School Bags: Transportation Tote

In case you missed it last week on Once Upon a Thread, here’s the latest installment of school bags for Lucy’s class:
Other bags I’ve done (click on an image to go to the post):

This one was really fun to make. I ditched the pre-made canvas bag all together, made my own Gray version, then turned it into a backpack!
There’s a velcro closure across the top, the words are hand-written on cotton fabric with a sharpie marker, and the exhaust is a small bit of batting glued to the front.
I like 3D touches.

I was excited to try the little pack out on Owen.
He’s definitely your typical boy–obsessed with cars, trucks, planes, boats, and all means of transportation. How do they learn these things? It’s somehow in their DNA to pick up a play car and make crazy driving noises.
Recently we checked out two books from the library that I knew he’d enjoy:
I love Planes! by Philemon Sturges
School Bus by Donald Crews
He did love them. And I loved them too!–especially the School Bus artwork. I almost didn’t care what the words said; I just wanted to look at the pictures.
So….I stuffed the books and a some toys inside the pack and asked Owen to try it on. He was excited to see everything hiding inside and had fun pulling them out, one by one.
His favorite mode of transportation is definitely an airplane. We’ve flown back and forth to Calif many times and he gets excited when the airplane pulls up to the gate. “Mom! There’s Jet Blue!”
So the book I love Planes! is right up his alley. It talks about all types of planes and flying vessels with bright illustrations. The boy in the book dreams of all the things he’d like to fly in.
He has a cute imagination.
It’s simple and sweet.
And so is School Bus. Great illustrations and total bus eye candy. Some of you recommended Freight Train and Truck, also by Donald Crews. Now I’ve got to check them out.
My kids excitedly yell out “school bus!” when we see one driving down the road. And this book is just that….buses driving around town, through traffic, heading to bus-stops to pick up kids.
Then the buses drive through town, headed to school.
Eeeerch. Everyone off.
Then they’re back out in traffic till it’s time to pick the kids up again. (how great is that taxi and the man next to it? I love these illustrations!)
Finally, the buses take the kids back.
Home again.
Home again.
And a rare picture of my kids holding hands. It was such an honest sweet moment, I had to capture it.
There’s just something about schools and buses that makes me wish I was a kid again.
I guess that’s the joy of reading books with my kids–reliving those memories and making some new ones. I’m glad we have 12 more years of it.

  1. 1) Bonnie

    I love all your bags you’ve made for your daughter’s class and just wondered if you finished the rest (and maybe took pictures)? I’m a preschool teacher and this would be awesome to do for my class next year.
    PS You’re blog rocks! It’s definitely my favorite for just about everything. Thanks for all your hard work šŸ™‚

  2. 2) diane

    I, too would love to see pictures of the other bags you made!

  3. 3) Linda

    I stumbled upon your website some time ago, and I have enjoyed reading about all of your sewing projects. But as a soon-to-be Elementary School teacher, this series of school literacy bags really got me excited! I would love to see the rest of the bags you made, and I wonder if the other parent who was helping you sew these made the same bags? Are all of the ideas in the book you mentioned in the cookie jar post? I would love to make something like these for my future classroom! I bet my little granddaughters would love something like this for Christmas too! Thanks for the inspiration : )

    • 4) Dana

      Hi Linda.
      Thanks!
      There are a few other bags I made that go along with this (those links in the post), but I don’t have all the bag ideas listed in these posts.
      Yes, there were three of us sewing/making bags. But each bag was unique. The kids would take a bag home for the weekend, and read the books inside and play with the items in there that related to the subject.

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