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Fun Upcycled T Shirt Library Tote Back to School Kids Craft

August 13, 2022 | Leave a Comment
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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.

Fun Upcycled T Shirt Library Tote Back to School Kids Craft

 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.

Table of Contents

Toggle
  • 23 Favorite Read Aloud Books for Our Library Tote
  • How to Upcycle a T-Shirt
  • Other Back to School Craft Ideas
  • More Back to School Craft Ideas

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.

The Wild Robot

When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is all alone on a remote, wild island

Stuart Little

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.

The Green Ember

Heather and Picket are extraordinary rabbits with ordinary lives until calamitous events overtake them, spilling them into a cauldron of misadventures.

The One and Only Ivan

Having spent twenty-seven years behind the glass walls of his enclosure in a shopping mall, Ivan has grown accustomed to humans watching him.

Anne of Green Gables

Eleven-year-old Anne Shirley has never known a real home.

Little House on the Prairie

Classic tales by Laura Ingalls Wilder about life on the frontier and Americas best-loved pioneer family.

My Side of the Mountain Trilogy

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.

The Hobbit: Illustrated Edition

In The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling farther than the pantry of his hobbit-hole in Bag End.

The Indian in the Cupboard

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

Summer of the Monkeys

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

The Borrowers Afield

Driven from their home in the big house, Pod, Homily, and Arrietty take up life in a boot.

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

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.

Charlotte's Web

Some Pig. Humble. Radiant. These are the words in Charlotte's Web, high up in Zuckerman's barn.

The Sign of the Beaver

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

The Chronicles of Narnia

Fantastic creatures, heroic deeds, epic battles in the war between good and evil.

Mr. Popper's Penguins

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.

The Courage of Sarah Noble

In 1707, young Sarah Noble and her father traveled through the wilderness to build a new home for their family.

The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread

A brave mouse, a covetous rat, a wishful serving girl, and a princess named Pea come together,

Frindle

A quirky, imaginative tale about creative thought and the power of words that will have readers inventing their own words.

The Lemonade War

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.

Where the Sidewalk Ends

This special edition contains 12 extra poems.

Because of Winn-Dixie

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 Boxcar Children Fully Illustrated Edition

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.

Fun Upcycled T Shirt Library Tote Back to School Kids Craft

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.

Fun Upcycled T Shirt Library Tote Back to School Kids Craft

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.

Fun Upcycled T Shirt Library Tote Back to School Kids Craft

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.

Fun Upcycled T Shirt Library Tote Back to School Kids Craft

Cut this circle out of both sides of the shirt.

Too, you want to make sure you have a good pair of fabric scissors.

I like these, for most of our crafts because they work well, are comfortable, and are not too expensive.

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.

Fun Upcycled T Shirt Library Tote Back to School Kids Craft

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.

Fun Upcycled T Shirt Library Tote Back to School Kids Craft

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.

Fun Upcycled T Shirt Library Tote Back to School Kids Craft

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. 

Fun Upcycled T Shirt Library Tote Back to School Kids Craft

Finally, look at more fun activities.

More Back to School Craft Ideas

  • Fun Upcycled T Shirt Library Tote Back to School Kids Craft
  • Clever DIY Dollar Tree Desk Organizer Back to School Craft
  • DIY Easy Duct Tape Pencil Pouch Back to School Kids Craft
  • How to Make a Boys Duct Tape Wallet Back to School Craft
  • Cute Clay Pencil Earrings for Back to School Crafts For Kids
  • 15 Easy Back to School Crafts And Make A Yarn Wrapped Pencil
  • Back To Homeschool Student Notebook Covers
  • How to Create Easy Back to School Basket Ideas for Middle School (Anatomy)
  • Apple Themed Back to School Crafts & Fun Calming Apple Jar Craft
  • 8 Back To School Crafts For Middle Schoolers | How To Make Fun Literature Themed Shoes

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: back to school crafts, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, middle school, middleschool

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