Make an Accordion Book

An accordion book stands on its edge to show an assortment of your favorite things. You can draw or write a story in each panel, or make cut-outs with construction paper to fill the pages.  Here, we pasted in our favorite fruit and vegetables.

Materials 
1 sheet construction paper, (9-by-12 inches)
Scissors
Glue stick
1 piece thin cardboard (from a notepad or cereal box), cut into 3-by-5 inch squares
Additional sheets of construction paper in a variety of colors, optional
Markers or colored pencils, optional

1. Make the accordion pages
With the long side of the construction paper facing you, fold the paper in half from top to bottom, make a sharp crease, and then unfold. Next, fold the right and left sides of the paper toward the center so their edges meet. Now fold the paper in half from top to bottom again and then in half from left to right. When you unfold the paper there should be eight rectangles. 

With the short side facing you, cut vertically up the center fold until just before you reach the last two rectangles. Then fold the two rectangles together along the center crease to make the long accordion shape. Glue those two rectangles together.

2. Attach the covers 
To put a cover on your book, glue a cardboard rectangle to each end of the accordion.

3. Design the book
Use the additional construction paper to make shapes that will fit on each page and glue them to each panel. Alternatively, draw or write on each panel. 

4. Decorate the cover
Using construction paper, decorate with letter cut-outs to give the accordion book a title. Alternatively, use colored pencils or markers to decorate the cover and give your accordion book a title.