Time for the Tuesday Ten Minute Toss Challenge! RIGHT NOW spend 10 minutes decluttering a collection of children’s books.  Take on a shelf or a small bookcase.  Pull out books that your child has outgrown or books that are too damaged to enjoy anymore.  Then do something useful with the books you no longer need.  Here are some ideas…

Participate in the CleanScapes Back-to-School Book Swap – Bring gently used books to the Recology CleanScapes store in Gilman Village between Aug. 1 – Sept. 1.  For every book you donate you will receive a ticket.  You can redeem that ticket for a new-to-you book at the store on Sept. 6.

Eastside Baby Corner – Eastside Baby Corner connects new and gently used items to children and families in need in a broad area across east King County.

Share books with friends and neighbors – Share the joy of a good book with friends and neighbors.

Think about places where your child has enjoyed having access to books and bring in a few to add to the collection.  Places might include waiting rooms, restaurants, schools and daycares.

If you have more than 10 minutes and want to help your children learn the process of decluttering and bringing joy to other children, include them in today’s toss.  Talk to them about the reasons for letting go of some books.  Perhaps they have outgrown the story or never liked it to begin with.  Help them consider the cost and benefits of letting go of unused items.

Embrace today’s challenge.  Ready, set, TOSS!

If you have ideas for a Tuesday Ten Minute Toss Challenge, please let us know! In the meantime, check back weekly for a new challenge and make sure to join in the fun. We look forward to hearing about how you do with the challenges.