Monthly Make & Take Craft Bags

Optional Supply Shopping List for Librarians

Planning a year of library makerspace activities doesn’t have to be complicated. This page includes suggested supplies for the

Monthly Make & Take Craft Bags: September–April Library Makerspace Program from Keen Bee Library.

These links are provided to help busy librarians quickly find the supplies needed for each monthly craft bag. You are welcome to use any brand, vendor, or supplies you already have on hand.

Disclosure: This page includes affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. These links are provided as optional supply suggestions to help you prep your library make-and-take program.

How to Use This Page

The supply estimates are based on preparing 30 student craft bags per month.

Each student craft bag includes:

craft supplies for one student
1 printed instruction sheet
printed templates, if needed for that month

You can adjust the quantities up or down depending on your program size.

A good starting point is to prep 30 bags per month and keep a few extra supplies on hand for mistakes, samples, or surprise participants.

Basic Supplies for the Year

These are helpful for most months of the program.

Craft Bags

You will need one bag per student per month.

For 30 students x 8 months, you’ll need about 240 bags. I recommend purchasing 300 bags so you have extras.

Suggested options:

Small paper treat bags
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Brown kraft paper lunch bags
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6 x 9 inch flat paper craft bags
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Printing Supplies

Each bag includes one printed instruction sheet. Some months also use printed templates.

Suggested options:

White copy paper
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White cardstock
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Assorted colored cardstock
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Patterned scrapbook paper
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Shared Craft Tools

These do not need to go inside every student bag. Set them out at a supply station.

Suggested options:

Scissors
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Glue sticks
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Clear tape
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Markers
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Colored pencils
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Hole punches
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Small plastic bins or supply trays
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September: Library Card Bookmark

Students create a library-card-inspired bookmark for their first checkout of the year.

Suggested Supplies for 30 Bags

30 cardstock bookmark templates
30 library card pocket templates
30 small patterned paper pieces
30 pieces of ribbon, yarn, or twine, about 10–12 inches each
stickers or washi tape for decorating
30 printed instruction sheets

October: Pony Bead Ghost Backpack Charm

Students make a simple ghost charm using pony beads and cord. This project works well as a spooky-season library make-and-take without requiring paper crafts.

Suggested Supplies for 30 Bags

Plan for about 18 white beads and 2 black beads per student.

600 white pony beads
75 black pony beads
30 pieces of lanyard cord, elastic cord, or string, about 18 inches each
30 key rings, ball chains, or backpack clips
30 printed instruction sheets

November: Gratitude Mini Zine

Students create a mini zine focused on gratitude, kindness, favorite books, or people who help them.

Suggested Supplies for 30 Bags

30 printed zine templates
30 gratitude prompt strips
stickers or paper scraps for decorating
30 printed instruction sheets

December: Light-Up Holiday Card

Students create a holiday or winter card using copper tape, an LED, and a coin cell battery. The light can shine through the star on top of a tree or another winter design.

Suggested Supplies for 30 Bags

30 folded cardstock cards
30 printed tree or winter templates
35–40 LEDs
35–40 coin cell batteries
1 roll of copper tape, at least 30–40 feet
30 paper stars or small decorations
clear tape
30 printed instruction sheets

Safety Note

Coin cell batteries should be handled carefully. Students should not put batteries in their mouths. Unused batteries should be returned to the librarian or an adult. This activity is best completed with adult supervision.

January: One Word Goal Backpack Tag

Students choose one word for the new year and create a backpack tag or keychain to remind them of their goal.

Suggested Supplies for 30 Bags

30 cardstock tag templates
30 pieces of yarn, string, or key rings
30 small goal-planning cards
stickers or paper scraps for decorating
30 printed instruction sheets

February: Kindness Coupon Book

Students create a mini coupon book filled with kind actions they can give to friends, family, teachers, or classmates.

Suggested Supplies for 30 Bags

Plan for 1 cover + 6 coupon pages per student.

30 printed cover pages
180 printed coupon pages
30 pieces of yarn, ribbon, or binder rings
paper hearts or stickers
30 printed instruction sheets

March: Blackout Poetry Bookmark

Students create a blackout poem using a printed text page or recycled book page, then turn it into a bookmark.

