DIY Box Top Library Encourages Kids to Read While Collecting Box Tops for Their School #BTFE #Sponsored

Yesterday, I talked to you a bit about how collecting Box Tops for Education can help provide schools with the tools and supplies needed for success. Over Over 80,000 k-8 schools participate, and this wonderful program has raised over $525,000,000 since it was created in 1996.

Box Tops come on select General Mills products, and each box top is worth $0.10. Box Tops can be donated directly to your child’s school. I know….Ten cents doesn’t sound like much, but when everyone collects them, this really does add up quickly. Schools can use these Box Tops to help fund everything from extra supplies for students to new playgrounds or even new computers for the technology lab. How cool is that?!

Right now, you can find special Bonus Box Tops on select General Mills products at Walmart. They’re easy to spot! They will have a BIG pink 5 on them. Have little ones help collect Box Tops in store by asking them to find products with the big number 5 on them. It’s a fun game for early learners, and you will maximize the support given to your child’s school! Sophie found some Bonus Box Tops on these Fiber One Salted Caramel Cheesecake Bars.

We want to make collecting Box Tops a family affair. This means creating ways to make gathering Box Tops fun for even the youngest family members. This can be done in several ways from having Box Top Scavenger Hunts to making special Box Top collection boxes, decorated by the kiddos. The possibilities are endless.

One thing we have started doing is using a Box Top Library. I chose several of my kids’ favorite books, and placed them in our Tidy Books book caddy. When Sophie or Xander would like to borrow one of these extra special books, they need to find a Box Top to place in the collection baggie I have attached to the side of our Box Tops Library.

Once your child finds a Box Top for Education, have them cut it out and place it into the collection baggie. Once they have completed this step, it’s time for them to choose a book! Simple, right?

Here’s my Sophie, looking over her Library to see what she’d like to read today. Be sure to change the books out on a weekly or bi-weekly basis to ensure the kids remain interested and excited about their own special library!

Oh! It looks like Sophie chose the book, “Fred”. Good choice! This is definitely one of our favorite stories to read together as a family!

It’s time to settle down for story time, and maybe even a snack. We had our library set up outside since it’s such a gorgeous day. I love our book caddy, since it allows us to have a completely mobile library!

We put down my favorite patchwork blanket, and even brought some Cotton Candy GoGurt to slurp on while we read. Maybe, just maybe, we will enjoy some of those Fiber One Cheesecake Bars, too.

So far, our Box Tops for Books Library has been a huge hit with my children. They love hunting for Box Tops and being able to exchange them for the book of their choice. Not only does our Box Tops Library help our schools, it also gets the kids excited about reading! It’s a win-win situation, folks!

Make Your Very Own Box Tops for Books Library:

If you’d like to create your own DIY Box Top Library, and I hope you do, here’s what you will need:

• Book Caddy, shelf, or even a milk crate. Anything that you can store several books in will work just fine.
• Books! Choose a wide variety, and be sure to switch them out every so often!
• Ziplock Baggie to collect Box Tops in.
• A fun “poster” to put on your caddy. I made one using PicMonkey.com. Feel free to print mine out and use it for your own library!

Here’s the image I created for our Box Tops for Books Library:

Remember, you can find tons and tons of Bonus Box Tops on select General Mills products at Walmart RIGHT NOW! Be sure to keep an eye out for them so you can start giving back to your schools, too!

Do YOU have any creative ways to make collecting Box Tops for Education fun? I’d love to hear about it!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of General Mills®. The opinions and text are all mine.