high school class, was in her bedroom crying. I asked why and my sister sighed and said, "I tried to help her with her graduation speech." I went to my niece's room and helped her bang out an awesome speech to wow the crowd. (Sometimes kids are more willing to accept help from someone who isn't their parent.)

Though I think the speech my niece and I crafted was great, we could have used some of these tips on writing a memorable graduation speech. Your first step is to avoid the cliches. We've all heard the graduation speeches about how students are "prepared for their futures" and so forth. Instead of the same old, same old, try some of the tips that I'll list after the break.

I can't watch the preliminary American Idol auditions. I think it's because I feel too close to people who actually suck and my heart just breaks for their complete and total public exposure. Looking through these 41 hilarious science fair experiments tugged on those same heart-strings, but still left me compelled to share. Strange little psyche I have, but that's a story for another day!

Science fairs are said to shine a spotlight on the leaders of tomorrow. They are supposed to be highlighting those who really stand out as innovators. In my opinion they are more a reflection of who's parents can back off and let the kids do it and who can't help but step in and take over. You can always tell which ones Mom and Dad tinkered with and which ones they were asleep on the couch for.

This is our next generation of DIY'ers. I'm curious as to why the projects seem to have changed so dramatically over generations. It used to be about showing a real experiment, now it looks more like a research project. Where is all the mess? I want mess! No volcanoes, no slime, no models of that ideal pancreas? I'm not impressed. The display boards look great, the kids obviously took the time to make professional presentations.

They all look proud standing in front of their projects, and obviously put some very hard work into them, they just don't cover the topics I'd expect. Some of you with older children may be able to help me understand what's going on here. Are we not building robots and blowing things up anymore? Have Science Fairs changed? How do you think this impacts the next generation of DIY'ers; are they being encouraged to tinker and experiment less, with the new emphasis on creative displays and polished presentations?

In some areas, school has been in full swing for a month; in others, it only started last week. Either way, it's safe to say that plenty of college freshmen are just getting the lay of the land. Some have no idea what their major will be. Others know exactly what they want to do: design stuff.

Core77 has created a guide called Hack 2 School, for all those incoming design majors. It's worth checking out because, while its specific focus is industrial design, it has plenty of useful material for all art and design students, and even some ideas that will be appreciated by college students in general, like those for laundry, living in small spaces, and making good meals with few ingredients.

If people are aware of ShojoBeat at all, they tend to think it's a very thick manga magazine aimed at teen girls, full of nothing but comics. While it is, indeed, a thick manga monthly, it's about much more than just the serialized illustrated stories that run in it. ShojoBeat has been out for a few years and has polled its readers constantly about their likes and dislikes, so aside from the manga, they currently run a mix of sweet, fluffy articles about Japanese culture and fashion, and more serious articles aimed at readers who read manga because they're interested in becoming manga artists.

Back when I was a fine art student, a major project in our design class was the creation of a portfolio -- not in terms of a set of artwork that we'd use to represent ourselves, but in terms of the container we'd keep that artwork in. A representative from a college that a lot of my classmates hoped to attend told us that a submitting a portfolio that had been handmade with attention to detail would greatly enhance our chances of being accepted as art majors at our chosen schools. If we could make the outside of the portfolio match the work inside, in some thematic way, so much the better. (Also, purchased portfolios are pretty expensive, and most art students are already spending a lot of money on supplies!)

What I was told in school is true just about everywhere. So, for the members of its audience who wish to become professional artists, ShojoBeat published a great project on their site: directions to make an art portfolio (PDF link). The resulting portfolios are strong ones, made of wood, Gorilla Glue, and a few other things. There are three versions: a "panel portfolio" (two pieces of board with fabric handles attached), a box portfolio, and a book portfolio.

Any of these would be a great option (or gift!) for an aspiring art major, but if that doesn't describe you or someone you know, the portfolios would still be a good storage option for any unframed artwork you've purchased.

Back to school is upon us and with it comes, among other things, school lunches. There is always the standard of a peanut butter or bologna on white bread sandwich, but that gets boring fast. What can you do to make lunchtime fun and nutritious too? Is there anything else that should go in that lunch box other than food? How do you keep it cold?

