Back To School Box Tops Collection Bugs

Disclosure: This tutorial for DIY Box Tops Collection Bugs has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. This story is mine and opinions are genuine. #BoxTopsHero #CollectiveBias

Summer is flying by once again. I can tell because displays full of pool floats and dive rings have slowly given way to composition notebooks and #2 pencils at our local Walmart. Thoughts of back to school shopping fill my head before our school lists even arrive in the mail, because I really love this time of year. There’s always something so exciting about the new school year. While my kids are looking forward to reuniting with friends and seeing their favorite teachers again, I’m looking forward to back to school nights, bake sales and folders full of art projects and after school sign up sheets. I love the sense of community our school provides my family. Our school offers so many programs and events to keep the kids engaged and connected to that community, and those things are just as important as the lessons they learn from their textbooks. As a prior PTA Mom I know how important fundraising is, and I do everything I can to support our school from home, which is why I’m so excited to write about how Kleenex is helping us give back to our school this year with double box tops on their products! This makes helping our school extra easy, because we’re already stocking up on these items for the new school year. 

Speaking as a PTA mom who has handled Box Top Collections, Box Tops are such an important fundraising tool for schools. All of those tops add up very quickly to some big dollars that can be used in so many great ways. In our school we’ve used box tops for everything from after school enrichment programs like dance and soccer lessons to much needed classroom supplies, like new reading rugs or smart board repairs. Box Tops money has funded cooking class and pizza parties and end of year carnivals. It’s refreshed an aging library and purchased new instruments for the music room. 

I’m so passionate about getting families to participate in the Box Tops program at school because I know it makes a huge difference, and it’s practically effortless. Box Tops grace the packaging of our favorite brands, Like the Kleenex® Trusted Care* 3 Bundle Pack, Scott® Tissue 20 Roll Pack, Viva® Vantage® 6 Big Rolls and Kleenex® Trusted Care* 4 Bundle Pack – household items that we need and use everyday, so helping your school is as simple as picking up Kleenex or Scott toilet tissue. And not only do we use these items every day – teachers do too. Kleenex and Viva Vantage Paper Towels are always on our back to school lists, and we like to pick up a few extra packages for each classroom as well, so that our teachers can be stocked with essentials from day one. Any teacher will tell you that having good quality tissues and paper towels are so important, especially once cold and flu season rolls around. Kleenex is tough enough to handle the dirty work, without irritating little noses and Viva Vantage paper towels hold up to some of the toughest scrubbing a teacher can throw at them. Plus, the Kleenex 3 and 4 Bundle Pack are perfect sizes for sending into school! 

My kids get really excited about back to school shopping, especially when it means bringing extra Box Tops into school because it helps them to feel like they’re doing their part to support the place that gives so much to them. To make it more fun, every summer we make these Box Tops Bugs as a reminder to save our Box Tops and bring them into school! This is a great Back to School project because Kleenex is offering Double Box Tops on every package, so you can get your collection off to a great start! 

These Box Top Bugs are really easy to make – so easy I’ve even done them in a classroom for students to take home, making it a great class mom or PTA initiative to remind parents about the program. Kids can personalize their bugs anyway they like, and just drop the Box Tops in until their “bug” is all full. Then they know to bring those Box Tops into school with them! 

To make your own Box Top Bugs you’ll need:

• Empty Scott Tissue Toilet Paper Tubes
• Glue
• Pipe Cleaners
• Glitter Glue
• Markers
• Googly Eyes
• Construction Paper

If you’re doing this in a classroom it’s best to prep and lay out all of the supplies ahead of time. Use the toilet paper tubes to trace circles onto some construction paper. Cut out those circles and set them aside – you’ll use them later to seal the bottom of your bug. 

Cut construction paper to roughly the size of your tube, and using glue, wrap the entire tube in the paper. Fold over any excess into the tube. Use eyes, glitter and markers to make faces and decorate your bugs.

Use the pipe cleaners to make wings, antenna or arms and legs, then glue them on your bugs (white glue works, but hot glue is the quickest way to get pipe cleaners to stick).

Once you’re done decorating, glue the bottom circle to each bug, leaving the top open. Allow them to dry, then start filling them up with Box Tops!

If you really want to make an impact double check the products you buy every day, and switch to the brands you know participate in the Box Tops program. When we do our Back to School shopping we make sure we are purchasing those brands because we know we’re getting great quality and using our purchasing power to put money in the hands of our own school. Plus, Kleenex has these adorable new character boxes that kids will love seeing at home and in their classrooms!

What are some fun ways that you collect Box Tops at home?