How to Make Farm-Themed Pop-Up Books

For a child who loves farm animals a farm-themed pop up book is lots of fun to make and read.

Make your own farm-themed pop-up books to focus on your child's favorite animals and farm machinery. Making pop-up books with a child requires a little advanced preparation and a lot of creativity, but the results are worth the effort.

Things You'll Need

• Scrapbook or other heavyweight paper
• Markers or paint
• Images of farm animals, buildings and equipment
• Scissors
• Glue
• Tape

Instructions

Design your pop-up book

1. Consult existing pop-up books from the library or bookstore for inspiration. Take notes on the elements of the book, including where pop-up elements are folded and glued to the page. How-to templates give more direction and may save time. Modify templates to suit your farm theme.

2. Choose farm-related images that appeal to your child. This can be a fun project to do together. You may decide to color or paint on photocopies of the images, or draw the images yourself. Include animals such as pigs, horses, cows, chickens, dogs and cats. Find photos of tractors, hay wagons, pick-up trucks and barns at the library. Remember to include fruit trees and berry bushes, and don't forget the farmer!

3. 

   Decide whether your pop-up book requires a story. You may choose simply to feature different parts of the farm on each page and describe them with a few words, or you may write a story about the adventures of an animal or child who lives on the farm.

4. Decide what elements of the book you want to pop-up. For instance, you may decide to make animals and machinery pop-up against the backdrop of various farm scenes.

5. 

   Fold heavyweight paper in half to create two facing book pages. Using paint, markers, or photocopies, create backdrops for your pop-ups directly on the page. On a separate sheet of paper, glue images for pop-up elements and cut them out. For a simple pop-up, fold element down the middle, then glue corners to backdrop pages equal distances from the center of the book. You may need to experiment with the placement of your pop-up element using tape, and move element around until you achieve the desired effect. When you are satisfied with the pop-up placement, glue it in place.

6. Repeat this process until you have enough pages to complete your book. Attach pages to each other by gluing or taping page backs together. Don't forget to include a cover, and be sure to have your child sign his or her name as the author.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep it simple for your first pop-up book by using a single three-dimensional element per page. If you or your child loves to experiment, try more difficult effects, such as multiple pop-ups or other moving elements. Consult pop-up books to explore the possibilities.

• Use child-friendly scissors, washable markers and paint to avoid injury and stains.

References

• Easy to Make Pop Ups by Joan Irvine
• Pop up book ideas with instructions and photographs
• Videos about making pop ups

Resources

• ABC3D by Marion Bataille