Back To School With Box Tops

With tight budgets and school budget cuts, schools are looking for various ways to close the gaps in funding to help educate our youth.  Throughout the year, there are several opportunities to earn/raise money for your child's school.  However, sometimes writing a check just isn't a option.  One of the easiest things to do to support your school is to collect box tops for education. 

Box Tops are found on a variety of products in your local stores - General Mills, Betty Crocker, Ziploc, Mott's and many more.  Each box top you turn in equals .10 for your school!   You may be thinking that .10 doesn't sound like a whole lot.  However, if everyone in your school collected them, think how much money you'd earn.  A school can earn up to $20,000 per year just from box tops!  What could your school do with $20,000?  So get those scissors and start clipping!

Some products even have more than one box top on the package.  We always try to pick the ones with the most and Caleb is very good at this job. 

Check all the way around your box or package to make sure there isn't a box top on.  When you find one, clip it.  We usually just tear if off at the moment and store them into a container until we get ready to turn them in.  Having a designated spot for your box tops makes them easier to keep up with and will likely make you more prone to collect them.

We use a little labeled basket to store them in.  Once we tear them off or cut them out, they immediately go here.  This way everyone knows where to put them and we don't lose any.

Sometimes the school will send home little activity sheets for the students to glue their box tops on. They are usually themed and change monthly.  We've had a few extra ones from the past that we used here.  Most sheets have a spot to glue on 10 box tops.  Although, the sheet that came home last month had more.  This is a fun little activity for the kids to do.  Let them work on their cutting, counting and glueing skills.

There is a place for the child's name and teacher on the sheet.  Make sure to fill that in.  There may even be an incentive at the school for the class who collects the most.  I think we've had parties in the past.

When your sheet is completed, just turn it in to the teacher.  Simple as that.  You've just collected $1 for your school.  Now, how many kids are in one class?  See how that adds up!

Here's what you do with any box tops that you have left over or if your school doesn't provide the activity sheets.  You just put them into a ziplock bag labeled with your child's name and teacher to turn them in.  Although, box tops are more common in elementary schools, check with other schools.  My child's middle school also collects box tops.  She is making sure that she gets them in there, too.

One thing I hear from several people is that they don't buy or use many products that have box tops.  That's okay.  I'm sure you know someone who does that maybe does not have school aged kids, any kids or someone who is older.  You can easily ask them if they don't mind saving them for you and you can pick them up.  Also, don't just collect box tops during the school year.  Collect them the entire year!  Have fun clipping!