Create a Summertime Journal ~By Suzy Leopold

In a previous GROG post, about journals, I shared information on why one should consider keeping a journal or two, or three or even more.  Are you writing in a journal?  I do hope the answer is a resounding, "Yes!"  If not, here's an opportunity for you to make and create a journal for yourself and even consider making and creating journals to share with others. 

Throughout the years, my students have enjoyed making and creating journals.  The journals were used to display "published best copies," written during a Writer's Workshop lesson. Illustrations were added.  Creating student journals for the content areas of Math, Social Studies and Science are very effective. 

Consider making memories creating a personal journal, this summer, with your kids or the grandkids.

Being a crafty person is not required.  If you are a reader and a writer, you can construct your own personal journal to write thoughts, lists, ideas, poems, stories, doodles and much more. Making a journal just takes a little time and patience and does not require much money.  

Begin with the following materials:

1.  A composition notebook

2.  Four pieces of scrapbook paper 12 X 12 inches. Cut two pieces 12 X 8 inches for the outside front and back covers of the notebook. Cut two pieces of scrapbook paper 6 x 9 for the inside front and back covers of the notebook.

Note:  Be creative and consider using gift wrap paper, construction paper, cardstock, linen type paper or even brown craft paper.  All work great.

3.  Glue stick

4.  Hot glue gun

5.  Scissors

6.  Ribbon, rick rack and/or twine

7.  Embellishments

Note: Scrapbook letters and/or stickers, recycled greeting card cutouts, buttons, etc. make great additions.

8.  A Paper Folding Tool or Straight Edge Tool [optional]

Gather the supplies needed to create a personalized journal.

Many of these items you may have around the house. If you do not, consider purchasing what is needed from a local retail store or a indie craft store. 

Using a glue stick, generously apply glue to notebook.  Line up and place the cut scrapbook paper to the front of the composition notebook.  Repeat for the back of the notebook. The scrapbook paper should line up to the spine of the journal without gluing the paper onto the black binding of the note book.

Use a folding tool or straight edge tool, to smooth out any air bubbles, which helps to adhear the paper to the notebook and provide a finished look.

My favorite folding tool is a kitchen gadget. It is a plastic spatula.
A ruler or a sample piece of vinyl works well. You could even try a credit card!

Triangle corner folds are glued securely.

Continue using the folding tool to make some more paper folds. Pressing firmly with your fingers, works well, too. Create triangle shape corners as you fold the scrapbook paper inward. Do this for both the front cover of the notebook and for the back of the notebook.

Make four triangles folds for each corner of the notebook.

Once the four triangles are folded, use the glue stick to adhere the corners to the notebook.  

Now it is time to fold the paper along the three sides, of the front and back, of the notebook, as you can see in this photo:

Glue and secure these three folds, on the inside front cover and the inside back cover. Press firmly or use a folding tool.

 
This is what your journal should look like at this point.  I used a laminated piece of paper inbetween the cover of the notebook and the first page, as the glue was not quite dry and I did not want any of the glue to stick to the first page.  You could use a piece of parchment paper or wax paper, to prevent sticking until the glue is completely dry.

A piece of laminated paper sits temporarily
inside to prevent the drying glue from sticking.

Just a few more steps.  And here is another picture of the journal project:

Using a generous amount of glue, attach the 6 X 9 pieces of paper to the inside front and back covers as noted in this photo: 

Be creative and use paper that compliments the paper on the outside of the journal.  Mix and match.

Attach ribbon type bookmarks to the
center seem of the journal

Open up the notebook to the center seem.  Using a hot glue gun, attach some ribbon and/or rick rack or even some rope or twine for bookmarks.
Tie a knot at the end of each bookmark.   

This is the final step to complete your journal. 

Time to personalize it and make it your own. Select some scrapbook letter stickers [self adhesive work great], some baubles and other embelishments to make your journal special. Use the glue stick or hot glue gun, to adhere the decorations to the notebook.  Add some bling and baubles!

You did it!  Your journal is ready for some words. Time to write!

Here is a picture of one of my many journals: 

Suzy's Journal

Hope your new personalized journal provides you with many opportunities to write.  Share your journal creations.

Journals galore for family and friends!

Reading Is Not on Summer Vacation ~By Suzy Leopold

The Summer Slide!

As the school year comes to an end, some students will experience a summer learning loss or the “summer reading slide.”  Did you know that children can lose two to three months of reading progress if reading comes to an end on the final day of school?  The loss of three months, every summer, accumulates and becomes a cumulative achievement gap of 18 months, by the end of sixth grade.  

“Research shows the most damage to reading skills occurs outside school, during the summer months,” states Jim Trelease, author of The New York Times bestseller, The Read-Aloud Handbook. Even though the school doors are closed, it is important that learning and reading continue during the summer season.  Children who continue to read over the summer actually gain academic skills.

