In my last blog post, I talked about the summer activity that I most enjoy participating in with my children, and that was making Summer Bucket Lists. You can find it here:
https://learningisawayoflife.com/summer-bucket-lists/
To piggyback on those summer bucket lists, I love to have the kids keep summer journals. Many, many years ago, I was introduced to Bare Books, through a homeschooling creative writing class that we were participating in. I loved these blank books and have made them a part of our summer journaling ever since.
http://www.barebooks.com/
Our summer journals give us a perfect way to wrap up our summer activities and serve as really special keepsakes.
I find that the kids get almost as excited about going back home to journal their experiences, as they do about the actual experience(ALMOST).
For our summer journals, we collect little souvenirs, such as ticket stubs or cutouts from brochures, whenever possible. When we return home from an adventure, we often head to the table and the children draw their favorite part of the activity. They also write what they choose to write, as they get older.
We focus more on the drawing since it allows all age children to participate. I love watching the joy on their faces as they talk about the activity. During these sessions, I also listen carefully so that I can learn of more ways to make our summer exciting.
At the end of the summer, I develop pictures and the children pick and choose some to add to the end pages of their journals.
Summer Journals have become a very important tradition for my family and for the other little ones I care for each summer. Oh, how we enjoy looking back at these journals and talking about the adventures we’ve had.
Even though the children think that these journals are just scrapbooking their fun summer adventures, they are actually learning how to express their feelings and activities through writing and drawing. The details that the kids remember from our adventures often amaze me. I feel that, knowing they will be journaling later, causes them to notice more of the details for whatever we are doing.
For example, when we attended a really unique science experiment presentation at our local library last summer, I found some of the older children asking very intelligent questions. They wanted to be sure that they understood exactly what was happening and why it happened so that they could record it precisely in their summer journals. This helps them with retaining some of the knowledge that they don’t even realize they are learning. Learning and observing with the intention of remembering only benefits children in the long run.
If you’ve never made summer journals with your children, I highly encourage you to try it! It is an unforgettable experience with a special keepsake that can be shared for years to come.
As we are dealing with the recent flooding and practical loss of our home, we came across our collection of summer journals. We sat on the floor looking through them all for almost a whole day and talking about all the different, exciting adventures we’ve had, as well as remembering all the special children that have been a part of our lives through the years.
I’m so glad I started this tradition of summer journaling and hope that it can bring as much joy to your family as it has to mine.
