Has anybody made their own storysacks?

[*Katrina*]

I really like the idea of making my own storysacks, have seen some lovely sacks/bags on ebay but was wondering if anyone had some tips/ideas of what to put in them and where they have found items?
I'm guessing ebay might be one option.

[CH1957]

Ive done one for Handas Surprise. Some soft toy animals as in book, the fruits in book (plastic but could do wood etc), I also did some animal face masks.

Forgot to say, I got the sack ready printed from EBay, about £5.

[tulip0803]

I have done Handas surprise too. I used lots of small soft toys that my daughters had (mcdonalds stuff and finger puppets for the animals) small wicker basket, knitted fruits that I got off ebay for £8 and some dolls. Once you have a basic sack you can add extensions as you find them (games, activities and fact books).

I also did the gruffalo, pwdin siocled & Nos da anifeiliad (welsh), I have some topic resource ones too - dinosaurs, jungle animals, people who help us and creepy crawlies.

The kids love them

You can use anything in them even if it only bears a passing resemblence to the picture in the book - I have a reindeer as an antelope in the Handa's surprise book! I have photocopied and laminated pictures when really stuck. I managed to find a Handa CD with songs, music and activities in Bargain Box so that has gone in the sack too now

[blue bear]

I bought iron on paper from staples, so googled the book in images printed off and ironed on front of bag from crafty crocodiles (£1) just make sure there is no writing as it will come out back to front. I used fabric pens to write title on the bag. they look really good.
I just found a book on the shelf and went round the house finding things that relate to it.
Lots of printables on the Internet, just google bookname story bag resources.

I have going on a bear hunt, gruffalo, shapes and colours, three Billy goats gruff, hungry caterpillar, all kinds of people, handas surprise, jolly postman, each peach pear plum and a big duffle bag with den making stuff(inspired by Elizabeth jarman)

[mrstom]

I bought iron on paper from staples, so googled the book in images printed off and ironed on front of bag from crafty crocodiles (£1) just make sure there is no writing as it will come out back to front. I used fabric pens to write title on the bag. they look really good.
I just found a book on the shelf and went round the house finding things that relate to it.
Lots of printables on the Internet, just google bookname story bag resources.

That's brilliant! I can't sew for toffee and had never thought of iron on paper and googling images! I'm going to borrow your idea if that's okay?

[desiderata]

if there is writing just set your printer to mirror image and it will be ok

[blue bear]

That's brilliant! I can't sew for toffee and had never thought of iron on paper and googling images! I'm going to borrow your idea if that's okay?

Course it is, glad to be of help

[pinkellifun]

I made my own using a white pillowcase (its my first so will improvise as I go along! ). I used a book called The Noisy Train and found some cuddly toys of animals in the book, a train, a train driver, blocks that could spell TRAIN, a Thomas jigsaw puzzles, a whistle, a torch (for flashing headlights), some pictures of real trains and some small train tracks (I printed them off the internet and laminated them).

The kids loved it and could grab the pieces from the bag as the story went on. Afterwards we did the jigsaw and talked about the real train pictures then go the train to go along the printed track.

It can go as far as your imagination can!

[loocyloo]

i have been making loads lately!

either using bags i've made with odd scraps of fabric ( or i did buy the gorgeous hungy caterpillar fabric on ebay! ) or bags i've bought from crafty crocodiles. the last two just used paper gift bags i was given presents in! ( i do plan to make bags for them when i have a moment! )

i put in a book and then find bits and pieces (animals, characters etc) to act out the story, maybe a nonfiction book ( ie with elmer i put a book about elephants, with grufalo i put a book about woodland ) i try and find a puzzle/game/activity/song to go with it too. but some just have a cuddly/toy to go along side such as a tiger cub for i don't want to have a bath ( although, i am thinking about adding a bottle of bubble bath and ideas for waterplay! )

i've also made song bags with a book/laminated sheet of a song (row row row your boat, dingle dangle scarecrow, 10 little fingers ) and then either a couple of instruments or puppets etc to act out the song.

a friend has been making activity bags with utensils and recipes for baking, sand & water toys, trains & whistles, mini beasts... i'm planning to do some of these too!

i could get totally obsessed just by making bags up!

my aim is that i will lend these to parents ... IF i can let them out of my sight

[Maza]

I make them up too but have never actually used a 'sack' as I don't have one. A shoebox or a basket are equally effective. Any of the traditional stories (3 Bears/Pigs/Billy Goats, The Gingerbread Man, Little Red Hen etc) are really easy, as are more modern classics like 'Whatever Next'.

[wendy222]

do u have pic of your story sacks xxx

[jumping j]

I've made my own;
elmer - some multicoloured square fabric - found a colour your own elmer teddy in TKMax, elmer book and some other elmer story books, elmer colouring and I made a little elmer teddy
Hungry caterpillar - found some lovely shiny butterfly material - made a green fury caterpillar with a mouth, plastic fruit, book and CD, caterpillar life cycle models and some factual books on caterpillars and one of those flashing butterfly wands for the buterfly.
For the others I've brought cheap pillow cases and sewn on a picture

Gruffalo - story and gruffalo's child and teddys to go with the story

3 little pigs - story, finger puppets and some plaster of paris bricks (I also have some straw but don't keep it in the bag

Handas Suprise - story, CD, wicker basket. soft toy animals, plastic fruit

Shark in the Park - story, follow on story, shark finger puppet and lots of cardboard tubes to use as telescopes

Dear Zoo - story, cuddly animals twycross zoo map and visitor guide

I'm always adding little bits to the sacks, other storys by the same author, colouring versions of the story, other formats (CD, board book, pop up book etc), Stories involving the same characters etc.