Have you seen our beautiful list of books that track the seasons and events of Australia.
Your child may not live on a farm like the children in these stories, but they could compare their Australian life to the ones portrayed in the picture books. For children, making their own book can be just as enjoyable as reading. Here is an idea for your own Lift-the-flap record book.
Parents of babies and toddlers will need to make the majority of this book themselves. However toddlers will be great at decorating their book. They will absolutely love the finished product: Lifting the flaps to find photos of themselves.
Pre-schoolers and children can even choose their own photos.
Books that inspired us:
- All Through the Year, by Jane Godwin and Anna Walker (Viking Australia)
- A Year on Our Farm, by Penny Matthews and Andrew McLean (Omnibus Books)
You will need:
- Coloured paper
- Crayons or pencils
- Photos
- Glue and sticky tape
- Twine or ribbon
Our approach to making: A lift-the-flap record book.
1. Create a page for each season of the year: Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring
2. Go through the photos taken of your family over the past year
3. Talk with your child about the photos and decide when each photo was taken. In what season was each photo taken? (You might like to look for clues in the photos)
4. Choose 3 or 4 photos to include on each page
5. Attach the photos to the appropriate pages of your record book
6. Cut squares or rectangles large enough to cover each photo in your record book
7. Lay these squares/rectangles over the photos and glue or tape one of the edges onto the page (allowing you to lift the flap)
8. Decorate each flap with one word and one image which explain the photo
9. Add a front cover and attach the pages together. Don’t forget to decorate your book.
10. Read through your record book with your child. Talk about the things you did last year. Talk about what the photos from each season have in common. Talk about what types of activities you do each season in Australia.
