There are so many good reasons for story time. It supports early literacy, language and listening skills, cultivates imagination and creativity, and fosters a love of books. Best of all, story time is fun!

And story time is even more fun, when I’m reading MY book to the the cutest, most curious, funniest and very clever kids I’ve met lately.

{ well, I didn’t get the chance to meet all children – working on this one :)) }

I had four “Meet-the-author” sessions at my kids’ school, where I met the first and second grade children; Big eyes, facial expressions, the missing teeth smiles, the laughter –

And of course – their questions.

How I love those naive yet sophisticated questions!

They are the audience, I’m on a stage –

which actually is a rocking chair for me, and a rug for the kids.

I like to tell my story about the story –

How I came up with the story (They always love the part how my kids used to eat
v e r y   v e r y   s l o w l y  when they where young , and how I made up those dinner time stories that helped them memorize all of our extended family members that live across the sea).

I tell about the process of printing a book – from the moment the story sparks in my head – until the exciting moment I walked outside the printers, holding my first published hard covered book.

I read the book with some pauses – to guess, to brain storm, to engage,

to discuss colors and ideas,

and of course – questions.

I already said – my favorite part.

I love “meet-the-author” sessions. I like the interaction with my readers – young and old. Sometimes very old; real seniors (not the high-school or college ones…).
I like when people share their memories about their childhood books, what they liked, how is was back then, how childhood books influenced their lives. Fascinating!

This time, I wanted to give a little souvenir to each first-second grade child, something they will be happy to get and remember our meeting, something useful, and also to have information for their parents how to buy my book.

On the back, I decided to take the opportunity and add a little ad of my personalized wall art I make and sell at my ChicMango shop.

Magnetic bookmark

Here is a video tutorial I’ve created to show how I made these cute bookmarks.

The trick is simple and could be easily done with any print or message you wish:
It can be a souvenir from a birthday party, a family gathering, a “save the date” note, and/or to promote your business. It can also be a nice art project for a group of kids of all ages!

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You will need:

Cardstock paper (I used 8.5″ x 11″)

Printable labels (I used 2″ x 2″ square labels Avery brand #22816)

A ruler and an old pen for scoring – or a scoring board and bone

a pencil + ruler + scissors

or a cutting board + ruler + x-acto knife

Or a paper cutter

magnetic tape strips

Direction:

Print your images on the stickers. Think about both sides of the bookmark! You can also draw directly on the cardstock, and skip the stickers part.

When making a few bookmarks, it is easier to score the cardstock before cutting.

If using paper and sticker sizes like i did, score the cardstock on 2-6/8″ and 8-2/8 scoring lines.

If using a different size of stickers, adjust the paper size to be about 2/8″ wider than the sticker.

Cut the cardsctock paper into 5.5″ x 2.1″ rectangles, each with a score in the middle.

Peal and place one sticker on one side.

Turn and place other sticker on other side.

“Sandwitch” two magnetic strips, and chop into 1/4″ square pieces (simple scissors will do the work).

Turn the bookmark facing down and peel one backing of one side of the magnet sandwich. Place in the middle, close the edge of the paper as shown.

Peel off the other backing, 

Fold the bookmark along the scoring line, and press so the magnets will stick to both sides.

Make sure the fold is pressed well. You can use your finger, scissors of a scoring bone.

Read a book and clip the magnetic bookmark on both sides of the page you are at.

Don’t forget to come back to read more!

Can you guess how much I enjoyed making those bookmarks?
– Almost as much as the kids enjoyed receiving them!

Hope you’ll enjoy making your own bookmarks, and if you are interested to purchase my book “Mitz Mishmish Be’Kos Im Kash” (Zafra publishers, Israel, 2012), you are welcome to go HERE.

The book I have published (writing and illustrations) is in Hebrew language, including rhymes and colorful illustration for children ages 3-7 (younger and older love it too!).

The book “Apricot juice” {Mitz Mishmish Be’Kos Im Kash} tells about little Miss Kinneret who is going downtown on a very sunny day, looking for some apricot juice to drink. She enters every store she passes by, not always the ones you’ll typically find apricot juice in… along the way she discovers what can you find in a shoe store, a toy store, a clothes store and more. Happy and yummy ending and lots of colorful detailed illustrations.
Books shipped from the US to all over the world. I’ll be happy to add a dedication!