Diet and health pop-up book handmade

The core logic of making a three-dimensional book on diet and health that is popular science, interesting, and durable is never to pursue more complex institutions and more comprehensive contents. Instead, it is to first clarify the audience, then match the content, and finally adapt to the corresponding institutions. Ordinary people can use 250g of white cardboard, Velcro, double-sided tape and other materials at hand to complete it in as fast as 3 days. It is suitable for children's science popularization, elderly health promotion, personal fat loss records and other scenarios, and its practicality is far beyond ordinary printed manuals.

The first time I made this kind of pop-up book was when I made it as a popular science teaching aid for my nephew in kindergarten two years ago. At that time, I ran into a big pitfall: I moved the pagoda picture from the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents" onto it intact, and worked hard to make several complicated mechanisms such as rotating, pulling, and inserting. However, within three days of taking it home, the protruding pagoda tip was broken. After flipping it over twice, my nephew threw it away to play with building blocks, saying, "There are too many words and he can't understand." Later, after talking with fellow craftsmen and nutrition volunteers in the community, I discovered that there have always been two completely different ideas in the circle of people who make this kind of popular science pop-up books. It’s hard to say who is right and who is wrong. It all depends on the usage scenario.

One group is from pure handicraft enthusiasts. They feel that the core of a three-dimensional book is "three-dimensional". If it is no different from an ordinary brochure, it is better to just print it on A4 paper to save money. The version they made for younger children will give up part of the practicality to fun. For example, the vegetables and fruits are made into Velcro patches that can be pulled out individually. Each layer of the meal pagoda has a sticking place, and a small food turntable will be added. Turn it and it will pop out randomly. The prompt "Today's healthy snacks are apples/milk/cherry tomatoes", even if the knowledge is a little less, as long as the children are willing to touch and turn over, even if they just remember "eat more of the ones with green stickers and eat less of the ones with red stickers", it will achieve the purpose of popularizing science.

The other group, mostly practitioners in the fields of nutrition and public health, believes that the accuracy of popular science content is the bottom line and should never be altered for fun. For example, if a pop-up book made for elderly people with diabetes or high blood pressure labels high-glycemic cantaloupe as "you can eat more", it will be counterproductive. The version mechanisms they make are often very simple, most of which only have two types: large page turning and pull-out, but each data is stuck in the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022)" standards: the salt intake is accurately marked to 5g, with a diagram of a beer bottle cap next to it. When the pull-out bar is pulled to a position exceeding 5g, a prompt will pop up that "excessive salt intake can increase the risk of hypertension by 17%." It doesn't look very cool, but it is practical. Last year, our community did a health promotion for the elderly living alone, and we used this idea to make 12 books. All the words were selected in size 3 bold, and there were no small parts that the elderly would lose. Aunt Zhang, who ate pickles every day, turned to the page about high-salt foods, came over to tell us the next day, and gave half a jar of pickles to her neighbors. She said, "You can see the risks when you open this book, and it is more effective than my daughter reading it ten times."

Oh, by the way, don’t blindly buy expensive materials when choosing materials. I used to buy 200g coated paper with laser effect because of the beautiful pictures. It was so brittle that the joints of the mechanism cracked after folding it twice. After trying many kinds, I found that 250g matte white cardboard was just right, stiff enough, and would not break after folding dozens of times. Don't just use solid glue when gluing the mechanism. Once it dries, it will fall off in the wind. First, apply a layer of double-sided tape, dot a little white latex on the corner, and press it for two or three minutes. It will last for more than half a year.

Don't be greedy for too much. When I first made it, I wanted to put the entire dietary guide into it. It not only talked about the dietary pagoda, but also talked about food mutual restraints and refutation of rumors, and also added fat-reducing meal combinations. In the end, it was as thick as a small dictionary and I couldn't even flip through it. Later I figured out that a three-dimensional book is enough to focus on one core theme: when making it for children, focus on the "red, green and yellow food classification", eat green food with confidence, eat yellow food in moderation, and try to eat as little red food as possible ； For those who are trying to lose weight, I will specifically talk about "how to read the ingredient list" and create a small window that can be opened in the ingredient list, hiding the reminder that "aliases for trans fat include non-dairy creamer, hydrogenated vegetable oil, and margarine." It will be useful if it is thinner and people are willing to hold it in their hands and turn it over.

A while ago, I made an upgraded version of this book for my nephew who is in elementary school. I made three mechanisms: one is a stickable food patch, the other is a small food combination turntable, and there is a small comic book hidden under the flip page about drinking too much Coke and causing tooth decay. He took it to the class meeting to share, and the whole class of children gathered around to play with it. One child went home and told his mother to eat more broccoli and less ice cream. You see, there are no fixed standards. If you want to play by yourself, just make a palm-sized notebook and add a small slider to record whether you eat enough vegetables every day. ； If it is for science popularization, it should be adjusted according to the needs of the audience. As long as the core knowledge points are correct and people are willing to take a second look, it is a qualified three-dimensional book on diet and health.