Article Type Making Art Together Making Art Together Categories Bookmaking

Easy Rainbow Books

Diana MacKenzie

Here is a quick bookmaking project that will brighten any gray winter day! We love teaching children how to make this style book because it doesn’t require any glue, tape or staples. Read on to see how!

Gather four to six sheets of paper, all the same size in your favorite colors. Sometimes we use the full rainbow, other times we just stick to warm or cool colors.

Fold each paper in half, like a card. This is called a “pamphlet”.

With a pair of scissors, cut a shape out of each side of the pamphlet. Be careful not to cut too close to the folded edge, you’ll need this area in tact to bind your book. Kids love cutting out their own funky shapes!

Any shapes will work! Save your scraps to use for future collage projects.

After all of your shapes are cut, arrange your pamphlets in the order you like the best. You could even design the shapes to reveal other pages in fun ways.

These kindergartners are ready for the next step!

Use two paper clips to keep your pages in place so you can punch 2 holes along the spine.

We use a 2-hole punch from the office supply store, but you can also use a single-hole punch for this step. Just make sure you don’t punch the holes too close to the edge of the paper.

Take a standard rubber band and loop it through one of the holes. Position a stick through the rubber band’s loop. Wrap the rubber band around the back, through the second hole. The stick should fit through both loops in the rubber band, keeping it in place.

Once your stick and band binding is in place you can remove the paper clips. Your book is complete!

For more bookmaking ideas, check out the bookmaking category on the blog.

Authors

Diana, smiling wearing an orange scarf and brown shirt.

Diana MacKenzie

Public Art Program Educator from 2007-2016, Diana has a BFA in Printmaking from Syracuse University and creates mixed-media works inspired by her travels, combining her interests in printmaking and sculpture. She received her M.A.T. from Mount Holyoke College in June 2017, and continues teaching visual arts to children and adults.