Homemade Book Advice

[Kballent]

I've been using LR, YBCR, and flashcards with my son.  I was wanting to make some little books for him so that he doesn't forget the material I've already shown him.  What does everyone recommend for that?  I was thinking I could laminate the pages, but am not sure how to bind them.  Should I buy a binding machine?  Can I use those little circle clips that they sell at office supply stores?  I even read I could use cable ties.  I just want something that will withstand some wear and tear.

Also, any ideas for what kinds of books to make?  I was thinking of "My Family" or "Farm Animals."  When he is older, I can take pictures of him doing things, so it will be easier to come up with ideas.

[TmS]

I use cable ties to bind mine - even though I have a binder it's really just easier in the end to put a couple of cable ties in. But that could just be my laziness.

I think the important thing is to keep the words and pictures on separate pages at this point.

My family and Farm animals are a great start.

Weather, transport, occupations or even anything from your EK follow his interests .

Have fun with it.

[kizudo]

Colours, too!

I made my son a book that mixed colours with family. ie "Grandma is wearing a green hat."  "Auntie Kim is wearing pink boots.", etc.  Actually, I made a few copies one for each of my husband's siblings interchanging "Mommy" & "Daddy" with "Auntie" or "Uncle" and gave it to them for Christmas.  It was a HUGE hit!

[Twinergy]

I like the idea of cable ties.  I used the metal rings and had lots of issues with them falling open.  Then there is the issue that it is made out of some unknown, possibly toxic, metal.  They just aren't made for kids who put things in their mouths all the time.  I always had to watch out for that.  But the method of punching holes then threading something through to bind them works out well.  I would recommend 5 mil laminating sheets. 

Another method of binding that I have used involves double sided tape and 3 mil, more flexible, laminating sheets.  The edges are flimsy, so I reduced the borders to 2mm on 3 sides because the floppy edge bothered me.  On the fourth side I left a border that's about 12mm and used that area to tape the sheets together.  There needs to be about 1mm between the tape and the edge of the page inside the laminating sheets.  This will leave a flexible are for turning the pages. 

I just had another idea but haven't tried it out.  What about using 5 mil sheets with strips of fabric and hot glue to stick it all together?  It sounds like it might work, but it might not be as durable as cable ties. 

As for the binding machine, I took the first book I made to a copy store and had them use a spiral binding.  It cost me $4 and the kids were eventually able to pull it apart.  I think a comb binding would have similar issues and wouldn't waste my money on it. 

[Twinergy]

Another thing I just thought of...
The hole punch I got was not long enough to accommodate the laminating pouchs I used.  If you are planning on printing with letter size paper the pouches will be a little longer, so I would recommend a hole punch that will accommodate legal size paper. 

[luvn4]

If you have a sewing maching you can sew the pages together.  My kids love this, just sew down the middle of the pages and fold.  You can do about eight to ten pages.  Have fun!

Sandy

[Krista G]

This is the easiest way I have found to make books.

http://teachingbabytoread.com/2010/04/09/teach-baby-to-read--how-to-make-your-own-reading-books.aspx

[ariel]

I tried using old photo albums purchased from a used store.  They hold the pictures perfectly and so far are bearing my 2 year old's harsh use.      They also have enough room to do Doman style, pictures separate from sentences.   

But I still see my child to be far from reading them even when she knows letter sounds.  Maybe I should have done phrases rather than sentences. 

[Krista G]

Photo albums work great.  I made lots of the small travel size books to carry in my diaper bag.  You can do single words easily in the small albums.  Use an index card for the word and a picture to show the meaning.  You can do an album of family members.  My kids love these.  You can also use one album to make two books.  Place the word, flip the page and put a picture.   Once you done this, flip the book over and make a new one going in the other direction.

Here is link to a family album I created that is still popular years later.

http://teachingbabytoread.com/2009/01/31/create-a-family-album.aspx

[Kballent]

So many creative ideas!  Thank you all.  The people on this forum constantly amaze me!

When you use zip ties, does it create sharp edges when you cut the tail off?  I remember fixing something with zip ties once, but kept cutting myself with it.  That's why I was worried about using them for a baby.

I do have one of those little photo albums.  I was planning on putting photos in there corresponding to the different letters of the alphabet, but I like the family idea better!  Maybe I will try out everyone's method and see what works best for us!

[terresavance]

Thanks for sharing.

[JamiC]

Thank you for the wonderful ideas!

[andreasro]

The best way to bind the books I made for my kids has been to use book rings. You can easily open them and close them back, and kids can move the pages as they like. I used either thick cardstock or laminated the pages.

I made a book with a poem we were learning about shapes,
one book with solfege from Soft Mozart,
one other book about seasons,
one book about animals and letters starting the name of each animal (it was also a coloring book),
one book about my oldest son (his birth city and date, what he likes, with pictures about the city and our country and with him in different moments of his life),
one with my youngest (he is born in a different city, again different pictures for everything etc - they learn about their history and geography in the same time),
one book on things to wear in cold season.

The laminated pages have been the most durable version of the books. The book rings are really cheap (we bought a box of 100 pieces) but laminating needs a bit more... It is worth though.

Andrea

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