Sticky-Note Flip Books

Yesterday it was Molly's idea. Though I know this particular technique has been done before . . . still, it was something very new to all of us.

We were going to make animation flip books. You know-- lots of little pieces of paper all the same size, stapled together, and a picture drawn on each page, to show animated action happening . . . like a balloon flying up and away, or a flower growing, or someone waving his hand . . .

Well, Molly said, "We could use Post-It notes . . ." And we had some, so we tried it out-- and discovered that sticky notes work really well for this, and you don't have to cut out lots of little pieces of paper. Compared to using 3 x 5 cards, the pages move more quickly, so the action looks smoother.

We just tore off a certain segment of the notes-- about a 1/8 inch thick stack-- to use. Because there is still a sticky surface on the bottom page of the stack, you can just add one note in reverse position there, so the two sticky parts connect, and then the bottom won't be sticky.

James's animation was "Monster Eating 1 2 3." The numbers gradually appeared, and then a monster with big teeth gradually ate the numbers. Molly made a smiley face that slowly appeared, and then grew arms, and then a balloon was attached to one arm.

This turned out to be a really easy project. It only took about 5 or 10 minutes, and we all liked flipping the booklets to see the action. (So give it a try, if you're looking for a fun and simple art project !)

Good idea, Molly!