Back To School Book Smarts For Mums

Although it’s been a very long time in the making — it’s finally almost that time of the year again: back to school book covering season.

When parents all over the country begin their annual quest to wrestle sticky tape and endless rolls of plastic into submission whilst wrapping mountains and mountains of school books…

This year though, let’s do things a little differently and opt for some eco and budget-friendly book cover alternatives instead.

Comment below and let us know if you’ll be trying any of these ideas mums?

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Here are my top 5 book smart suggestions:

1. Recycle wrapping paper

If you’ve been holding on to some pretty gift paper from a previous pressie, now is the perfect time to unleash it and give it a second lease on life covering your kids’ books! If it’s not the right size, perhaps get your kids involved in cutting out shapes and patterns from the recycled paper to decorate their books.

2. Normalise newspaper

Broadsheet newspapers offer the length and width of store-bought wrapping paper, making them ideal for book wrapping. Wrap your school books with a newspaper, in the same manner, you would with wrapping paper (if it’s very thin, you might want to use two layers).

After that, you or your kids may want to add a little creative flair – using watercolor paint stains, cut-out magazine clippings or their own drawings stuck on top. The same goes for using plain brown paper – it’s far less expensive than other decorative wrapping papers, and it’s far more recyclable too.

They’re also the perfect canvas for adding paint, stickers, a cut-out collage, photographs or anything else your child fancies.

3. Sneak on some book sleeves

I only discovered these beauties last year – and they saved me so much time. Book sleeves are a great solution to book covering since they can be wiped down and reused.

4. Fabricate some covers!

Instead of using paper to cover books, why not opt for fabric? Think of it as a sock for school books… old shawls, scarfs, tablecloths or even saris can be repurposed into reusable, washable book covers. This online video explains how:

5. Pause on plastic

Once paper has been laminated, it’s sadly not recyclable anymore. So this year, I’m opting for reusable plastic book sleeves instead of self-adhesive plastic wraps (these are available at most retailers – I bought 10 for R19 today at Pick ’n Pay).

Although it’s still plastic, at least they can be peeled off at the end of the year, the used books can be recycled, and the plastic covers can be used again on next year’s books.

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That’s enough back to school book smarts for one post. If you haven’t done so already, it’s time to up your lunch box game… check out our top revolutionary lunch box hacks over HERE.

Happy back to schooling mums!

This article was written by Julie Williams