Novel Bookmarks

Kids who are hooked on chapter books can mark their reading progress with personalized bookmarks, which are easy to make, sturdy and may even speed up page turning.

MATERIALS
• Construction paper or poster board
• Scissors or pinking shears

OPTIONAL
• Tassel, ribbon or braided material
• Stickers
• Rubber stamps and ink pad
• Magazine cutouts
• Graph paper
• Markers or colored pencils
• Spare personal photographs
• Glue
• Glitter
• Clear, self-adhesive paper

For each bookmark, begin with a piece of construction paper or poster board 6 inches long and 1- to 2-inches wide. For wavy or jagged edges, cut the paper with pinking shears. You can cover the bookmark with clear, self-adhesive paper for a glossy finish. You also can punch a hole in the top of the bookmark and tie on a tassel, ribbon or colorful braid.

STICKERS GALORE:
Kids can show off their sticker collections on their bookmarks. Put one large seal on the bottom of the paper or line several smaller ones in a row.

RUBBER STAMPS:
Print colorful figures or shapes onto the paper. If you have alphabet stamps, your kids can print their names or the book's title.

MAGAZINE COLLAGE:
Cut out colorful pictures from magazines or travel brochures. Overlap the images and lightly glue them onto the bookmark.

GEOMETRIC DESIGNS:
Cut a strip of graph paper to the same size as the bookmark, and glue them together. Working from the center out, use fine-tip markers or colored pencils to create geometric designs in the squares. Try diagonal stripes, symmetrical patterns or random color squares.

PHOTO COLLAGE:
Gather spare snapshots of family members, friends or pets. Cut out figures and lightly glue them onto the paper. Then, jazz up the images with funny bubble captions.

GLITTER:
Sprinkle the bookmark with glitter, then cover it with a piece of clear, self-adhesive paper. Trim the paper, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Or, sprinkle glitter on the sticky side of the self-adhesive paper, cover it with a second piece and trim the edges.