The premise is simple:

1. take a sheet of paper and fold in half.
2. Fill the pages with all sorts of interesting things.
3. Give it to your kids to read.

I made a little title that fit our family and set about filling it with jokes, extended family trivia, menus, weather, encouraging words and something exciting that was coming up for each of  the kids that we could all get excited about (or maybe an acknowledgement of some success).

They love to read it while they eat their breakfast. They feel grown up and they love to read about themselves and their family. It has opened up some great conversations too.

I don’t make one every day because I don’t have the time for that. I probably make one every week or so. It’s not fancy. I make one and copy it on the copier so there’s not a lot of color. It’s hand drawn with love and they never complain that it’s too homemade.

Why do it? It’s another way to connect with your kids. And my kids write for the paper too, so it strengthens their writing skills. And I can add “don’t forget” things, so they don’t get another nag session from me. They learn things about their extended family with my trivia and I feed their souls with poetry and their spirits with Scripture.

You’ll be surprised how much you cna fit into this little newspaper. If you make one, please take a picture and share the response in the comments below.

photo courtesy the_toe_stubber

My friend Renae had a post the other day about saving art work and of course a quandary like that just gets my mind going. I have to write a post when I started a mental list of some potential ideas for you to consider. Keep in mind these are the keepers, the best stuff. You don’t have to keep it all, just keep the stuff worth saving and happily toss the rest when the kids aren’t looking.

• Laminate them. Punch holes in the corners and connect them with jump rings to make a curtain of art for a wall or a room divider or to cover a window.
• Laminate them to use as placemats.
• scan for use as a screensaver.
• Use them as wallpaper. Arrange them corner to corner like bricks and attach to the wall with sticky tack. When you want to change it up, just pull them down.
• Mount a piece on heavy cardboard with glue and cut into puzzle pieces. before you cut, make sure to scan it to make putting the puzzle back together a lot easier. Mail it to a relative or friend.
• Make a scrapbook. Google that if you need to know.
• Affix a weighted string to the ceiling and hang art on the string with clips or two magnets stuck together.
• Mail them to your relatives.
• Cut them up for collage or other projects.
• Recycle them. Use a different medium to add to it, trade pictures with siblings and add to the picture.
• Enter them in a contest.
• Use them as story book illustrations.
• Scan them and make T-shirts.
• Use them as story prompts.
• Trade art with another family. Take turns guessing the subject of the piece.
• Hold an art show. Display your art all over the house and invite friends and family. Serve simple snacks and have a short discussion on art appreciation or how to study a painting.
• Scan and print on fabric for use as pillows, quilt squares, tote bags or clothing.
• For 3-D things, take pictures of them. And for smaller things a high shelf or curio cabinet can be a nice place to showcase the best of the best.

courtesy the_toe_stubber

If you are an artist, musician writer, entrepeneur or general creative type and you homeschool, I want to talk to you. If would like to participate in a new ebook, please contact me at anna at annahawthorne dot com. Don’t miss this opportunity!

• Make silly faces. Cut out facial features out of different ads and the put them together in funny ways.
• Make paper beads. Then use them for necklaces, bookmarks and all sorts of gifts.
• Cut into strips and weave together for a colorful placemat.
• Cut out words and phrases to make crazy poetry.
• Use pictures to make an alphabet book for a baby. Or colors. Or shapes.
• Use articles for word recognition or cut and paste spelling lists.
• Use an article for a “word mine” game. Call a word sound or letter and have them highlight words that match your request.
• Use the magazine pages as scrap paper when doing other crafts. The slick paper won’t bleed onto your other projects and you can grab a new sheet each time one gets yucky.
• Cut out adjectives from ads to increase writing vocabulary.
• Use pictures to copy in art class. Choose a medium and use the picture as a model.
• Make cool envelopes with pages. Use pages that coordinate with your letter or recipient. For example, if grandma loves gardening, send her a note in a gardening catalog envelope. Make sure you put a white sticker on the front for the address so it’s easy to find.

