Backpack Rack Hack

I have been searching for a solution to my cubby situation pretty much since the beginning of last school year.

Every time I looked in the corner where our cubbies were, this is what I saw:

note- this is not my classroom, but this is definitely what it looked like times ten

a huge freaking mess. Backpacks were everywhere, papers were shuffled around underfoot, super crowded as everyone needed to do the exact same thing at the exact same time in the exact same spot.

I require a certain amount of zen in my classroom and cubbies weren't cutting it. So I looked around and realized that many other teachers had backpack racks- and thus my search began.

I needed a backpack rack that was accessible to tiny folks and children with limited mobility- and I also didn't need 28 hooks. And.......surprise! I couldn't find one! And I definitely couldn't find one in my price range (which is as close to free as possible).

I put out my feelers and started looking for old backpacks racks, or at least supplies to make one. My father works for a nearby school district and found this little number outside of a dumpster and asked if I wanted it.

Uh YES! Hideously ugly but free?! That is right up my ally! So lucky me, I didn't have to start from scratch

** Side note: you could make this base easily. Depending on your specific dimensions, you would need a small piece of plywood for the base, 4 casters for the bottom, and 3 2'x4's. I have found that Lowes and Home Depot are very open and friendly to us DIY teachers so you can even get it cut there to the exact sizes you need!

The dimensions I wanted were 3 1/2' tall, 2 1/2' deep, and I didn't really care about length to be honest.

This backpack rack was the perfect depth and length, but it was a little too tall for my needs. So sadly, I had to chop off the disgusting hook explosion. And immediately throw them in the trash.

Step 2 was sanding this bad boy. Now, this was made out of some low quality wood that had been painted twice, so I wasn't about to try and sand it all the way down. I did go over it with sander to get rid of the lumps and bumps of ick on it, as well as to smooth it out for my own paint.

I bought some paint that matched my classroom's theme (Jungle) and off I went! I attached a new top piece (plain old 2'x4' cut to size) and painted this hunk of junk to look brand new. 

I was so excited I forgot to take pictures before I added the hooks and custom paint job ;)

And voila!

I have a total of 12 hooks, with two on the ends for students with limited mobility.

And it wouldn't be a backpack rack without a custom design by my mother, who is an artist extraordinaire.

HALLELUJAH! Now that the backpacks are being stored outside, the cubbies situation has improved. However I am a perfectionist and needed new cubbies to fit my growing classroom size. But you will have to wait until next Monday to see that ;) 

I will give you a hint though, via a "mystery object" as I call them. My students get one of these a day and they have to guess what the picture is when I zoom in a ton. 

Good luck guessing and have a great week!