This simple self-serve string caddy will spice up your process art area, giving kids more autonomy, reducing clutter, and encouraging the use of string goods.

Tool List

You’ll need the following tools:

• Cordless drill and bit (1/4 to 5/8 inch)
• Utility knife

Materials

As far as materials go to make the self-serve string caddy, you’ll need a sturdy one-quart or larger recycled plastic container. I recommend cottage cheese, sour cream, peanut butter, mayonnaise, dishwasher pods, and cornstarch containers; they are all hefty enough for the job.

Water and soda bottles, milk jugs, and other thin-walled containers are too flimsy for the job.

In addition, you’ll need materials for mounting your self-serve string caddy. What you’ll need depends on where you intend to mount the dispenser.

Since I don’t know the answer to that, I can’t provide a materials list beyond this: use a pan-head screw. Smaller diameter screw heads are more likely to pull through the container wall while mounting the unit or give way when the self-serve string caddy is in use. A pan head screw will provide solid support.

Construction

Making a self-serve string caddy involves 3 basic steps. You simply need to drill it, mount it, and fill it. Here’s a bit more detail:

Drill It

On the bottom of the container, drill a hole. It doesn’t matter where. In most of my samples, I opted to center it. The hole should be at least 1/4 of an inch. That’ll work great for string, yarn, leather lace, etc. If you plan to dispense ribbon or rope, you’ll want a 1/2 or 5/8-inch hole. You’ll also need to drill a 1/4-inch hole, used for mounting the self-serve string caddy, along the upper edge of the container.

Due to the proclivities of drill bits and plastic, your freshly drilled hole may have a plastic burr or two attached to its edge. Burrs can cause snags, so if they exist, you’ll need to remove them. Use the tip of the utility knife blade to detach any burrs carefully.

Mount It

Now, it’s time to mount your self-serve string caddy. It should be mounted securely with a pan-head screw. I hoped mounting via a hook or with some double-sided mounting tape would be sufficient, but those options won’t stand up to active young children. The self-serve string caddy would soon fall to the floor, and before that, it’d wiggle and jiggle enough to frustrate users.

If you’re mounting the unit on a solid wood surface, it’s easy—you can just screw it into the wood.

As I mentioned above, mounting on other surfaces, like concrete, plaster, or sheetrock walls, can be a bit more complicated if you’ve never done it before. The best option is to turn the job over to someone with experience in such things.

If you don’t have such a person at hand and need more help with securely mounting your self-serve string caddy, contact me with details about the surface upon which you want to stick the unit.

The mounting location is important. The location should be:

• Scissor-Adjacent—It’s not ideal to have kids walking across the room to get scissors every time they need a bit of yarn. Make sure scissors are nearby.
• Child-Height—Mount your self-serve string caddy at a height convenient for the kids. You don’t want them standing on their toes and reaching to cut.
• Refill-Friendly—Pick a location where it will be easy to refill. For example, right under an existing shelf might make sense initially, but if there’s not enough space between the bottom of the shelf and the top of the dispenser, filling it will be a pain.

Fill It

Now that your self-serve string caddy is securely mounted, you can fill it and let the kids at it. To fill, thread the end of your string through the bottom hole and plop the ball or spool into the container. Then attach the lid if you have one.

The only real concern with filling the dispenser is not to overfill. Assure the material you are dispensing has room to move so it will not get bound up.

Notes

• Help kids succeed by ensuring they can access sharp, well-maintained real scissors, not those infuriating safety scissors.
• Consider installing multiple dispensers, each with a different material.
• Expect to go through a lot of material when introducing your self-serve string caddy. Kids will use it a lot until the newness wears off.
• String goods are popular in connecting schema play.

Self-Serve String Caddy Wrap-Up

This simple project will make your process art area more child-friendly, give kids some autonomy, and spark the creative use of string goods. It’ll also make the space a bit more organized and easier to keep clean.

Share your thoughts in the comments and ask if something above needs clarification.

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