Helping kids tell their stories

When I first was introduced to book arts I felt an immediate "gut" reaction to the concept. It's still pretty hard to describe, but I knew right away that I wanted to explore all the nooks and crannies of the subject. At the time our book arts center was in the Minneapolis warehouse district. Despite cramped quarters, they did manage to provide a program for teachers who wanted to bring their kids in for the morning and make a book. Some examples were displayed around the center, along with letter press broadsides and fine edition binding. But it was the kids work that brought a little lump to my throat. Think of what it's like to tell a child...any child, no matter their literacy level...that they can make a book. What a powerful statement that is!
MCBA moved to the Open Book facility in 2000 and has a much larger and thriving school program and a phenomenal teen/mentor program called By Design. (Oh, to have had such a thing when I was in high school!) In the last few weeks, I was often at the center cutting book board, and the studios were full of the sound of young voices seemingly all talking at once.
I like to visit the web site for the San Francisco Center for the Book for inspiration. They keep a lively site going with pictures of books by teachers and students and they've done a wonderful job of engaging their hometown community.
Now I've discovered a lively blog sponsored by SFCB devoted to helping teachers use book arts in the classroom. One idea featured there now is a simple design with 3 folds and just one cut which changes a piece of paper into a 3D Storybook...and the kids take it away from there. If you're looking for inspiration, it's right there.