Kraft has come up answers to all these questions and more. The Mom's Lunch Box Cheat Sheet has tips for making lunch easy and fun for your kids and has some interesting suggestions for making it easy for you.

On Kraft's Back to School Helper page you will find recipes for quick and nutritious breakfasts. There are fun a tasty twists on the traditional sandwich as well as ideas for what to pack to go with lunch. To top it off there are also after school snack ideas too.

Hopefully you will find some ideas to help you add some tasty variety to your kids school lunches and fill that empty lunch box. Do you have any creative ideas for school lunch to share? Let us and our other readers know in the comments.

The school bell is about to ring in a new year, but there is a group of adults who need just as much attention for Back-To-School preparation as the students: the teachers. Most people don't realize, but a summer break for a teacher is not a break at all, but an opportunity to lesson plan for the upcoming year, get those state required classes completed, fight in line at the local state board of education for re-licensure, and catch up on the required reading for next year.

Regardless, going back to school is just as exciting and demanding on teachers as it is on students. Unlike students, however, most teachers have the added stress of family and household demands. So, here's a survival guide for the teacher on easing back into the school year without fainting from exhaustion.

Every parent wants to have a child who is successful in school. Not only is it a deep parental wish but it is also good for a child's self-esteem to be able to excel in school. Some kids are self starters and seem to know from the moment they enter a classroom just what it is they need to do to make it to the top of their class.

Other kids need a more guidance in order to find their way. Sharon and Craig Ramey, both Ph.D. professors at Georgetown, have recently written a book, Going to School, the book offers the "Ten Hallmarks of Children Who Succeed."

Below are a few of the ideas the two professors suggest to help make your child more successful in school, each aspect involves both parents and children. The children might already possess the quality or might need to learn it, in either case parental support is vital in encouraging the student to succeed. In general, kids who are successful in school possess the following traits, if your child does not currently display these traits, a bit of motivation might help him/her.

Is it August already? If you have school-aged children, you are probably starting to think about getting ready to head back to school.

This means a more structured routine, purchasing school supplies and acting as a cheerleader.

What? C'mon, you know what I mean. Your kids aren't exactly psyched to get up and out the door early every weekday morning, only to do work for six hours straight. Did I mention the hours of homework that would be coming too?

Part of your job as parent is to help remind your kids about the fun parts of school: the amazing books they'll read, the new mathematical concepts they can use to wow their grandparents and of course the useless facts or knowledge they will need for Trivial Pursuit games. And recess.

Crayola has come out with an innovative new line of supplies for school and crafts, called Total Tools. They're aimed at kids, but might make an interesting addition to your home craft box, too. Most aren't completely new ideas, but similar products have often been pretty obscure, and I don't think they have been widely produced for the American children's market before.

The tools include:

• a paper cutter that works on curves and won't cut skin
• fine-point markers with washable ink
• super-thick markers for posters
• a stapler that doesn't need staples and also leaves a stamp
• double-ended pencils that have a colored pencil on one side and regular graphite on the other
• a pen that applies non-goopy purple glue, which dries clear
• an "Audio Ruler" that announces the measurements as they're being made
• a few more

Crayola also has project ideas for the Total Tools, with some crafts that you can do with your kids. "Names in Outrageous Outlines" looks like it would be perfect for a child's desk or bedroom door; other projects are listed on the Total Tools page. Registration with their site is required to see the projects, though.

I was surfing around the Internet and I was intrigued by a picture of Paris Hilton carrying a laptop computer which was wrapped in a quilted pink Sumo laptop sleeve. I thought, "Hey wait a second, quilted pink? That's not the style for the Paris Hilton we've all come to know and love!" I can accept the pink color all right but quilted? I'd expect Paris to be sporting patent leather with studs, or something of that nature. Then I realized that it was a picture of the new, improved and "rehabilitated" Paris Hilton and it all made sense.

Here is a better solution for dressing your laptop than to have to drop $35 on a pink quilted laptop sleeve that your grandma could have made in an hour while talking on her cell phone. Here are some hand-made, high quality and trend setting laptop sleeve and cover ideas.