As a former preschool teacher, I am fully confident that a scrapbooking program can be run in a preschool classroom. Even a three year old can decorate a piece of paper, and a four or five year old can be instructed somewhat in design.
What you will need:
Photographs
I recommend taking photographs often, and getting triple prints developed. Try to capture the children together, so you are able to combine the photo with two or three kids. Avoid single photos except for special occasions, to avoid the higher cost. More photography tips in the next article.
Scissors
Enough for each child participating. If you decide to do it as a whole class, you will need one pair for each child in the class. If you decide to do it in smaller groups, you can limit.
Die Cuts and Shapes
I recommend cutting out die cuts and punching punchies before sitting down to create a page. The children will appreciate having everything handy. They don’t know what to ask for, at this age, they aren’t sure what “goes” on a scrapbook page. Right now we are just creating.
Adhesive
I recommend glue sticks for this age, but you will need to be sure they know how to apply enough to make everything stick well. You can use liquid glue but it can get expensive with a whole class, so if your budget allows, get the good stuff. Otherwise glue sticks are fine, and you can get acid free glue sticks almost anywhere.
Paper
Please do not use construction paper. It is so full of acid and will not only fade over time, it will begin to eat the photos. When my son was in Kindergarten seven years ago he made me a little book about his school year. It is literally brittle to the touch. We did take it to the copier and got each page scanned so I was able to “preserve” it, however even the extreme fading is evident. If you want to start your class on the right path to actually caring about what they are doing, use cardstock or just thin paper. Many stores will offer a discount if you buy in bulk and you can just order a huge package of white and cut it down to size.
See the next article in the series: Scrapbooking in the Preschool Classroom: A Few Tips To Get You Started, posting tomorrow in the Scrapbooking Blog.