Making Books with Pockets: January NOTE: This book used to be called JanuaryTheme Pockets

For more information about the Making Books with Pockets series, and for great tips on using these books, please click here.

To view sample pages from inside this book, please click here.

**Please note that the Theme Pockets line of books has been re-titled Making Books with Pockets. The covers have changed, but the contents of the books are the same.**

Each Making Books with Pockets title covers three complete themes. Several topics are covered for each theme. The themes covered in this title are:

1. Four Seasons: This book has four pockets, one for each season. Each pocket includes an art project about the seasons of an apple tree. The tree is presented as it would appear during that season. Cute! There is also a picture dictionary of seasonal words, a "Winter/Spring?Summer/Fall Is . . . . " creative writing project for each pocket,, a kangaroo-shaped book about things that spring (play on the word "spring," an accordian fold book of things that "fall," a snowman craft, a (friendly) scarecrow project, a beach scene project, and a wonderful seasonal collage for the cover.

2. Penguins: OK, I have to admit that before I saw this book, I was a teeny bit skeptical about doing an entire pocket about penguins . . . but now that I have seen it, I am enchanted! This is a fairly in-depth study that could easily stand alone or be added to units about polar/arctic exploration, birds, ocean creatures, life cycles, habitats, and more. This book has three pockets. The first is about penguins in general, the second is about penguin habitats, and the third covers penguin life cycles. Projects include an interesting and informative penguin mini book (Did you know that there are 17 kinds of penguins??!!), picture cards and an easy-to-use report form for writing about different kinds of penguins, math and measurement activities, geography and mapping activities, a penguin flap book (a creative writing story is hidden under his wings!), a food chain project, a life cycle wheel, an egg-shaped hinged book about where different kinds of penguins lay their eggs, a picture dictionary, and more. The entire pocket book is decorated to look like a penguin as well.

3. Famous Americans: There are four pockets in this book: one each for John Hancock, Betsy Ross, Ben Franklin, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Each pocket includes an interesting and easy-to-read fact sheet about the individual. Other activities include writing a declaration, sewing a bookmark, re-creating the original American flag, creating a wonderful Poor (fill in child's name) Almanack, making a folded, kite-shaped book about Ben Franklin's accomplishments, creating a handprint book with suggestions for making the world a "better place," and more. NOTE: While I think that the projects in this particular pocket book are terrific, they are more geared towards just touching on each person's life rather than taking any sort of in-depth look. I suggest either adding several living books to each study, or using the projects to add to more comprehensive studies.