February 24, 2011

• Making the Lapbook

  It occurred to me yesterday as I was putting together resources for another lapbook that I have not shown you how I do lapbooking.  And it is probably a good idea to have done so, because I lapbook very differently than other people.  Then my friend Stephanie asked on FB if I ever did a tutorial, and sealed the fate of today’s post!

  There are a great number of lapbooking sites out there that show you how to make one using a colored file folder, refolding it so that it’s in thirds, a mid-section with two shutter-like flaps.

  This is not how I do it.

  I chose NOT to use file folders, because of the obscene price of the silly things.  Not to mention that finding different colored file folders can be very difficult.  Instead, I went to a local printshop and asked for colored, stiff cardstock.  $15/100 colored folders is $1.50 for each lapbook.  $0.15/ea cardstock sheets is thirty cents for each lapbook.  When you have six people making each lapbook, that adds up fast!  This is why the cardstock is what I use to make our lapbooks.  And I’ve put together a pictoral overview of how we assemble them and make them work for us.

  NoTe:  I apologize for the ghastly pictures.  I have lost my photo editor this week, and the disk I have is so old as to not be working any longer.  I’ve downloaded a free photo editing program, but it hasn’t the capabilites I’m used to having at my fingertips… and quite honestly, I’m sick at heart over this.  Something will have to be done, but I haven’t figured out what, just yet.

  

  In making cardstock lapbooks, you need two pieces of cardstock, one for the front and one for the back, and clear packaging tape.  I have – you probably noticed – been using pink cardstock.  This is because the local printer only had pink and green in stock, and I haven’t gotten to Grand Rapids to get other colors, yet.  HOWEVER, since we’re only lapbooking holidays, at this point, I’m glad to keep them all pink… so that later I might use brown for countries or green for science or whatever.

  

  Lay the first sheet down on the table, and cut a piece of tape about the size of the paper’s length.  I guesstimate, as long as it’s longer, that’s fine.  Lay your tape so that one quarter of its width is on the edge of the side of your paper.  I tape it right to the table – it peels up easily enough (and as you can see, my table is in bad shape, anyhow.).  Make sure it’s flat/straight, because once you tape it, you can’t pull it back up from the paper once it’s stuck down.

  

  Peel the tape up and flip your paper over so the tape is sticky-side up.  Then lay the second sheet of cardstock on top of the first sheet, lining up the sides and corners of both.  When it is even, fold over the tape so that the other edge’s 1/4th of it is smoothly affixed to the second (top) sheet of paper.  This leaves the middle two quarters of tape bowed out.

  

  Press it down flat, and it will look like this – overhang is fine.

  

  Then we simply trim off the access so that the tape is flush with the paper.

  

  I did too much – typically when I hole-punch the tape, it doesn’t punch the paper at all.  But you get the idea.  Punching the tape is clean, easy, and doesn’t stick (or make the hole-punch sticky).  This way, the lapbook can be put into a notebook along with others, for handy storage.  It also looks clean and crisp.

  If you need more pages (we did for Thanksgiving), you cut a piece of the tape, tack the end to the table and slice it in half length-wise with your scissors, and use each half to tape a third piece of paper inside (taping front and back).  I have also seen people add ‘fold up’ or ‘fold down’ pages.  I’ve never tried that, but it’s the same concept.

  Hope this helps!

  • 10:50 am
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