Picture Book Pennants

Working in the library for years allowed me the opportunity to overcome my anxiety of throwing away books.  Once this hurdle was cleared weeding the library became refreshing.  Creating space for new books that students were excited about reading was the goal.  Therefore the discard cart began to grow and grow.

But, the crafty side of me had a hard time actually taking them from the discard cart to the recycle bin.  My mind would race with ideas of what these treasured books could be used to create.  I once shredded book pages to use as filler in table centerpieces for a band fundraiser.  Some of the students who came to the library frequently were mortified that Mrs. Webber would shred books.  I assured them they were not books that they or anyone else had checked out in years.

I no longer work in the school library but every time I visit our librarian and she has a cart of discarded books I always take the opportunity to grab a few.  (Okay, maybe a box is not a few)  This year I needed a decoration for my classroom to celebrate Spring and I created a bunting using picture and chapter book pages.  See Spring is Here! for the details of my creation.

As I was looking at the few (box full) of books I had snagged I thought what if I created a pennant using the picture book pages.  One of the Kindergarten teachers has always admired my colorful pennants in my classroom.  This gave me a reason to create the picture book pennant.  Here is the final product.

Sorry for the bad photo.  It was hard to get the full length in the picture.

 

I used a book that had very colorful pages and very little text.  This allowed for the pennants to be double sided.  On one side I added letters cut from chapter books that spelled out "Kindergarten Rocks".  When I gave it to the Kindergarten teacher she was thrilled. 

 



I spelled out Kindergarten Rocks

 

 

The other side is just the colorful picture book

 

The view of her classroom windows.  This makes me smile every time I walk by.

 

As my crafty side continues to grow and overtake my more rational side I am sure there will be many more creations made from discarded library books.  They are perfect for the creative mind to explore possibilities.  They are usually free or very inexpensive and have a vast potential for a multitude of projects.  Check out your libraries discard shelf and see what creative treasures you find.

 

Danna