Looking for helpful tips and information regarding parenting, motherhood, womanhood, and crafting? You will find it all at Vanilla Joy.  Our guest blogger, Kelsey, has a beautiful site! She is creating a community of mothers who can help each other find meaning and purpose in the routine mundane things in life—“because it is in those things that our families function and thrive!” So go visit Kelsey and add a little joy to your day!

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Kelsey writes…….

a dragon in a wagon jane belk moncure

A favorite picture book in our house is A Dragon in a Wagon, by Jane Belk Moncure. It’s a story within a story – the book begins with Meagan opening a “word window” (book) about animals and different ways to travel.

Because this book starts out with Meagan reading her own book, a great activity to go along with A Dragon in a Wagon is to make a book with your kids!

Here are a two different kid’s bookmaking ideas:

sandwich bag book

1. Sandwich Bag Book

Supplies:

  • 5-7 Ziplock sandwich bags
  • cardstock
  • repositionable tape/glue (optional)
  • hole punch
  • paper cutter with ruler
  • old magazines
  • one of the following: brads, yarn, hemp, staples or rubber band/hair tie and pen/popsicle stick/lollipop stick

Steps:

  1. Cut cardstock to fit inside bags, about 6×6.
  2. Insert cardstock inside baggies.
  3. Punch 2-3 holes in each bag, in the side opposite the opening.
  4. Sew along the edge with the holes using one of the following methods:
    1. Insert brads through each hole and through all layers. (This method is better for older children since younger children could pull the brads out.)
    2. Thread a piece of yarn or hemp up through both holes and tie a knot on the front of the book, centered between the two holes.
    3. Thread a rubber band up through both holes and stick a pencil, popsicle stick, lollipop stick, or regular wooden stick between the loops in the rubber band on the front side of the book. If you use this method, punch your holes close enough together that the popsicle/lollipop stick will reach.
    4. Staple all layers together
    5. Sew across the spine edge of all bags with a sewing machine.
  5. Fold back each page to crease the cardstock.
  6. Cut pictures out of old magazines/newspaper ads, etc., and insert pictures into baggies. You can put a small piece of repositionable tape on the back of the picture so you can switch them out whenever you want.
sandwich bag book sandwich bag book sandwich bag book
Rope Brads Rubber Band

Like Meagan in the story, you could give your children a theme to guide them in finding their pictures. The main point is for your children to create their own “word (or picture) windows.”

2. Photo Album Book

For a quicker project, use a small, soft cover photo album. Again, after reading about Meagan and her book, encourage your children to find pictures of things that they like to put in their book.

These little books are great for quick car trips or to have in the shopping cart at the store. You could even make one yourself to take grocery shopping with pictures of things you might find in the store. For example, you could have a picture of an apple and challenge your children to find an apple, or just something red, in the store.

The author also has two activities to go along with this book:

I’m thrilled with the opportunity to be a guest on Skip To My Lou – the Read to Feed program is great, and I hope this activity will get you and your family excited about reading together for this great cause. Thanks Cindy! And I will be posting more ideas about kid’s bookmaking on my blog, Vanilla Joy, so come check it out. Thanks!


About Cindy Hopper

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Comments

  1. Hey Guys, i would like to say thank you about this great post, very helpful to me, Thank You.

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