Craft Stick School Bus Frame and Back to School Books

Ready or not, the school year is beginning for many kids very soon. Celebrate with a personalized school bus picture frame that kids can make from craft sticks, glue, and yellow paint.

I'll soon be sending my little guy on the bus for the very first time and it's easy to tell who is more nervous about that. (Hint: It's me.) In an attempt to channel all this nervous mama energy into something more productive, I came up with an easy way to commemorate his first bus ride.

Supply list:

• 3 large craft sticks
• 5 small craft sticks
• Yellow paint
• Black craft foam
• 2 metal fasteners
• Glue
• Scissors
• Magnets (optional)

Paint the craft sticks with yellow paint. Honestly, my kids loved this part and then were MIA for the rest of it.

Trim an inch off 4 of the small craft sticks. You can do this with a scissors.  Lay them out vertically at equal intervals and glue the last small craft stick along the top. Regular white glue works well.

Arrange the three larger craft sticks across the bottom. I overlapped the middle one a little because I liked it better that way. Glue them in place.

Cut two circles from black craft foam and poke a metal fastener into the center of each. Attach them to the bottom of your school bus.

I added some pictures of my son making funny faces. The openings of the school bus windows are pretty small, so I kept that in mind while taking the pictures.

Attach the pictures to the back of the frame using clear tape or glue. I also added a jewel sticker for the headlight and some magnets to the back.

You could add the date or anything you like to the front.

Two bus books preschoolers and kindergartners:

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems When a bus driver takes a break from his route, a very unlikely volunteer springs up to take his place-a pigeon! But you've never met one like this before. As he pleads, wheedles, and begs his way through the book, children will love being able to answer back and decide his fate.

The Little School Bus by Carol Roth A fun ride on the school bus is described in rhythmic rhyming text. There's a sleepy sheep, a squirmy worm, a hairy bear, a quick, quick chick, a fox with socks, a pig in a wig, and a goat in his coat.

And one bus book for kids in early elementary:

Ten Rules You Absolutely Must Not Break If You Want to Survive the School Bus by John Grandits Kyle is dreading his first trip aboard the school bus. Luckily, his big brother, James, is a school bus expert. James gives Kyle ten rules for riding the bus that he absolutely, positively must obey if he wants to avoid getting laughed at or yelled at, pushed around, or even pounded. During his fateful ride, Kyle grapples with each unbreakable rule. Along the way, he discovers that the school bus isn’t so bad, and he may even have a thing or two to teach his brother.