Tunnel Books

Tunnel books are fun and unique!  We made ours using a post card for a prompt and wrote a haiku to go with it.  I've made these with grade 4 and up, but younger students could enjoy this activity in "centers", with the help of parent volunteers, or by having the various parts prepped for them ahead of time.

There are lots of different directions you could take this project.  We added a pocket on the back for holding a written story that we added later.  Check out “Google Images” and “Flickr.com” for some inspiring photos of what others have done with tunnel books!

Materials (per student):

• 1 - 4x6 post card (a single, horizontal scene from nature is best for traditional Japanese haiku)
• *4 - 4x6 index cards (white)
• *4 - 4x6 index cards (white), each pre-cut into two 3”x4” pieces
• (3 extra 4x6 index cards, white, if you want to add a pocket in the back)
• 1 - 3x5 index card, cut to 2 ½”x4 ½” (a color other than white if possible, to use as a template for tracing the opening)
• scissors
• glue stick
• pencil and eraser
• lined paper for writing haiku
• black UF Sharpie
• colored pencils

(*Each “page” of your tunnel book will require two - 4x6 cards.  These instructions are for the four “page” book shown.)

Directions:

Haiku:
1. Begin by reading a few haiku poems to your students, so they get the feel for the structure of the verse.  Choose haiku that focus on nature as a theme, as you find in traditional Japanese haiku.  Explain that a haiku does not need to rhyme.  Titles are optional.
2. Show how each of the 3 lines has a specific number of syllables (5,7,5).  Practice by clapping out the syllables in the haiku you just read.
3. Pass out post cards and have students write a nature-themed haiku to go with their postcard.  The first line (5 syllables) introduces their subject, the 2nd line (7 syllables) continues describing it, and the 3rd line (5 syllables) completes the idea.  (A “What Am I?” haiku is fun for kids…. the student uses the haiku to describe something in the picture without naming it, somewhat like a riddle.)  

Tunnel Book:
1. First, make the hinged sides of your book by folding each of your 3”x4” index cards accordion style: fold in half lengthwise (“mountain fold”), then fold each loose edge up (“valley fold”) to line up with the fold in the middle.  
2. Next, put a little glue along the inside edge of two of your hinges, and place them on the left and right sides of the back of your post card.  Repeat this step for each 4x6 card.  
3. Then, center your 2 ½” x 4 ½” card on each of the 4x6 cards and trace around it.  These will be your pages and your “cover”.
4. Write one line of your haiku across the top of each of 3 cards, and your title (if you want one) across the other.  Trace with Sharpie.
5. Now, illustrate each page of your book by choosing elements from the post card and repeating them on the edges of each page.  Keep most of your design along the top, bottom and sides, but allow some elements to overlap into the center section.  (Remember that objects closer to you will appear larger than those farther away.  Outline your drawing with Sharpie and color with colored pencils.)
6. Cut away the center section of each page, cutting around any elements that extend into the middle.  (By pinching the middle of each page, without creasing to the edges, you can snip into the center to create an opening for your scissors.)
7. Assemble your tunnel book, working from the back (line 3 of your haiku) to the front, gluing the back of each hinged page to the hinges behind it.

Optional pocket:
8. Use one of your extra 4x6 cards to make a pair of hinges, like you did in step 1, above.
9. Glue the hinges to the front of a 4x6 card.
10. Fold the last 4x6 card in half width-wise and glue one half to the front of the 4x6 card.
Glue the other half to the back of your postcard.
11. Finally, glue the front of the hinges to the back of the post card to complete your pocket.  12. Now, write a story, fold it up, and put it in the pocket!