warmhotchocolate

‘Favorite Things’ Charm Necklace

Last week was Jason’s first week of kindergarten, a pretty momentous occasion in his life thus far. With so much focus on Jason starting ‘big boy school,’ we may have underestimated the change for Jenna, who started pre-k at a new school as well. Unlike Jason, who dives right in to new environments and makes friends everywhere he goes, Jenna is more reserved and cautious in new surroundings.

The difference in attitudes was immediately apparent: Jason would come home from school telling me how “awesome” his new school is. Jenna only talked about how much she missed me.

In addition to being apart from her brother, one of the biggest changes is that she can no longer bring her own belongings to school. Carrying around ‘stuff’ is a big deal for Jenna, and in the past she never left for school without a loved object from home in her hands.

I started to think of ways to send a little bit of home with her everyday, and decided on a photo charm necklace with pictures of a few of her favorite things.

I started by taking pictures of some of her favorites:

• Her lovey, which she’s had since she was born
• Teacups, because playing tea is her favorite
• A card that I wrote to her just after she started ballet class
• Her mittens, which she wears year round
• Her favorite book, which is so worn it no longer has a cover
• And, finally, me!

Once I took the photos, I cropped them to 3/4 inch circles, printed them onto photo paper and cut them out using a hole punch (3/4 inch diameter).

Next, I assembled some additional materials:

• Glue and sponge brush
• Metal 1 inch jewelry discs (purchased at Hobby Lobby)
• Pink string

I glued one image to each side of the circles. I chose 3 circles, but you could include more. I was thinking about making a larger assortment of ‘charms’ and then letting her choose which ones she wanted to take each day, but quickly realized I didn’t need an extra step in our morning routine.

Once everything was dry, I placed the circles on the string and tied the ends together.

Voila, Jenna can carry her most precious objects right by her heart.