Please don't laugh at me...

[C~Q]

But what is everyone talking about when they say they are covering books?

We never did at school (in the UK) and I haven't before with my two am I supposed to? What does it even mean?

What do I cover them with i'm assuming some kind of wrapping paper

Help! Is there other secret stuff that I need to be aware of before they go back to school lol???

TIA (and for not laughing!)

[Bathsheba]

Clear contact... to increase durability

[Pandora]

Contact was what we used - clear sticky plastic stuff that we covered text books in to protect them (from tearing mostly) and sometimes out notebook covers also.

[Nelle]

I laughed, sorry.

Yeah, clear contact over text books (you can use a ruler to help smooth it down as you go) and you can get patterned/character contact for covering the books you write in, like Bath says, it keeps them durable and they're less likely to tear, it waterproofs them a bit for when their water bottle leaks in their school bag, and it's easy to see which is theirs.

I remember having silver hologram contact when I was young, it was soooo cool!

[Curly]

It's also sometimes called Duraseal (a different brand to Contact). Clear plastic adhesive sheet to protect the covers of textbooks and exercise books.

Hey you mums out there with schoolkids...

When I was a kid you used to be able to get all kinds of different patterns (stripes, dots, Smurfs, flowers) but I only ever seem to see clear Contact now...could I hijack this thread and ask if kids still cover their exercise books with patterned Contact or is that hopelessly outdated now? (And using the Name Labels from New Idea magazine!!!!!)

[C~Q]

Ok so exercise AND text books...ok I get it.

And yep hijack away - i'd like to know if there is funky stuff you can use instead of clear.

Thanks guys and thanks for not laughing (not you Nelle **glare** )

[MantaRay]

We used to have different color contact for each subject. Gee, I'd forgotten about that. I guess I'll be needing to start doing it soon too - I hope I can do it without too many bubbles!!

[Bathsheba]

I used to like this pretty contact design with Australian animals in cartoon form in Beatrix Potter type colours... and yes, haven't seen that around in years.

I love covering books in contact... as long as it's the good stuff... not the flimsy stuff.

[boomba]

Rach I will come help I love doing it! I cant wait for my kids to start school just to contact the books

[Floweryfields]

I used to do brown paper, then funky pictures from magazines then contact over top when I was older. PS I too was a nerd and loved covering books!

[Astrolady]

Oh Nelle I had silver hologram as well !!

I did have a slight giggle CQueen, but I laughed harder at Nelle saying she laughed so blame her :P

Before contact was probably invented (or before we could afford it) my mum used to cover books with clear plastic and stuck it down with sticky tape on the inside covers. I think my brothers used to cop brown paper

When I went to high school we didn't have books. We just got note pads given to us, and had to put them into folders like display books or ring binders with those plastic sleeves in it.

[Curly]

LOL I had a few books covered with brown paper and plastic...just like Mum did when she was a kid! And so did other kids at primary school too. We would cut pictures off birthday cards and stick them on there to pretty them up.

I looooved book covering day and when I got old enough I would Contact my own books, Mum taught me how. I loved getting all my new stationery ready for school...even DH says how much he loved getting new stationery LOL.

We also sometimes used pretty gift wrapping paper and then clear Contact over the top.

I am so looking forward to doing my kids' books but I don't want to send them to school with really uncool books!!!!

[Jahzara]

You can also get clear book covers (from places like officeworks etc)

I have used wrapping paper then put stickers on then the clear book cover

or photos as decoration.

Its fun but time consuming !

[Astrolady]

LOL Curly I used to love getting the stationary as well. I still do. I love stationary and can't wait till the kids start having to get their own supplies and not having them school supplied which means they have to stay at school.

[Bathsheba]

Yep, back in 1975 when I started school it was brown paper and if I was lucky I could stick on a picture cut off a greeting card.

By about 1979 I was getting wrapping paper with clear plastic, sticky tape at the corners like Astrolady described.

It wasn't until the 1980's that contact came into use. Back then it was more often used to cover furniture!!! So it was thick and came in colours and patterns that reflected the decor of the time. People might have used it to line the insides of cupboards. I don't think it came in clear until about the mid 80's (well not common in the rural towns where I lived).

By 1986 I was covering my own books... and yep, recall the clear stuff being available. It was more common to want the pattern stuff though.

[Astrolady]

My mum still has her cupboards lined with contact. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to be exact LOL. Must have been cheap at the time of re-doing it.

[Daydream Believer]

Kmart & the newsagents both have patterned/printed contact

[*Ash*]

(And using the Name Labels from New Idea magazine!!!!!)

Ah, YES. When I was a kid, I used to love the name labels that came free with womens magazines.

I remember doing the wrapping paper thing too, with the name labels, then contact over the top.

Gee, I am sorry I never saw the smurf one when i was a kind - I would have loved it!