Seat Back Organizers

Our family doesn't wait until we arrive at our destination for our vacation to begin.  The adventure commences as soon as we get in the van.  I started a tradition that utilizes seat back organizers to make the ride itself as exciting as possible.  We usually try to begin our road trips by getting up early in the morning, packing up the van and taking off.  This gives us the evening after the kids go to bed to get a lot of last-minute work done and it allows me time to get in the van and attach the organizers that I've stuffed full of activities.  I purposely don't use these organizers during the rest of the year because I want the sight of them to be exciting.  I try not to let the kids near the van in the morning until we're officially ready to pull out of the driveway, at which point they're allowed to look in the pockets to see what treasures await them.  Its like opening a birthday present and the first day of driving is blissful with all the new things their parents have provided them.

I'm sure that I've made it sound as if we spend tons of money on the back-of-the-seat-booty, but we really don't.  The new things I put in the pockets are simple: drawing/writing utensils, new sketch pads, Crayola Color Wonder pads, and a folder of car games.  I save money by watching the Toys R Us sales on Crayola and I stock up on their products and store them in my closet until its time for a trip.  There are a few things that I put in the pockets that are not new, such as the DS, ipod, etc.  However, I make sure that those are charged, that the desired music is downloaded and that they are easily accessible.  When the kids get in the car, they're not surprised to find those items, but they're thrilled to discover that  that their treasured electronics are at their finger tips and not forgotten at home.  

The organizers themselves can be as simple or as difficult to acquire as you wish.  When I was shopping for the organizers a few years ago, there were plenty of plain black organizers out there, but I couldn't bring myself to purchase a simple hum-drum version of what I wanted and be done with it.  I suffer from a disorder called "Make-everything-more-difficult-than-it-needs-to-be-for-no-good-reason" and so I purchased cute fabric - a girl version and a boy version - and made them myself.  They're so bright and inviting.  They practically call to kids: "Come and lose yourself inside my pockets!"  Besides that, there are limitless options of fun coordinating projects to go along with it.  I made matching color pencil holders for our seat-back organizers.  Click here, here or here for links on a crayon roll tutorial.  (There's ton's of tutorials out there.  I modified mine from the original crayon size to fit color pencils, similar to the first link.  The other two tutorials have fasteners I like and I wish I would've thought of those instead of the ribbon closure I used.)  I haven't really had the chance to add to the ensemble, but I've been wanting to.  If I had more time in my life, I'd make matching notebook covers, tote bags, drawstring backpacks and maybe even tissue holders.  If I wanted to get my kids in on the excitement, I'd buy felt that matched the organizers I made and have them make their own pencil cases and notebook covers.  (Why am I spending time blogging and not sewing these fun things?)

I digress.   Not only is it magical to find new treasures on the first day of the trip, the organizers are a lifesaver throughout the trip.  Kids' possessions have the tendency to explode and make a mess.  These will help keep everything from falling out of the car every time you open the door at a stop.  These items are a life-saver in so many ways and they're worth the investment regardless of whether you make your life simple and buy one at a store or you suffer from the same disorder that I do and feel compelled to make them yourself.  You'll be happy you have them.