Magic Folding Books

For Fun and Learning

Presented by Martha Stanley, NBCT This presentation but not the idea for the folding book is copyrighted. ©2004

Why Magic Books?

Students use their psychomotor and kinesthetic intelligences.

They are a unique way to present information for learning or reinforcement.

They are useful as a graphic organizer with many applications.

They’re very mysterious!

Materials

Paper • Each book requires 1 ½ sheets of 8.5”x 11” paper.

• Card stock is best. • Heavy paper in wild colors is also nice.

• Use 2 or 3 different colors of paper.

Scissors

Preparations

Cut some of your card stock in quarters. You will use this to weave into the other piece of card stock. Always leave one color of your card stock uncut.

It’s fun to have at least three colors of card stock, but two is fine.

Process

1. Lay your paper in “landscape”.

2. Fold the paper in half.

3. Fold the paper in quarters, lengthwise, forming a “W.”

It should now look like a “W”.

4. Cut the innermost fold up to the next fold lines.

Innermost fold Cut to here

5. Weave your quarter strips into the cuts.

You know – over and under and over and under…

It should look like this.

6. Find the “magic” pages!

If you flatten out the paper, you will see two sides, front and back.

The “magic” is finding the third side of the book.

Clue: the book separates in the centermost fold and reveals the third side.

Pull apart here to get this!

1 2 3 4 1 5

1

It’s magic!

6 4

Uses Lyrics Note name and symbol recognition Poetry Composer Projects Instrument Families Games A million more….

The Magic Folding Book

By Martha Stanley, NBCT This presentation but not the idea for the folding book itself is copyrighted. ©2004