Have Fun Making Back To School Soaps For Students & Teacher Gifts

Posted on September 17, 2020 by C. J.

How Can You Make Back-To-School Soap?

First, cut your soap into 1″ cubes so that they melt evenly and quickly. Follow the instructions per your soap variety for melting.

When the soap is melted, fill all the silicone molds nearly a quarter of the way complete. Let the soap harden. Place it in the freezer to help move the procedure along. It took maybe 10-15 minutes.

How to make back to school soaps using erasers — Image by Jess Bailey

Then fill each mold with back to school supplies! You can purchase all the supplies in the local Dollar Store, so they just cost a couple of dollars. (NOTE: Be mindful of the materials you utilize, as sharp objects could injure while washing hands) Once your supplies are put in place, melt extra soap cubes.

Since we want our supplies to have very organized and geometric patterns, we need to be cautious that the melted soap didn’t move them all around. If needed use a toothpick to place them exactly where you want them inside the soap mold. Use a spoon and quite gently pour additional soap over each of the products. Once there is a little soap covering each of the school products, manage to fill the molds all the way to the top.

Once more, allow the soap to completely harden. Then, you can just pop the soaps from the molds — and presto! To make the soaps look super nice as a teacher gift, wrap each bar of soap in clear cellophane wrap and use colorful raffia to tie the ends.

Now that you have your kids soaps and teacher gifts prepared to send to school, how about the rest of the school supplies?

Among the most over-looked places where we can reduce the toxic load is via school supplies. Yep, school supplies are sometimes hazardous! And yep, children put plenty of stuff in their mouths. And of course, writing in their skin.

We can’t altogether remove toxins from our children’s environment. But we indeed can limit what they’re exposed to. And what we expose ourselves to. Plus, we can choose products that don’t damage the environment.

School Supplies List: Eco-Friendly, Non-Toxic, Homemade, And/Or Recycled

1. Crayons

If crayons are on your children’s back to school list this season, you have many alternatives. The first alternative, Honeysticks, is a terrific choice but is a little on the expensive side. Check to find out whether these crayons are in a retailer near you.

Otherwise, the cost might scare you a bit. Another alternative is the non-toxic crayon box by Crayola. The purchase price is much better, and you’ll get these crayons in more retailers than the Honeysticks alternative.

Veggie crayons by Wee Can Too are another terrific option. These crayons give a lower price tag than the Honeysticks and are made from all organic substances like soy wax.

2. Markers

It’s relatively easy to locate non-toxic markers on the market, so we will just name a few alternatives. The first one is Crayola, which has a non-toxic alternative. The advantage of this is that you can find them in many physical stores, and the cost is really low.

If you’re buying markers for young kids, like tots, a great brand is Babyroo. They have an excellent set of non-toxic markers for little guys who love to taste everything near them!

3. Paper

As far as paper goes, you are hard-pressed to discover a brand of paper that’s labeled non-toxic. However, You can certainly (and if ) opt for recycled or eco-friendly paper. In about any retail store that sells back-to-school supplies, it is easy to find the recycled paper.

4. Folders

Folders, like a newspaper, generally only come in recycled forms or eco-friendly. This is also true if the folders are made from plastic. It is simple to find recycled folders for a low price in your local store, and your child can pick out the colors.

5. Notebooks

Notebooks, like paper and folders, do not really come in non-toxic alternatives. So again, the best you can search for is a recycled alternative. In your local store, there are said to be eco-friendly or recycled alternatives.

Tip: If the covers are”dull,” and the kid does not need them, offer to get out the non-toxic paints, perhaps some glitter, or maybe some decals and decorate the laptops together. This is a great way to spend some time with your child while performing the responsible thing!

6. Glue

Glue sticks and liquid glue is possibly among the most toxic of all of the school supplies. Mainly, the glue will get on children’s skin and into their hands’ pores more than pens or folders.

And hands are among the quickest ways to absorb things due to a lot of capillaries and veins. Onyx & Blue has a brand named Onyx & Green, which carries non-toxic adhesive sticks.

Elmer’s glue, a traditional brand, has a “natural” glue stick option. Though the word natural has practically no regulation so that we could take their claim with a grain of salt.

7. Playdough

There are many organic recipes for play dough online. Though if you’re trying to find a good play dough, without the trouble of creating your own, a non-toxic, natural alternative comes from Eco-Kids. The playdough is a fantastic consistency, and they claim it is made with all-natural products.

