One of my favorite things to do with my babes is read to them. We do most of our reading at rest time or bedtime, though sometimes it just feels good to sit down in the middle of the day – in the middle of the floor – with a stack of books and just pour through them.
And when we are looking for something new to read, we love to go to the library and check out an (embarrassingly) enormous stack of books to take home.
We’re so grateful to have access to such a fabulous library with a big and beautiful (and well stocked!) children’s section.
So why not give back?
When Walgreens asked me to write a post about ways to give back to my community, my first thought was food banks. But the truth is, that didn’t feel like giving back as much as just giving out of love. (Definitely nothing wrong with giving to your local food banks! Go – give!)
I wanted to think about ways that our community pours into us and how we have benefitted. I think that at this stage in our young lives, the library is huge.
So again, why not give back?
This afternoon Oliver, Bea, Hazel and I went through the kids’ bookcase. We sorted through our old friends to find books that were still in good shape (surprisingly hard to find!) that we were finished using. (Who knew it would be so hard to get my kids to part with their books? They really are old friends!)
And what began as a “finding books to donate” activity quickly turned into one of those “sit among a pile of books and dig in” days.
After a brief diversion from our goal, we refocused and were able to find about ten books that we thought the library could use and that other kids would like to check out.
We piled them in our book bag (which I made this morning while Oliver was at school!),
And hung them on the door to wait for our outing later today.
And when Daddy got home, we all headed out to the library to give back just a little bit (and check out another one of those big stacks of books).
I think we’re still getting the better end of the deal, don’t you?
Donating books to your local library is one great way to give back to your community. Walgreens is trying to give back in other ways – like using their Facebook page to give flu shot vouchers to people in need. Yes, Walgreens sponsored this post. But they’re doing a great thing and I’m totally on board to help spread the word!
Don’t forget to help Walgreens help others! Visit their Facebook page here to learn about their charitable partners and decide which cause Walgreens will donate to with a quick vote. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.PS – the fabrics I used for the bag can be found here, here and here. Mwah!
Giving books is one of my favorite ways to give back! I’ve found that schools are a good place to donate books too. We just donated a big bag of books to an elementary school in Antioch. I know a fifth grade teacher there who said that the library shelves are half empty and that most of her students have never been read to at home. So sad to think about…I love reading to my babies and started very early with both of them.
Hey, Melissa! I totally hadn’t thought about giving books to a school – that’s a great idea! Especially a school whose library doesn’t have a ton of funding! Smart girl.
As a children’s book addict, I loved reading this post! Also, I really like that bag! My very first sewing lesson from my grandma involved making a simple bag, but it didn’t really turn out. I think I need to try again now that I have improved :)
In my area, most of the books the library receives as donations don’t end up on the shelf. If the library doesn’t need or want the books you donate they will sell them at a book fair and the money made goes to the library. While I was a little sad to learn that when we moved here, I still feel like I’m helping the community.
Donating books is a great idea :)
I also love the bag…any chance we’ll see a tutorial for it in the near future?
It’s actually an Amy Butler pattern – the Swing Bag. I think you can get the pattern on Etsy here: http://www.etsy.com/search?search_submit=&q=amy+butler+swing+bag&view_type=gallery&ship_to=US
Glad you like it! :)
Great idea! I’ve never thought of doing that.
Like you, this would be so very hard to part with our books… but knowing that we can help other kids and to have the opportunity to check them out ourselves when we want to is a great feeling. I also LOVE that bag!… and the bow?…. is it just denim?
Hey Emily! The bow is actually the third fabric listed (you can find it here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/75196617/hugs-and-kisses-in-ocean-from-loulouthi?ga_search_query=horner%2Bloulouthi&ga_search_type=user_shop_ttt_id_5630277)