Suggested Supplies for 30 Bags

30 printed text pages or recycled book pages
30 cardstock bookmark backing strips
30 pieces of ribbon, yarn, or twine, about 10–12 inches each
black markers for the shared supply station
30 printed instruction sheets

April: UV Bead Sun Detector Keychain

Students create a keychain or backpack charm using UV beads that change color in sunlight. This is a great spring STEM activity that connects to observation, sunlight, and ultraviolet light.

Suggested Supplies for 30 Bags

Plan for about 6 UV beads and 8 regular pony beads per student.

200 UV beads
250–300 regular pony beads
30 pieces of cord, lanyard string, or elastic, about 18 inches each
30 key rings, ball chains, or backpack clips
optional testing materials: sunglasses, clear plastic, paper, fabric, or sunscreen on plastic wrap
30 printed instruction sheets

Bonus / Backup STEM Craft

Binary Code Bracelet or Backpack Charm

This bonus activity can be used as an extra make-and-take, a substitute craft, or a backup project if you need something flexible and STEM-based.

Students use two bead colors to represent binary code and create a bracelet or backpack charm that encodes a word, name, initials, or short message.

Suggested Supplies for 30 Bags

Plan for about 36 coding beads and 4 spacer beads per student.

600 beads in color 1
600 beads in color 2
150 spacer beads
30 pieces of elastic cord, lanyard cord, or string, about 18 inches each
30 key rings, ball chains, or backpack clips if making charms
30 printed binary code charts
30 printed instruction sheets

Quick Purchase Summary

For a 30-student monthly program, these are the main items to gather for the year:

300 craft bags
1 ream white copy paper
1 pack white cardstock
1 pack colored cardstock
1 pack patterned paper
1 roll ribbon, yarn, or twine
1 roll lanyard cord, elastic cord, or string
100 key rings, ball chains, or backpack clips
600 white pony beads
75 black pony beads
200 UV beads
300 regular pony beads
600 beads in one binary color
600 beads in a second binary color
150 spacer beads
40 LEDs
40 coin cell batteries
1 roll copper tape
stickers, washi tape, paper hearts, and paper stars
shared tools: scissors, glue sticks, markers, colored pencils, hole punches, tape, and black markers

Prep Tip for Librarians

Before the school year begins, create one storage bin for each month. Add the monthly supplies, printed instruction sheets, and a finished sample project to each bin.

When you are ready to prep that month’s make-and-take, pull the bin, count supplies into individual bags, and place the bags in a basket or display near your circulation desk.

Need the Full Resource?

This supply list was created to accompany the Monthly Make & Take Craft Bags: September–April Library Makerspace Program from Keen Bee Library.

You can find the full resource in my TPT shop:

Keen Bee Library
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For more bookish gifts, apparel, decor, and classroom finds, visit:

Keen Bee Studio
keenbeestudio.com

Monthly Make & Take Craft Bags

Monthly Make & Take Craft Bags

Optional Supply Shopping List for Librarians

How to Use This Page

Basic Supplies for the Year

Craft Bags

Printing Supplies

Shared Craft Tools

September: Library Card Bookmark

Suggested Supplies for 30 Bags

Suggested Shopping Links

October: Pony Bead Ghost Backpack Charm

Suggested Supplies for 30 Bags

Suggested Shopping Links

November: Gratitude Mini Zine

Suggested Supplies for 30 Bags

Suggested Shopping Links

December: Light-Up Holiday Card

Suggested Supplies for 30 Bags

Suggested Shopping Links

Safety Note

January: One Word Goal Backpack Tag

Suggested Supplies for 30 Bags

Suggested Shopping Links

February: Kindness Coupon Book

Suggested Supplies for 30 Bags

Suggested Shopping Links

March: Blackout Poetry Bookmark

Suggested Supplies for 30 Bags

Suggested Shopping Links

April: UV Bead Sun Detector Keychain

Suggested Supplies for 30 Bags

Suggested Shopping Links

Bonus / Backup STEM Craft

Binary Code Bracelet or Backpack Charm

Suggested Supplies for 30 Bags

Suggested Shopping Links

Quick Purchase Summary

Prep Tip for Librarians

Need the Full Resource?