Dos and Don'ts of Teaching a Scrapbooking for Beginners Class

You've always enjoyed scrapbooking and some of your friends and family say you do a pretty neat job. You wouldn't mind some extra money (who does?) and what better way to earn it than dabbling in your favorite pastime?

With the surge in scrapbooking sweeping the nations, even Walmart and Target have an aisle or two dedicated to this hobby. Surely, there must be enough demand for them to take such a step away from groceries and discount clothes. Then why not tap in to this market and share your passion.

Do Not Assume Anything

If you are teaching a beginner scrapbooking class, do not expect the students to automatically understand the difference between card stock, vellum and patterned paper. Do not expect them to know the first commandment of scrapbooking- Thy shall not use products that are not acid free. Explain materials and jargon step by step and take visual aids. Hand them out in class so that the attendees can see and feel the difference in the types of adhesives and eyelets.

Do ask them to Bring Photos from Home

Scrapbooking is only interesting if you're preserving memories of loved ones. Having students attend scrapbooking classes and playing around with magazine cutouts will not be very meaningful. The rubber ducky motif will look so much cuter if it has little Johnny glued next to it as opposed to the baby from the Gap advertisement.

Do Not Get Carried Away

Scrapbooking for beginner classes are specifically designed to introduce the art to people, not make them pros in one day. Therefore make it a point to plan out your lessons in advance and not get carried away. Teach a technique or two per lesson, not a dozen which the student can hardly even remember.

Do Bring Visual Aids

Not only will your own layouts provide inspiration to your students, it also lends credibility that you are qualified to teach a scrapbooking class. However, keep your layouts in page protectors so that frequent handling does not leave fingerprints and other marks on your work of art.

Do Not Expect Perfection

Remember the first time you tried scrapbooking? Not a masterpiece in most cases, therefore do not expect anything different from a scrapbooking for beginners class either. Your job is to expose them to a hobby, not make them enter their pages in a national competition. Remember your goals and have a good time, after all that is what scrapbooking is all about.