For older kids:

• Have them rewrite an article, or offer another angle.
• Use a layout as a sample and cut out things to create your own magazine layout.
• Cut and paste your own magazine by cobbling together things from several other mags.
• Look trough magazines to notice trends and themes. Write something based on that research.
• Rewrite a product slogan.

one page book (8 pages)

one page meandering book (16 pages)

another option for a mini book

For more book fun, check this site or this one. You’ll have enough ideas to outlast your kids’ education!

1. Make a relief design art project. Draw with it on paper. Make sure the lines are nice and thick and don’t fill in any spaces. Let it dry overnight. The next day you can place another sheet on top and rub with crayons or colored pencils and create some great rubbings. Try lots of different patterns and you can mix and match for interesting effects.
2. Use it as a resist. Once again, draw a line drawing with the glue in nice thick lines. Let it dry overnight. The next day get out your paints and color in your picture. The colors will stay within the glue lines and you can end up with a great effect that looks a bit like batik.
3. Use it to make play putty for the kids on a rainy day.
4. Make some Papier Mache goodies.
5. Use it like a glue stick. Now isn’t that handy?

Still have some glue left? For even more fun visit here.

Making Books with Children

MakingBooks blog

Let’s Make Books

Make Your Own Books

Bookbinding Tutorials (many of these are for older kids and adults)

Creating books is also a great way to apply skills like math and art techniques. They encourage fine motor skills with binding and writing.

Do you make books? Care to share photos? How have handmade books added to your homeschool education?

• Go when your family is at their best. for some it’s morning, for others the afternoon. Assess your family’s best time and go then. And remind the kids about the usual–whispering, not touching anything, etc. so they know what to expect, especially if it’s their first time.
• Go on free day. Many museums offer days with free admission. Take advantage.
• Check the schedule. Before you head out the door check the museum’s listing of temporary exhibits. Maybe one fits what you are studying. Mark future exhibits on your calendar so you won’t forget.
• Study a local artist that has work in your museum before you go. Your kids will enjoy the artist’s work much more when they feel connected to the artist. Maybe you can even schedule a studio tour with the artist. It never hurts to call and ask!
• Leave prepared. Have all the stuff you would have wherever you go. Feed the kids. Wear comfy shoes.
• Get a map. Plan out your tour, learn where the bathrooms are (and the fire exits too) and see what’s available for viewing.
• Get a tour from a docent. They will tell you all the interesting tidbits you might never learn otherwise. They are passionate about the museum and will usually offer a great tour.
• Go on a regular basis. You don’t have to see the whole thing at once. Take it in small bites and savor each moment.
• Buy a membership. Membership really does have its privileges. Members have access to private shows, special events, classes and newsletters. And if you are a regular museum goer you’ll save money on admission.
• Plan a visual scavenger hunt. Make a list for the kids to check off, such as “a lady with a hat” or “a piece of fruit” or “a statue of a horse” and let them look for them.
• Don’t skip the gift shop. It’s a great place to pick up unusual gifts. And they almost always have neat things you can use in your homeschool, like sunprinting paper, models and art prints.

In case you find yourself in a rut, here is a list of creative expression. You can also download the 25 creative notebooking ideas here.

1. paper folding
2. portraits
3. write a story and illustrate it
4. collage
5. mosaic with construction paper or magazine pictures
6. drawings
7. cut outs
8. silhouettes
9. rubber stamping
10. stickers to add to a picture or draw around
11. photographs
12. coloring pages
13. printable fonts that can be colored
14. pockets to put things in
15. door or flaps to hide things
16. pop-ups
17. paintings
18. rubbings or impressions
19. CD recordings of kid’s voice, documents, music, video, etc.
20. fold out pages for long projects
21. sew paper
22. create an award
23. cut words and letters from newspapers or magazines
24. create a small book and place in a pocket on a page
25. paper weaving

If you want to add to the list please leave a comment.