Homework at the kitchen table has a familiar shape. The pencils are in three places, the scissors are in a drawer nobody can find, and the rubber was last seen in a sibling's room. A desk, even a corner of one, helps. Somewhere to put things helps more.
We make two things for this, and both have the child's name on them. Here is what each one is, and how to choose.
The desk organiser: $30
The desk organiser is the bigger of the two. It is about 21 to 22 cm long, 6.5 cm wide and 9 cm high, with the name standing out in raised letters across the front. The exact length changes a little with the name.
You choose two colours: one for the organiser, one for the letters. That is the decision worth slowing down for. A strong contrast, like white on navy or yellow on black, reads from across the room. Two colours that sit close together look smart up close and turn into one colour from a metre away.
It holds what a homework desk needs: pens, pencils, scissors, highlighters, a ruler. It works for makeup brushes too, if it ends up on a dressing table instead.
The hoodie pencil holder: $16
The hoodie pencil holder is a little hoodie shape, about 10 cm high and 11 cm wide, with the name on the front. It holds about 10 to 15 pencils, pens or crayons.
Every one comes with a matching name keychain, so it is a complete present without anything else added. The keychain usually ends up on a school bag, which means the child's desk and their bag match.
Which one?
The two do different jobs.
- The pencil holder is for younger children and for small spaces. A handful of crayons and felt tips, a windowsill or the corner of a shared table. It is also the easier present: $16, with the keychain included.
- The organiser is for a child who has a desk of their own and real homework to do at it. It has room for scissors and a ruler, which the pencil holder does not.
Some families buy both: the pencil holder for a younger child and the organiser for an older one, so the two desks are clearly different and the arguments about whose pens are whose get shorter.
Not just for children
The organiser has an option on the order form to add Miss, Mrs, Ms or Mr before the name, which is there for teachers' desks: as a present from a class at the end of the year, or for a teacher's own desk. There is more on that in end-of-year teacher gifts.
It also works on an adult's desk at home or at work, where a name on the pen pot is a quiet way of saying "these are mine, please return them".
Getting the name right
- Use the name the child goes by. A child called Alexander who answers only to Xander should get Xander.
- Check the spelling against something they have written themselves.
- The name is printed as part of the piece, so it cannot be changed after it is made.
When it isn't the right thing
If the homework happens at the kitchen table and has to be packed away before dinner every night, a fixed organiser is one more thing to move. A pencil case with a name tag on the zip may be more use.
And if the child is at the age where everything has to be the same as their friends', ask them first. A named desk organiser is a lovely present for a seven-year-old and possibly an embarrassing one for a thirteen-year-old.
Timing
Both are made to order in Auckland: 0 to 2 working days to make, then 1 to 3 working days to arrive once posted. Postage is worked out in your cart, and you can collect in Auckland for free. The details are on the delivery page.
More for school and homework is in the school and kids collection.