Name Book

We made this simple name book as the introductory activity in the teacher workshop in Utah this summer. Each person had one sheet of copy paper with writing on one side, two covers cut from cereal boxes (for US Letter paper the covers were 3" x 4.5"), glue stick, scrap paper, and scissors. On each table was a pile of miscellaneous collage papers. A good way to place them is in styrofoam trays for vegetables from the supermarket. I led the class through the construction of the accordion book. Each person then cut the letters of her (or his) name out of the collage papers and glued them across the accordion.

I like starting with this activity because it gives a taste of both aspects of bookmaking in one small package: following directions in the construction phase and independent creative work in the name phase. It also uses the accordion book as one long panel rather than separate pages and sends the message that book s can be places to experiment and have fun.

We did a show and tell of our books and used them to introduce ourselves. We then hung them from a yarn line for some instant room decoration. You could also have branches in a container and hang the books.

If you are doing it with a class, I think it's important for you to make a book along with the children. I think we need to take every opportunity we can to show our students that we are all in this together. We often forget that we are asking them to put themselves on the line every time they write something and share it and we need to acknowledge it and sometimes do the same.

Written directions

in Spanish

Video

Links and a Book

Meaning of Names
I thought this was the easiest to navigate (and no pictures of pregnant bellies as on the baby name sites). Susan means lily in Hebrew.

Popular Baby Names
Look up the most popular names by year as registered with the Social Security Administration. Susan was number 6 in the year I was born.

Name Days
In many cultures, name days are celebrated in addition to or in place of birthdays. My name day is August 11. Here's the wikipedia entry.

Happy Name Day
Find your name day here.

The Name Game: A Look Behind the Labels
by Donna M. Jackson
Interesting collection of information about names including babies, pets, hurricanes, companies, and more. Comic illustrations by Ted Stearns.