Junk Journaling With Kids.

My journal. A altered composition book.

Really you have got to try this. My son hates to write. Doesn't like pencils, Can't stand crayons and if it not his name he is writing its a meltdown waiting to happen if I push the issue. Then I came across
journaling. I started making scrap books. Didn't really know what to do with them. Still don't. Searching and googling ideas for them connected me with the idea of journaling.
  First it was lapbooking. Oh we love to lapbook. (More about those in another post) Then paper bag scrapbooks, mini books and altered notebooks. That's when I discovered Junk Journals.

  If you don't know Junk Journals typically are to get rid of your scraps from other projects. Smash books are a type of junk journal. Anyway. I watched a video on youtube about a lady that made her own junk journal from stuff found around the house and my little lightbulb popped on. I can do that with LittleMan.
 
  So I brought up the idea with him...... I was nervous, just the thought of telling him to write something sent shivers down my spine. I approached the subject like this.

Me: Today we are going to make a book. A different kind of book than you have ever seen. A book that you will create. Its yours. Do with it what you want. The only rule is you can not use notebook
paper. You can use boxes, scrap paper, flyers, foam, anything you can write on but not normal everyday notebook paper.

Him: Can I cut the box?

He then ran to get a box to cut. He cut two pieces for the cover. We found all the little foam sticky letters he had scattered on the floor and found all the letters to his name. He then stuck them on his cover in the correct order. Took a marker and copied his name 3 times. on the inside of the front cover. That was day 1.

  Every day he has found something to place in his journal. On day 15 he decided to decorate the front and back covers. Took some old scrapbook paper and glued it on. Found some stickers and decorated.

Even on days when we don't do school he asks to do his journal. We write the date on each page and he draws or writes a word or two. Its now the second month of this project. We have on occasion missed a couple of days but he always remembers to pick up some kind of paper from the places we go to add to his journal.

 A few days ago my granddaughter was born and we were at the hospital awaiting her arrival. LittleMan ordered a sandwich from the cafeteria. He made sure we kept the order form to add to the journal and dated it.

 This has been the best idea so far. Plus its such a neat history of his life. Places he has gone, food he has eaten, toys he has bought, and things he has seen.