This upcycled t shirt library tote back to school kids craft is so fun and sassy. And learning how to homeschool means we love visiting the library.
It is almost time for public school to ring back into session and for homeschoolers to come out of hiding.
If you are like most homeschooling moms, you make weekly runs to the library for chapter books ,reference books, read aloud books, audio books, and maybe even DVDS.
A good way to deal with that is to let everyone carry their own pile, but we aren’t going to run out and buy a bunch of tote bags are we?
Nope, not today. Today we are going to upcycle something you already have around the house.
Not only is this school craft idea inexpensive and easy but it’s cute and washable too.
When it gets dirty just toss it in the wash along with your next load and it’s ready to work again.
23 Favorite Read Aloud Books for Our Library Tote
From t-shirt to upcycled library tote makes a great co-op activity too.
Invite everyone to bring a favorite old t-shirt, supply some scissors, the directions, and everyone ends up with a great school craft idea to take home.
First, I’m sharing 23 favorite read aloud books for your newly created upcycled t-shirt turned library tote. I know you’ll find a favorite or two for your family.
23 Favorite Read Aloud Stories
You'll love adding some of these favorite read aloud stories to your homeschool day.
When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is all alone on a remote, wild island
Stuart Little is no ordinary mouse. Born to a family of humans, he lives in New York City with his parents, his older brother George, and Snowbell the cat.
Heather and Picket are extraordinary rabbits with ordinary lives until calamitous events overtake them, spilling them into a cauldron of misadventures.
Having spent twenty-seven years behind the glass walls of his enclosure in a shopping mall, Ivan has grown accustomed to humans watching him.
Eleven-year-old Anne Shirley has never known a real home.
Classic tales by Laura Ingalls Wilder about life on the frontier and Americas best-loved pioneer family.
This coming-of-age story about a boy and his falcon went on to win a Newbery Honor, and for the past forty years has enthralled and entertained generations of would-be Sam Gribleys.
In The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling farther than the pantry of his hobbit-hole in Bag End.
Trying to hide his disappointment, Omri puts the Indian in a metal cupboard and locks the door with a mysterious skeleton key that once belonged to his great-grandmother
The last thing fourteen-year-old Jay Berry Lee expects to find while trekking through the Ozark Mountains of Oklahoma is a tree full of monkeys
Driven from their home in the big house, Pod, Homily, and Arrietty take up life in a boot.
Soon they are busy discovering the summertime magic of Arundel’s sprawling gardens, treasure-filled attic, tame rabbits, and the cook who makes the best gingerbread in Massachusetts.
Some Pig. Humble. Radiant. These are the words in Charlotte's Web, high up in Zuckerman's barn.
Although he faces responsibility bravely, thirteen-year-old Matt is more than a little apprehensive when his father leaves him alone to guard their new cabin in the wilderness
Fantastic creatures, heroic deeds, epic battles in the war between good and evil.
It tells the story of a poor house painter named Mr. Popper and his family, who live in the small town of Stillwater in the 1930s.
In 1707, young Sarah Noble and her father traveled through the wilderness to build a new home for their family.
A brave mouse, a covetous rat, a wishful serving girl, and a princess named Pea come together,
A quirky, imaginative tale about creative thought and the power of words that will have readers inventing their own words.
Here is a clever blend of humor, math wizardry, and business know-how. As it captures the one-of-a-kind bond between brother and sister.
This special edition contains 12 extra poems.
One summer’s day, ten-year-old India Opal Buloni goes down to the local supermarket for some groceries—and comes home with a dog. But Winn-Dixie is no ordinary dog.
The classic story of four orphaned siblings, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny, who find an abandoned boxcar in the forest and decide to make it their home.
Read aloud books are such a fun way to bond as a family.
Reading together improves comprehension and vocabulary in children.
Also, they can improve processing skills, increases their attention span, reduces stress, builds listening, communication skills and visualization.
How to Upcycle a T-Shirt
Now, let’s make this adorable library tote and you only need a few things to make this.
- a t-shirt
- fabric scissors
- a bowl to use as a pattern for cutting
- fabric chalk
Yes, just things that you already have in your house.
Grab your t-shirt and start by cutting off the sleeves, just inside the seam.
And try to cut as evenly as you can but it’s handmade so if the edges are a bit rough it’s okay.
If younger children are helping or making their own, you will definitely have some uneven cuts and knots but that is the charm of their very own DIY project.
Next, use a large bowl to draw a half circle around the neckline to make the opening larger.
You want the shoulder area to be somewhere between 3”-5” on each side to make it sturdy and comfortable handles.
The handles can be held with hands or looped over your shoulder.
Cut this circle out of both sides of the shirt.
Too, you want to make sure you have a good pair of fabric scissors.
Measure a line up about 3” from the bottom all the way across and mark it with chalk. The chalk line disappears with just a bit of wiping.
Now cut strips on both sides of the fabric up to this line all the way across the bottom of the shirt.
Make the strips about ¾” wide.
Then, grab your first set of fringes and knot it, repeat with the second set of fringes. Continue all the way across the bottom.
Be sure to tie each knot tightly and securely to make sure that the bottom of your bag is sturdy enough to carry a pile of books.
Other Back to School Craft Ideas
Alternatively, if you don’t want to have your knots showing you can turn the shirt inside out first and make your knots and then turn it inside right so they are hidden inside.
I like the fringe and didn’t want the bulk inside the bag taking up precious book space.
That’s it, your old t-shirt is ready to go live its best new life as a library tote.
This bag is also great to tote whatever you need at a farmers markets, on nature walks, to the beach, co-op meetings, grocery shopping, or on road trips.
Finally, look at more fun activities.
More Back to School Craft Ideas
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