Planetbox: DIY magnets and lunch bag alternative

We're going on week 3 of school here and I've been loving the Planetbox Rover for our kindergartner's lunch (http://www.planetbox.com/products/pl...rover-lunchbox). I thought I would share the DIY magnets I made and the lunch bag we got, in case it's helpful to anyone else. I bought the Planetbox on super clearance way back when PBK sold them, so I got a good deal, but I wasn't too keen on the owl motif of the magnets and lunch bag, hence the need for replacements.

Here are the magnets I made:
http://oi66.tinypic.com/xc6wde.jpg
I used patterned scrapbook paper from Hobby Lobby, large magnet sheets from Oriental Trading Company, and Krylon acrylic spray to coat them.

For the lunch bag, I bought the eBags Slim Lunch Box: http://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/slim-lunch-box/88875. Unfortunately, it looks like it's selling out, as there are only 2 colors left, but hopefully they're not discontinuing the style. DD kept forgetting her Funtainer water bottle in the classroom, so I needed to include a drink with her lunch. Plastic water bottles were too bulky and she doesn't like to drink juice, so I ended up getting a beverage container called Drink in the Box: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010TQVS5U/. When I pushed the Rover all the way to one side, I had just enough room to squeeze in the water box. I took a pic of the space available:
http://oi66.tinypic.com/s5z4no.jpg

If anyone is curious about the ice packs I use, I bought a set of these from either TJ Maxx or HomeGoods, and 2 of them fit perfectly side by side in the mesh part of the "lid" of the bag: https://www.amazon.com/Fit-Fresh-Coo...dp/B00CHOLNZS/.

Also, I recently bought the new dipper containers (http://www.planetbox.com/collections/dippers-1) and pods (http://www.planetbox.com/collections/pods-1) to go with our Rover. The improved design of the silicone lid makes it much easier for DD to open than the old version. I haven't had the chance to use them yet though!

wow nice work!

Wow! Love how colorful our magnets are!


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As a quick update: we're still loving this setup!! :thumbsup: DD1 used this every day in Kindergarten and we're using it again now that she started first grade. Love the Planetbox, love the new dipper containers, love the lunch bag (it's been through the washer several times over the past year with no issues), and love the Drink Box. Oh, and if anyone's curious, we use the Dollar Tree mini forks and spoons as "silverware" for the Planetbox: https://www.dollartree.com/Silver-Lo...4191/index.pro. DD1 brings them home and I wash them to reuse them, but it's also nice that they're cheap plastic, so that if they get broken or lost, it's not a huge deal to replace them. HTH!

Oh, and I might as well put my "testimonial" on the Planetbox here too:

I love our Planetbox! Other than the weight (it is hefty for a kindergartener), we love everything about it: not a lot of waste/trash, she can open it easily, and no parts to get lost. She has a pretty good track record of finishing all of her lunch too, which is awesome. And if there is anything she doesn't finish, she brings it home and finishes it after school. It's a fantastic way to monitor how much she's eating. I've volunteered at the school a few times during lunch and it amazes me how many kids 1) have so much trash, 2) can't open all of their containers independently, and 3) how much food gets wasted. I realize we're lucky in that regard; the Planetbox rocks for us.

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Originally Posted by jam224

We're going on week 3 of school here and I've been loving the Planetbox Rover for our kindergartner's lunch (http://www.planetbox.com/products/pl...rover-lunchbox). I thought I would share the DIY magnets I made and the lunch bag we got, in case it's helpful to anyone else. I bought the Planetbox on super clearance way back when PBK sold them, so I got a good deal, but I wasn't too keen on the owl motif of the magnets and lunch bag, hence the need for replacements.

Here are the magnets I made:
http://oi66.tinypic.com/xc6wde.jpg
I used patterned scrapbook paper from Hobby Lobby, large magnet sheets from Oriental Trading Company, and Krylon acrylic spray to coat them.

For the lunch bag, I bought the eBags Slim Lunch Box: http://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/slim-lunch-box/88875. Unfortunately, it looks like it's selling out, as there are only 2 colors left, but hopefully they're not discontinuing the style. DD kept forgetting her Funtainer water bottle in the classroom, so I needed to include a drink with her lunch. Plastic water bottles were too bulky and she doesn't like to drink juice, so I ended up getting a beverage container called Drink in the Box: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010TQVS5U/. When I pushed the Rover all the way to one side, I had just enough room to squeeze in the water box. I took a pic of the space available:
http://oi66.tinypic.com/s5z4no.jpg

If anyone is curious about the ice packs I use, I bought a set of these from either TJ Maxx or HomeGoods, and 2 of them fit perfectly side by side in the mesh part of the "lid" of the bag: https://www.amazon.com/Fit-Fresh-Coo...dp/B00CHOLNZS/.

Also, I recently bought the new dipper containers (http://www.planetbox.com/collections/dippers-1) and pods (http://www.planetbox.com/collections/pods-1) to go with our Rover. The improved design of the silicone lid makes it much easier for DD to open than the old version. I haven't had the chance to use them yet though!

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This is so cute! And timely as I was just going to post a thread on lunch boxes. How do you keep the food cold/ hot? Can you put icepacks in the lunch bag? I'm not quite sure how to figure out what boxes fit in what bags. TIA

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pilotbaby

This is so cute! And timely as I was just going to post a thread on lunch boxes. How do you keep the food cold/ hot? Can you put icepacks in the lunch bag? I'm not quite sure how to figure out what boxes fit in what bags. TIA

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I don't send anything hot or anything that needs to be cold, really. DD1 eats lunch pretty early in the day, so it doesn't have to stay cold for longer than a few hours. I put 2 flat square ice packs in the mesh top part of the bag. They fit perfectly! HTH!
http://oi67.tinypic.com/28sy78i.jpg