My Holiday Memory Journal - a summer activity for students

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Remember your childhood holidays? Apparently the sun shone every day, happiness abounded and every day was an adventure. What was the reality? A quick wander through the records for 1980s Ireland reveals that our corner of Kerry had a 24 hour rainfall of 106mm and extensive flooding during an August I remember as being particularly sunny.

Summer project: A memory book for holidays. Cheap, easy and a way of helping your son or daughter to build confidence (and fill those rainy days!)

Step one: Get a plan A4 exercise book. The first project is to cover the book in plain paper and decorate the covers. Use colours, felt-tips, pictures... be creative!

Step two: decide on what to include. Each day can have a different focus such as:

food (stick in menus, pictures, restaurant reviews);

friends - get new friends to sign the book (this is a terrific confidence booster!);

short stories or poems based on what you see out of your window;

pictures of the view from your room/hotel/tent;

descriptions of what you see, and of course...

the weather! (temperature)

If you can't decide on your topic for the day, put all the ideas in a hat and pull one out.

REMEMBER: this is your child's experience and does not have to be a parent-perfect production!
On your return, show the book around and relive the experiences



Memories can fade but journals do not!

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