Handmade sketchbooks with my 6th graders

                                              an inside look at the stitching- so well done!!

                                                                 a stack of registers

                                                              a few books finished ;)

                                                       an outside view of the stitching

I am incredibly blessed this year to get a small group of 6th graders for almost an hour 5 days a week. How much we can accomplish and how much individual attention they can get from me is very special!

Our project for this quarter is making 'Zines (that is self published magazines for any of you wondering) and part of self publishing is somehow binding your 'Zine. It is very popular to use good old staples but I wanted to take the opportunity to teach them a few bookbinding techniques.

We made these sketchbooks by using four registers (a register is a stack of papers folded and sewn into the cover side by side) and the saddle stitch. They designed their covers with duct tape or cloth sports tape (that stuff is the BEST!!). I have one duct tape pro in class who even made little duct tape bows (see the photo above)- it was awesome!!

The kids seemed very proud of their work and so am I! I'm really impressed with their craftsmanship and how persistent they were at finishing them. I also love to see their excitement about learning something new. We started playing with my new sticker maker today to make & trade hand drawn stickers for our books. I can't wait to see what else they fill their sketchbooks with!!