One of the craft blogs I follow recently shared a link for printable 3D letters (check them out over on Mr Printables!). I thought about what I could do with them, and decided to print out the letters R-E-A-D on brightly colored cardstock for use in my classroom. Printing them on cardstock made the trimming and folding a little difficult, but it wasn't too bad and gave them durability. I also slipped magnets into the bottom of the letters for added steadiness (and I had originally planned to place them on the top of a metal bookcase).
I made my letters over the course of a few evenings, which is the approach I'd probably recommend to anyone interested. It's an exercise in patience and detail, all that slicing and folding and gluing and taping (at least the way I did it!). I found the best combo to be using craft glue on the tabs, with a piece of Scotch tape layered over top (but out of sight on the interior of the letter, if that makes sense). I found that tape held faster, but the glue kept the sides together snug and tight. I also found that I needed time for the magnet-gluing to set, so I left them overnight and finished their assembly the following evening, let them then dry overnight with remotes on them for good measure. :P
I think they came out really nice - a few of my students noticed them and were duly impressed. I decided to display them on my counter, so that they were more visible. They got sort of lost on the bookshelf (you can see more of my classroom, including the bookshelves, here). They look pretty sweet up there, next to my IKEA score from last year's post-Christmas sales. :) [Note: The photos below were taken with my phone, hence the less-than-awesome quality!]
