Systems in Music Therapy: My Maker Box

It really shouldn't be much of a surprise that I have a box for my making process - making visual aids, that is! At the moment, I have the pieces of my current project (almost ready for Teachers Pay Teachers store release, by the way) in the box, ready to go with all the materials I need to put together the project. I hope to have pictures taken by this afternoon so I can get it ready for release.

My "maker" box for visual aids (I have several different sets of things for different types of projects - I have a "composing" box, for example...) is a recycled small pizza box from my current favorite pizza place. They offer pasta in containers within these small cardboard boxes which seems like a waste to me, except for the fact that these boxes are PERFECT for storing sets of materials for making different things. I am getting ready to set up one box for starting crochet projects - they are the perfect size to fit in my current storage, and the hooks will fit without any sort of additional preparation. In addition, I can paint and decorate the boxes so I can easily grab the set of materials that I need at a moment's notice. That's one of my systems - arranging things so I can find them without having to search for things.

This particular box, my "Visual Aid Maker" box includes the following materials - my circle template, a glue stick, a tape runner, a pair of regular scissors, a pair of cool edged scissors, a silver Sharpie, a pencil, and an eraser. I have multiples of all of these materials, so these can just stay in this box all the time. I also have a bone folder and scoring kit (that's in the gray felt bag thingy), my Black Sharpie pens in a variety of nib sizes, a ruler, and a corner rounder that do not live in the box because I use them for many different projects - they have their own storage places in my mess of materials. Under the box, you can see another one of my multiple usage tools - my paper cutter and scorer.

These are the things that I use every time I put together my visual aids. So, it makes sense that this is how I store them. I want to do something fancy to the outside of the box so I can easily distinguish between the boxes (I have been eating LOTS of pasta lately), but I'm not exactly sure what I want to do besides painting it. I know that I want to add some Velcro to the lid so I can store some laminated templates that I use often in my file folder making process in that otherwise wasted space.

I digress from my topic.

Now that I have my box ready, it is time to get started with the assembly of the file folder. To do that, I have printed out my file, have collected my consumable materials, and I have realized that I need another couple of materials to make my life a bit easier. I need a circle punch or a blade for the circle template and a cutting mat. I also need my laminator, laminating pouches, my laminating scissors (yep, I have some scissors that I save for laminating only), and Velcro. Once I get those things, I can make my first folder.

The folder that I am making today is one of a set of six (at least) that I'll make for my clients to use. Each one is a bit different (on purpose) to ensure that my clients are paying attention to the tasks and not just learning how to complete them by rote. With the options that I have in my file, I could print out another copy and then mix and match the rhythm wheels to make additional folders with more options, but I'm going to stick with the six original sets at the moment.

I will make a video of myself making these file folders later today. All of the pieces are ready to go, and I have all the materials that I need. I just need to get going with the assembly portion of things and then it will be a completed project rather than a dream.

Sorry that this has taken so long, but I'm on my way now!!