Reading books should not be on a summer slide.

Sustained summer learning that includes reading and new experiences provides many benefits for students when school is not in session.  Summertime reading provides positive effects on a child’s self-esteem, increased self-confidence and closes the achievement gap.  Learning opportunities, during the summer months, equal academic success, for the student once school resumes.  Reading during June, July and August, can make a difference in the likelihood of whether a student is on the path of preparing for college or a decision to drop out of high school.  Kids who read outside of school read the best.

How tall is your stack of books for summer reading?

How can you prevent kids from losing academic ground during the summer months?  How can you encourage family literacy activities while kids are at home for the summer? 

1.  As a parent, make sure you are seen reading by your children.  Model the importance of reading every day.  Reading to your child and reading by your child is great.  Reading at the same time is even better. 

2.  Provide a print-rich home that includes books, newspapers, magazines, and even comic books.  Label items in your home, for an emergent reader to read.  Beginning readers will delight in reading the word “door,” written on an index card that is taped onto the back door. If your family is planning a summer vacation, take books along with you. Keep books in the car.  Pack books in a backpack or a satchel for easy reading while traveling.  Perhaps the plan is for a day trip to the zoo, a museum, or to get out for a favorite summertime ice cream treat.  If so, a book should be tucked in a pocket or a purse, as you get out and about. 

3.  Visit your local library.  Your child should have his own library card to check out a variety of books to read.  Select books together based on topics of interest, or within a particular genre or written by a favorite author that are developmentally appropriate for your child. Select a stack of picture books for toddlers and preschoolers that an adult or older sibling can read aloud to the emergent reader.  Younger children also enjoy reading by themselves, while looking at the pictures.  Allow independent readers to choose their own books.  Encourage your child to select books from both fiction and non-fiction genres.  A simple rule of thumb for helping your child select books at his reading level is to have them choose a page, in the middle of the book, and read it. If they do not know five or more of the words, then the book is too hard for independent, pleasure reading.  Consider keeping a reading log and recording the books that your child read. Reading should be fun and memorable.

4.  Participate in literacy activities at your public library.  Most libraries have summer reading programs and special events that are fun and engaging.  Enjoy story time, guest authors, movies, make and take crafts and many hands on activities. Many libraries offer prizes for meeting a reading goal.

Summer literacy experiences will increase a student’s vocabulary, build background knowledge, and ensure summer learning gain. To help kids sustain reading skills, they must practice reading and read for enjoyment. 

Yes, students are on summer break.  However, reading and learning are not. Provide opportunities for your kids to read and have fun in the summer sun. Reading during the summer makes a difference. Summertime learning and reading will equal student success and create a lifetime reader.

Read more books!

As writers of children's literature, it is so important for us to promote the value of reading throughout the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter.  Reading, writing, learning and growing is not just for the classroom.  Reading together with your child or grandchild is a win-win for the child and for the reader. Smart summer fun that includes books, keeps kids learning and growing all summer long.  What picture books and/or chapter books are you and the kids reading this summer?

Inspiration [ĭn′ spǝ-rā′ shǝn] n. is Everywhere ~By Suzy Leopold

What inspires you to write?  Where do you find inspiration when writing for children?  How do you seek out ideas for inspiration to write children’s literature?

The American Heritage dic•tion•ar•y defines the word inspiration: [ĭn′ spǝ-rā′ shǝn] n.  1.  Stimulation of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity. 

Inspiration is everywhere.  As a writer, you can find ideas that stimulate thoughts and ideas in common everyday events, places, and situations that spur writing ideas for children's literature.

Think about the five senses that we all learned about in our elementary school Science lessons.  Can you name all five? 

1.  See   2.  Hear   3. Smell   4.  Taste   5.  Touch

Spending time outside, on the Illinois prairie, in our garden or riding my bike down the country roads, I am aware of my five senses and how they inspire me as a writer-in-process.  I keep in mind the audience that I write for -- children.

• Observe the Sights of Summer

The bright, vivid colors of summer are everywhere, on the prairie.  While spending a lazy summer day outside, I note the blooming flowers and herbs are a rainbow of color. Red verbena, orange tiger lilies, yellow calendulas, a variety of green herbs, blue bachelor buttons, an indigo wandering jew, and sweet purple violas inspire me to write down some ideas for a non-fiction children's book.  Look closely and examine all of the wonder and beauty that nature offers during the season of summer.

•  Listen to the Sounds of Summer

I can hear many sounds of nature and the word onomatopeia comes to my mind. The whooshing of the wind between the long needle pine trees, the chirpping and fluttering of the birds, the croaking bull frogs in the gurgling creek, the kerplunk of the weight from my fishing rod into the pond, the buzzing of a bee, and the chattering and cheering of children playing baseball in a nearby field are just a few of the summer sounds that I can hear.  These sounds inspire me.

