We’re so excited to introduce our new guest blogger, Marie LeBaron. Founder of parenting site Makes and Takes and author of the upcoming book Make and Takes for Kids: 50 Crafts Throughout the Year (to be released in October 2011), this crafty mother of three will be sharing fun, easy, and creative projects to do with the kids. First up, a back to school project!
Summer is coming to a close and my kids are gearing up for school. We thought it would be fun to make personalized notebooks to share the things they love with their classmates. These collages are an easy and fun activity. My kids found all kinds of exciting pictures to add -- their favorite foods, TV shows, treats, pets, etc. They each got really into the project and even started to get attached to the items they chose to use on their notebooks.
Just gather the kids, follow the simple directions below, and let their creativity run wild!
1 What You'll Need: School paper notebooks, scissors, adult and child size glue, grocery ads or old magazines Optional: Colored pens or markers, decoupage glue, newspaper, and sponge brush
2 Have your children flip through grocery store circulars or old magazines to find images they love. My 8- and 6-year-old were able to cut out each picture on their own, but I helped my 3-year-old with the cutting.
3 Once you have enough pictures to fill the front cover of your notebook, glue them on. They can be in a specific order or in a mishmash. If the kids want to use a lot of images, they can make them fit by overlapping the pictures.
4 Once the images are glued on, have your child add a few embellishments to the notebook. We got out the glitter pens and my kids colored all kinds of swirls and doodles on their notebooks. They each wrote their name on their notebooks as well.
5 To ensure the images stay on the notebooks, we added a coat of decoupage glue to seal it all in place. Just place down a sheet of newspaper, put your notebook on top, and add a layer of the glue with your sponge brush and decoupage glue. You may need to use your finger to press some of the newspaper image clippings down, as the glue does make them wrinkle a bit.
6 Once the glue dries after a few hours, it should be sealed and ready for school.
From: Back to School Personalized Notebooks | Make and Takes | 8/16/11 at 1:37 pm
[...] thrilled to say that I’m sharing this fun tutorial at Martha Stewart! Head on over to their Family Room blog and you’ll see my kids creating these fun personalized [...]