8. Finger Paints

Go Green Finger Paints has a beautiful non-toxic, natural, and even safe finger paint set. This is fantastic for the small kid who still enjoys tasting everything they get their little hands on. It’s perfect since it takes away the stress of having to call poison control for your two-year-old child!

9. Hand Wipes

Hand wipes are another really substantial risk for toxins. This is something that the kid literally rubs on their skin and really can boost a child’s toxic load.

Fortunately, there are a few non-toxic choices on the market to protect your children. Everyone Wipes are amazing: “Non-toxic, cruelty-free, certified gluten-free, flushable, accredited B Corporation.” But they have a huge eco-footprint. Every time you utilize one, it goes directly into a garbage heap and can’t be reused! Which is a Shame!

Another great and much more economical alternative is to create your own reusable wipes. You can make one by cutting up old t-shirts and soaking them in the solution of castile soap and essential oils. Or buy a package white inexpensive washcloths that you can wash or bleach as needed and reuse. Just explore Pinterest to find instructions for homemade, reusable hand packs.

10. Highlighters

Most retail stores, like K-mart, Walmart, or Target, will keep non-toxic highlighters. This is quite a standard item. Though as an alternative to regular highlighters, consider highlighter pens.

These pencils are eco-friendly, don’t smudge (and therefore lesser opportunity to enter the bloodstream through the skin), and are remarkable for left-handed children. It’s a great alternative to the liquid ink highlighters.

11. Kleenex

Buying Nontoxic Kleenex is really straightforward. The only thing you will need to understand is not to acquire scented Kleenex.

The scented brands often use toxic chemicals to create those fantastic scents. This is also true for toilet paper and female products…just a small public announcement. Some brands have recycled paper Kleenex products. Just keep an eye out for them in your closest retailer.

12. Water Bottles

The main concern with water bottles is BPA. Nalgene and Kleen Kanteen equally make BPA Free water bottles for kids. They are non-toxic to your little ones and come in cool colors! The Kleen Kanteen is also environment-friendly.

Both of these water bottles feature sippy cups and are lovely for little hands! They’re a great option to the water bottles that leak toxic chemicals into your child’s water!

13. Backpack

This totally adorable backpack is for the little ones. It’s made with Raw linen, and best of all is non-toxic. We absolutely like the little bunnies and patterns on the backpacks, and they’re eco-friendly.

They come from a brand named SoYoung, which includes coolers, lunch bags, preschool backpacks, and basic school backpacks!

14. Pencil Cases

Pencil cases are somewhat harder to see in the non-toxic form in the shop. Here’s an option that’s both non-toxic and eco friendly from Hulu. Though a quick internet surfing will bring up many diverse options.

15. Pre-Made Non-Toxic/Organic Kits

Did you know, there are a few kits that are available in bulk on Amazon? These kits include several items for a lower cost, and each item is labeled non-toxic or organic. Have a look at this kit from Onyx & Blue.

Teach Your Child About Planet

Giving your child eco-friendly, natural, non-toxic, and the recycled school supplies protect the child from harmful chemicals and educate them about responsibility for their world. A fantastic way to begin teaching the subject is to involve your child with recycling at your home.

Then show them a product made from recycled substances, and possibly even a garbage dump on land or in the ocean.

Kids are naturally empathetic, and when you show them the harmful elements of dumping trash (if you think your child is ready to manage it),)and then show them that what they throw away could be reused, they may freely drift toward recycled products and recycling generally.

If you think that the child is old enough, you may also explain the chemicals in products and or global warming. Allow the kid to know they can make a difference by only doing small things (such as biking to school and picking recycled products to decorate later at home).

Make back-to-school shopping fun!

Finally, all of us know, the back to school shopping can be one of the main attractions of a child’s year. If most of your back to school shopping is going to be done online, to find non-toxic, eco-friendly, or recycled supplies, there area few methods to make this adventure fun for your kids.

For example, you can hide the packages that arrive in the mail around the home and create a scavenger hunt list for your little one. Then let them open the boxes themselves.

You could make sure that the boxes have been addressed to your child (if they can read) to get happy at the notion of mail coming to them.

You can take your little one shopping for a couple of select items at shops that provide eco-friendly or non-toxic options. Whole foods have some back to school items like water bottles and backpacks.

Finally, make sure that you pick colors, themes, or animation drawings your kids will like!

Or as an alternative offer to help dress up the dull, recycled products with non-toxic markers or paint at home!

Category: All Natural Products