Making paper bag scrapbooks is a great project for kids that need to be enriched as well as occupied and entertained. During school breaks, kids are often bored and don't know what to do with the sudden surplus of free time. Life will be a lot happier for them AND you if you schedule some activities and projects to occupy their minds and bodies for part of that free time.
Making a kids scrapbook from paper bags is easy to do and doesn't require any special skills or expensive supplies. You probably have most of the things you will need already! Generally speaking, this project is best suited for ages 6 to 12.
I have included a video that shows how to put the bags together to form the scrapbook. You can get the idea without following it exactly - I was making my scrapbook about the birthday party we had at a farm, so I used rough burlap twine to hold it together to go along with the farm theme. You can use whatever you have available!
Dig out any craft supplies you have and let your child use his imagination!
Before getting started, help your child choose a topic for his scrapbook.
Here are some ideas of possible scrapbook topics:
My Summer Vacation
My Trip to ______ (the zoo; the beach; the park; Iowa; Grandma's, etc.)
My Family (help them do a family tree and make a page for each family member including photos, favorites, etc.)
Christmas (or any holiday) 2010 (or any year)
Aunt Betty's Visit
What you will need:
Three or more small paper bags
Hole punch
Ribbon, brads or rings for holding pages together
Glue, tape, scissors, etc.
Markers, crayons, etc. for decorating
Some ideas of things to include:
ticket stubs from movies, shows, etc.
party invitations
photos
pressed flowers or leaves
poems, stories, or essays about the topic of the scrapbook
holiday cards, if a holiday theme is used
postcards
Creative ways to decorate:
Cut images out of leftover scraps of wrapping paper
