Writing Journals

I must admit......... I'm terrible about writing in a diary. I had 1 growing up but wrote in it sporadically and I've not gotten any better since I've been older. I have probably 2 or 3 different ones here and there that have 4 - 10 entries in them that span over 10 years.

But my memory used to be REALLY good. Like total recall good. A little over 6 years ago, a neurologist prescribed this awful medication for me in order to "train my brain to forget how to have migraines." Yeah, okay, riiiiiight....... it has had detrimental effects on my brain, for sure! Not sure that I'll ever recover -- but my memories have been most affected. I HATE to take medications!!!! Can't even begin to tell you how much! Anyway..........

I don't want our children to make the same mistakes I did. I want them to remember and write and learn to record their feelings and memories, as much as possible. So I made them their own writing journals. I've incorporated them into their school assignments -- to make sure that they're done. We just have one writing 'assignment' per week and it's always about them. This is a "safe zone" in that there aren't any corrections on grammar and spelling. I just want them to capture their memories and feelings. I want them to be sooooooooooo much better than I, about this (although they really couldn't be any worse!!!)

These are what they look like: (the big cream colored boxes have their names on them -- but I blocked them out) I decorated them to match each of their personalities (as much as possible!)

Okay, so this picture is posed and it's not in the writing journal that I made for her -- but she's not a student anymore and besides, she still writes!

And she isn't writing in her journal, (she's doing pre-algebra), but she wrote in her journal after she finished! If I had this journal to make over again, I would do it in a Nancy Drew theme.Now THIS one is authentic.....he's actually writing in his journal! I was so happy when he asked for me to make him one! He's always so excited to get his next assignment!I love when they look back and read their old posts and say, "Oh! I forgot all about that!"
Many Blessings,
Julie