Letter Box Organization

After some questions about my work boxes this week from a lovely reader, I thought I would give some insight in how I put together my letter boxes and store them. One of the questions I get asked often is if I have 26 separate boxes for each letter.  The quick answer is no.  There is only one box.  I change the sticker off the lid for each letter, and place the contents into a ziplock bag.  While I would love the stacking ability of having a box per letter, it's neither cost nor space effective.

The one and only box.

I was doing each letter box as needed but that was just too much work, over the Christmas holidays I put together the remainder of the alphabet.  Most of the items  are from around the house, my mom's house, or the dollar store.  I made the bean bags when I was teaching in Korea, before we traveled back home I emptied the rice out of each so that I wouldn't have to pay for the weight of the rice.  All I needed to do is refill them and they were all set.  All the letters that we have yet to do are stored in a basket.  Then as I prepare each weeks activities I can just grab the next bag.

When we are finished each weeks letter box I was putting them back in the bag and throwing them on the shelf in Hannah's closet.  During Ethan's nap time, Hannah has a rest time and she often requests 2 or 3 letter bags to play with in her room.  As the bags piled up it was getting harder and harder to keep it organized.  This week I reorganized the letter bags.  I slipped each bag onto a hanger and hung them in alphabet order.  I also need to empty some of the bags into bigger bags.  Overall, it is not the prettiest system, but at least now  I can find the letters Hannah wants quickly and easily.  I think in a dream world I would like little canvas drawstring bags with alphabet appliques on each.  That would look great. 

My next project is to use the items in the letter bags to make an Eye Spy book, as well as an ABC book with the pictures I have taken of each box.