Bookmaking With Kids

Sticking with a Wild West theme, here’s a little book titled The Wild Adventures of My Cowboy Boots. It couldn’t be simpler to make: two cowboy-boot covers to cut out, plus a strip of paper to accordion-fold and glue inside. But the kid-appeal was remarkable.

Care to guess the best-loved feature of the cut-out covers? The spurs! Open and upright, the books leaned back on their spurs kinda like a slouching cowboy rocking on his heels, and the kids just adored it. Also big on kid-appeal was the goofy story-starter:

Early one morning I was out on the range ………… and that is how the wild adventure of my cowboy boots ended.

This project was one of dozens that we taught in our Summer Camp workshops. You can download the covers by clicking here; and this link has the preprinted story starter. Please check back often for details on other Summer Camp books. You can also click this link for a list of posts about books we made.

… if it has that I-can’t-wait-to-start-writing effect on kids, I say “Huzzah!”

What you’re seeing is a Wanted Poster that my colleague Susie devised for a bookmaking event at the Redwood City Public Library. And there’s something about that Wild West typo-
graphy, plus what starts out as an enticing empty space in the middle, that immediately ropes kids in.

At an event—lotsa people, lots chaos—kids will likely stick to artwork. But in the classroom, it shouldn’t take much persuasion to get students to supply a back story for their outlaws.

This project, available to download by clicking here, was one of dozens that we taught in our Summer Camp workshops. Please check back often for details on other Summer Camp books. You can also click this link for a list of posts about books we made.

Inspired by the camaraderie and creative ferment of last month’s Summer Camp workshops, I envisioned writing a long series of posts, maybe even one about every nifty book we made(!), complete with photo, template and instruction sheet.

And then I got sidetracked by summer: the lure of a daily swim … the siren call of a stack of library books … the pleas-
ures of turning a superabun-
dant crop of Bleinheims into jam … just sitting in the garden when the sun finally appears in my foggy neighborhood at 6 each evening.

So in fact I’ve written a scant two posts about Summer Camp 2009! More will be forthcom-
ing, I promise. But for now, I’m still in slo-mo. For those of you feeling more energetic than I, here are more than 30(!!) templates and/or instruction sheets for many of the books we made. Click the link for the list of downloads. more…

Most bookmaking basics are in your classroom already: paper, scissors, pencils, markers, cray-
ons, hole punches, staplers. But with some added supplies, kids can tackle projects with extra pizazz or complexity. This round-up lists tools and materials used during our Summer Camp work-
shops, with links to suppliers with low prices.

Bone folders
Kids could use tongue depressors to make crisp folds but giving them a special tool can encourage a special attentiveness. Consider Provo Craft’s 8-inch plastic bone folders, on sale right now at MisterArt.com for $1.93 apiece.

Sewing Needles
The eyes in John James Darners #18 needles are wide enough to children to thread themselves. You’ll find them at Talas, at $4.35 for a package of 25.

Awls
You need awls with strong handles to withstand taps from a hammer. We use the #1 Awls from Talas at $2.81 each, probably less with a price break for a large order. Click to read more of our resource list. more…

People who wandered up to the top floor of the Redwood City Public Library last Sunday lucked into a special treat: an afternoon of bookmaking fun. Our projects ranged from journals with crisscross ribbon bindings to a letter/envelope folded from one piece of paper. Befitting a lazy summer day, it was nice to go slow and repeat projects we each liked best.
Please click the link for downloadable instructions and information on resources. more…

Last week’s bookmaking ses-
sions for teachers, librarians and parents was just fabulous: fun, inspiring, informative, friendly, high-energy and relaxing, all at the same time.

You wouldn’t believe how many books we all made!!

Our thanks and congratula-
tions to all participants, with a special thank-you to the Redwood Shores Library for the use of its spacious Community Room.

We were honored to have a truly long-distance participant, Rosanna, who teaches kindergarten in Bangkok, as well as Sushmita, who joined us from Virginia. (Check out her fabulous web site here.) Our bookmaking posse also included a librarian and her son, four Americorps members, several moms, plus teachers from the East Bay, San Francisco and the Peninsula.

Kudos to …

… all the teachers who wanted to learn something new when they could have had their feet up after a hard school year

… the moms who had to arrange babysitting

… our Americorps contingent for your commitment to kids … you’re all going to be great teachers!

… and our able and eager assistant, Molly.

In the coming days and weeks, watch for posts about the books we made, our templates and instruction sheets, our resources and more. And watch your in-boxes for a follow-up e-newsletter. Meanwhile here are a few photos.