A fold-out sketchbook is one of the most satisfying things a kid can make. It starts as a plain sheet of paper, turns into a little book that stands up like a paper fan, and ends up with a sturdy cover that has the kid’s name on it.
Ours was made for a group trip to the mountains. While the grown-ups were deciding what to ask when looking at a bus from Denver to Aspen (how much luggage fits, where everybody meets, how long the ride runs), the kids were asking a question of their own: what do we do for all those hours? A sketchbook small enough for a lap was our answer, and it works just as well on a train or in the back seat of the family car.
What you’ll need
- 1 sheet of heavy printer paper or drawing paper, letter size (plain copy paper wrinkles sooner)
- 1 empty cereal box (or any thin cardboard, like the back of an old notepad)
- Clear tape, a glue stick (or white school glue), scissors, a ruler and a pencil
- Colored pencils for the ride, crayons for the cover
- A hair elastic or rubber band to hold the book shut
- A zip bag or pencil pouch for the ride kit (an empty snack bag is fine)
Set up your space
A kitchen table does the job. Lay down newspaper, and keep a tray beside you for the scissors, tape and glue stick so they don’t wander off. Pick a spot near a window for good light.
The mess plan is short: a damp dish towel for sticky fingers, an old shirt for anyone who colors with enthusiasm, and a stack of heavy books for pressing the covers. Nothing here gives off fumes, so it suits a rainy afternoon.
Step by step
Plan on about an hour in all. Grown-ups cut the cardboard, and kids take the folding, gluing and drawing.
Step 1: Cut the sheet and tape it into one long strip
About ten minutes. Lay the paper sideways, fold it in half the long way, and run the side of your thumb along the fold. Crease it hard before you cut, because a soft fold gives a wobbly line. Cut along the crease to make two strips, overlap the short ends by half an inch, and tape the join.
When it’s right, you have one long ribbon that holds together when you lift it by the ends. The usual slip is taping only one side, so the join peels open at the first fold. Tape both sides.
With kids: Let the little ones tear off tape pieces ahead of time and stick them along the table edge. It leaves the grown-up with both hands free.
Step 2: Fold the zigzag
About ten minutes. Fold the long strip in half, then in half again, then once more. Open it out and you’ll see seven creases and eight equal panels. Now refold it like a fan: one crease folds toward you, the next folds away, and so on down the strip.
When it’s right, the book stands up by itself in a zigzag. The common slip is folding every crease the same way, which wraps the strip into a roll. Alternate the direction of each fold and the roll opens right up.
Step 3: Make the covers
About ten minutes, with a grown-up on the scissors. Trace one panel onto the cereal box twice, then cut both rectangles a quarter inch bigger on every side. Glue the outside of the first panel onto one rectangle and the outside of the last panel onto the other, with the plain gray side of the cardboard facing out so no cereal logo peeks through.
The slip here is gluing only the middle, so the corners lift and curl. Spread the glue right out to the corners, press hard, and stack the books on top while you move on.
With kids: Younger kids are great at rubbing a glue stick from the center outward. Keep the cardboard cutting for the grown-up.
Step 4: Decorate the cover
About fifteen minutes. The gray cardboard takes crayon nicely. Pencil a title first (My Mountain Trip Book, say) with small dots where each letter will go, then trace over it. The classic slip is a title that shrinks as it runs out of room, so mark the middle of the cover and spell outward from there. Press hard with the crayon, because light coloring lets the gray show through and looks washed out.
Step 5: Give every panel a small job
About ten minutes. A blank page is a lot to ask on a long ride, so write one tiny prompt on each of the eight panels:
- Panel 1: my name, today’s date, where we’re going
- Panel 2: my seat, drawn before we leave
- Panel 3: three shapes I can see out the window
- Panel 4: color catch (scribble the exact color of something outside)
- Panel 5: a hat, coat or backpack somebody on the trip is wearing (no faces needed)
- Panel 6: the sky right now
- Panel 7: snack report, with stars
- Panel 8: the best thing today
For pre-readers, swap the words for pictures (an eye for “look”, a star for “best”) and write the labels yourself. Older kids can add their own, like a squiggly map of the route. Keep each prompt to a few words so there’s room left to draw.
Step 6: Pack the ride kit
About five minutes. Slip the elastic around the closed book and drop it in the pouch with three or four colored pencils. Leave the crayons and markers at home: crayons go soft in a sunny window seat, and an uncapped marker can stain upholstery. A book this size rests on a knee or a folded jacket, so nobody needs a tray table.
Draw in short bursts, then look out the window for a while. If anyone feels queasy with their head down over the page, put the book away and watch the horizon until it passes. Sharpen the pencils before you leave, because loose shavings in a bag are no fun.
Finishing and display
Leave the covers pressed under the books for about an hour so the glue sets flat. Once the trip is over, add a caption to a favorite page and tape in a flattened leaf or a ticket if you saved one.
To display it, stand the book open on a shelf so the zigzag shows every panel at once. It also makes a good gift for a grandparent who couldn’t come, since every panel is a little postcard from the day. Between uses, keep it closed with its elastic somewhere dry and out of direct sun.
Try it this weekend
Skip the cardboard and make a no-cut, no-tape mini book from one sheet of printer paper.
- Time: about 15 minutes
- Supplies: one sheet of paper, a pencil, a few crayons
- Fold the sheet into four tall panels like a fan, with one prompt on each
- The step that matters most: alternate the direction of each fold
Where to take it next
- A nature version. Swap the prompts for a hunt: a leaf rubbing, a tiny sketch of a rock, the shape of a cloud.
- A group version. Tape several strips together into one long book and give every family two panels. Pass it down the row so everyone adds a drawing.
- A watercolor version for older kids. Pack a mint tin of paint pans and a water brush, but save the painting for when you arrive, since wet paint and moving seats don’t mix.
However the ride goes, a book full of wobbly mountains and snack reports will be one of the best things you bring home.