DIY: Kid-friendly travel journals

When we were getting ready for our trip to DC, I started thinking about how many times we had packed the kids up, and taken them on an "adventure".  And then I realized that as much as Jason and I try to be spontaneous and take the girls to see new things all the time, they are 4 and 7 years old.  The possibility of them remembering all of the things we are doing is slim.  I became more than a little sad at this thought.  We have done some pretty awesome things as a family, and I want the girls to not only remember all of these cool adventures...I want them to be able to remember what they were thinking at the time we did them.

So...I gave myself a challenge two days before we left on our trip- create a kid-friendly travel journal that the girls can add to with each new experience. No pressure : )

Before we left, I found some free printables at a bit of this & a bit of that.  They were exactly what I was wanting.  I printed a few of each one, and took them with us. 

Everywhere we went, the girls would write about their favorite things.  The cards actually made Jason and I ask more questions about what the girls really enjoyed and why.  It was a great way for them to remember all the things we were seeing and doing.

 

When we came back home, I put everything together. 

Here are the materials I used:

• an assortment of 6x8 double-sided paper- I fell in love with Sn@p studio papers.  I bought a pack of white lined papers and a pack of brightly colored papers which I alternated.  The paper is already hole-punched which is another thing I loved.  I found them at Hobby Lobby.

•  a pack of journaling cards also from Sn@p Studio

• 2- 1" Album rings and two different kinds of Washi tape

• I printed the photos from our trip onto canvas paper because I liked that the texture eliminated the possibility of little fingerprints : )

Here is the end result-

I am so happy with the results : )  The memories that are recorded in the journal are not mine. The journal is a record of all the things that made an impression on the girls, which is exactly what I wanted.

This is how I will be making all of our travel journals in the future : )