Whether you've taken a big family vacation or spent your time on "mini" trips or activities, we bet you've got some great memories of your summer! In fact, you've probably even picked up some great souvenirs along the way - a t-shirt, a back scratcher and even a postcard or two. But the most priceless souvenirs of this summer are the memories through the eyes of your kids! We've got a great way to create a summertime keepsake that will preserve all the "favorites" from this season exactly as your child remembers them!
This handmade journal is quick and easy to put together and can easily be customized for specific seasons and events. Planning a Disney vacation? Create a themed book that can be travel with you in the car or the plane for "real-time" documentation! It's also a great way to document a new school year or holiday season.
The supplies you'll need are readily available:
- 1 sheet of card stock per journal - any size and color (We started with an 8.5x11 inch sheet.)
- Plain white printer paper (The number of sheets will depend on how many pages you want in your finished book. We used five sheets cut in half for a 10-page book.)
- Scissors or paper trimmer
- Stapler
- Duck tape (plain or patterned)
- Embellishments - stickers, ribbons, markers, crayons, glitter, photos, etc.
First, determine the size of your book. We kept it simple and made our "half-sheet" size. Using scissors or a paper trimmer, cut your paper accordingly. You'll need two equal-sized pieces of card stock for the front and back covers and several white sheets cut slightly smaller (approx. 1/4 inch) for the inner pages.
Next, fold each of your covers about 1/2 inch in on one side. This will create the "spine" of your book. Now stack all the inner pages between the two covers, flush with the ends that you folded.
Staple all the pages together. We used four staples on our 10-page book. Cover the staples by wrapping and securing a piece of duck tape along the spine.
Decorate the cover (we used clip art and stickers on ours) and then have your kids record their summer memories. Little ones can draw pictures while school-age kids can write stories about their experiences. (As an added bonus, you're sneaking in a little school prep without them even knowing it's "work!")
Enjoy the memories!
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