I know a lot of you entered summer bliss a while back, but around here we have still been trucking away! This is Ellie’s last week at school and her agenda includes a pajama day/read-a-thon, a Hawaiian Luau, a movie party, and a ‘lunch with dad’ day. Wish I were a first grader!
This last month as the school year has been winding down, I’ve been working on the girls’ school pages for their Project Life Albums. I have received a few e-mails from readers asking what I do to document school stuff so hopefully the next two posts will answer any questions. Several years ago I ordered a kit (actually one for each child) Becky Higgins created called her “school kit.” The kit came with a few coordinating papers for each school year along with a clear 12×12 envelope (also one for each school year) to hold miscellaneous memorabilia. Originally when I ordered the kits, my plan was to create a “school album” for each child with a few pages from each school year. Now that I am using the Project Life albums, however, I’ve decided to just add these school pages in the girls’ albums along with pictures from that school year. Any other pictures from field trips or other school related activities are just placed randomly throughout their albums. Here is an example of some pictures from Ellie’s school Valentine party/performance from last year:
School pictures like that are just spread randomly throughout her album in chronological order.
Here are Ellie’s separate school pages I created last year for Kindergarten:
Each year I do a layout including her 8×10 school portrait (why are the backgrounds for these school pictures so awful!?) along with the picture of her class. I keep these layouts so simple! I want the focus to be the pictures – not scrapbook supplies.
I took a minute at the end of the school year to write some things about her year. Prompts include: “that was the best, that was hard, worth mentioning, and good times.” As my kids get older I will have them fill in this section. But for now, they get mom’s perspective. :)
Then I choose from the stickers in the kit a few prompts for Ellie. While they are little I will always have them include a self portrait. It’s my favorite!
The full layout for Kindergarten
And the layouts I just completed for this school year:
A few thoughts about this year from mom…
and a few thoughts from Ellie. LOVED that her self portrait also included her favorite little creatures she likes to draw. I also love that for two of her hobbies she listed “playing and eating.” HA! Sounds about right.
The full layout for First Grade. I think these pages will be so fun for my girls to have. Just seeing how their handwriting progresses each year and reading all about things that were important to them in each grade. Priceless. This would be SO easy to duplicate without this kit. Just grab a piece of paper at the end of each school year and have your child jot down their teacher, friends, hobbies, age, school, and anything else you can think of. Have them draw a picture of themselves and done! This took Ellie a whole 20 minutes (and 18 minutes of that was spent on the ladybugs and butterflies). :)
This year I also did a very simple scrapbook layout of
Ellie’s first day of first grade. When I put this in her PL album I’ll also print out and include some journaling from my blog that tells all about that day. She was so excited for school! For Ellie it was like Christmas morning. I, on the other hand, remember feeling completely exhausted from my newborn and wondering how in the world I would survive the year. Christmas morning for mom? Not so much. :) Funny how a photograph can instantly bring back feelings and emotions.
These are my favorite part of the school kits and what totally made me want to buy them immediately! I love having a place to put random things from the year that didn’t make it into their albums. While you can’t get these kits anymore, Becky Higgins is coming out with something else to help document school days this summer. I’m sure it will be even better than these original kits so if you are looking for a solution for school stuff, check in with
her blog! Hope that answered a few questions on how I’m documenting school days! I’ll share Addison’s pre-school pages tomorrow.
Have a great Monday everyone! :)
xoxo, Erin
Such a treasure.
these are amazing. I seriously want to box up all of my photos, and send them to you to put together… AMAZING!
You are doing such a good job with their PL albums! It makes me want to dive in and get going on my kids’ again, but nothing is getting done around here, except for lots of feeding and diaper changing! I loved that Ellie said her favorite thing to wear in K was her monkey shirt, wasn’t that the shirt you hated?! Too funny. And great hobbies too! Love it!
these are so cute! I love the school pages too.
Love these layouts! How cute! :-)
Oh my goodness! What a great idea. I’m definitely going to have to scrap-lift your idea! Hope you don’t mind. Your girls are getting so big and look adorable as always! We got out of school Friday! Woo- hooo! Summer here we come!
By the way Erin you are amazing! I’m teaching at a Super Saturday for church and get this it’s all about organization …. hmmm, not sure that I am the best qualified but I am going to use you and your blog as an example. I adore your ideas! Thanks for sharing your amazing talents. Hugs.
These are great! I’m inspired. :)
I just found your blog and I LOVE it.!!! I also purchased the BH school kit, but have been putting off doing them. You have given me a ton of inspiration, and am ready to pull them back out. Thanks for posting these. I hope you will continue to share them.
Stacey