Ahhh...June. That mix of freedom before boredom sets in, the here-at-last feeling of warm sunshine, the prickle of a sunburn or two. (And hayfever, she writes, sneezing three times in twenty seconds.)
June might just be the most perfect summer month!
And sure: there are lots of Big Events to scrapbook during the summer: family vacations and reunions, 4th of July celebrations, camping trips and days at the pool. But to celebrate June, I'm sharing ten journaling prompts to help you document the little details of your summer. Hopefully they'll jog your memory for summers past (both yours and your kids'!) as well as get you looking forward to this summer's adventures.
1. Fill in the blank: It wouldn't be summer without ______________________.
When I was a kid, the best part of summer was afternoons, when I was finished with chores and gymnastics. I'd sit outside on the patio in the shade of the peach tree, reading books. It wouldn't've felt like summer without those peaceful afternoons! Sometimes it's the big things that make a season feel right, sometimes it's the small ones. But it's a fun thing to document.
Here I journaled about a few things that make summer summer. Watermelon is definitely high on the list at my house (I try to keep one in the fridge at all times.)
2. Write about your favorite summer foods.
Speaking of watermelon! Some of our favorites are pizza pasta salad, macaroni salad, homemade chunky-chocolate vanilla ice cream, and buttermint-and-oreo dessert. There are trips to the little corner slushy stands for shaved ice, and to the yogurt parlor, and to the bakery for cupcakes. And all the traditional family-barbeque favorites.
3. Capture the high points.
Summer summaries are one of my favorite kinds of layouts. Grab one photo from June, July, and August, then journal about the best parts of the summer. (Read more ideas for summer summary layouts HERE.)
4. Write about the swim suit.
Whether you're three or thirty three, there''s something memorable about picking out your swim suit for the summer. From cute to stylish to sleekly functional, a swim suit says something about a person's personality. Document some of the details—where you bought it, what influenced the decision, and the adventures carried out in it.
In this layout, I wrote about an accidental hand-me-down swimsuit that became a favorite:
5. Detail a favorite hiking trail.
What would summer be without plenty of hikes? (For me...dismal. Utterly dismal!) Pick your favorite hiking trail and journal about why you like it, how many times you've hiked it, the surprising experiences and familiar places you find there. Or pick a small detail. For example, on my favorite trail, about one-third the way up, there's a stone that's shaped like a shoulder blade. I look forward to passing it every time I hike the trail—but I'm not sure I've ever journaled about it on a layout.
6. Capture the details of a summer friendship.
The lazy days of summer change the tempo and texture of friendships. Write about how your children and their friends interact during the summer, from those long bike rides to the gas station for candy bars and soda pop to sleep overs in the backyard.
7. Record this summer's song.
Remember how last summer, everywhere you went you heard Carly Rae Jepson's song "Call Me Maybe"? Even if you groaned every time you heard it, it's undeniable: hearing it helps you remember what summer 2012 felt like. "THE" song of summer in your world might not be such a widely-known one, but it does seem like there's usually a song or two that captures the summer. (The opening strains of the Pet Shop Boy's song "Rent," for example, take me right back to 1988.) Which songs are your summer's soundtrack?
8. "Flow" with water.
From the beach to the lake to the back yard sprinklers, water and summer go hand and hand. You can go deep here—are you afraid of the depths or do you live to swim? or just get a little bit splashy—do you remember playing with the hose as a kid?
9. Write about your relationship to the heat.
I have one kid who loves summer absolutely, with no reservations about the heat. Someone else in my family (namely: ME!) turns into a crabby, grumpy, and downright prickly when it gets too hot. Everyone else falls somewhere in the middle. How do you or your family members feel about the heat? What do you do to cool off? What is the weather usually like during the summer where you live?
10. Document how your kids pass the time.
Without any school, there are a lot of hours to fill during the summer! What activities keep your kids occupied? How do you handle it when they're bored? Try keeping a list throughout the summer of books they read, mischief they got in to, or clever activities they invented.
