'Don't Forget Me' Journal

A truly special vacation should live on in memory. Making a travel journal with your child is a way to combine art, early literacy, and scrapbooking all in the same meaningful activity.

To make a pretty journal you'll need: heavyweight cardboard, recycled white paper (for the pages), pretty paper (for the cover), ribbon, hole puncher, Clementine natural glue, a paintbrush (for the glue) and embellishments.

Brush the back of your paper with glue and center the cardboard in the middle.
Snip the corners and fold the paper carefully over the edges until the paper is flat and smooth.

Repeat with the front cover. Place a stack of paper between the covers and punch 2 holes with a heavy duty hole puncher.

Bind your journal with pretty ribbons or a circle clip.
Embellish the front with stickers, drawings, paintings or writing.

Once you have your journal, then collect the following:

• Writing and drawing tools: markers (thin and thick tip), crayons, colored pencils
• Camera (Polaroids are fun for immediate gratification)
  
• Glue stick
• Envelope—for collecting special treasures — a feather, a ticket stub, a note from grandma
• Each day, you and your child can pick one or more memories to record. Children younger than 5 will likely draw their memories and tell the accompanying stories verbally. Parents can record the child's words (preferably verbatim), underneath the drawings in caption or story form (book format helps literacy development). Let your child take the photographs and glue special treasures in the book as well.

At the end of your trip, you’ll have a delightful collection of child-centered memories to look back on. Don’t forget to have your child ‘read’ it to you before bed.