SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About TLT
  • Reviews
    • Book Reviews
    • A to Z Book Lists
    • Book Review Policy
  • Teen Issues
  • Middle Grade Mondays
  • Programs
    • TPiB
    • Tech Talk
  • Professional
    • Teen Services 101
    • Things We Didn’t Learn in Library School
  • MakerSpace
  • Projects
    • #SVYALit
    • #FSYALit
    • #MHYALit
    • #Poverty in YA Lit

April 8, 2020 by Karen Jensen, MLS

DIY Zines and Homemade Mini Activity Books

April 8, 2020 by Karen Jensen, MLS   1 comments

My library, like many other libraries, has turned to online programming during this time. One of the things to look for when sharing online STEAM activities and video tutorials is what kinds of materials and supplies they require, because not every house has a well stocked craft closet and running out to buy supplies right now does not help us flatten the curve. Which is why we have instituted family zine night at my house. Zines are a creative, fun and easy thing to make and all you need is a piece of paper, scissors, and something to write with.

Zines are small, mini books or magazines that an individual can create to educate, empower and start a revolution. Zines have a pretty interesting history and are an important part of our culture and history. They are incredibly important to feminism. The zine format was even used recently in comic book form to help educate kids about the coronavirus. Check out the short documentary about zines up above to learn more.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Throughout the year, there have been several nonfiction titles that talk about zines. Zines have also made an occasional appearance in YA literature.

She’s Got Moxie: A YA novel where feminist zines take front and centre
In the YA novel Moxie, zines play a role in helping a group of girls stand up against the sexual assault culture of their local high school. You should definitely read it.

So making a zine is a great DIY activity to do at all times, but it’s easy to share and do with teens during these times because it has a rich history that you can share AND it’s fun and easy without requiring a lot of supplies. Here’s a brief rundown of DIY zines.

Supplies:

  • Blank sheet of paper, printer paper works best but really any paper will do
  • Scissors
  • Writing implements like pens, colored pencils, etc.

Here’s a quick tutorial I found and used to learn how to fold a zine:

Using the tutorial above, The Teen was able to follow the simple instructions and create her own Zine.

We found it easiest to fold our zine into the booklet shape and then write a small page number on each page before opening it up again and filling it in. This helped us keep track of which square was each page.

She then took the time to draw and write a short story for her zine.

When she was done, it looked like this:

It turns out I am completely unable to draw, so I made an activity book for Thing 2. It looked like this:

I looked up various puzzles online and used them as templates.She loved the activity book a lot and we have made several! Her favorite activity was coloring in the line shapes I made and requested that I made her a mini coloring book using that technique – which I did. I highly recommend them making zines, especially if you turn them into mini activity books to share with others.

Have a teen writing group? Zines are a great activity to share with them as well.

More about Zines: https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=middle-school-ya-zine-project-makes-kids-the-bosses

Nonfiction to help you in your pursuit of zines:

Filed under: Uncategorized

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Karen Jensen, MLS

Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

December 2022

Book Mail: Romances, thrillers, mysteries, dystopias, and more!

by Karen Jensen, MLS

December 2022

The Difference Between YA and NA, a former teen now new adult reader perspective

by Karen Jensen, MLS

December 2022

Post-It Note Reviews: Quick looks at 9 new titles

by Karen Jensen, MLS

October 2022

Reclaiming Queer History, a guest post by James Brandon

by Karen Jensen, MLS

October 2022

I Wrote a Book About the Pandemic. I'm Scared No One Will Want to Read It, a guest post by Sara Saedi

by Karen Jensen, MLS

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

Surprise! Announcing CABOOSE

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Jump Into this Guest Post by Shadra Strickland About Her Latest Book: Jump In!

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Kiss Number 8 | Review

by Johanna

Heavy Medal

What’s Coming in 2023, A Feedback Poll, and Goodbye for Now…

by Steven Engelfried

Teen Librarian Toolbox

WRITING FOR YOURSELF FIRST, a guest post by author M. K. Lobb

by Karen Jensen, MLS

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

A Book 25 Years in the Making: Marla Frazee Visits The Yarn

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

All the Swoons: 32 YA Novels for Romance Awareness Month

6 Middle Grade & YA Novels on Repeat for Groundhog Day

23 Latinx YA Picks for Latinx Heritage Month and All Year Long

2 Contemporary Retellings of 'Pride and Prejudice'

Rivalries, Rumbles, and Teen Love: 'West Side Story' Read-Alikes

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. Around the Web: April 15th Edition – The BookBandit Blog says:
    April 15, 2020 at 9:00 am

    […] thought of creating your own zine? Now’s the […]

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2023


COPYRIGHT © 2023