So you have a ton of dust jackets from all the amazing new books you picked up over the summer. Now what?
Every new classroom I’ve moved into has provided me with new dust jackets to inherit. I don’t know why teachers leave them behind… maybe they are a lot like me and just can’t bear to trash them! of course I ended up with a bunch of dust jackets of my own, too, and had to ask my Instagram friends for suggestions on what to do with them.
The most sane suggestion was “Don’t be a hoarder; Trash them.”
OKAY, OKAY. I hear you loud and clear.
But… is it hoarding if you make something out of the dust jackets instead of just shoving them in a cabinet?
(#askingforafriend)
Here are the rest of the *brilliant* ideas I collected:
- Laminate them and tape to books like library books.
- Cut them into bookmarks.
- String them to make a pennant
- Frame them for a gallery wall.
- Mod Podge letters, or wallpaper a whole wall!
- Make a bulletin board background.
- Use them for your classroom’s alphabet.
- Turn them into a writing center option. Students write a story to match the cover.
- Use them to identify and sort genres.
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| from @sarahlarnett on Instagram |
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| from @theteachernextdoor on Instagram |
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| from @theeverydaylibrary on Instagram |
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| from @effiekaradimitri on Instagram |
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| from @itsthep2peepsoftce on Instagram |
Seasonal (time-sensitive) ideas:
- Make a March Madness book bracket.
- Make a cape and wear it on Halloween or Storybook Parade, etc.
- Make Christmas ornaments for student gifts.
So, what’s your plan? Are dust jackets trash or treasure?