While spending summertime with family, I am amazed by the smart, unique conversations with our grandkids.  I delight in their curiosity and wondering questions that they have about life. Listening to their interactions, vocabulary usage and innocent conversations, provide many interesting writing topics that are priceless.  

Reading with the grands in the reading nook is the best. All seven of them inspire me to write and to share the love of reading and writing with them. 

Be still and listen to 
the sounds of children. 

Take the time to 

jot down the precious words.

• Enjoy the Fragrance [Smells] of Summer

Together my husband, Perry and I enjoy gardening.  Since returning to the Midwest, our homestead on the prairie, is under construction and evolving.  The other day, while mowing the lawn, I found inspiration. At one point, I took a short break, to write down a thought that popped in my head. I grabbed a clipboard and wrote down my ideas.  Two more times, my lawn mowing was interrupted by more writing ideas. Once again, I headed to the West porch to scribe more thoughts on the piece of paper attached to the clipboard. 

There are so many fresh summer smells that I appreciate -- the newly harvested potatoes from the vegetable garden; oh, and the lovely bouquets of hydrangeas, lilacs, and peonies, that fill our home with a sweet fragrance. The aromatic herbs, of basil, rosemary, and mint, are summer aromas that tickle my nose and are used for baking and cooking. All of these fragrances ignite writing ideas that I quickly jot down.

•  Delight in the Taste of Summer

Around our house, summertime means special treats harvested from the garden. Nothing tastes better than a fresh, vine ripened, homegrown tomato.  And the first bite of a crisp Red Delicious apple, picked off of the tree is always delightful. Summertime snacks may be a refreshing ice cream treat or a juicy, tasty peach with the grandkids.  Savor the summer flavors.  Jot down adjectives that describe the tastes of summer, quoted by kids.  Write a poem using these descriptive tastes of summertime.

• Feel the Touch of Summer

On sunny summer days, I feel the warmth of the sun.  On stormy days, the cool, wet raindrops bring much needed rain for the garden.  Take the time to touch flower petals, tree leaves, vegetable plants and herbs.  Walk barefoot through the cool grass or slosh through the muddy garden after a rain. Think about what you feel.  Now write these thoughts and ideas on a Notes App in your phone or in your special journal filled with picture book ideas.

My inspirations become my ideas.  

Over time, these ideas become a first draft, followed by many revisions and editing, several rounds of critiquing, more revising and editing. In time, these ideas will become a polished picture book manuscript, ready for submission.  

What sparks your inspiration, 

as you write for children?  

This summer, while out and about, spending time with your family and friends, be inspired by what you see, hear, smell, taste and touch.  Be aware of your surroundings.  Be present. Inspiration is all around.  Keep a notepad, a journal, or even a clipboard handy. Jot down your thoughts and ideas, from your summer experiences, that inspire you to be the best writer you can be.

Always write about what inspires you.

Write about the ideas that you are passionate about.

Write about what is in your heart.

Reading is Magical ~By Suzy Leopold

     The Cat in the Hat, Charlotte’s Web, Good-night Moon, Stuart Little and Winnie the Pooh are all beloved children’s books that my Mom read to me fifty plus years ago.  You may recognize the list of classic book titles, may have listened to, or even read the same books as a kid.  I am so thankful that my Mom instilled the value of reading in me.  She modeled for my sister and me the value of learning, as young children.  Visiting the public library and checking out a tall stack of favorite books, and sometimes checking out the same titles numerous times, was a family event that we enjoyed, prior to kindergarten and continued throughout our attendance in elementary school.  Reading picture books to my sister and I was a special time when Mom shared the joy of reading with us.  Reading was part of our daily routine, usually as a bedtime ritual, while cuddling in bed or sitting together in a big, comfy chair. 

     Do you value literacy and the importance of reading everyday?  Do you promote the love of reading everyday?  Parents can help promote their child's literacy and the development of reading comprehension.  Even before a child can exhibit the skill of reading, young children begin to acquire basic concepts about literacy.  The single most important activity for building these understandings and skills, that are essential for reading success, is reading aloud to children.  Board books read to babies from birth develops the infant’s brain that continues to develop during the first year of life. Nursery rhymes read to tiny toddlers, lays the foundation for language development. Picture books read to children during the preschool years, builds success in learning. Reading to and with elementary school age kids, equals expanded vocabulary and builds a foundation for student achievement.  

     Want your child to be a better reader, develop the habit of reading as lifelong learning, and be successful in school?  It is plain and simple; just read.  Reading is magic.

Image:  Scholastic 

Read and Write Everyday!