Make It Monday: Mini Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

You know me, I like to make things.

I sat down on Saturday in the midst of my paper crafting materials, and tried to make something new. I had no idea what I would make when I sat down, but I did have fun coming up with an idea. 

I decided to use my mini file folders for this project. I purchased a whole slew of folders several years ago when they arrived at the Dollar Tree (I love dollar stores!!), and I've used them for many projects. My mom, a retired Occupational Therapist, said that her clients would complete a mini file folder without complaint but would complain about having to do a big folder. I made sure that there were just as many tasks to do on the mini folders as on the big folders when I made them for her and for her clients, but the lack of complaints continued. Her clients seemed to think that they were getting away with doing less work when they had a mini folder.



As you can see, the mini folders are about the size of a 4X6 card and are smaller than a regular file folder. They came in red, blue, and black. I originally decided to use the blue folders, but changed my mind after a bit. You'll see why.

I decided to make a song folder for Five Little Monkeys Jumping On the Bed. I've made one of these folders before, but I thought if I made some mini folders, I could get more students involved in moving pieces and singing. So, out came the monkey stickers and the drawing materials.

I started the process by drawing a bed. Then, I scanned it into the computer and printed it off in two sizes - 4X6 and 3X5. After looking at the sizes, I decided that I liked the 3X5 prints better, so I printed off four of them. Then, I started to color!

I like identical folders to a point. I decided that each bed would look different. I like a bit of novelty when it comes to making things. I drew two beds with patterned blankets and two with solid blankets. Once I was finished with the coloring, I decided that the blue folders made it difficult to see the beds, so I switched to red folders!

To make the monkeys, I used some stickers that I bought at an educational supply store some time ago. I like these monkeys - they are pretty cheeky monkeys. I put one monkey per square (that I punched out with one of my paper tools), and got them ready to laminate. I finished up the project by gluing the beds to the folders, putting the numbers 1-5 above the bed, and then adding some Velcro for moving monkeys around the folder.

If you are interested in knowing how you can make your own set of Jumping Monkeys (those cheeky monkeys!!) folders, let me know in the comments!

Happy Making, Monday Music Therapists!