The following photos were collected from current Peace Corps Volunteers around the island to share how they’ve gotten into the Jamaican spirit of resourcefulness and ingenuity. See the first set of crafty, make-shift items by Volunteers in the original post: Do It Yourself: Peace Corps DIY Ingenuity
Truly Trash to Treasure: Courtney (recently finished service) and Brandi
Bookshelf, purse, and table: Brandi sent in three photos, two of which were made by her former site-mate, Courtney. “Scandal bags cut into string and crocheted together into a purse by Courtney. A bookshelf made from cardboard, tape, and a Jamaica travel magazine.” Brandi says: “She was always much craftier than me. This one was so valuable to me that I carted it in a mini bus from her site to mine after she left.” And lastly, by Brandi herself: “My antique end tables made from my (full) PC issued water buckets and covered in fabric.”
Smart School Supplies: Stacey
These are all self-made games and ABA tools to use in the special needs classroom. A numbers game pasted into a manila folder. “Put-in” jars made out of coffee tins, yarn, and super glue. Sorting jars and boxes. An interchangeable reward chart. Tactile alphabet.
More School Supplies: Marie
Letter Game: This is a game inspired from something I saw on Pinterest. Clothes pins are easy to find and don’t cost much so they are a great teaching tool. I do early literacy in an Infant School (preschool) so we work mainly on letter matching and letter sounds. The pinning on the paper is also a great way to practice fine motor skills. The words I have chosen vary in difficulty but have similar letter sounds in them.
More School Crafts: Adri
Reused paper crafts, beads, and Home Dyed sand art: “Both crafts were done during my summer program, the kids made paper beads and painted them and they made name tags out of the colored sand and collected their good behavior stickers on them.”
Wood-work Wizard: Paul
Tool Hanger: “Organized holders for our hoes and machetes. Before, they were just dumped on the floor.”
Taking it to the Next Level: Autumn
Shower and purse: “This is a bucket shower that Scott made for me. I add warm water so I can take warm showers…almost like normal. All the materials were bought here for under $600J ($6 US). It’s a tube with a nozzle attached so it can be turned on and off. The second picture has a bag and a coin purse that I made out of clothes that were falling apart. The large one from a handkerchief and shirt and smaller one from underwear.”
All Natural Game: Kristy
Jump rope: Some volunteers and Jamaicans “using dry coconut branches as a jump rope.”
A Simple Solution: Diane
Camera case: Diane needed a case for her camera, so she used a nice soft washcloth and some thread to sew herself just what was needed.
Not pictured: Mike’s Soccer Ball
“I made a soccer ball from a small piece of foam, around 50 black trash bags, a rice bag, and twine.
Our own attempts
Screen door, TP crafts, candleholders: When we moved in to our apartment, we created this make-shift screen door out of a sheet of mesh, screw-in hooks, and duct tape. It kept out the bugs for a good while but it has since been chewed to shreds by the puppies in our yard.
The nativity scene out of toilet paper rolls was a project I started last year for Advent to make use of all those TP rolls that were piling up. I still had more toilet paper rolls come this past September, so I used them to make little classroom reward characters. I had the students draw their own faces and choose a funny hat to stick on, and whenever the student gets three or more points for good behavior day in one sitting, they add a sticker to their TP person. The remaining rolls were cut thinly and stapled together to make a Christmas garland.
Bottles serving as candle-holders are by no means our own invention. Probably most Volunteers have a similar practice for those nights when the electricity is shut off or a big storm knocks it out.
Related posts: Peace Corps DIY Ingenuity ; Turn Your Hand by April
Simply Intentional 
Love the posting but do have one question, did the bucket shower parts really cost $600 dollars? Your follower Tom, PCV Georgia
Tom, thanks for catching that. I should have put the American price, so I will edit that in! $600 Jamaican = $6 US. Thanks for following!