What can be more fun than making your own book? Bookbinding or making books has a long history, and you can learn about it with a simple bookmaking activity for kids. Design and build your own book from simple supplies. Then fill the pages with your own creative story, comic or essay. We love fun and easy projects for kids! Celebrate Read Across America in March!
MAKE YOUR OWN HOMEMADE BOOK
THE HISTORY OF BOOK BINDING
Book binding is the process of putting together and securing written or printed pages within a cover. Often you will find the cover is thicker than the inside pages which protects the contents of the book.
It is thought that book binding started with educated monks in Europe as early as the sixth century, who would protect their hand written manuscripts with wooden boards covered with metal and jewels. Modern book binding came about with the invention of the printing press. Often the standard of book-binding was set by the royal courts of France, followed by Germany, England, and Venice.
The industry was forced to change how book binding was done in the mid-nineteenth century due to competition from cheaper materials such as cloth and from new binding technologies such as gluing sheets together rather than sewing.
Create your own homemade book below with a few simple materials and then use it to record a comic or story within the pages.
CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE BUILD A BOOK PROJECT!
MAKE A HOMEMADE BOOK
DESIGN CHALLENGE:
Design and build a book out of paper.
TIME CONSTRAINT: 30 minutes (or more if time allows)
SUPPLIES:
- Paper
- paper bag
- string
- hole puncher
- tape
- string
SET UP:
Start by exploring different ideas of how to make a book. Think about what kind of paper your would like to use and what you can use for a cover. What are different ways to attach your pages together with your cover?
MORE FUN THINGS TO MAKE
Click on the image below or on the link for more easy STEM projects for kids.
