September brings numerous fall activities. Participating in a daily photo challenge can help you focus on the world around you.
Here are some prompts for daily inspiration:
Selfie
Harvest
Labor Day
Back to School
Softness
Favorite Book
Pet or Animal
Bonfire
Favorite Quote
Favorite Beverage
Landscape/Skyscape
View Out Your Window
Favorite Color
Nature
Close-up
Collection
Food
Black and White
Upside Down
Football
Silhouette
Something Vintage
Patterns
Natural Light
What’s on Your Feet?
Clouds
Quiet Time/Relaxation
Fall Leaves
Guilty Pleasures
Something New
After you finish the month of September, print your photos and place them in an album for instant inspiration. For added fun, have your family or friends participate in the photo challenge. Cell phone use makes the challenge easy for everyone to join in the fun. Write a description under each photo. Years down the road, you may find the descriptions interesting, especially from younger children. Gathering the photos at the end of the month will bring a unique perspective on how each person views the world.
School’s out! Now, what is the first thing you hear –“I’m bored.” Consider creating a summer bucket list with your children to help chase away the boredom. Keep in mind, the list should be ideas you are willing or able to do.
Creating the Bucket List
Make the summer bucket list a family project. Use a notebook or purchase a poster board to write out your ideas. Consider using a different colored marker for each child. Allow each family member to come up with different activities. Of course, younger children may need help with the writing part of the project.
Summer Bucket List Ideas
Summer bucket lists can be simple everyday items to planned vacation adventures. The choice is up to you.
If you are uncertain on the type of activities, become a tourist in your town or surrounding towns. Use an Internet search. Local activities often get overlooked. Providing you a chance to join in on the fun on a weekly basis, community activities are free or minimal costs to participate.
Time marches by quickly. Embrace the daily triumphs. Ending a school year is a milestone in your child’s life. Not to mention, you deserve recognition for last minute school snacks, homework help, field trips, and on some days simply getting your child to school on time.
As the last day of school arrives, take the time to celebrate. Scheduling conflicts may not allow your celebration to occur exactly on the last day, still take the time to recognize the accomplishment. The celebration can be a simple family dinner with a special dessert to a large party with your child’s friends.
End of the School Year Party Ideas
If you are uncertain how to celebrate, ask your child for input. Often your child’s idea may be something you would have never thought about as a fun way to celebrate. Or you can consider any of the following:
Special family dinner
Family game night
Trip to the local bookstore to purchase books for summer reading
Attend a major or minor league baseball game or other sporting events
Water balloon “fight” or other water-related activities
The possibilities on how to celebrate the end of a school year are endless. Surprisingly, a simple ice cream pie to celebrate the end of the school year may easily become a lasting memory.
Editor’s note: This blog is an updated version from one on my other site.
Every year, the first Saturday of May is dedicated to the creative world of scrapbooking. National Scrapbook Day or National Scrapbooking Day is a celebration about preserving memories, family trees, parties and normal everyday life. The only limit is your own imagination. A scrapbook can be as lavish or simple.
Supplies for Scrapbooking
Scrapbooking supplies can basically be a wide range of material. Finding your likes and dislikes may take some trial and error. If you are first starting out and uncertain where to start, consider purchasing a scrapbook kit. Generally, a kit will contain the basic supplies to get you started. Or simply stop at your local craft store and pick out whatever catches your eye.
Some of the basic scrapbooking material may include:
Creating scrapbook pages or albums may be difficult in the beginning. The themes are endless.
Here are some suggestions to get you started:
School Events, School Year, First or Last Day of School, Day Care
Sporting Events, Practice, Game Day
Anniversary, Engagements, Weddings,
Birthdays
Baby Showers
Birth of a Child
Church Events
Getting a New Pet, Celebrating Your Pet’s Birthday or Holiday
Holidays
Vacations
Rainy or Sunny Days
Day In Your Life
Movie or Game Night
Changing Seasons
Family History
Parties
Swimming Pool Fun or Lessons
Celebrating Scrapbooking Day
Are you wondering how to celebrate scrapbooking day? Here are a few ideas to celebrate the unofficial holiday.
Do Something: Scrapbooking is all about capturing the moment. Go to the park, a local event, outdoor concert, or trip to the farmer’s market.
Do a Photo Session: Create a scene or go outdoors to take pictures of your children, partner, friends or pets. Use the photos as part of your next scrapbook.
Go to the Craft Store: Find the perfect items for your next scrapbook.
Give as Gift: Purchase a scrapbooking kit for a friend, give one to each of your children to record summer fun, or provide one for a family member.
Host a Party: Throw an impromptu gathering. As friends or family members over to share afternoon tea and create scrapbook pages.
Family Time: Creating a scrapbook is the perfect way to get your family involved. During the creative process, ask your children the best part of the event. Recording answers may provide you with a long-term memory.
Share Ideas: Show off your creative side on social media.
Scrapbooking is fun and easy to create. The end result of the creative endeavor is a lasting treasure.
Do you want to start a new tradition for yourself, your family, or your furbabies? Consider creating a memory box. Living in a digital age, small moments often get lost in the technological universe. Keeping a record of memorable days does not require attending large social affairs or ultimate road trips. Even though, both would be an excellent addition. Taking time to record simple, daily events may be the most memorable moments of the year.
The Memory Box
The memory box can be an old shoe box, a popcorn tin from the holidays, or a plastic basket from your local dollar store. You just need to create a space to store your memories. Get creative, decorate the box. If you have young children, consider making the box an afternoon project.
Feel free to create a unique, one of kind memory box for you or your family to enjoy.
What to Put in the Memory Box?
Keep in mind, there is not a specific guideline on what to put in your memory box. Creating a tangible storage space away from your digital devices is one reason for creating a memory box. Having fun is another reason.
1. Every Day Moments
Every day should be a celebration. Your child takes his or her first steps. Your son finally mastered Algebra. Your daughter got the lead in the school play. Or you received recognition for a project at work. Small moments go by quickly. Use index cards, notecards or scraps of paper to write about the daily event. Encourage children to participate. Even if they just draw small pictures, the notecard can be part of the box.
2. Ask Questions
Asking questions is another way to encourage your children to participate. At the same times, you are opening lines of communication. Questions to ask may include:
What was your favorite part of school today?
What do you want to do when you grow up?
What did you eat at lunch?
Did anything funny happen in school or practice?
Just keep an open mind, when you find out your son laughed and milk came out of his nose. And, he instantly became a lunchtime sensation.
3. Postcards
Going on day trips, field trips, family vacations or even a trip to your local grocery store, you will see postcards for sale. Postcards are an inexpensive resource for making memories. Picking up a few postcards or allowing your child select a favorite, allows you to record your visit with a picture. Ask your child to tell you the favorite part of the trip. Jotting down a couple lines on the back of postcard provides an instant keepsake.
4. Other Memorabilia
When you begin adding items to your memory box, you will soon learn in the world of technological devices, a paper trail still exists.
Movie tickets stubs
Concert tickets
Program brochures
Schedule of events guides
Menus
Fortune cookie inserts
The list is endless. By keeping the small items, you can jot notes in the margins. Or add a notecard later describing the experience.
What Next?
What do you do when the year comes to a close? Open the box, review your memories, place them in a scrapbook, or create time capsules to view down the road. The small effort you make to today to add little notes will leave a larger impact later when you read the memories.
