How to Make a Notebook Using Cereal Boxes

Making notebooks is a great activity for kids in the summer months. They can make personalized notebooks to use in school. This is also a great project for adults or college students trying to cut back on expenses or embracing a recycle-reduce-reuse lifestyle.

Things You'll Need

• Cardboard food box (cereal box or Pop Tart box for smaller notebooks)
• 20 sheets scrap paper that are clean on one side
• Three brads
• Three-hole punch
• Scissors
• Ruler

Instructions

1. Cut the cereal box down the sides, creating two halves.

2. Use the three-hole punch to create binding holes in the front and back panels, as well as in the 20 sheets of scrap paper.

3. Set the back of your cereal box flat on the table so the colored side is down. Stack the scrap paper on top of the back cardboard so that the clean side is facing up. Be sure to line up all the holes you punched. If the paper is wider then the cereal box, you can trim it down so that it fits inside your notebook.

4. Place the front of the cereal box on top of the scrap paper with the picture side facing up, and insert one brad into each of the three holes, attaching the paper and the cardboard covers together.

5. Place the ruler down on the front cover, covering the brads, and fold the cardboard back using the ruler as a straight edge. Crease the cardboard on the fold so that it is easy to open and close.

Tips & Warnings

• Once the notebook is finished you can use markers or glitter pens to personalize the front and back covers.

• If you’d rather decorate the cover yourself, you can assemble the notebook so that the colored side of the cereal box is facing in and the solid cardboard side is facing out.

• You are not limited to cereal boxes for this project. You can use the boxes from Pop Tarts, macaroni and cheese or any other food product with a box you like.

• When using the three-hole punch it is important not to try to punch through to many sheets of paper at one time because you can break the punch.

• Children should not cut apart the cereal box without adult supervision.

Resources

• More Great Crafts for Kids