Children’s Summer Journal

I guest posted over at The Organized Parent a couple weeks ago. I’m sharing the post here today in case you missed it…When I was a child, I loved going into office supply stores.
I remember scouring the aisle with the journals…I would pick them up off the
shelf just to smell their pages. I have an entire tote full of filled journals from
my earlier years. They have become my prized possessions.

Not only is it a great opportunity to keep children
practicing their writing all Summer long, but it’s a great tool to keep
children occupied during those boring traveling hours. Keep it handy in the car
so they can record the events from the prior day, or write about a funny story
that happened. They can keep an ongoing list of different cities or states that
you travel through. Make sure to carry them on the airplane with you so children
can write or draw pictures of what they are most excited about and looking
forward to during your trip.

Having a journal can help children get excited about finding
or purchasing special keepsakes throughout your vacation, such as postcards,
maps or pamphlets, and even things found in nature like leaves or flowers.
These items can be glued right into their journal making them a permanent
memory of your trip.

To make trips even more special, try giving your children
their own digital camera to photograph their own memories of your trip. I have
done this before in the past and I always love seeing my children’s perspective.
Children can later choose which pictures they wish to have printed to add to
their journal.

Don’t let the fun stop when you get back from your trip! I
glued our Summer Bucket List on the inside flap of the journals so my children
can be excited about local activities we will be participating in. They can
check things off the list as we complete them and write about each different
activity all summer long.