Mini Travel Journal Tutorial

For an upcoming trip, my son made a mini travel journal to keep track of interesting sights and fun adventures. I hope he'll fill it with notes, drawings, and later photos of our trip.

I presented this book-making activity at a school book fair last year, and it was a big hit. I pre-cut the paper (I used scrapbook paper for the book cover), cardboard, and ribbon, and the children assembled the books themselves. Some of the kindergarten-aged kids needed a little bit of adult help with the project, but most kids found it very doable--and inspiring.

What you'll need:

--12 x 7 piece of paper for the book cover*

--8.5 x 5.5 piece of paper for the inside of the book cover*

--approx. 5.75 x 8.75 piece of light cardboard, folded in half**

--3 sheets of plain printer paper, cut in half so that you have six 8.5 x 5.5 sheets

--14-inch ribbon (optional)

--electrical tape for book binding (optional)

--glue stick

--extra-long stapler (I can't resist office supplies, so I splurged and bought one of these.)

*I used pages from an old atlas to reflect the travel theme for the outside and inside covers.

**I cut an old manila folder into quarters for the cardboard.

Step 1

Apply glue liberally to one side of the cardboard. Glue the cardboard to the 12 x 7 sheet of paper, making sure that the pattern or image you want will show on the outside. The cardboard should be roughly centered on the paper.

Step 2
Apply glue to the outside edges of the "wrong" side of the book cover paper.

Fold long edges of the book cover paper down over the cardboard, and then fold the shorter edges down. Be sure to press down to make sure the paper and cardboard adhere. 

Step 3 (Optional)

Lay the ribbon in the middle of the cardboard so that about five inches of ribbon hang off the left and right side of the book cover. Glue the ribbon onto the cardboard. The ribbon will keep the journal closed for extra privacy!

Step 4
Apply glue liberally to the smaller piece of paper and glue down onto inside of the cardboard cover and over the ribbon.

Step 5

Stack six pieces of the printer paper and fold in half. Staple into the middle of the book along the fold. (I had to do the stapling for my son, and it's tricky getting the staples right into the fold.)

Optional: To reinforce the ribbon closure, staple the ribbon near the book edge. You may want to cover the staple with a sticker.
Step 6

Apply a length of electrical tape to simulate a book binding--and to cover up the staples. Give the book a title, and start writing!