Third graders made these paper bag sketchbooks at the beginning of the year to show off their lettering skills and to bring home a book to collect their drawings and memories. We talked about things the way artists use sketchbooks not only to draw, but also as a place to collect bits of inspiration. These books are perfect for collecting because when the bags are folded the opening creates a set of secret pockets in the book for storing small items. The bottom of the bag, the part that is folded over, makes a flap in the book that is a fun addition.
We used four bags for our book. The bags have to be hole-punched one at a time. I folded a piece of paper cut to the size of the binding and punched it twice for the children to use a template. Finished with a an easy rubber band and popsicle stick binding.