Creative Tuesday ~ Make: DIY Kid’s Mini Cookbook

{Post courtesy of Caroline, a TerraSavvy contributor who also creates on her blog, Salsa Pie.}

So, the other day when I came across an idea for books that can be crafted by kid’s from, get this-paper lunch sacks, you can bet I was all over it! I tweaked the idea a bit, and the kids and I made little mini-cookbooks to chronicle our adventures in the kitchen. I love this idea because after we make something,  they have a little activity (they can diary their cooking experience or draw pictures) and I have a little quiet “get the kitchen back in order” time!

Here’s how you can make these too-

Materials Needed:

Paper lunch sacks/bags

Printed out pictures of recipes completed (Optional-kids can draw their own pictures)

Sewing machine (Optional-you can staple the book together)

School glue

Recipe cards

Craft paper

Markers

Step 1

First, we printed out pictures of things we had cooked together (like this yummy Apple Pie) then we cut out those pictures. We also drew text for our book: ” My Cookbook” and “Holiday Cookbook” etc. Once we finished with these first few items, we set them aside.

Step 2

We gathered 4 lunch sacks and craft paper.  Then we folded our lunch sacks in half and cut our craft paper to the same size as our folded bags.  Once the craft paper is cut to size, we glued it onto one half of the bag (see picture below for more detail) creating the front cover of our cookbook. I followed up with the sewing machine, sewing around the edges. I also sewed on the lettering for the kids (to give it a more finished look) but they can really just glue this on themselves.

Step 3

After we created our cover, I sewed the flaps of the bag bottoms closed by sewing a short line on the top and bottom leaving a little pocket to tuck away special recipes.

Step 4

We stacked the bags alternating the bag bottom on right, then left until all our bags were stacked. We folded the bags in the center to make a crease then sewed  a simple stitch to bind the book. * If you want you can just staple the pages together as an alternative.

Step 5

Inside the pages of our book we glued pictures of all our baking victories and tucked away recipes written on cards.
There are no rules for what to do with this book, so let your kids have fun and just go for it! I found that not only was this a fantastic way for the kids to record cooking memories, but the project also reminded me that the kitchen experiences we have together last well beyond what we make.