DIY: Keepsakes for the Kids

I left the kindergarten recently because internship was starting and I had mixed feelings (still do). I wanted to leave the kids with something valuable to remember. Something that can last, withstand time and abuse, and also something that could remind themselves of mini them when (and if) they look at it again when they’re older.

This article came up somewhere and I thought it was a brilliant idea. But not everyone has a dollhouse and having only one could look a bit like a tombstone (my principal mentioned that haha good thing I bounced it off her first). So, they became keychains. All of them were tasked to draw themselves as a superhero. It has their drawing on one side, their name in their handwriting on the other. I must say some of them turned out pretty well.

It’s not very difficult and the total cost when divided by the number of children, was low, even if you include the cost of the equipment (I had to buy a wood burner). Here’s how I did it.

You need:

Wood (Daiso), wood burner (Mustafa), chain (Chinatown), drill

1. Get kids to draw on wood.

2. Burn the images using a wood burner. Remember to practice a little before actually starting so you get the hang of how the burner works.

3. Drill a hole for the chain. Remember to have some extra wood at the bottom so you don’t drill a hole into the floor! (We used the smallest drill bit we had at home. But anything works, as long as your chain can go through the hole!) (My dad helped me with this because skinny me isn’t strong enough to control it.) (Explains why I like tabletop equipment.)

4. String them up.

Things I learnt the hard way:

1. Tie up your hair. I burnt mine a bit.

2. Don’t think the metal has cooled. It takes a good hour at least to be totally cool. I was impatient and touched it and almost got a blister from the burn.

Have fun (if you do try it)!