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Guest Post: Making School Book Jackets from Household Items

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The new school year is just around the corner and depending on the grade and institution one of the necessary expenses that can amount to quite a few dollars is text books and those for required reading.

True, middle schools and high schools don’t often charge for books but some districts do. Even if your child is exempt from paying keeping texts in good condition is important as it’s very likely they’ll be reused the following year and costs can accrue from damages and loss.

It’s at the college and university level that text books are generally required to be purchased and even second-hand copies are worth money. Once they serve their purpose there’s a good chance you’ll want to resell them which means keeping them in tip-top shape for prospective buyers.

What this all amounts to is the need to protect school books and one of the best ways to do that is with book jackets; covers that can either be bought or made by hand.

Since none of us want to spend money on something when we don’t have to it’s sensible to choose the latter because materials for book jackets are all around us.

That’s why when doing your house cleaning over the next couple of weeks keep an eye out for useful items that will contribute to the effort and if you’re not sure what may work best and don’t have time to experiment here are a few ideas to get you going:

Newspaper

Yes, despite the fact all news can be found online newspapers are readily available and many people continue to buy them for coupons and advertisements. However, before they get recycled pull a few sheets out of the pile because they make great book jackets. It’s not that newsprint is so durable but when a few layers are applied one over the other it guards a book very nicely. Also, if you want to be extra creative you could use the finance section for an economics class, arts & entertainment for drama, sports for kinesiology, and so on.

Old clothing

Clothing can make great protective book covers since unlike paper it won’t rip easily and has the ability to bend if caught on a sharp edge. Denim is a good example because it’s extremely durable on people so imagine what it’s like on books that are always getting knocked around. Just be sure whatever fabric you use is beyond repair and from something you truly don’t need anymore.

Plastic

When it comes to plastic you’ll want something thicker than saran wrap, which works but isn’t ideal. Similarly, plastic bags are thick enough that they can be made into book jackets but the regular grocery store bag is too flimsy and probably not as attractive as other options. There are weightier plastics that sometimes come in packaging or that can be found at the office and brought home for the kids. It may take some searching to find the right kind but they exist and make excellent books covers.

Paper bags

These were once the standard for covering books and although they are less widely in use than when we grew up they won’t fail in protecting your children’s books like they did for the books of yore.

Finally, I want to add that the cover being made is a shell and not the finished product and you should encourage kids to personalize it with the title, drawings, and their name. After all, sometimes school is all about what children are told to do so putting their own stamp on something can be a refreshing experience.

Jakob Barry writes for Networx.com. He covers various home improvement topics including house remodeling and commercial cleaning services.

Filed Under: Fun Tagged With: Back to School, Family, Frugal Living, Recycle, Seasonal

About Tabitha

Hi! I'm Tabitha! But, I bet you expected someone named "Penny." Long story made short, Penny is the coupon binder I started in 2010 when we were totally broke... as in BANKRUPT. Now, as a mom of five, I make 6-figures a year working at home and share ways to help you move from penny to profit while you raise a family with sense on cents.

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Comments

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  2. Stephanie K. Jackson says

    May 28, 2022 at 7:49 am

    Small company loans for business expansion are small business loans that give entrepreneurs the funds they need to expand their businesses, usually through physical expansion. When I was having trouble completing one of my college assignments, I came across this ‘write my essay online for cheap’ service. Then I came upon this blog and learned a lot about it. To learn more, you must go to the website https://www.pemberleystudio.com/ When I came into this page, I was looking through numerous sites that reviewed inexpensive paper writers.

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  3. Jamesennion says

    June 18, 2022 at 6:21 am

    Some students are so frustrated at the thought of studying that they feel they have no choice but to put their heads in the sand. But there are ways to make studying fun, and one of them is creating book jackets from household items, also they can find help on this https://uk.bestessays.com/lab_report_service.html site to hire essay writers to manage their work. You can even make a book jacket out of old paper towels or toilet paper rolls. These are commonly used for wrapping gifts, but you can use them for something much more important — making a cool school book cover that would look amazing on your bookshelves!

    Reply

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