Clean and Green Ideas For Back To School!

Here are a few ways you can help the planet this school year...Remember, every litter bit helps! 

• Reuse backpacks, and containers for school items, sports items instead of buying new ones.
• Use up last year's school supplies before you replace them
• Take your lunch in a reusable lunch box, or cloth bag instead of paper bags..
• Recycle any packaging in your lunch box.
• Pack a cloth napkin instead of paper napkin. You can reuse it! Just count all your school days...that's how many paper napkins you saved.
• Cover your books in recycled paper bags or wrap... decorate them yourself, they could look fun and you might start a trend!
• Use the reverse side of scrap paper for your first drafts of writing, art and math projects.
• Keep a "craft box" of discards you think might be handy for class projects during the year...mark it "my craft box" so no-one will mistake it for trash! Keep things like empty yogurt containers, elastics, string etc...that might interesting and useful for your art.
• Take the bus or Car-pool with friends...have your moms take turns...It's fun to go to school in groups and you save lots of gas!.
• Remember masks, use reusable ones!
• Ask your teacher to put up Planetpals recycle kits posters to remind everyone at school about recycling.
• See below here for more recycle ideas for everyday!

Use our teacher tested #backtoschool World Healthy & Happy Activities in the classroom, at home, anytime! We love Earth and you!

See our #backtoschool board on Pinterest for more back to school ideas! 

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and over 1,000 pages of educational content on Planetpals.com 

Wrap Up Back to School With DIY Bookcovers

Upcycle, recycle, and cycle your school books into something fashionable.

^{Photo by Lori Hutchinson} 

It's back to school and that mean books, piles of them.  Books go through lots of handling and wear, so how do you keep them clean, in shape and something you really want to look at? It's as simple as a no sew book cover. 

Making book covers from paper bags is an age old craft, but what if you want to take it a step further? 

Here are some simple ideas to help you personalize your books using a myriad of items you probably already have at home. 

Things you can recycle to make book covers:  

• Artwork
• Gift Wrap
• Shopping Bags
• Fabric
• Maps
• Magazine Pages
• Posters
• Newspaper
• Denim Jeans
• Plastic 
• Vinyl or Fabric Tablecloth

Why not make a bookmark at the same time!

 

^{Fun Scrap idea from Scrap Girls - A great way to show off your personality using almost anything from concert tickets, birthday cards, magazine headlines, buttons to ribbon. The main ingredient is your imagination!}

^{Broadway Paper suggests using Gift Wrap to wrap up your books.  Why not use some scraps or recycle wrap from a special gift?}

^{Like to travel?  Did you take a road trip or do some overseas travel last summer? Use your road maps!  From Martha Stewart} 

 

^{Surely you have some painting, drawing, doodle or calligraphy practice sheets.  Artwork is a great way to recover and personalize your books.}

^{Hand Fold (or sew) a piece of fabric to make a unique cover from Craftically.com.  Use old clothing, jeans, tablecloths, napkins, etc and turn it into an upcycle craft.}

 

^{From Classroom Scissors the Brown Bag Book Cover} 

Now that you are inspired, get out your scissors and see what you can create to make a a memorable school year!

How do you fold your fabric or paper items to make a book cover? Watch this  How to make a paper bag cover video. 

 Article © Judith Gorgone Planetpals.com all rights reserved.

for other great back to school ideas see PP Back to School Pinterest page or LIKE Planetpals on Facebook for Daily GREENspirations